


Movie Mode

by Tonii42



Category: Minecraft: Story Mode - Fandom
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Violence, Parent-child relationships, family development, injuries, watching the future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2019-09-05 20:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 108
Words: 645,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16818304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tonii42/pseuds/Tonii42
Summary: They're not happy with how things have turned out. So many people have died, despite their efforts to stop the chaos that wrought the earth. So many people have suffered. So much unnecessary grief. If only there was a way. A way to change everything. To save the damned. But perhaps... there is a way. Just one last chance. This, my friends, is Movie Mode.





	1. Team! (Prepare!)

**Author's Note:**

> Halfway through the Endercon Building Competition, Jesse, Olivia, Axel, Reuben, Petra, Lukas, Aiden, Maya, Gill, Gabriel, Magnus, Ellegaard, Soren and Ivor are taken to a large house seemingly in the middle of nowhere. And they're given a disk. A disk that shows the future. This is Movie Mode.
> 
> Some of the decisions will be ones that I myself made while playing Story Mode, but seeing how I'm watching a youtuber play the game, most of them will be made by said youtuber. Also, I've only played as far as Order Up (I think it was episode 5), so I might only just have them watch the first adventure.
> 
> But if this stories a hit, I might have them watch the second adventure once I can play the next episodes. I've also discovered that new characters show up (besides Isa and Benedict, anyway) so if I do continue this past the first adventure, they might make an appearance and join the watch.
> 
> Obviously, this story contains massive spoilers. Read at your own risk. And obviously, I do not own Story Mode or even Minecraft. Otherwise, I'd be rich and most likely not be writing about it. I wonder if Authors (or Creators, if you wanna include games and such) write or even read fanfiction about their own creations.

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode One: The Order of the Stone**

**Part One:**

_**Team!** _ _**(Prepare!)** _

* * *

Jesse could only stare.

The living room was fancy. Like, the kind of fancy you'd only expect to be in a _castle._ There was a red carpet, large glass pane windows, bookshelves, armchairs and even _two_ _couch's_. Between two of the large windows was a strange big, thin black thing hanging on the wall, a coffee table between it and the couch's. An archway led into the hall.

He was sitting on the floor with Reuben in his lap, unable to take it all in. Olivia and Axel were a few feet away, looking just as shocked as he felt. Jesse spotted Petra, standing in the corner, gaping with her pickax at her feet.

The Ocelots were scrambling to their feet a little ways away, Lukas the only one standing as Aiden, Maya and Gill had landed in a pile of tangled limbs and were pushing and kicking at each other in an attempt to get free. Lukas seemed too shocked to help them.

"Ellie?"

Jesse's head snapped in the direction of the voice, hearing Axel give a gasp somewhere behind him. He realized why a moment later.

Magnus the Rouge was sitting in all his green-armored glory, staring in complete shock at the women sitting next to him. 'Ellie' blinked at him slowly, seeming unable to comprehend who she was looking at.

"Magnus?" said Ellegaard. Then, turning her head, "Gabriel?"

"Ellegaard?" Gabriel gaped.

"Ivor?" said a man in a pointed hat. Gabriel, Magnus, Ellegaard and Ivor turned to the man in shock, exclaiming in unison, _"Soren?"_

"Oh my god!" Maya exclaimed, pulling herself free from the pile and stumbling to her feet, "Its the Order of the Stone!"

"No _way_." Olivia muttered. Jesse couldn't believe it either. But who was Ivor? And how did he know the _Order of the Stone_?

"Wow, wow, wow!" Petra exclaimed, seeming to have finally got herself together and stepping forward, "What the _hell_ is going on? Where are we?"

"I was wondering the same thing." Gabriel admitted, slowly getting to his feet.

"Hey, look!" Lukas exclaimed, walking over to the coffee table and picking something up, "I think it's a note."

"Let me see that." Ellegaard said, taking the note and scanning it, her eyebrows going higher and higher as she read each sentence.

Silently, the engineer handed the note over to Gabriel, who had pretty much the same reaction. "How odd."

"What? What's it say?" asked Jesse. Gabriel shook his head, frowning.

"Apparently... we're here to be shown the future."

"The _future_?" Petra said, face morphing into a look of disbelief, "How's that even possible?"

"It shouldn't be." Ellegaard muttered, more to herself than Petra. She was frowning at the floor, as if trying to figure out a way as to how that could even work.

"Maybe the note's lying?" suggested Jesse, finally setting Reuben down beside him and climbing to his feet.

"Shut up, loser, what do you know?" Aiden sneered. Jesse glared at him.

"Yeah," repeated Maya, "What do _you_ know?"

"You know," said Soren slowly, as though he were speaking to children, "There's an incredibly high chance that he's _right_."

That shut them up.

"It says," Gabriel said, looking the letter over again, "That we have to use a remote to switch on the weird black rectangle on the wall to 'watch the future.' Whatever that means."

Jesse picked up a long object with buttons on it from one of the couch's armrests, holding it up for the others to see, "Like this?"

"Do you see anything else that could possibly be a 'remote'?" Olivia asked, walking over to look at the device. There was exactly six buttons, each with a label: Pause, Play, On, Off, Volume Up and Volume Down.

Jesse was about to press 'On' when the remote was snatched from his grasp. "Hey!" he yelled, looking up to see Aiden with the remote in hand and pressing buttons seemingly at random.

"Aiden," Lukas frowned, "That's not cool."

"Blondie's right." Ivor said, "You've got no idea what that could do!"

"Uh, I can _read_." drawled Aiden. Axel gave a low growl of annoyance.

"Oh, really?" Jesse said, feigning surprise, "I honestly had no idea."

Aiden scowled at him, pressing another button. The black rectangle lit up, the words _MINECRAFT: STORY MODE_ decorating the screen, music starting to play.

"Oh, cool!" Olivia exclaimed, "How does that work without redstone?"

"I'd like to know that too." said Ellegaard, stepping closer to the screen to get a better look. Olivia gave a little gasp, clutching Jesse's forearm almost painfully and whispering loudly in his ear, "She _agreed_ with me!"

The words on screen faded away, only to be replaced by news ones that said _Episode_ _One: The Order of the Stone._ A picture was shown above the title, of a strange machine-like block, with Jesse, Lukas, Reuben, Petra, Olivia and Axel looking at it.

The Order gasped, eyes wide.

"So this is about the Order?" Axel asked, "What, do they get back together or something?"

Gabriel, Ellegaard, Magnus and Soren frowned at each other, not seeming to be too happy at the thought. Maybe it was just Jesse, but did they look guilty? Or ashamed? Out the corner of his eye, Jesse spotted Ivor looking nervous. Who was this guy anyway?

"Looks like we're gonna be here a while." Petra stated, walking past Jesse to sit in one of the two armchairs. "Might as well get comfy."

Aiden, Maya, Gill and Lukas were quick to claim the couch. Gabriel, Soren, Magnus and Ellegaard took up the other couch, leaving Ivor to take last armchair. With no place else to sit but not really minding at all, Jesse sat on the floor between Olivia and Axel, Reuben in his lap and ignoring Aiden's smug grin.

 _"Nothing built can last forever."_ a deep voice began, startling the rooms occupants, _"And every legend, no matter how great, fades with time."_

The blackness fades away to show a deep blue sky, splattered with stars. _"With each passing year, more and more details are lost,"_ the sky fades away to be replaced by what appeared to be a library, the screen moving along the length of a bookshelf. _"Until all that remains are myths... half-truths. To put it simply: lies."_

"Well, I suppose that's true." Soren muttered.

The screen now showed an enchantment book, flipping its own pages on it's personal obsidian table. _"And yet, in all the known universe, between here and the Far Lands, the legend of the Order of the Stone endures, unabridged, as self-evident fact."_

It goes into the books flipping pages, once again fading to black. The voice continued, _"Indeed, it is only a troubled land that has need for heroes."_ A tower-like structure was revealed on a full moon's night, mountains in the distance, _"And ours was fortunate to have, so long ago, four heroes such as these."_ Standing before the tower in the distance, it is revealed to be SOREN, GABRIEL, MAGNUS and ELLEGAARD.

The Ocelots and Order of the Pig cheered at their heroes screen time, causing said heroes to give small smiles. Ivor crossed his arms, scowling.

 _"Gabriel the Warrior."_ It showed Gabriel rushing around a room decorated with weapons and armor stands that bore the heads of monsters, his name spelled at the bottom in turquoise. Gabriel smashed a creeper head off the stand to the left, before doing the same to the one on the right, _"Before whose sword all combatants would tremble."_ Gabriel spun around, hitting an enderman head off the last stand and revealing his face.

Petra clapped, and Gabriel stood up to give a brief bow.

 _"Ellegaard the Redstone Engineer."_ It now showed Ellegaard, her name written in red at the bottom, rushing around her own room, which was crawling with redstone dust, redstone lamps and torches and redstone repeaters. She pulled a lever and the redstone lit up, pistons starting to hammer back and forth. _"Whose machines would spark a new era of invention."_ Ellegaard knelt in the center of the room, looking at a trail of redstone dust, face hidden behind her goggles and helmet.

Olivia gave an excited grin, practically bouncing where she sat. Magnus nudged Ellegaard, who rolled her eyes at him before standing up and taking her own curtsy.

 _"Magnus the Rouge."_ Now it showed a room filled with TNT, and Magnus himself running about with his name spelled in green at the bottom of the screen, _"Who would channel his destructive creativity for the benefit of all."_ Magnus opened a chest, tossing out a pumpkin and a firework soaring out of his hand.

Axel grinned as Magnus, without any prompting, shot to his feet and took a dramatic bow. "Thank you, thank you." he said as the non-Order applauded.

 _"And Soren the Architect."_ it now showed a stone room littered with any and all types of blocks, from iron to diamond, with Soren standing at a crafting table and his name written at the bottom in white. _"Builder of Worlds. And leader of the Order of the Stone."_ Soren held up what appeared to be a strange amulet, the bottom gem green, the left one light blue, the top one red, the right one white and the middle one blue.

Soren got to his feet and bowed, before plopping back down between Gabriel and Ellegaard.

The screen changed to show Soren walking out of his room through an archway made of iron, _"These four friends together,"_ It switched to show Magnus walking out of his room through an archway made of emeralds, _"Would give so much to gain their rightful place,"_ It showed Gabriel exiting his room through a diamond archway, _"As four heroes."_ Lastly, it showed Ellegaard leaving her own room through an archway of redstone blocks.

Ivor glared at the Order, who carefully avoided his gaze. Jesse wondered what his deal was.

Now the screen showed Soren, Gabriel, Ellegaard and Magnus walking past a small pool of lava and up stone steps, _"Their greatest quest,"_ Now they were standing around an Ender Portal, jumping into it one by one, _"Would take them on a dangerous journey to fight a mysterious creature"_ The screen showed the End, crawling with Enderman and surrounded by tall black blocks with purple fires at the top.

"Oh, wow!" Jesse exclaimed, "So that's what the End looks like."

 _"Known as the Ender Dragon."_ The four heroes stop walking and look up, faces set in determination, a roar coming from the speakers as a dragon-shaped shadow passes over them.

"That's awesome." Axel declared.

 _"In the end, the Order of the Stone emerged victorious,"_ The dragon lay dead on the floor, Soren standing on its head, Magnus standing on its tail, Gabriel on its side and Ellegaard near its head on the ground, cheering and waving their arms in victory, _"And the dragon was defeated. Their story complete, they slipped away into the pages of legend."_ The camera zoomed in on Gabriel, grinning and raising his sword above his head. The screen faded to black.

"Okay, so the Order's involved. Do you think something bad's about to happen if it involves them?" Jesse asked.

"Well, duh." sneered Aiden. Gabriel shook his head and shot him an annoyed glare, which Aiden shrunk away from.

"If this is about the Order of the Stone," said Petra, "Then why are we here? What does it have to do with us?"

"I guess we'll just have to find out." Ellegaard said, turning back to the screen.

The blackness was replaced by a poster, hanging on a tree, of Gabriel's face. The black and turquoise EC under his name indicated that it was for Endercon.

"Hey, this must be during the Endercon Building Competition!" Olivia exclaimed, "Something must happen during it. Or perhaps afterwards."

 _"But when one story ends, another one begins."_ The screen went up the tree and past the cluster of green leaves, the sound of wood hitting wood and a male grunting meeting the watchers ears.

Jesse's eyes widened. Was that... ?

A tree house is revealed, and OLIVIA's voice floats from the speakers, _"Would you rather fight a hundred chicken-sized zombies,"_

"Oh my god!" Gill exclaimed, his grin in danger of splitting his face, "That's where you _live_? It's a piece of crap!"

"Well, we like it." snapped Jesse, "And we put a lot of hard work into building it."

"Aw," said Aiden in a baby voice, "Did we huwt your fweelings?"

Maya and Gill burst into laughter, giving Aiden high-fives. Lukas cocked his head to the side, still looking at the screen.

"I kinda like it. Simple. Looks cozy, too."

Aiden, Maya and Gill stopped laughing, turning to give Lukas strange looks. Axel's eyes narrowed, wondering if that was supposed to be sarcasm.

The screen showed JESSE with a wooden sword, hitting at something with it while Olivia stood in the background with a bit of redstone in hand, _"Or ten zombie-sized chickens? Just to be clear, you wouldn't have any weapons or armor, so you'd have to fight them with your hands."_

"Hey, this- this is just this morning!" exclaimed Jesse, "H-How did they... has someone been spying on us?"

"I'd, uh, rather not think about it just now." said Olivia, unnerved at the thought.

 _"I'd have to go with the giant chickens. Not because I want to or because I think it would be easy, but because they'd be an abomination."_ Jesse rushed to explain.

"Riiiight." said Aiden. Jesse ignored him.

 _"Imagine their giant feet."_ said Olivia. Jesse grinned, _"Like I said. An abomination."_

Olivia walked away and the screen switched to have a better view of her, _"Sooo, I've got a daylight sensor on the roof."_

 _"Mmm-hmm."_ Jesse hummed, continuing his sparing. The screen changed back to Olivia, _"And if I did this right, these lamps should turn on once it gets dark."_

"Hm. That's pretty good." Ellegaard said, looking at Olivia in interest. Olivia squeaked, clutching onto Jesse's forearm again and causing him to wince in pain.

 _"Mmm-hmm."_ hummed Jesse, and the watchers weren't sure if he was even still listening anymore. Olivia sat the redstone dust down on a counter, connecting it to a non-lit redstone lamp. _"I didn't want to just leave Reuben here with nothing while we're at the building competition."_

"Who's Reuben?" Magnus asked, frowning. Jesse smiled and pointed to the pig in his lap, "My pig."

"Oh. I had a pet creeper once. Didn't end well, but I had Soren to rebuild my room. The perks of having a master builder as a friend!"

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes widened and he turned around, lowering his sword and revealing the thing he'd been hitting was an armor stand with a pumpkin on it, _"He's coming with us."_

 _"Really?"_ asked Olivia, as the screen went down to the bottom of the armor stand, revealing REUBEN to be pushing against it gently with his head. Reuben backed away from the stand with a questioning oink.

 _"What kind of question is that?"_ questioned Jesse, sheathing his sword, _"Of course he is."_

 _"Okay, I'm not saying he shouldn't come."_ Olivia said, _"I'm not!"_ Reuben gave a disbelieving oink and turned away, heading in the direction of the window. offended.

 _"But don't you think it's a little weird that you take him with you everywhere you go?"_ Reuben jumped up on a chest and onto the window ledge, looking about, while Jesse looked over his shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow. Olivia continued.

_"He kind of makes us look like... I don't know... amateurs."_

"I see nothing wrong with bringing along a beloved pet." Soren argued, sending Aiden a look when he opened his mouth to more than likely insult them.

 _"He's my wingman."_ Jesse insisted. _"People always want to talk to the guy with the pig."_

"In your dreams." laughed Aiden.

Reuben grinned and oinked, but Olivia was quick to correct him. _"You mean talk_ about _the guy with the pig. Like, look at the weird guy with the weird pig. How weird."_

Aiden, Maya and Gill snickered.

Onscreen, Jesse's face fell.

 _"I didn't mean anything by it."_ said Olivia, turning around so that her back was facing the duo _"I'm glad he's coming. I just don't want to give people another reason to call us 'losers.'"_

She walked forwards to stand in front of a low bookcase, splaying her palms against its surface, _"I'm getting tired of it. I'm tired of being a laughingstock"_

"Too bad." laughed Aiden, "You three will always be the Order of the Losers. It's just what you _are_ ; and you can't change that, no matter what you do."

"We'll see about that." Jesse muttered.

 _"We are not losers, Olivia."_ Jesse insisted. Olivia turned around to face him, _"We lose all the time! It's what we do."_

 _"Okay, o-okay. That might be true."_ admitted Jesse, putting his hands on his hips as Olivia continued, shaking her head.

_"I can't remember the last time we won at anything."_

This, apparently, was too much for the three bullies. They burst out laughing, shoulders shaking and hands clutching their stomachs. Olivia blushed, burying her head in her hands.

"Don't listen to them, Olivia." Axel said, reaching behind Jesse to put a hand on the girls shoulder. "They're too dumb to find their own noses."

Their laughter quickly faded at Axel's comment, as they instead took to glaring at the large male. Axel just glared right back.

 _"But if that's the case,"_ said Jesse, _"It means we win at being losers."_ Reuben oinked in agreement at the window.

Olivia chuckled, _"All right. Fine."_ A hissing sound abruptly filled the house.

"Is that what I think it is? In the daytime?" Petra asked. Axel gave a small grin.

 _"Hear that?"_ asked Jesse, walking over to the trapdoor and kneeling in front of it.

 _"Oh, no."_ Olivia said. The trapdoor burst open and a creeper popped up right in Jesse's face.

Aiden, Maya and Gill screamed at the top of their lungs, Lukas jumped to his feet with a yell, Petra slammed her back against the armchair in surprise, Gabriel and Magnus jumped, Ivor gave a frightened squeak, Soren gave a surprised 'wow,' and Ellegaard jumped, nearly hitting Magnus in the face.

 _"Boo!"_ the creeper yelled, and Jesse scrambled back with a terrified scream, Olivia echoing him and Reuben squealing in fear, jumping up onto his hind legs and falling off the chest he'd been perched on and onto the floor.

The creeper laughed, pulling its mask off to reveal none other than AXEL. _"Oh, man! You guys totally freaked out!_ _That was awes-"_ Reuben gave an angry oink and charged at Axel, slamming his head into his stomach and cutting him off.

 _"Axel!"_ shouted Olivia, _"What's the matter with you?!"_

 _"Great."_ Axel moaned, _"Now I'm going to smell like pig at Endercon. I thought we were buddies!"_

"It wasn't that bad, you big baby." Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

 _"Cool mask."_ said Jesse, once he'd gotten over the shock.

"Incredibly cool mask." Axel agreed.

 _"It is, isn't it?"_ said Axel. Jesse grinned, _"Yeah. Very convincing."_

Axel laughed, _"The look on your faces..."_

 _"Did you bring the fireworks?"_ Olivia asked, changing the subject.

"What are you building?" Soren asked.

"A fireworks machine." answered Jesse, "With a creeper on top."

"Ooo, sounds nice. I'd like to get a look at it." Soren faltered, glancing around, "If we get out of here, that is."

 _"Of course I did."_ said Axel, walking past Reuben. _"I even brought something for the little guy."_ he pulled out black wings and a dragon mask.

 _"You brought Reuben a disguise?"_ Olivia questioned.

"I believe," said Jesse, "It would be called a _costume_."

 _"Um, we're going to a convention."_ said Axel, pulling the wings onto Reuben's back, _"_ Some _bodies gotta wear a costume."_ He placed the mask over Reuben's head, concealing his face. Reuben began running around in circles, squealing in joy, and jumped up onto a bookcase.

 _"He looks awesome!"_ Jesse exclaimed.

 _"It only took me like a million hours to build it."_ said Axel.

"It look's ridiculous!" Aiden snorted, "The Ender Dragon was a huge... _dragon_ , not some dumb pig!"

"I think it's pretty creative." said Petra.

 _"All right, all right."_ Jesse said.

 _"You definitely brought the fireworks, right?"_ asked Olivia.

 _"Yes, I'm ready."_ Axel insisted, making his way over to the trapdoor. _"Waiting on you guys."_

Olivia jumped down onto the ladder, looking up to speak to Jesse. _"See,_ now _he's your wingman._ _"_ she joked.

 _"Stop!"_ said Jesse.

 _"Hurry up and grab your stuff."_ said Axel. Olivia nodded, _"We'll meet you downstairs, okay?"_

 _"Okay."_ Jesse walked over to the chest by the window, opening it and muttering to himself, _"Shears. Definitely taking these. Never know when I might need to shear some sheep."_ Pocketing the shears, Jesse looked over at the poster of Gabriel hanging near the wall. _"Gabriel the Warrior. You think we'll ever get that famous?"_

Reuben shook his head. _"It's not impossible..."_ Jesse argued, _"Maybe I'll get famous for my sweet poster collection."_

"Do you talk to yourself _all_ the time?" Aiden asked, snickering. Jesse scowled.

"I wasn't talking to myself, I was talking to _Reuben_. There's a difference."

"Yeah, when you _actually_ become famous!" Maya said, laughing alongside Aiden and Gill, who high-fived her.

Onscreen, Jesse opened another chest, taking out flint and steel. _"Hm. Flint and steel, not too shabby."_ He got back up, walking over towards Reuben and glancing at the armor stand he'd been practicing on. _"I got this stand as a gift, but don't have any armor to put on it. Maybe someday."_

Looking down at Reuben, Jesse grinned and knelt in front of him. _"Give me a dragon road, Reuben."_ Reuben raised his head and gave a loud screech of an oink, probably the closest he was going to get to an actual roar. Jesse nodded, _"That'll do, Reuben. That'll do."_

Aiden, Maya and Gill weren't even trying to stifle their laughter. They were rolling around in their seats again, near tears.

"Guys, come _on_." Lukas snapped, visibly annoyed, "Are you going to laugh at everything they do? If you keep doing that, we're going to miss something important!"

"Oh, lighten up, Lukas." said Gill, still grinning ear to ear and giggling, "We're just having some fun."

"I'm not really sure this is supposed to be _fun_." Ellegaard said, not amused, "We have no idea what this could be about, and if we had to be taken from our lives to be shown it, it's going to be _extremely_ important. So shut your yaps, or you're waiting in the hall."

Aiden grumbled, crossing his arms in annoyance but all three of them obediently turned back to the screen.

Jesse opened the trapdoor and Reuben began running around him in circles, oinking excitedly. Jesse smiled and picked him up, holding him under his armpit. The screen changed to show Jesse climbing down the ladder one-handed while carrying Reuben, where Olivia and Axel were waiting for him at the bottom.

 _"That's everything."_ said Olivia, as Jesse sat Reuben back down.

 _"Let's roll."_ Axel said. Olivia rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips. _"Yeah, dude. Roll."_

 _"Let's go."_ said Jesse, and they began walking into the woods, in the direction of Endercon.

Axel spoke up, _"I heard a pretty juicy rumor about the building competition, but you guys have to promise not to say_ anything _."_

 _"Okay."_ Olivia agreed.

 _"Also,"_ continued Axel, _"It's in two parts, each part more exciting than the last."_

 _"Spit it out, Axel."_ said Jesse.

_"Part one. The special guest at this year's Endercon is none other than Gabriel the Warrior him-freaking-self!"_

"You idiot!" Aiden laughed, "Those posters were set up all over town for weeks!"

"Well, we didn't know that!" snapped Olivia, "Jesse and I live in the woods, and we don't go into town all that much."

 _"Whoa!"_ exclaimed Jesse, _"What's part two?!"_

_"Part two. According to my sources-"_

Aiden snorted.

_"-the winner of the building competition's gonna get to meet him!"_

Olivia gasped.

 _"It doesn't mean anything if we lose."_ Axel continued, _"But if we win... oh man, this would make up for all the losing."_

"Yeah, right! There's no way you're going to win-"

"Aiden, for the love of diamonds, _shut up_!" Petra shouted.

 _"Meeting Gabriel would be a dream and an honor."_ said Jesse.

"Thank you, my young friend." Gabriel said. Jesse smiled at him.

 _"Totally."_ Olivia agreed, _"He's awesome. It'd be amazing to meet him."_

 _"Reuben better be careful in that costume,"_ Axel joked, _"The last time Gabriel saw a dragon, it didn't end well."_

Gabriel's smile faltered, but only for a moment. Petra's eyes narrowed.

Olivia looked around, before looking back at Axel with narrowed eyes, _"Sooo, does this 'source' of yours make posters for a living?"_

 _"Huh?"_ said Axel, confused, and the three friends came to a stop. The screen switched to show their backs, revealing the Endercon posters and signs about tickets being sold out.

Aiden snorted, but didn't say anything when the Order and Petra gave him looks.

 _"Yeah."_ admitted Axel sheepishly, _"My source, uhhh, doesn't, uh, exist. You guys are my only friends."_

 _"Guys,"_ said Jesse, _"Lets stay focused. We have a competition to win."_

They began walking again, Olivia speaking up, _"We never win. And this year we've got we've got Reuben with us."_

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Jesse.

The screen showed Reuben for a moment, walking behind them in his dragon costume, before switching back to Olivia. _"We basically have no chance."_

_"We're going to win. Because-"_

_"What are you talking about?"_ Olivia cut him off. Jesse was quick to continue.

 _"Because up until now, we've_ hated _losing. But today, today my friends, we're going to start learning how to love winning."_ Jesse faltered, _"That didn't sound as good as it did in my head."_

 _"No, no."_ Axel protested, _"I'm with that."_

"Thanks, past-Axel." said Jesse.

Axel smiled, "Anytime, Jess."

Onscreen, Jesse looked at Olivia expectantly, who sighed and gave a smile. _"All right."_

 _"Wait a minute, wait a minute."_ Jesse said abruptly, _"We're thinking about this all wrong. The point of the building competition isn't just to build something. You have to do something to get noticed by the judges."_

"And here comes the moment of inspiration!" said Axel.

 _"Okay, then. So how do we do this?"_ Olivia asked. They group came to a stop, standing in a small circle.

 _"We don't just build something functional."_ Jesse began, _"We build something_ fun _."_

"Hm." hummed Soren, "Not a bad idea. Judges do usually go for the creative ones instead of just the functional ones."

 _"After we finish the fireworks machine like we planned, we build something cool on top of it."_ Jesse explained. The screen turned to show Olivia and Axel, who were both grinning at the idea.

 _"You might be on to something."_ said Olivia.

 _"If you want to get a reaction out of the judges,"_ Axel stated, _"You build something scary. So I say we build a creeper."_

 _"Wouldn't an enderman be better?"_ said Olivia, _"I'm more scared of enderman than creepers."_

 _"They both have their moments."_ Axel said thoughtfully, _"Both pretty scary."_

"Go with the enderman!" exclaimed Soren. Magnus gave him a light shove.

"No, no, go with the creeper!"

 _"Then again,"_ said Olivia, _"You scared the crap out of us with that creeper today."_

 _"Alright,"_ Jesse spoke up, having come to a decision, _"Let's build a creeper."_

"YES!" Magnus shouted, fist pumping the air.

 _"You're going with Axel's idea?"_ questioned Olivia, frowning and putting her hands on her hips. This caused Axel to frown as well.

_"What's wrong with my idea?"_

_"Nothing."_ Olivia admitted, _"It could totally be cool."_

 _"It_ is _cool."_ said Axel.

 _"Yeah. I think this is the first time we've decided on something_ before _getting to the competition."_ Olivia realized. _"Think we've got everything we need?"_

 _"It wouldn't hurt to grab a little more."_ said Jesse.

 _"Let's get to grabbin', then."_ Axel added.

 _"We're so prepared."_ Jesse grinned, stepping forward, _"We can't lose. Can_ not _. Bring it in."_ He stuck his hand out, Axel placing his own hand on top of Jesse's, Olivia putting her's on top of Axel's and Reuben jumping up with an oink and placing his hoof on top of Olivia's hand.

 _"'Dare to Prepare' on three."_ said Jesse, _"No, no, no. 'Preparing is daring.' Nope, that's the same thing. Forget it. 'Team' on three. One, two, three-"_

Olivia and Jesse shouted _"TEAM!"_ while Axel, seeming to have gotten confused, shouted _"Prepare!"_ They put their hands up into the air, grinning at each other before spinning on their heels and running off in search of supplies, Reuben chasing after Jesse.

The screen showed Jesse punching at a tree, Reuben watching in the background. Then it switched to show Jesse doing push-ups, Reuben sitting on his back. Jesse looked up at the tree in front of him, which he'd pinned a Gabriel poster on to. Now it shows Jesse digging up sand by a body of water, the video speeding it up so it only lasts a few seconds. Then it switched to Jesse underwater, wrestling with a squid and Reuben swimming about behind him.

It switches once again to Jesse doing push-ups with Reuben on his back, this time with only on arm, switching each arm every time he goes up. Now Jesse's running through a bed of red flowers, cutting them up as he ran. It showed Jesse now doing sit-ups, Reuben holding down his feet. Then it showed Jesse in a cave entrance, mining stone with a wooden pickax. Now he's in the midst of a herd of sheep, using his shears to get their wool. Jesse's shown punching at a tree again, the block breaking as he gave it one final hit.

Jesse, Axel, Olivia and Reuben run up to each other, putting their hands on top of each other again, faces set in determination. Then they jump up into the air, the screen freezing in that formation before going black.

"So..." Lukas said slowly, after a moment of silence, "You decided to do push-ups while you were at it?"

"Yeah..." Jesse rubbed the back of his head, "They, uh, made it look a lot more... _dramatic_ than it actually was."

"I liked the jump-into-the-air-and-freeze bit." said Ellegaard, "Very dramatic."

"I like how Axel shouted 'prepare!' instead of 'team.'" Petra said. Axel grinned at her sheepishly.


	2. The Order of the Pig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wipee! Chappie two! Hope you guys like it :) Also, did anyone else mistake the Endercon building banner for a pear or was that just me?

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode One: The Order of the Stone**

**Part Two: The Order of the Pig**

* * *

Onscreen, the blackness faded away to once again reveal the four friends. Axel was speaking.

_"We know what we're building, we've got all the stuff for it. We are so ready."_

_"This year,"_ said Olivia, _"It's going to be different. I'm not just ready to build, I'm ready to win."_

A man in a hat walked past them, _"Nice pig, losers._ "

"Okay, that's just rude." Gabriel muttered.

"This is why I don't like people." said Soren.

They came to a stop, Axel and Olivia glaring at the man's back, while Jesse winced and looked down. The screen changed to show the entrance to the building competition, where four people in black leather jackets with ocelot heads on the back stood, signing in.

"Hey!" Gill exclaimed, pointing at the screen, "It's us!"

"Oh, cool." said Lukas.

 _"Oh, great."_ groaned Axel, _"There's Lukas and the Ocelots. The rivalry continues."_

" _Lukas_ and the Ocelots?" Aiden spat, clenching his fists, "It's _Aiden_ and the Ocelots!"

"Is it?" asked Lukas, looking genuinely surprised, "I thought we were just 'Ocelots.'"

The screen moved over their backs, giving the viewers a good look at the ocelots on their jackets.

 _"Man,"_ said Olivia, _"They've got matching leather jackets and everything."_

 _"So cool..."_ muttered Axel.

Aiden, Gill and Maya sent them smug looks, snickering to each other. Olivia hid her head in her hands, cheeks flaming. Axel scowled.

Onscreen, AIDEN looks in their direction, grinning upon spotting them. _"Well, well, well."_ he said, causing GILL and MAYA to turn around and grin at them as well. LUKAS, however, continued talking to the lady at the desk.

_"If it isn't the Order of the Losers."_

"That's... not very creative." said Gabriel.

"Did they get that from us?" asked Magnus, "Like, as if to say they'll never be as cool as the Order of the Stone or something? Because it's, uh, not that good. At all."

 _"Great,"_ Maya smirked, _"The fail squads here."_

"You three are inexplicably bad at this." Ivor said.

 _"Lukas,"_ said Gill, _"Get a load of these losers!"_

Lukas barely glanced at them, instead starting to walk away, _"Let's go, guys."_ Gill and Maya followed him, Aiden giving the trio one last smirk. As they left the screen, it focused on the women with glasses at the desk.

 _"Name, please?"_ she asked.

_"Axel, and a how do you do?"_

Aiden snorted.

 _"No, your team name."_ the women corrected.

Axel blinked, _"Team name?"_ Jesse, Axel and Olivia looked at each other, their faces fallen. _"We are not ready for this."_

The screen showed the Ocelots, three of who were snickering to each other and very obviously pointing at them. Olivia sighed, _"So much for losing anonymously."_

Jesse turned back to the women, _"We're the Order of the Pig."_

This was, once again, too much for Aiden and he let out a bellow of a laugh, falling out of his seat and onto the ground, rolling about and clutching his stomach. Maya and Gill, while they did not fall out their seats, were leaning against each other with tears of laughter rolling down their cheeks.

"It's, um... nice?" Petra tried weakly. Jesse winced, looking at his friends apologetically.

The screen went down to Reuben, who was oinking happily, before going back up to Olivia. _"Really?"_

 _"Is it meant to tie us to Reuben,"_ asked Axel, _"Or are you making fun of me?"_

 _"O-kay, Order of the Pig"_ said the women hesitantly, _"You guys are in Booth 5."_

Axel turned to go through the gate, only to get stuck. After a moment of struggling, he was able to pull himself through.

"Aw, man." Real-Axel muttered.

Onscreen, Aiden, Gill and Maya are shown laughing at him, before making their way to their own booth. Olivia, Reuben and Jesse went through the gate themselves, looking around.

Jesse made his way over to Booth 5, where Axel, Olivia and Reuben were already waiting. _"Is that a freakin' beacon?"_ asked Axel, looking over at the Ocelots booth next door, _"They have a freakin' beacon? Freakin' beacon!?"_

"What, jealous?" Gill asked smugly, arms crossed. Axel glared at him.

"You wish, pussy cat."

The screen showed Lukas searching through a chest, straightening with a beacon in hand. Gill leaned down and grabbed a block of stained glass, Aiden and Maya waiting behind him to get their own.

 _"That's stained glass."_ said Olivia, _"They aren't just building a beacon, they're building a_ rainbow _beacon."_

"You guys are _totally_ jealous!" exclaimed Maya. Jesse, Olivia and Axel glared at her.

 _"We're gonna lose."_ Olivia sighed.

 _"What're you worried about? We've got this."_ Jesse argued. Olivia turned to him.

_"Who are we kidding? We've got nothing."_

_"We've got a_ mascot _."_ said Jesse, pointing at Reuben.

"Having a mascot would be pretty cool." Lukas admitted, "Like an trained ocelot or something."

"You're _agreeing_ with him?!" Aiden shouted. Lukas looked at him weirdly.

"What? I'm just saying."

Onscreen, Reuben looked up at Jesse, oinking.

 _"We should probably stop staring at them."_ said Olivia. But, too late, they noticed.

 _"Hahaha!"_ Gill laughed, pointing at them, _"Look, it's the Order of the Losers. Again."_ Aiden and Maya turned around, Aiden smirking at them and Maya laughing, _"Good one, Gill."_

 _"We're just looking."_ said Olivia.

 _"They'll be plenty of time for you all to look at it after it wins and gets shown at Endercon."_ said Aiden, a single hand on his hip. Axel frowned.

_"You're being unpleasant."_

_"Maybe not all of you."_ Aiden continued, as though Axel hadn't spoken, _"Endercon doesn't allow outside food and drink."_ The screen showed Reuben, who jumped back at the insult.

"That's not cool." Petra said.

 _"I'm talking about your pig!"_ said Aiden, as though it wasn't obvious.

 _"Reuben is not food."_ Jesse glowered.

 _"Could have fooled me."_ Aiden said, grinning at the costumed pig, _"He looks delicious."_

"Yeah, that wasn't weird at all." Petra rolled her eyes.

 _"That sounded like a weird compliment."_ said Jesse. Axel spoke up behind them.

_"You'll have to eat me first."_

"Please don't encourage them." said Gabriel.

 _"Uh,"_ Olivia said hesitantly, _"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."_

 _"Stop wasting your time, Aiden."_ Lukas spoke up, coming into view, _"We've got work to do."_ The screen briefly showed Jesse, Olivia and Axel grinning at them, before switching back to the Ocelots.

 _"You're lucky I'm busy."_ said Aiden.

Before anyone could say anything else, PETRA came up to them, a stone pickax casually resting on her shoulder, _"Hey, Jesse. Guys."_

"Petra!" Jesse cheered, causing said girl to grin at him.

 _"Hey, Petra."_ Jesse greeted.

 _"How's the build going?"_ Petra asked. Axel answered.

_"Only time will tell. But we're optimistic."_

_"Hey, Petra,"_ said Lukas, walking forward, _"I forgot to thank you for that nether star."_

_"Hey, Lukas. Not a problem."_

_"You helped these tools?"_ Axel asked, frowning.

 _"For the right price,"_ shrugged Petra, _"I'll help anyone. If you need anything, you know where to find me." S_ he turned, beginning to walk away.

Olivia called after her, _"None of us_ know _where to find you."_

 _"Exactly."_ Petra grinned.

Lukas, who had been watching Petra leave, turned to the Order of the Pig. _"No hard feelings, guys. If you're cool with Petra, you're cool with us. So why don't we just forget about all this, and, you'know... make this about how cool our builds are."_

 _"We're cool with Petra,"_ said Jesse, _"But you need to teach your friends some manners."_

 _"He's just trying to get into your head."_ Lukas said, brushing him off.

"That moron's going to end up hurting himself." Ivor said, "Or someone else."

"You seem like a nice guy, uh, Lukas, was it?" said Ellegaard, "I think you deserve better friends than them."

Lukas winced, turning back to the screen. Aiden, Gill and Maya's eyes lingered on him. Why wasn't he immediately denying that?

 _"Well,"_ said Jesse slowly, _"Have you heard the saying 'it's possible to be nice and win'?"_

 _"Sounds like something a loser would say."_ Aiden laughed.

 _"Ladies and gentlemen,"_ the lady from before began, directing everyone's attention to the stage, _"Welcome to the Endercon Building Competition!"_ she was greeted by cheers, _"The winners of this year's competition will have their build featured at Endercon. The winners will also meet, in person, Gabriel the Warrior!"_

Olivia put her hands in the air, grinning as Jesse and Axel did the same. Then a group shouting _"Ocelots!"_ cut through the cheering, and they turned to see the Ocelots doing some sort of handshake.

 _"Ocelots!"_ Lukas bumped fists with Maya, while Aiden and Gill did the same next to them, before turning to the one beside them and bumping chests, shouting _"Ocelots!"_

 _"Wow, handshake."_ said Olivia, turning to Axel and Jesse, _"We don't have a handshake."_

 _"We'll just make one up."_ said Jesse, holding his hand out, _"We'll call it the, uhhhh... the Builder Bump!"_

"Not a bad name." Soren admitted.

Axel and Olivia bumped Jesse's fist, but it quickly became awkward when they didn't know what to do next. Jesse hesitantly held up his other hand, before putting it down a moment later when neither of his friends did anything. _"Hm."_

Soren winced, "But, ah... needs work."

 _"Aaaaand just like that, I'm nervous again."_ Olivia said. Jesse put his hands on his hips.

 _"Don't talk like that! We can do this! Just stick to the plan and everything will be fine. This year, the Order of the Pig can't lose!"_ Jesse put his hand in the middle again, quickly followed by Axel, Olivia and Reuben putting theirs on top of his.

 _"Lets do it."_ said Axel.

"Yeah, just stick with the hands-in-the-middle-thing." muttered Soren, "It's much- much better."

 _"Building-"_ Olivia braces herself, _"-starts-"_ Axel reaches towards his blocks, _"-now!"_ Jesse rubs Reuben on his mask-encased head, before running towards the center of the booth with Axel and Olivia.

The screen sped up so that the entire fireworks dispenser was done in a matter of seconds.

 _"Oh no, a fireworks dispenser!"_ said Aiden from his own build mockingly, _"I'm so scared!"_

Jesse glared at him, _"You worry about your build and we'll worry about ours."_

It sped up again as Jesse, Olivia and Axel jumped down from their build and began building the creeper. Finished, Jesse walked up to the edge of the creeper head, looking around at everyone else's builds. One was made up of birch wood and fences and didn't look like it did much of anything, another was covered in torches, had a stone floor, spruce wood and grey stained glass, one had a small pool of lava in it and was surrounded by redstone and the last one shown was the Ocelots build, which was made up of various kinds of blocks and covered in redstone dust and repeaters.

"I... have no idea what most of those were." Magnus admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Or... any of them, really."

Onscreen, Axel and Olivia climbed up onto the creeper head beside Jesse. Axel and Jesse turned to Olivia, who nodded at them and reached towards the lever to her right.

 _"And now..."_ said Jesse, _"The moment of truth."_

 _"Here goes nothing."_ said Olivia and she pulled the lever. Immediately, fireworks flew into the sky above them and exploded, showering their giant creeper in different colored sparkles.

"All right! It looks awesome!" Jesse exclaimed.

"We're totally gonna win!" said Axel, fist-bumping Olivia over Jesse's head. Reuben oinked excitedly in his lap.

 _"Oh, man, that looks so cool."_ Axel said, grinning up at the fireworks, _"We'll win for sure!"_

Olivia nodded, _"The creeper was definitely the right way to go."_

Bellow them, people began looking up at their build, pointing and shouting in excitement.

 _"Guys, people are looking at us."_ said Jesse.

 _"Good build, man!"_ the man that had called them losers earlier shouted up at them.

The real Jesse, Axel and Olivia grinned at each other. Aiden scowled.

 _"What? No way."_ Aiden said in disbelief, looking up at the Order of the Pig's creeper. He stomped his feet, _"It's just a bunch of dyed wool!"_

"Compared to everything else there?" said Soren, "It's pretty good."

Looking around, Aiden spotted a block that held back a little pool of lava and he broke it with a single hit, _"Whoops!"_

"Aiden!" Lukas exclaimed.

"What the hell, man?" Petra shouted, "You could really hurt someone!"

The lava spilled forward, straight towards Reuben, who'd been sitting nearby. It instantly set fire to his dragon costume, and with a terrified squeal Reuben ran away in the direction of the woods.

 _"Oh no, Reuben's on fire!"_ Jesse shouted, as the screen went up to the three on top the wool creeper, _"Reuben, come back!"_

"You hurt my pig!" Jesse exclaimed, twisting around to glare at Aiden. But Aiden only shrugged, grinning.

"I said _whoops._ "

"You- You complete piece of crap!" Jesse made to get to his feet, nearly knocking Reuben out his lap, but Olivia grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

"Jesse, no!" she said, "He's not worth it."

 _"It was Aiden, that punk!"_ said Axel.

 _"The lava's getting closer!"_ Olivia pointed out. Axel looked down at it, inching closer and closer towards their vulnerable wool creeper, and shouting _"It'll ruin the build!"_

 _"Reuben's going to get lost!"_ said Olivia. _"We gotta do something."_

 _"But our build is about to go up in flames."_ Axel said. Jesse looked over his shoulder at them.

 _"We've gotta get Reuben!"_ he jumped, landing on the ground in a roll before continuing on at a run in the direction of the woods. Axel yelled on the way down, landing on his feet only for Olivia to fall on top of him, sending them both to the ground.

Olivia got to her feet and ran after Jesse, _"We're right behind you!"_ Axel was a bit slower, rubbing his head and groaning, before following them. The screen showed the lava reaching the wool creeper and starting to set it aflame, fireworks still going off, before everything went black.

"Okay, that was _not_ cool." said Petra, standing up and walking towards the Ocelots couch, "You didn't like that their build was better than yours and decided to sabotage it, hurting Reuben while you were at it and probably burning a lot more than just their creeper."

"Oh, come on, Petra!" Aiden said, leaning forwards, "It's just a dumb pig."

"Reuben's not dumb!" Jesse said, getting to his feet, Axel and Olivia backing him up. "And even if he was, you still have no right to hurt another persons pig just because you were jealous of their build!"

"I wasn't jealous!" Aiden shouted, jumping to his feet. Petra glared at him, shoving him back onto the couch.

"It was pretty obvious you weren't exactly happy that they were getting positive attention and you weren't." she said, getting in his face, "And that's what people usually call jealousy, if you didn't know that."

Aiden searched his brain for a comeback, but came up empty. So he instead crossed his arms, glaring at the girl in front of him. Petra, satisfied, took a step backwards and looked in Lukas' direction, "I don't understand why you hang out with them, Lukas. You may be arrogant, but you're no bully."

When Lukas didn't answer, Petra turned around and returned to her seat. Reluctantly, Jesse sat back down, Reuben hopping back into his lap as Olivia and Axel took their seats next to him. He gave Aiden one last glare before returning his attention to the screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you guys choose as your team name? Order of the Pig, Dead Enders or Neather Maniacs? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Not as long as the last chapter, only 2,000 words or so without AN's, but it's exactly midnight the moment I am writing these words right now, so I'm gonna end it here. I was eager to get the next chapter up for you guys, so I finished this one a lot sooner than I did the first one.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked it! I expect part three will be up soon.
> 
> THIS CHAPTER WAS EDITED ON 29TH JULY 2016. ONLY MINOR DECISIONS WERE CHANGED.
> 
> THIS CHAPTER WAS EDITED ON 7TH AUGUST 2016. GRAMMAR MISTAKES WERE CORRECTED.


	3. Into the Woods

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode One: The Order of the Stone**

**Part Three: Into the Woods**

* * *

Onscreen, Jesse, Olivia and Axel came to a stop in the woods, looking around. _"I don't see him anywhere."_ said Jesse, _"Reuben?"_

"I hope you're okay, buddy." muttered Jesse, tightening his hold on Reuben, who snuggled against his chest contently.

 _"The sun's going down."_ said Olivia, _"We've gotta find him, fast."_

 _"He could've gone anywhere."_ Axel said, _"And this part of the woods is huge."_

 _"We stand a better chance of finding him if we split up."_ concluded Jesse. Olivia nodded.

_"If either of you get lost, just use the lights from Endercon to make your way back to town, got it?"_

_"Got it."_ said Axel. The three friends turned and began running in opposite directions in search of Reuben.

Jesse came to a halt, looking about the dimly light forest. He continued forwards at a slower pace. _"Reuben?"_ he called out, _"Where are you? Just give me an oink if you can hear me."_

"Poor Reuben." Olivia sighed, "I hope we find him soon."

Jesse walked forwards, spotting distant smoke to the right. _"Reuben? Reuben? Come here, boy!"_ He passes a long body of water, stopping when he came to a burning tree. _"He must have run by here."_

"Great." sighed Petra, "Not only did you set their build ablaze, but now the _forest_ is in danger of burning. Do you know how many people get their resources from that forest? Not just for wood, but wool and food as well?"

Aiden chose not to answer.

Taking a closer look at the tree as the fire consumed it entirely, Jesse muttered to himself, _"Doesn't look like this fire will spread."_ he put his hands on his hips, _"I bet Reuben started this."_

Most of the tree now burned away, Jesse continued into the woods, coming to a clearing where a herd of pigs were grazing.

"Is one of them Reuben?" asked Axel.

 _"Reuben?"_ called Jesse, _"Are you in there?"_ He walked into the herd, a few pigs walking away from him as he got closer. Jesse looked at all the hoof prints on the ground and glared at one of the careless pigs. _"Stupid pigs."_

Reuben gave an annoyed oink.

"What?" Jesse asked, "They are!"

 _"Reuben?"_ said Jesse, as the pigs began oinking loudly, _"No, not you gu- pigs! All pigs but Reuben shut up!"_ Sighing, Jesse walked towards a patch of long grass, only for a chicken to jump out in front of him, startling him.

Aiden laughed, "What, are you scward of chwickens?"

"If I was scared of chickens," Jesse said, face blank, "I'd be scared of you."

Aiden's face fell, and he glared at Jesse with a growl.

The chicken continued on, Jesse watching it go sadly. He came to a small three-block cliff and jumped down, looking around. The sun was almost completely set. _"Reuben, it's getting scary out here!"_ Walking past a tree and turning a corner, Jesse spotted Reuben's dragon costume setting against a small hill of dirt, smoke floating from its surface.

"Oh no." Olivia whispered. Jesse swallowed.

 _"Reuben? Reuben?! Oh, no!"_ he ran towards it, getting on his knees and pulling at the costume, _"You in there, buddy?"_ He lifted up the wing, _"Oh, jeez, please don't be toasted, Reuben."_

Thankfully, the costume was abandoned, but Reuben was no where in sight.

Real-Jesse gave a sigh of relief.

Onscreen, Jesse let out a relieved breath, standing up and starting to stomp out the smoke. Turning back around, he spotted a cave opening with a light shinning through it.

"Jesse, no!" Olivia exclaimed, "You're gonna get yourself killed!"

Walking past the torch near the cave entrance, Jesse's eyes widened as he looked at the dark insides of the cave, his eyes slowly adjusting. He jumped down, walking forwards and looking around as if expecting something to jump out at him at any moment.

 _"Reuben? Is that you?"_ he looked down a small dark hole, yelling in fright upon spotting a spider. But the spider didn't seem that interested in him, for it turned and walked out of sight. Jesse quickly backed away from the hole, climbing up through another hole to the surface.

He looked around the small field, his eyes landing on a patch of long grass, where something was moving. Eyes narrowing, Jesse slowly walked towards it, peering through it and spotting none other than a shaking, wide-eyed Reuben.

"Yeah, you found him!" grinned Axel, rubbing Reuben's head.

 _"Reuben!"_ exclaimed Jesse, the relief evident in his voice, _"There you are!"_

Upon realizing who it was, Reuben left the grass and came forwards, oinking. _"Let's get out of here, Reuben."_ said Jesse, _"Hope you're ready for some more walking. We've gotta hurry back to town if we don't want to run into-"_

Reuben cut him off with a terrified oink, and Jesse looked back at the cave entrance to see two zombies making their way towards them, groaning and moaning in hunger.

"I can't look!" Olivia said, covering her eyes.

"Welp," said Magnus, "Nice knowing ya, what ever your name is."

Jesse and Reuben backed away, eyes wide. _"Reuben, run!"_ Jesse shouted, and the two spun around and sprinted in the other direction. They ran through tall grass and past trees, coming to a clearing as Jesse got to one knee, panting and looking behind him in search of the zombies.

 _"Whew."_ he said, _"I think- I think we're good."_

"Aaaand he's jinxed himself." said Petra.

Sure enough, a moment later a creeper came out of nowhere and began hissing. Jesse yelled, scrambling to his feet and running, ripping through tall grass and jumping over a pile of dirt to hide behind a small hill. _"I think we made it."_

"Jesse, _again_?!" Petra exclaimed. Jesse winced.

An arrow hit the hill, narrowly missing Jesse's head and provoking a scream. Reuben gave a startled squeal, as Jesse looked up to spot a skeleton standing on top of another hill. It drew another arrow immediately and Jesse didn't have enough time to dodge, the arrow lodging itself into his shoulder. _"Ow!"_

"He's hit!" Gabriel yelled.

Pig and human ran, only to come to a large cliff. Trapped, Jesse turned around to see three zombies making their way towards them. Reuben backed away and, with no other choice, Jesse drew his wooden sword.

"He's gonna die." Petra deadpanned.

Onscreen, Jesse hit the closest zombie, knocking it back. _"Back!"_ he yelled, as though it could understand him, _"Get back!"_ he glanced down at Reuben, _"Stay behind me. I've got you."_ Reuben obediently backed away with a whine, body low to the ground.

Jesse took another step forward and hit the zombie again, then sliced it across the chest, knocking it to the ground. Before it could get back up, Jesse plunged his sword into its head and it died in a puff of smoke.

But there was still two zombie left, and in the distance you could see yet another two. Jesse once again turned to the closest one, hitting it back, before turning to the second one, which was now closest, and knocking that one back. He did this again a few times, before the first one turned to smoke in one last hit.

Turning to the other one, Jesse hit it with all his might with a yell, and it too died, only for the top of his sword to break and skid away. The swords remains turned to smoke in his hand.

Olivia, who had peeked up from her hands, squeaked and covered her eyes again with a groan.

 _"Stupid wooden swords!"_ shouted Jesse. He and Reuben began backing away as more zombies made their way over, Reuben squealing in fright. Far too soon, they were backed against the cliff, with no escape. Reuben shook with terror, the zombies groaning as they closed in.

A spider jumped down seemingly out of nowhere, hissing and spitting as it inched forward on its long eight legs. Jesse swallowed.

_"I know it's bad,"_

"Like, _really_ bad!" groaned Olivia, still not looking at the screen.

 _"I'll think of_ something _!"_

"You better think fast then, boy." said Gabriel, "Because you're about to become monster chow."

The zombies groaned, the spider snipped hungrily, inching closer and closer. Jesse turned to Reuben.

 _"You're gonna have to make a run for it, okay?"_ he said, glancing at the upcoming monsters, _"I'll meet you back in town, I promise!"_ Reuben squealed in protest, _"Get outta here! NOW!"_ Reuben ran past the monsters, narrowly dodging getting hit by a zombie, and out of sight, squealing the whole way.

"Oh, please don't die." Axel said, unable to tear his eyes from the screen. "Me and Olivia will end up killing each other without you!"

A spiders hiss meet their ears, and Jesse turned back to the incoming hoard, only for a spider to appear halfway up the cliff behind them.

Ellegaard gasped, "Behind you!"

The spider jumped, landing in front of Jesse and springing towards him, hitting him on the chest and knocking him to the ground with a scream. Jesse screamed again, scrambling backwards as the spider advanced, jumping onto his chest and trying to claw at his face.

Jesse's hand shot up automatically, barely holding the spider at bay as its legs scraped against his face. Screaming, Jesse was able to throw the spider off and onto its back, but it immediately did a flip and landed on its feet again. Jesse grimaced and began scrambling away again, the two spiders and hoard of zombies getting closer and closer.

"Don't worry," said Axel, trying at a smile. But it looked completely fake and his voice was wavering. "We'll- We'll bury you and Reuben besides each other, yeah?"

"Not helping, Axel." groaned Jesse, tightening his hold on Reuben. Olivia moaned beside him, still covering her eyes and sounding as though she was close to throwing up.

The spider jumped back onto his chest, Jesse once again barely holding it away, and a moment later a pickax embedded itself into its hide. The screen zoomed out to show Petra throwing the spider off of Jesse, stabbing it multiple times as it landed on its back.

"Petra!" Axel exclaimed. "Olivia, you can open your eyes, Petra's there!"

"Petra?" questioned Olivia, peeking out from behind her hands. She gasped. "Petra!"

Onscreen, Jesse scrambled to his feet as the spider went up in smoke, the rest of the hoard still coming in. _"Come on,"_ said Petra, _"Let's get out of the open."_

Petra and Jesse began running, Petra killing a nearby zombie with her pickax and Jesse picking up some string the spider dropped. The screen went black for a moment.

Jesse let out a relieved breath, "Thank you, Petra."

"No problem, Jesse." said Petra, "I'll always help a friend in need."

The screen came back on to show Jesse climbing down a ladder into a cave, looking over his shoulder to see Petra already making her way down to the lower level.

 _"I wanna show you something."_ said Petra, leading Jesse deeper into the cave and passing multiple minecart tracks.

 _"Not that this isn't a really cool, dimly-lit tunnel, but... how far away is this thing you wanna show me?"_ asked Jesse.

Aiden snickered, "Look, the babies scared."

Jesse walked over a track, squinting into a narrow tunnel where it disappeared into darkness.

 _"Careful, Jesse,_ " said Petra, _"You don't want to get a reputation as a wimp."_

 _"This isn't my first time in a cave, Petra."_ argued Jesse, as they came to a stop.

 _"Yeah,"_ said Petra, turning to him, _"But have you ever seen-"_ she pulled out a black skull, _"A Wither skull?"_

"Oh, cool!" Lukas breathed, straightening in his seat, "You went to the Nether?"

Ivor's interest was also captured, his eyes narrowing on the skull. He briefly glanced at Gabriel.

 _"Whoa!"_ exclaimed Jesse. The screen zoomed in on the skull, giving them a perfect view of it.

 _"Fresh from the Nether."_ said Petra. _"You're the first person I've showed it to."_

 _"That's insane, Petra."_ Jesse said, _"You could've gotten yourself killed."_

Petra chuckled, _"Don't worry so much. I can handle myself."_ She turned around, putting the Wither skull away and heading deeper into the cave, _"There's this guy I'm meeting up with at Endercon. He's gonna trade me a diamond for it."_

Ivor shifted, crossing his arms uncomfortably. Petra blinked at him. Did she know him? Now that she thought about it, he looked familiar.

_"Being the resident go-getter pays off every once in awhile."_

_"The guy you got the skull for,"_ said Jesse, _"What's his deal?"_

Petra chose her words carefully, _"He's kind of strange, I guess. But, hey, everybody's got their thing."_

 _"And you never thought to ask him."_ Jesse said slowly, _"Hey, what's with your whole... totally normal... not at all weird... skull thing?"_

Ivor grumbled to himself.

 _"As long as this guy is willing to pay,"_ shrugged Petra, _"I earned that diamond."_

 _"Hm."_ said Jesse a moment later, _"Wow."_

 _"Wow, what?"_ asked Petra.

 _"In a single day, you went to the Nether, you killed a Wither skeleton... I mean, I_ did _build a super-cool statue, but still. It's pretty sweet being you, huh?"_

 _"You know..."_ said Petra, _"You could come with me."_

"Awesome, dude!" exclaimed Axel, "Say yes, say yes!"

 _"I mean,"_ continued Petra, as they continued walking, _"If you're too nervous, I totally get it. But I wouldn't mind a little backup."_

 _"You want_ me," said Jesse, astonished, _"To come with_ you."

 _"Consider it my charitable act for the day."_ said Petra.

"Oh, come on, Petra!" said Aiden, "Why would you want _that_ loser with you? I bet he's gonna mess everything up!"

"Shut up, Aiden." snapped Petra, "I can bring along whoever I wanna bring along." Jesse grinned.

 _"I'll consider it whatever you want me to consider it, as long as I get to come."_ said Jesse.

They came up to a crafting table and a chest. _"You just keep a crafting table down here?"_ asked Jesse. Petra put her hands on her hips.

 _"Comes in handy."_ she said, _"Since that wooden sword of yours got busted..."_

 _"You're giving me a new one?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"Even better."_ Petra smiled, _"You can make your own. One stick, plus two stones equals one sword."_

Grinning, Jesse made his way over to the chest and opened it. _"Just grab what you need."_ said Petra.

 _"Oh, okay."_ said Jesse, _"Thanks."_ He spoke up as he rummaged through the chest, _"Hey, is all this stuff yours?"_

 _"No,"_ said Petra sarcastically, _"We're just stealing from whoever was dumb enough to leave this here. Of course it's mine."_

 _"Just making sure."_ Petra shook her head, as Jesse continued, _"Oh, here we go! Jackpot!"_ He straightened with sticks and stones in hand, before turning to the crafting table. He placed down the stick and two stones, and they shook for a moment before forming a stone sword. Grinning, Jesse held it up.

 _"See?"_ said Petra, grinning, _"Isn't it better when you make it yourself?"_

Jesse nodded and sheathed the sword, following Petra out the cave and to a bridge with a minecart track going along it.

 _"Check it out,"_ said Petra, pointing to lights in the distance, _"Endercon's all lit up."_ The town is shown in the distance, with a beacon going straight up into the sky and changing color.

"Oh, yeah! Told ya we'd win." Aiden grinned, as the other Ocelots high-fived each other. Jesse glared at them.

"Only because you _burned ours to the ground!_ "

 _"Aw, man."_ groaned Jesse, _"Looks like Lukas and the Ocelots won again."_

" _Aiden!_ " Aiden growled, _"_ _Aiden_ and the Ocelots!"

"But we're _just_ Ocelots!" Lukas protested, "We don't specifically have a leader!"

 _"Sorry, Jesse."_ said Petra, turning to him. _"But, you've gotta admit. That beacon does look pretty sweet."_

Jesse sighed, _"Yeah, yeah. I just wanted_ this _to be the year we finally beat that jerk!"_

 _"You know,_ " said Petra, _"Lukas may be kind of arrogant, but he has come through for me in tricky situations. You might want to get to know him. Just in case. He's good at building, that's for sure. It's always useful to have a guy like that around, no matter what you might think of him personally."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Jesse said reluctantly, _"You might be right."_

"Erm... thanks?" said Lukas. "I think."

 _"I'm just saying,"_ continued Petra, _"If you run into him at Endercon, try talking to him."_

_"I don't need a lecture on the power of collaboration, Petra."_

"Collabra-what?" Axel asked.

 _"How 'bout a lecture on the power of my fists?"_ asked Petra sweetly, _"It's short, but deadly."_

Wincing, Jesse quickly changed the subject, _"C'mon, let's hurry."_

They began walking across the bridge, Petra speaking. _"Remember what Endercon was like_ before _it was cool?"_

 _"Remember what_ we _were like before_ we _were cool?"_

Aiden let out a bark of a laugh, Gill and Maya snickering. Jesse forced himself to ignore them, focusing on the screen.

Petra was silent for a moment. _"Some of us will never be cool."_

 _"Ha-Ha."_ said Jesse sarcastically.

Suddenly, they came to a stop halfway across the bridge. In front of them, three creepers were hissing and eagerly making their way towards them.

 _"Creepers!"_ Jesse exclaimed. Upon looking behind him, he spotted zombies and a few creepers making their way out of the cave. _"Crap."_

The creepers began making their way across the bridge towards them, the zombies and one creeper making their way out of the cave quickly doing the same. The screen zoomed out to show monsters coming in from both sides of the bridge, Petras and Jesse trapped in the middle.

"Oh no, not again!" Olivia groaned, covering her mouth with her hands.

 _"This..."_ said Petra, _"Doesn't look good."_

Jesse looked over the edge of the bridge, down, down at the water far bellow. It was a very high drop.

 _"Well,"_ Petra said, _"There's only one way off this bridge."_ They were back to back, Jesse facing the creepers and Petra facing the zombies, said monsters closing in. _"Whatever we do, we do it together."_

Jesse's face set in determination, _"The only way off this bridge is through them."_ They both drew their stone swords, facing the upcoming monsters, still back to back. Jesse took a step forward and knocked a creeper back, quickly backing away before it could explode.

"Oh god, no." said Olivia, once again covering her eyes.

 _"There's too many of them!"_ said Jesse, and the monsters closed in. _"I DON'T WANNA DIE!"_

The creepers exploded, just as Petra shoved Jesse off the bridge and jumped after him, both of them yelling. It all went in slow motion, music playing. It sped up for a second, before slowing down again as _MINECRAFT: STORY MODE_ was revealed in front of them. Still in slow motion, Petra and Jesse came face to face and Jesse gave her a grin, only for a creeper head to appear behind him a moment later, flashing white as it prepared to explode.

Petra's mouth opened and Jesse turned around, his smile fading. He pushed the creeper in midair, sending it into the cliff side where a group of chickens were clucking about. It exploded upon contact, causing the chickens to go flying. The screen showed chicken feathers flying up everywhere, the surviving chickens soaring through the air. Now it showed Jesse and Petra's backs, as they fell through a flock of flying bats. Petra hit one away from her face.

"This is... strangely funny." said Axel.

"I know," Olivia agreed, "Who knew so many facial expressions could be made in the amount of time it took someone to fall from a high bridge."

The slow motion and music cut off, and their screams could finally be heard as they slammed into the water. They resurfaced, Jesse shouting, _"It burns! It burns!"_

 _"Don't you know?"_ asked Petra, _"You dive_ into _the water- you don't land on top of it."_

Jesse rubbed the back of his head, "Oh, um, I'll remember that."

 _"Pull yourself together,"_ Petra said, starting to swim away, _"And follow me."_ Jesse did just that. The screen went black.

"Okay." said Petra, "That was a bit entertaining. But I still don't get why we _have_ to be showed this. It seems like every other day, really. Except, this time, Jesse tags along."

"Maybe something happens with your Wither skull deal?" Lukas suggested, "I mean, why would someone want a Wither skull in the first place?"

Petra shrugged. "Decoration? Because it looks cool? Maybe he made a bet with a friend, found out he couldn't do it and decided to cheat his way out? I don't know, man."

"Still." said Jesse, "It just seems a bit... sketchy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you tell Reuben to run or stay? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> We have now gone through around thirty minutes of gameplay and the episodes usually take about one hour to complete. Maybe another three chapters or so and we'll have completed episode one and be going after either Ellegaard or Magnus.
> 
> THIS CHAPTER WAS EDITED ON 29TH JULY 2016. ONE LARGE DECISION WAS CHANGED. Said large decision was telling Reuben to run instead of stay.
> 
> THIS CHAPTER WAS EDITED ON 7TH AUGUST 2016. GRAMMAR MISTAKES WERE CORRECTED.


	4. A Deal Gone Wrong

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode One: The Order of the Stone**

**Part Four: A Deal Gone Wrong**

* * *

The black faded away to show Jesse and Petra entering town and walking under a bright purple Endercon banner. Jesse was looking around in search of Reuben.

 _"Just let me know if you see Reuben anywhere."_ he said.

 _"He's gotta be here somewhere."_ said Petra. Jesse sighed, visibly worried.

_"I hope you're right."_

_"So, when we're making the deal, I need you to let me do the talking, okay?"_ she said, _"I just don't want anything to screw this up."_

 _"Sure, I'll let you handle it."_ said Jesse.

 _"And,"_ Petra continued, _"If you want to be really useful, try to look intimidating."_

 _"Like this?"_ Jesse glared, flexing his arms.

Aiden, Gill and Maya laughed. Even Lukas cracked an amused smile.

Olivia shook her head.

 _"I'm less scared of you and more scared for you."_ said Petra.

_"Jesse!"_

Looking up at the shout, they spotted Axel, the one who'd shouted, and Olivia walking towards them, visibly relieved.

 _"And... Petra?"_ said Olivia, confused.

_"Hey, you all know Petra, my new super-close friend. We're super-close now."_

Real-Petra shook her head, amused. Aiden snickered quietly.

Onscreen, Olivia and Axel looked at him in disbelief. Petra face-palmed and Jesse rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. _"We ran into each other while I was out looking for Reuben."_

 _"Couldn't find him either, huh?"_ said Axel sadly.

 _"I'm sorry, Jesse,"_ Olivia said, _"We looked everywhere!"_

 _"I saw him, but before I knew what was happening, we were under attack by a zombie horde! I told him to run,"_ Jesse explained, _"It was for his own good."_

 _"What were you doing in the woods, Petra?"_ asked Axel.

 _"Nothing."_ said Petra, _"Just... drawn by the sound of Jesse's high-pitched screams."_

"They weren't _that_ high-pitched!" Jesse protested.

 _"I would've been spider-bait if she hadn't found me."_ said Jesse.

 _"I gotta_ _admit,"_ Axel said, turning to face the Ocelots rainbow beacon, _"I'm pretty bummed that they won... again."_

 _"I mean,"_ Olivia said, _"There's no way we were going to let you go after Reuben yourself, but... it's okay to be a little disappointed, right?"_

"Of course it is." said Gabriel, "As long as you would still chose your friends over winning."

Axel leaned forwards, _"Or, like, a lot disappointed?"_

Jesse stepped forward, _"Cheer up, guys, we'll get 'em next year!"_

"Don't be so sure." Aiden grinned, high-fiving the other Ocelots.

 _"I dunno, Jesse."_ Olivia sighed.

 _"The spirit is willing,"_ said Axel, _"But the flesh is sad."_

 _"Hey,"_ said Petra. _"If at first you don't succeed, then, uh, succeed later than originally planned."_

"That was pretty bad." Soren said.

She turned to Jesse, _"Hey, Jesse, it's time to see about that... thing."_

Jesse looked confused for a moment, before his eyes widened in realization, _"Oh, right. The 'thing.'"_

 _"Subtle."_ said Olivia.

_"Yeah?"_

_"As a punch to the face."_ she continued, _"Axel and I were gonna head into Endercon anyway. See you in there?"_

 _"I heard somebody saying there's free cake by the map booth."_ said Axel excitedly, turning and making his way into town. Olivia followed him.

"Free cake?" said Axel, "All right!"

 _"Hurry,"_ said Petra, pointing behind Jesse, _"We're supposed to meet in that alley over there."_

Jesse looked over his shoulder at said alley. The screen cut to Petra and Jesse making their way through the alley, which was pretty dark.

 _"Dark. Dark. Very dark in here."_ chanted Jesse nervously.

"You're afraid of the dark?" Aiden laughed.

"We live in a world where monsters that want to kill you spawn in the _dark_." said Jesse, glaring at him, "A lot of people are nervous about going into dark places."

 _"That's weird."_ said Petra, coming to a stop, _"He said the dark, creepy alley close to the gates, but he's not here. Maybe he's late."_

 _"Are you sure_ this _is the dark, creepy alley he meant?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"Hmm."_ Petra hummed, _"I_ was _."_ she turned to face Jesse, _"Okay, new plan. You stay here just in case this_ is _the spot he meant and I'll look around. I guess I could have heard him wrong. Then again, I've never gotten a meet-up spot wrong before."_

 _"Okay,"_ Jesse agreed, _"I'll hold down the fort."_

 _"Thanks, Jesse."_ said Petra, starting to walk away, _"I'll be back before you know it. If he shows up while I'm gone, just stall for me."_

Jesse stood there for a moment, looking about the alley and spotting a chest. Curious, he stepped forwards and went to open it, frowning. But before he could touch it, a voice cut through the silence, _"Ahem!"_

Jesse gave a startled scream and spun around. A hand and leg could be seen in the screen.

 _"And just who are_ you _?"_ the man stepped forward, revealing himself by face and voice to be none other than IVOR.

"Ivor?" said Ellegaard, "What would you want with a Wither skull?"

"Oh, so _that's_ where I recognized you." Petra exclaimed, looking towards the scowling Ivor, "You're my buyer."

Olivia leaned towards Jesse and whispered so that only he and Axel could hear, "Do you think Ivor and that skull have something to do with all this?"

"I don't know." said Jesse, looking in Ivor's direction, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

 _"The name's Jesse."_ Jesse answered, _"What's it to you?"_

 _"I'm supposed to meet with Petra,"_ growled Ivor, _"Not whatever you're supposed to be! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't walk out of here right now."_

 _"I'm with Petra."_ Jesse said.

 _"My deal is with her,"_ said Ivor, _"Not her partner."_

_"She'll be here. But we can get started without her."_

"Oh, Jesse, no." Petra groaned.

 _"Do you have the skull?"_ Ivor asked.

_"Uh... well..."_

_"You do or you don't. You better not be toying with me."_

_"Uh, of_ course _I have it."_

Petra, Olivia, Ellegaard, Gabriel, Soren and Axel groaned.

_"What kind of dealer would I be if I didn't?"_

_"Let's see it, then."_ Ivor demanded.

_"You wanna see it?"_

_"You bet I wanna see it."_

_"I'm gonna show you."_

_"Show me, then."_

_"Stop rushing me! I get nervous when I'm rushed!"_

"This is a disaster." Petra said, head in her hands. Jesse winced.

"Sorry, Petra."

 _"I'm not wasting any time with you!"_ Ivor finally exclaimed, taking a threatening step forward.

_"Ivor."_

"Oh, thank god!" said Olivia, as Onscreen Petra came into view.

 _"Not a moment too soon."_ said Ivor, _"Your partner here almost soured the deal."_

 _"Ah, well, that's not good."_ Petra glanced at Jesse, giving him a glare. Jesse gave her a sheepish smile, rubbing his neck. _"I left my friend Jesse here while I went looking for you."_ she turned serious, _"I've got what you've asked for."_

 _"If you have what you promised us."_ said Jesse.

 _"You didn't say anything about an 'us' when we first met."_ said Ivor, _"And I don't like surprises."_

Magnus snorted, "Don't we all know!"

_"If these are the sorts of people you associate with... perhaps we should call the whole thing off."_

_"My friend is fine, right, Jesse?"_ said Petra, turning and glaring at him, _"There's no problem here. Let's not be hasty, okay? This is just a little misunderstanding."_

Jesse turned to Ivor, _"Let's just do this thing."_

 _"That's what I thought."_ said Petra.

 _"Proceed, then."_ Ivor said. Petra pulled out the Wither skull, handing it to Ivor, who looked it over with a smile.

 _"I'll take that diamond now."_ said Petra.

 _"Take it."_ said Ivor, pointing to the chest from before, _"You've earned it."_

Petra and Jesse walked over to the chest and opened it, the lid briefly covering the screen before it witched to the inside to see Petra and Jesse peering in.

 _"Uh, this isn't a diamond."_ said Jesse slowly. Petra reached in and pulled out, not a diamond, but lapis.

 _"No, it's lapis!"_ she exclaimed.

Olivia, Axel, Jesse, Petra and Lukas gaped at the screen.

"That guy cut out on a deal with Petra?" Lukas asked, astonished, "With _Petra?_ "

Petra turned to Ivor, glaring at him and clutching her pickax, "What the heck, man?!"

"What?" asked Ivor, shrugging as if he hadn't done- or wouldn't do- anything wrong, "Look, I _need_ that Wither skull! I didn't have a diamond at the time but the skull was really important, so at least you got lapis instead of nothing."

"Lapis?!" Petra shouted, on her feet and pickax in hand. She took a threatening step towards Ivor, _"Lapis?!"_

"Well, you don't have to give it to him now." Ellegaard pointed out, "Since you know he doesn't have a diamond for you. Maybe that's why you're here; they decided to be nice and show you that Ivor doesn't go through with the deal."

Petra forced herself to take a deep breath, breathing out through her nose. She reluctantly sat back down, crossing her arms. "Fine. But I'm beating him up later."

Onscreen, Petra and Jesse looked back at the alley entrance, but Ivor was gone.

 _"Oh all the dirty, underhanded tricks to pull."_ said Petra, infuriated. _"I can't believe that guy got one over on_ me _!"_

 _"Let's go after him!"_ Jesse said. Petra nodded and pocketed the lapis, running out of the alley with Jesse right behind her.

 _"I'm either getting that diamond or I'm getting my skull back."_ Petra stated, facing Jesse as they ran.

 _"Or you'll make him pay, right?"_ said Jesse, _"Right?"_

 _"Come on."_ they went down another alley, stopping as they came to a street. _"Do you see him anywhere?"_

They looked around, but there was only Endercon booths and people walking about, enjoying the convention. Ivor was no where in sight. Jesse frowned, _"We lost him."_

 _"Then we'll just have to find him again."_ said Petra, _"Go!"_

With that, they split up, Petra going one way and Jesse making his way to the booths. Slowing to a walk, he made his way through and past a group of people, only to spot none other than Gabriel the Warrior.

 _"There he is!"_ a random person shouted. _"Gabriel! Gabriel!"_

People shoved past Jesse to get to Gabriel, but a large blond in a blue shirt blocked their path and Gabriel walked out of sight. _"Step aside, please."_ he said.

_"I just have one question!"_

_"Hold all your questions until after the keynote."_ the blond said.

_"But the keynotes sold out!"_

_"Hold your questions anyway."_

Jesse walked past the crowd, spotting Lukas leaning against a booth. He walked towards him, _"'Sup?"_

 _"'Sup?"_ said Lukas.

 _"Nothing."_ Jesse said, _"'Sup with you?"_

 _"Nothing. 'Sup with_ you _?"_

 _"I just said nothing."_ said Jesse. Lukas glanced down.

_"I'm sorry you guys didn't win this year. It might have turned out pretty cool. If it hadn't, you know, burned down or... whatever."_

Petra smiled at him.

 _"You know, that stunt your friend pulled really hurt my pig."_ said Jesse, frowning.

 _"Okay,"_ Lukas said, _"Maybe. But I had nothing to do with that."_

_"He's still missing, you know."_

_"Sorry."_ Lukas apologized, sounding sincere, _"I hope you find him soon."_

"Yeah," Jesse muttered, burying his face into Reuben's neck, "I do too."

Onscreen Jesse continued talking after a moment, _"Hey, you didn't happen to see a creepy guy with long hair and a bear roaming around, did you?"_

 _"I don't think so."_ said Lukas, _"Why?"_

_"He kinda scammed Petra out of a diamond earlier."_

_"Whoa,"_ Lukas said, eyes wide and shaking his head, _"Everyone knows you don't mess with Petra. Not if you know what's good for you."_

"Exactly." Petra growled, glaring at Ivor.

_"I'll keep an eye out, okay?"_

_"Thanks,"_ said Jesse, _"I appreciate it."_ An awkward silence passed.

 _"So, uh... we're cool?"_ asked Lukas.

_"Yeah, we're cool."_

_"Cool, cool."_

_"Coolio."_

_"Coolness."_

"Oh my god," said Petra, shaking her head, "You're both such _dorks_."

"Hey!" Jesse and Lukas said in unison.

 _"Ha!"_ said Jesse, turning away, _"See ya later, Lukas."_

_"Yeah. See ya."_

Jesse continued walking through the crowd, passing a DJ before coming to Axel standing in front of some sort of chicken machine. Up above, a chicken stepped on a pressure plate and the block below it was drawn away, leaving it to fall into the pen bellow with the other running chickens.

"Haha!" laughed Real-Axel, "That's great!"

 _"Thought you could just wiggle right out of that trap, didn't you?"_ Axel laughed, clearly enjoying himself, _"Well, wiggle as much as you want; you're not going anywhere."_

 _"Axel, listen up,"_ said Jesse, turning to him, _"Any chance you've seen a creepy looking beard-y guy anywhere?"_

Ivor huffed, Magnus not bothering to stifle his giggles like the rest of the Order.

 _"No,"_ said Axel, _"Petra told me what happened; I'm keeping an eye out for him."_

"By watching a chicken-torture-machine?" asked Olivia. Axel grinned sheepishly.

Onscreen, Jesse put his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Axel crumbled.

_"Okay, so I got a little distracted. It's just this machine presses all my buttons; unnecessarily complicated and mean to birds for no reason. It's just, when something like this calls, you gotta answer."_

"Axel," said Petra with a blank face, "I will _smite_ you."

Axel leaned away from her nervously."

 _"We really need your help, Axel."_ said Jesse. _"If we don't find this guy soon, we might never find him."_

 _"I was looking,"_ Axel insisted, _"I just got distracted."_

 _"Have you seen Reuben?"_ Jesse tried, _"I was hopping he made it to town while I was distracted."_

"Why do I feel like you purposefully used the word 'distracted'?" asked Axel.

 _"Haven't seen hide nor hair."_ said Axel, _"But I'm sure he's fine, he's a tough little ham."_ He looked back up at the machine, watching as another chicken stepped on the pressure plate and fell back into the pen.

 _"Axel."_ stressed Jesse.

Axel turned to him, _"All right, all right, I'll look."_ he looked back at the machine, _"After I watch one more chicken get owned."_

Rolling his eyes, Jesse made his way back into the crowd, spotting someone in green clothes with long black hair. _"Ha, I see ya now, weirdo."_

"All right, you found him." said Petra.

Jesse made his way through the crowd, following Ivor, only for Aiden to pop out of no where. _"Well, if it isn't Team Trashbag."_

Half the audience groaned.

Jesse tried to look past him, but Aiden kept getting in the way. _"How's your stupid pig? I hear intense heat causes brain damage."_

 _"I don't know when,"_ said Jesse, glaring, _"I don't know how, but some day, far into the future, when you're least expecting it, we_ will _get our revenge."_

"Wow!" exclaimed Axel. Even Petra looked surprised.

"That was- That was _dark_." she said. Lukas shook his head.

"Remind me not to mess with your friends."

 _"Whoa!"_ Aiden exclaimed, _"I was just joking, jeez."_

 _"Yeah?"_ said Jesse, _"Well, I wasn't."_ Finished, he pushed Aiden to the side and continued on after Ivor. He navigated his way through the crowd, coming up right behind him.

"Yes! Get him for me, Jess!" Petra cheered.

Jesse reached out and grabbed his shoulder, _"Hey, what do you think you're-"_

But it was not Ivor; it was a women. _"What do you think you're doing?"_

"Whoops." said Jesse. Olivia winced beside him, Petra sighing.

"Ha!" laughed Magnus, "Ivor resembles a women!"

"Or," Ivor said, glaring at him, "The _women_ resembles _Ivor_."

"Hmm, na."

 _"Oh, I'm sorry."_ Jesse said, wincing.

 _"Get away from me!"_ the women demanded. Jesse took a startled step back.

_"I said I was sorry."_

The women glared at him, before turning around. Jesse grimaced, before the sound of terrified squealing met his ears.

"Is that Reuben?" Olivia asked, straightening. Jesse's eyes widened.

 _"Reuben?"_ called Jesse, _"Is that you?"_ He looked around, but the only pig in sight was a giant pig head made of wool, where a butcher stood at the front desk. _"Get your pork chops here,"_ the butcher said, _"Fresh from the bone."_

"Who sells pork chops at a convention?" asked Lukas. Reuben was shaking with fear in Jesse's lap.

Looking left and right in search of his beloved pig, Jesse continued forward, and as he passed the butchers stall, the butcher grabbed a pig and put it on the counter beside him. The pig was none other than Reuben.

"Reuben!" Jesse gasped. Reuben squealed.

 _"Nothing sticks to your ribs like a juicy pork chop!"_ the butcher said, pulling out a stone axe. Reuben squealed, shaking in terror. Jesse gasped in horror, _"Reuben!"_

"It's a good thing Jesse got there in time." said Olivia, rubbing Reuben's head. Jesse had his pig in a near death grip.

Reuben turned at his shout with an oink, the butcher frowning as Jesse ran up to the counter. _"What's the big idea?"_ the butcher asked, _"I'm trying to run a business here."_

 _"That's my pig!"_ said Jesse.

 _"Oh, really?"_ the butcher said, raising an eyebrow in Reuben's direction, _"Well, I found him out in the woods, so I think that makes him_ my _pig."_

"Leave him alone!" Axel shouted, as though the butcher could hear him, "Reuben belongs to Jesse!"

 _"Not the fattest pig I've ever seen."_ continued the butcher, _"But he should cook up real nice anyway."_

 _"Please, he's my friend."_ Jesse said.

 _"To me, he's inventory. I might be amenable to some kind of trade..."_ the butcher looked him up and down, _"Not that you look like you've got much of value. I gotta get some kind of return on my investment."  
_

 _"Well, all I've got is this sword."_ Jesse said sadly, pulling out his stone sword.

"Jesse, no!" Petra said, "You might need that."

"I couldn't just let him eat Reuben!" Jesse protested.

"There might have been something else you could have done." frowned Petra.

"Like what? Threaten him?" asked Jesse, "For all I know, that guy would have chopped _me_ in half with that axe."

"Well, you can change it, right?" Olivia said, "I mean, you haven't even _gotten_ that stone sword yet."

Jesse hummed, "I suppose."

The butcher looked taken aback, looking the brand new sword up and down, _"Oo, that's very nice. With this I could cut my butchering time in half."_ Without a second thought, the butcher pushed Reuben off the counter and grabbed Jesse's sword. _"Nice doing business with you."_

Sad to be parting with his new sword, Jesse began walking away, _"C'mon, Reuben."_

As they walked, Reuben looked up at Jesse with a glare. _"I'm sorry, Reuben."_ sighed Jesse, _"I never should have let you run off into the woods."_ Reuben looked away, oinking.

They rounded the corner, only to spot Ivor, who was facing the other way.

"That's gotta be him!" said Petra.

Eyes narrowing, Jesse made his way through the crowd, but Ivor was gone again. Instead he spotted Olivia, and tapped on her shoulder. _"Remember that thing I had to go do with Petra?"_ At Olivia's nod, he continued, _"Long story short, we met up with this guy, he cheated me and Petra out on a deal and now we're trying to track him down. You in?"_

 _"Oh, I'm in, all right."_ said Olivia immediately.

"Nice to know you four will always be there for me." Petra said, smiling at the ones that had agreed to help hunt down Ivor. They smiled back.

 _"Any sign of him?"_ Petra asked, walking up to them from behind with Axel following her. Jesse shook his head.

 _"I thought I saw him earlier, but it was a false alarm- Wait! There he is!"_ All heads snapped towards the stairs leading up to the building where the keynote was being held and, sure enough, Ivor was making his way up them. He glanced over his shoulder, before making his way inside.

 _"Looks like he's heading towards the Hall."_ said Jesse.

"Wait," said Ellegaard, "Ivor, why are you even at Endercon? You've never liked conventions."

"And what do you want with a Wither skull?" asked Soren.

"And why," Gabriel said, "Are you going to the keynote?"

Ivor turned back to the screen, "You'll see. You'll all see."

The Order glanced at each other with hard eyes.

 _"We're going have to get past that usher to follow him."_ said Petra, for there was indeed an usher at the gate, the same one that had stopped fans from swarming Gabriel earlier.

 _"Let's go."_ said Jesse, and they all made their way over to the usher.

 _"So,"_ Jesse began, unsure, _"Yeah, hey."_

 _"What would it take to get us inside tonight?"_ asked Petra. They all smiled at him.

 _"Uh... tickets."_ the usher laughed, as if he'd just made the best joke of all time. When none of them laughed, he said, _"That was a good one, you should laugh."_

Gabriel face palmed.

 _"This might sound crazy,"_ said Jesse, _"But we're actually on an important mission."_

 _"I hope your mission with tickets to the show, 'cause, I mean, otherwise..."_ A moment later, a chicken flocked past him and the usher cowered away from it, screaming, _"Chickeeeen! Chicken- Chicken- Chicken!"_

"Dammit, Ben." Gabriel sighed.

 _"It's gone."_ the usher assured himself, _"You're totally fine, you're a totally cool dude."_

Jesse, Petra, Olivia and Axel reluctantly walked away.

 _"We have to do something."_ said Petra.

 _"Like what?"_ asked Olivia, _"The show has been sold out for ages."_

 _"We could bust right through,"_ Axel suggested, _"I just need a little wind-up room."_

 _"Any other bright ideas?"_ Petra asked.

 _"We need a distraction."_ said Jesse. They looked up at a chicken machine behind them.

 _"A lot of chickens around might be a distraction."_ said Petra, with a smirk.

 _"Shoo! Shoo!"_ the usher said, as the same chicken from before came up to him. _"Get outta here!"_

 _"The usher is afraid of chickens."_ Jesse muttered. He looked back up at the chicken machine, _"What would you say if I told you I wanna break this guys chicken machine to create the mother of all distractions?"_

"I'd say you were looking to be arrested." said Olivia.

 _"But you have to break_ that _pane of glass."_ Olivia said, pointing to a high up pane where you could see chickens circling, _"How're you going to reach it?"_

 _"Let's look around."_ said Petra, _"There has to be something we can do."_

They split up, Olivia going over to take a closer look at the chicken machine. Jesse walked forward, past the chicken machine and over to where a guy was bouncing on a slime block with his hands on his hips. The screen zoomed in on the slime block.

 _"Hmm..."_ Jesse looked back at the chicken machine, _"I bet I could reach that glass with a slime block."_

"S'Not a bad idea." said Petra.

Onscreen, Jesse walked over to the stall next to the guy jumping on a slime block, only to realize that the person running it was the women he'd mistook for Ivor from before. _"Ohh, heyyy."_ Jesse laughed nervously, _"We meet again."_

"Smooth." Olivia said.

The women glared at him. Jesse rubbed the back of his head.

_"One slime block, please."_

_"We don't give out slime blocks here."_ said the women, holding up a slimy green ball, _"Just slime balls. We've got a limited supplies today and we're only giving out two per customer. You_ could _craft your own slime block if you had nine slime balls..."_

 _"I'm really sorry about earlier."_ said Jesse, _"I honestly thought you were someone else."_

 _"Apology accepted."_ the women said, face blank.

"So... is she _always_ like that or... ?" Axel trailed off.

 _"A round of slime balls for everyone, please."_ Axel cut in, walking over with Petra and Olivia. The screen cut to the four of them walking away, each with two slime balls.

 _"Wait, this is only eight slime balls,"_ said Jesse, _"We need one more to make a block."_

 _"Okay,"_ Petra said, _"We need to find another way to get some more slime and quick."_

 _"On it!"_ Axel said, quickly running off with Olivia in search of slime. Petra and Jesse went another way. He walked around a bit, coming up with nothing. That is, until he spotted Lukas leaning against a post and tossing a slime ball into the air.

"Oh, good, Lukas will lend us his, right?" Petra asked, looking over at said Ocelot. Lukas nodded.

"Of course!"

"What?" asked Aiden, looking at him in disbelief, "You'd help the _Order of the Losers?"_

"Aiden, it's Petra." said Lukas, "She got me that nether star, remember? And why _shouldn't_ I help them, even if Petra wasn't with them?"

"Because they're _losers!_ " shouted Aiden. Lukas frowned at him.

"So you've said. Every time you see them. And, yeah, they lose the Endercon Building Competition every year, but that doesn't mean they're not good people."

"Wait, is Lukas... defending us?" whispered Axel, as Aiden threw his hands up into the air with a growl of frustration.

"I... think I'm hallucinating." said Jesse.

"All three of us?" Olivia asked. Jesse shook his head slowly.

"It's kind of more realistic."

 _"Hey,"_ said Jesse, walking up to Lukas, _"Uh, Lukas? Can you do me a favor?"_

Lukas caught his slime ball, raising an eyebrow at him, _"Anything's possible."_

 _"I need slime balls."_ explained Jesse, _"I swear I have a really good explanation."_

Lukas looked to his right as Petra, Olivia, Axel and Reuben made their way towards them. He blinked, turning back to Jesse. _"Whatever you guys are doing,"_ he held out his slime ball, _"Count me in."_

 _"Thank, Lukas."_ said Petra, smiling at him. She whispered to Jesse, _"Told ya he was useful."_

 _"Aw, man."_ groaned Axel, _"This guy isn't actually cool, is he?"_

 _"Remains to be seen."_ said Olivia, eyes narrowed. Lukas glared at them, as Jesse turned to a crafting table.

_"It's craftin' time."_

_"So,"_ said Lukas, as Jesse began placing down the slime blocks, _"You guys been building together long? You've got good chemistry."_

 _"Are you jealous?"_ asked Axel.

_"I'm just saying, I think it's cool you have a team that works so well together."_

"Thanks, Lukas." said Jesse. Now that he finally thought about it, Lukas was arrogant, but he wasn't really a jerk unless he's provoked or angry. It was mostly Aiden that was the jerk.

_"You're totally jealous."_

On the crafting table, the nine slime balls merged together to form a slime block. _"Ta da!"_ said Jesse, smiling _"One slime block."_ his smile fell the longer he looked at it, _"Gross."_

 _"I'll take that."_ said Olivia, taking the slime block off the crafting table. _"Riiight there."_ she sat it down between the chicken machine and the tent that the crafting table was under. Axel crossed his arms and turned to Jesse.

_"It's all you, Jesse."_

"Right," Jesse sighed, "It was my idea so I've gotta be the one to do it."

Onscreen, Jesse nodded towards the tent above the crafting table, _"Give me a boost."_

Axel bent forwards and Jesse climbed up onto his back, jumping up onto the wool that held up the small tent. Pulling himself up, he stood and walked to the edge, looking down at the slime block bellow. It would take a pretty big jump to hit it.

Jesse backed away from the edge and ran forwards, jumping just as he reached the end of the tent. But he miscalculated it and, instead of landing on his feet, he landed on his stomach and went flying right into the machine, his back hitting the glass where the chickens were shown and smashing them.

Real-Jesse winced, "That's gonna hurt."

Petra shrugged, "Eh, at least it worked."

Chickens immediately went flying at an almost alarming rate, spraying out of the machine in a swarm of startled clucking and white feathers.

 _"My poultry!"_ the machines creator cried, running towards it, _"My precious poultry!"_

Jesse climbed to his feet, having landed rather painfully on the path, watching as the usher ran forwards, shouting, _"Keep your eyes closed! They'll peck out your eyes!"_ The chickens tripped him up and he fell onto his back, screaming as they began climbing all over him, even hopping on his face.

Perta, Olivia, Reuben, Lukas and Axel ran towards Jesse.

 _"Now's our chance."_ said Petra, upon realizing he was unhurt. The group ran through the now unguarded gate and up the steps, the usher climbing to his feet and looking over at them, _"Hey!"_ He was quickly taken down by more chickens.

It showed them running across a bridge towards the Hall, the screen giving a pretty good view of it and it's big, glowing glass dome on the roof. The screen momentarily went black.

"Okay, so we got past the usher." said Petra, "That's one thing."

"Wow," Ellegaard said, "You guys are really stubborn."

Jesse, Olivia, Axel and Lukas said in unison, " _No one_ messes with Petra."

Petra grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Reuben as about to be butchered, what did you do? Nothing, trade your sword or threaten him with your sword? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> All right, guys, next time everyone's going to get a lot crazier! I'm not entirely sure we'll get to them running away from the Witherstorm, but we will more than likely get to the golem part!
> 
> In case you're wondering, the youtuber I'm 'copying' from is SpottinGames, so these aren't my own choices. The only reason I'm copying from a youtuber is because it's much less complicated than playing, pausing than writing. And there's no way I'd be able to memorize all my choices. So I have no idea what SpottinGames it going to choose until we're at that exact bit.
> 
> Also, all the times when the screen temporarily goes back actually does happen in the game, that's the only reason I put it in. Since there's a little square loading thing in the bottom right corner when it goes black, I'm assuming that's it autosaving.


	5. Below the Hall

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode One: The Order of the Stone**

**Part Five: Below the Hall**

* * *

The screen came back on to show Olivia, Reuben, Jesse, Lukas, Petra and Axel making their way inside. The show hadn't started yet, so no one was really there. But Ivor was no where in sight.

 _"Where'd he go?"_ asked Petra.

Jesse pointed, _"There!"_ The screen showed an unassuming wooden door, a little way off the main entrance. Anyone else would have glanced over it. The screen zoomed in, revealing that it was swaying back and forth, as though someone had just rushed through it and left it open. _"Through that door."_

"Well spotted, Jesse." said Axel. Jesse smiled at him.

The gang quickly made their way towards it, but Lukas stopped before anyone could go through it. _"What do we do once we catch him?"_ he asked.

"Don't think any of us thought that far ahead." Petra said.

At their thoughtful looks, Lukas continued, _"There are a million ways to play this. But considering this isn't my fight, I'll follow your lead."_

Jesse took a moment to answer, _"Whatever we have to."_

 _"You're way more intense than I gave you credit for, Jesse."_ said Lukas, looking almost taken aback at his dark tone.

"I know," agreed Petra, "Choosing to fight those monsters on the bridge, swearing revenge on Aiden... I would never have guessed."

Jesse raised an eyebrow, "Er... thanks?" he shook his head, "If my friends are in danger, I'd do anything."

 _"Ready?"_ Jesse asked. Petra grinned, a dark glint in her eye.

_"Ready."_

Jesse turned and led them through the door and down some stairs. The screen cut to them obviously reaching the bottom, Jesse poking his head around the corner. Petra appeared beside him, then Olivia appeared on Jesse's other side, Lukas above them, Axel above _them_ and then finally Reuben, having climbed up onto Axel's back.

Gill glowered, "I still can't believe you're helping _them_."

Lukas frowned at him and opened his mouth, but hesitated and closed it with a shake of his head.

 _"See anything?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"He must have gone out another way."_ said Petra, as the screen showed what they were looking at. It appeared to be a library, potions on almost every surface.

They came out from behind the wall and began making their way over to the library, Olivia speaking up, _"What is all this?"_

 _"Looks like it used to be the basement."_ concluded Jesse, _"Weird place to have a hideout."_

"Oh, I've got my reasons." growled Ivor, "You stupid kids better not touch anything!"

"If you had just given us that diamond," Petra glared, "Then we wouldn't even be there. But no. You just _had_ to have that Wither skull _so_ badly, that you tried to scam the deal."

 _"I bet you anything I'll find my Wither skull here."_ said Petra.

The screen switched to show Axel walking excitedly past the shelves. _"And if we find anything else cool to steal along the way,"_ he leaned over to get a look at a lit redstone lamp, _"So be it, right?"_ He stepped back with a grin.

"I just said not to touch anything!" Ivor snapped.

"Take it all! Take it all!" chanted Magnus, "Take it all!"

 _"Axel,"_ Petra said, walking up to him, _"That's not what we're here to do."_

 _"I did say we should do whatever we have to..."_ Jesse trailed off. Axel popped up from around a bookshelf.

 _"And if the guy's not around, what we_ have _to do is steal."_

"Yes!" Magnus shouted, "I _like_ this guy!"

Axel's grin looked like it could split his face.

 _"I don't want to stoop to his level."_ said Petra. Axel was quick to protest.

_"But isn't that the best way to get back at him?"_

_"I say we take whatever we want."_ Jesse declared.

Ivor gave a yell of frustration, dropping his head to hold it in his hands, while Magnus fist-pumped the air. Petra opened her mouth to protest against Onscreen-Jesse's decision, but decided to keep quiet. Just this once.

 _"Jesse, come on."_ Petra frowned, turning to him.

 _"What?"_ said Jesse, _"He stole from us! We should be able to steal from him and not feel bad about it."_ he began making his way down the steps, _"The faster we find what we're looking for, the faster we can get the heck out of here."_

They split up, Jesse taking a look at the books but finding nothing interesting. He rounded the corner to see Petra rummaging through a chest.

 _"Oh, hello."_ she said, pulling out a golden sword.

Real-Jesse raised an eyebrow at her. "What happened to not stooping to his level?"

Petra glared at him, "Hey, if Axel gets to steal, than so do I."

"Oh, no." groaned Ivor, still cradling his head, "You're ruining _everything!_ "

"What _are_ we ruining, exactly?" Jesse asked. Ivor didn't answer.

Onscreen Petra swung the sword, Jesse taking a startled step back. She turned to him with an unimpressed look. _"Too heavy. And too soft."_

 _"But super flashy."_ said Jesse.

 _"Yeah,"_ Petra agreed, _"I don't think this guy does much fighting. Hey, do you still have that one stone sword, right?"_

"Oh, here we go." said Petra, "I've already got a sword, so I'll probably give you that one."

 _"Nah."_ sighed Jesse, _"I had to give it to some jerkwad butcher to save Reuben's life."_

 _"Jeez."_ Petra shrugged, _"Oh, well, I guess that was a pretty good cause. Here."_ she handed the golden sword to Jesse, who grinned and sheathed it, _"Now that's two you owe me."_

_"Thanks. Again."_

"Oh, come on!" groaned Ivor.

 _"You're welcome. Don't lose that one."_ she turned back to the chest.

Jesse continued past her and into a large room, where the others were looking around. He walked up to Axel, who was looking up at the shelves. _"Find anything?"_

 _"I wanna steal that,"_ Axel pointed up at a potion on the shelf, _"And that."_ He looked over at a red mushroom, _"I just wanna touch that."_

"Decisions, decisions." Olivia said sarcastically. Axel grinned at her.

Jesse walked over to a purple glowing potion on a single white block sat in the center of the room. _"Oooooh, take a look at that!"_

"No," said Ivor, who had gone terribly pale, "Oh no, oh no, oh no! Get out of my basement, you idiots!"

 _"You're not gonna believe me,"_ said Axel, rushing over to him _"But I swear I had a dream about this. Okay, potion. I know this is a big step, but... I would be honored if you'd come home with me."_ Before Jesse could say anything, Axel grabbed the potion and pocketed it.

"NO!" Ivor _screamed_ , jumping to his feet and turning to Axel, positively fuming. Aiden, who was scowling and wishing it was him who got the potion, blinked at him in surprise. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'VE JUST DONE!"

"Ivor," said Ellegaard, "Calm down, none of this has even-"

"No, you don't understand!" Ivor said, turning on Ellegaard, "If they've taken the potion, and- and if I lose control of it... oh, blast, that's why we're here, isn't it? I should've realized sooner..."

"Lose control?" said Jesse slowly, "Lose control of _what_?"

"What's going on?" asked Gabriel, getting to his feet and walking towards the frantic man, "What are you going to do? Ivor, _why did you need a Wither skull?_ "

"You'll see." said Ivor, venom in his voice and hatred in his eyes, "Oh, you'll all see."

 _"There's no way he won't notice his fancy potion is missing."_ Jesse pointed out.

 _"A good thief,"_ said Axel, looking over at another purple potion, but one that wasn't glowing, _"Always covers his tracks."_ He grabbed it and placed it on the block where the fancy potion had sat. If you didn't stop and stare at it for a few moments, you wouldn't even see a difference.

 _"Fixed it."_ declared Axel, before wandering off in search of something else to steal. Jesse grinned.

_"Oh, yeah, the perfect crime."_

Spotting Olivia examining a large bookshelf, Jesse walked over to her. _"Find anything?"_

She looked over her shoulder at him, _"He's no slouch when it comes to enchanting. This is pretty advanced stuff."_

Jesse turned to Reuben, kneeling in front of him, _"Hey, Reuben. Find any clues?"_ Reuben walked forwards a bit, sniffing. _"What is it, buddy? You smell something?"_ Reuben looked up with a grin, and Jesse stood, looking in that direction with a raised eyebrow, _"Something over there? Good work, Reuben!"_

Aiden snorted, "He probably smells a carrot or something."

Onscreen, Jesse spotted a lever that had previously been hidden behind the purple potion Axel used to replace the fancy one. He gave a quiet hum, before looking over his shoulder at Lukas, who was looking through potion shelves.

_"Hey, Lukas, you find anything?"_

_"Uhhh, you want an instruction manual on How to Build a Creepy Villain Lair Using Everyday Objects?"_

_"Just keep looking, we'll be out of here soon. I hope."_ Jesse looked back over to the lever Reuben had pointed out, and began making his way towards it. He pulled it down,and the bookcase Olivia had been looking at began to descend into the ground.

"They found it." Ivor muttered to himself, fists clenched and teeth gritted, "Dammit, they _found_ it."

Startled, Olivia backed away from the bookcase, as it revealed a strange structure. There was some sort of pale-orange machine in the middle, grey gravel-like blocks bellow it and on its side. The grey blocks almost looked like they had faces, and a double chest sat at its feet.

The Order gasped, faces going pale.

"Ivor," stuttered Soren, "What- What do you think you're _doing_?"

"Why do you have the Command Block?" asked Ellegaard, astonished, " _How_ do you have the Command Block?"

"Command Block?" said Maya, "What the heck's a 'Command Block'?"

"Is that... soul sand?" Petra asked.

 _"What the hell is all this stuff?"_ asked Jesse, as everyone gathered around.

 _"Soul sand."_ said Petra, indicating the gravel-like blocks around the machine, _"It was everywhere in the Nether."_

 _"What about that block in the middle?"_ asked Jesse. Olivia stepped forward.

 _"I've never seen one of these before."_ she squinted in the machine's light, hesitantly reaching forward as if to touch it, _"I wonder if I just take a closer look."_ her hand hovered an inch from the block, _"Do you feel that? It's almost... pulsing."_

 _"How is it glowing like that?"_ asked Axel.

 _"Don't touch that, Olivia."_ said Jesse, stepping forwards. Olivia quickly lowered her hand.

"That was probably the right call, Jesse." Petra admitted, "We've got no idea what that thing is."

"Yeah," said Axel, "How are you going to make redstone-stuff with only one hand, Olivia?"

"Oh, shut up."

_"I was just curious."_

_"Don't forget what we're here for: find that skull."_ said Jesse. Olivia nodded, walking away.

Seeming to have just spotted the chest, Jesse stepped closer to it and opened it, his eyes widening upon seeing their contents. _"Soooo... goods news, weird news."_

Curious, the others began to gather around him, peering into the chest themselves. Jesse continued hesitantly. _"I found the skulls, but..."_

 _"What the hell?"_ Petra frowned, _"Why'd I risk my neck for that skull if he's got two of them already? He was in such a hurry to get it too."_

"Wait, what?" Lukas gasped, "Soul sand... three Wither skulls..."

"Oh, god no." Petra said quietly, upon realizing what Lukas was onto.

 _"There's gotta be something bigger going on here."_ said Petra, _"Something we just don't see."_

 _"This has gotta be connected somehow."_ Jesse said, _"A chest filled with skulls was hidden back here with everything else; that's gotta mean something."_

Petra frowned, _"But what?"_

"Get out of there!" shouted Soren, having reached the same conclusion, "Oh, god, you gotta get out of there! You've got no idea what danger you're in!"

"What?" frowned Jesse, confused, "Wait, what do the skulls mean?"

"It's a recipe." said Petra, unable to tear her eyes from the screen.

 _"I think I know what's going on here."_ said Lukas, _"Soul sand... plus three Wither skulls..."_

Petra looked a still confused Jesse right in the eye, and said, "For a Wither."

_"That's the recipe for a Wither."_

Jesse, Olivia, Axel, Maya and Aiden's eyes widened almost comically, and their heads snapped back to the ingredients on screen.

 _"But... a Wither..."_ Petra shook her head, _"That's-"_

 _"One of the worst monsters there is."_ Lukas finished for her.

"And he gets all the ingredients," said Gabriel gravely, "On the exact night of the keynote? I've got a terrible feeling about this."

Jesse swallowed, _"We came don here to find the skull. Well, we found it."_

 _"Maybe we should just grab it and get out of here,"_ said Petra, _"While we still can."_

But before they could do anything, the sound of shoes clacking on stone met their ears.

"He's coming back!" Axel exclaimed.

 _"Uh, guys?"_ said Lukas.

 _"Scatter!"_ Petra whispered. Immediately, the group rushed for a hiding place, Reuben pushing the lever to close the bookshelf. Jesse jumped over a double chest and hid between it and a bookshelf, crouching to not be seen.

Feet appeared onscreen, walking down the stone steps into the library. Jesse bent down a bit lower.

 _"'Don't you recognize me?!'"_ said Ivor, as he made his way through the library, _"Or... wait... 'Surprise to see me?!'"_ he passed Petra, who was pressed up against a bookshelf. She jumped a little at his shout.

"Er, what's he doing?" Lukas asked.

"I think he's rehearsing his carefully planned lines." said Jesse. Ivor growled.

 _"No, that's not good... 'Thought you were rid of me, didn't you?'"_ Lukas peeked out from the double chest he was hiding in. _"That's better."_

The screen passed over Jesse, who was listening carefully, before following Ivor into the large room where they'd found the Wither skulls. Axel could be seen pressed between a bookshelf and wooden beam, while Reuben was sitting on the bottom shelf.

"How did he not see you?" asked Petra.

Indeed, Ivor walked past both of them, heading straight for the bookshelf that hid the ingredients for the Wither. But then he stopped, glancing back at the shelf Reuben had been sitting on. There was nothing there put potions.

Everyone but Ivor, who scowled, and the three bullies let out sighs of relief.

As Ivor continued past the fake-fancy-potion, the screen went down to show Reuben hiding behind the block it sat on. Jesse peeked up from his hiding spot, watching as Ivor knelt to open a double chest. Olivia tried to get a closer look at what he was doing, but accidentally knocked over a potion. It clattered on the floor.

 _"What was that?"_ said Ivor, immediately on his feet. _"Who's there?"_

"Uh oh." muttered Jesse. Lukas sighed.

"Great. So this is how I die."

Ivor made his way over to where Olivia was hiding, spotting the potion bottle on the floor. The screen showed Petra as Ivor looked around, before switching to show Olivia pressing her back against the bookshelf the same way Petra was, Ivor slowly making his way towards her.

"We're dead." said Lukas, "Oh, we are so dead. Nice knowing you all, and at least my last creation was a super sweet rainbow beacon. I shall speak of you in heaven."

Petra rolled her eyes, "Don't be so dramatic."

"I'm not sure if Lukas is talking about speaking of his friends in heaven," said Axel, "Or the beacon."

Onscreen, Olivia scrunched her eyes shut. Jesse jumped out of his hiding place, shouting, _"Hey, you!"_

Olivia sighed, "Thanks, Jesse. I mean, we still got caught, but at least he didn't find me."

Ivor spun around, _"What are you doing here?!"_ Then, with dawning horror, _"What did you see?"_

 _"Leave him alone!"_ said Petra, coming out of her hiding place. Axel did the same.

_"Yeah, back off, pal."_

_"You two?"_ said Ivor, looking from Jesse to Petra.

"Yup," said Petra, popping the 'p.' "Us two."

_"Did you follow me here?"_

_"You thought you could just screw us over,"_ said Petra, as Lukas came out of the chest beside her, _"And get away with it, didn't you?"_

"Well, yes," said Ivor, "Yes, I did."

 _"We're here to prove you wrong."_ Jesse said. Ivor growled, Olivia coming up behind him and Axel and Rueben going over to stand by Jesse, Axel's arms cross.

_"What are you going to do about it? I have what I want, and you have exactly what you earned."_

"I got you a _Wither_ skull." snapped Petra, "I should have been asking for _more_ than a diamond!"

_"Now get out before I put you out."_

Jesse walked towards him, _"We know what you're doing down here."_ he pointed in the direction of the hidden ingredients, _"Soul sand and three Wither skulls? You're building a Wither!"_

Ivor looked surprise, _"Huh. Smarter than you look."_

Jesse frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

 _"Hey,"_ growled Axel, marching forwards, _"Nobody talks to my friends like that!"_ he towered over Ivor and crossed his arms, _"Now shut your mouth- or else."_

 _"Enough!"_ Ivor snapped, _"You've wasted too much of my time already."_ he turned around and sprinted away, a bookshelf momentarily shielding him from sight. The group ran after him, but he was no where to be seen.

"How does he keep doing that?" asked Jesse.

Onscreen, Petra looked around, _"Where'd he go?"_

Suddenly, Ivor appeared in front of four iron blocks, holding a pumpkin over his head.

Gabriel gasped, "Ivor, no!"

 _"If you won't leave of your own volition,"_ said Ivor, as the group gasped, _"I'll happily remove you myself!"_ With that, he placed the pumpkin on top of the iron blocks, coming around to stand in front of it. The statue shook, before transforming into an Iron Golem in a poof of smoke. _"Show our friends the door, will you?"_

Screaming, they ducked, the Golem swinging it's long arms in an attempt to hit them. The Golem turned back to them, raising an arm to hit the closest person to him, which just so happened to be Jesse. With a scream, Jesse ducked.

Petra and Olivia were already running up the stairs towards the door, and Jesse was quick to follow them, narrowly dodging another hit form the Golem. He picked up a squealing Reuben, Axel right behind him. They ran upstairs, the golem to slow and stupid to realize they were already gone. The screen blacked out.

"We must be going to warn someone." said Lukas, "I mean, Gabriel the Warrior is in that very building, he'll probably know what to do."

"I sure hope I do." muttered Gabriel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you take the Fancy Potion or did Axel? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Okay, so next time, Jesse will either talk to Gabriel or go after Lukas. Personally, I hope he goes after Lukas. That's what I did both times around. They'll probably be running from the Witherstorm either next chapter or the one after it.


	6. Deadly Grudges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost midnight and for some reason I'm starting chapter six even though I should really be getting some sleep because I'm going to be starting school again in September.
> 
> But I'm not. So there.
> 
> You're welcome.

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode One: The Order of the Stone**

**Part Six: Deadly Grudges**

* * *

The watchers were met by the sound of bongo drums, as the screen came back on to show that the keynote had already started and the group were running away from the basement and through the crowd.

 _"Oh, man, this is so exciting."_ a women was saying.

 _"It sure is."_ said a man.

The camera zoomed in on to man and women on stage, as the women continued, _"And now, for the first time_ ever _here at Endercon, we are_ very _proud to present,"_ the crowd began cheering excitedly.

 _"The one,"_ said the man, _"The only,"_ the lights went out, and the man and women side stepped off the stage, shouting in unison, _"Gabriel!"_

"Hey, first time we actually get a look at you outside a backstory." Soren said.

Onscreen, a light turned on, showing Gabriel, who had his back turned and hands on his hips. Gabriel turned around with a grin.

The screen cut to show the group making their way through the crowd, before going back to Gabriel as he waved at the crowd. _"Please,"_ he said, _"Please!"_ the crowd calmed down a little, _"Thank you."_ A moment passed. _"Are. You. With me?"_ Gabriel threw his hands in the air.

Immediately, the crowd began cheering and screaming again, shouting that they were with him and that they loved him. The camera zoomed out to the back of the crowd, where the gang was standing in a half-circle.

 _"Everybody okay?"_ asked Jesse.

"Hey, wait," said Axel, eyes narrowing on the screen, "Where's- ?"

Onscreen, Olivia looked about, _"Um, guys? Where's Lukas?"_

Lukas paled, "Uh oh."

They looked around, but Lukas was no where in sight. Jesse glanced over his shoulder, _"I thought he was right behind me."_

 _"Well,"_ said Axel, _"If he's not here the only place he could be is..."_ he looked over their heads, and they all turned to look at the still open door, even more hidden in the shadows.

 _"He's still down there."_ Jesse said.

"So," Lukas sighed, "I guess I actually _do_ die down there. Fantastic."

Petra turned back to the gang, _"Ivor's got an Iron Golem and all the ingredients to build a Wither down there. If he were to unleash on this crowd of people..."_ Gabriel must have said something else, because the crowd burst into another round of cheers, _"We have to act fast."_

 _"It just so happens,"_ said Olivia, _"That the greatest warrior of all time is in the building. We should ask Gabriel for help."_ Behind them, Gabriel was going on about feeling pressure about coming to the keynote, _"This is the smartest way to help Lukas."_

 _"He's tough,"_ Petra agreed, _"I just hope he's tough enough to hold out a little bit longer."_

"I'm sure future-me or whatever would understand," Lukas said, "I mean, there isn't much you guys could do about that golem. If you told Gabriel, he would probably come down there and smash it to pieces!"

Petra smiled at him, "I'm glad you see it like that."

Jesse, however, seemed to have come to a decision of his own, _"I'm going after Lukas by myself."_

"I- _what_?" gasped Lukas, taken aback. Aiden's mouth was hanging open, and Maya was looking at Jesse in what almost appeared to be _respect._

 _"By yourself?"_ asked Petra, _"Are you sure, Jesse?"_

Jesse looked at the basement door, _"Yeah."_ he turned back to the others, _"The rest of you, go get Gabriel."_

 _"We're on it, Jesse."_ said Olivia.

 _"We'll figure out a way to warn Gabriel,"_ Petra said, _"And then we'll meet you back here."_

 _"Let's crash this party."_ said Axel. Jesse smiled at them.

_"Be back as soon as I can."_

Petra looked at him for a long moment, before nodding, _"Be careful."_

"You're- You're actually going back for me." said Lukas, as though he couldn't believe it. He looked to the real Jesse, gratitude shinning in his eyes, "Thank you, Jesse."

"Like I said before," Jesse said, turning back to the screen, "No one messes with my friends."

Lukas blinked in surprise, his mouth partly open, starring at Jesse's back as though he couldn't believe his ears. Aiden, Maya and Gill's heads snapped towards him, as though expecting him to laugh or at least decline that they were in any way friends.

Instead, Lukas too turned back to the screen.

It changed to show Jesse and Reuben making their way over to the basement door, as Gabriel went on about how anyone could be a hero. Jesse opened it, looking down the unlit staircase. He looked over his shoulder at the crowd, before turning back to the staircase and steeling himself, _"Here goes nothing."_

The door closed behind him, momentarily covering the screen in darkness. Then it showed Jesse and Reuben tip toeing down the short hall, peeking over the wall at the library, only to immediately duck back as the golem was just a few feet away.

"Oh, more danger." groaned Olivia, "Of course there's more danger."

Gabriel shook his head in awe, "You are a very brave person, Jesse. I can respect someone like that."

Jesse grinned, whispering to Axel and Olivia, "I got the greatest warrior of all time to _respect_ me!"

The golem looked at where Jesse was hiding for a moment, before continuing on its way. Jesse peeked out again with a sigh of relief, before quickly tip toeing down the steps while the golem's back was turned. _"Lukas?"_ he called, as he rounded the corner.

 _"Can you hear me?"_ he tip toed over to where he'd been hiding earlier, _"Even though I'm whispering?"_

 _"Jesse?"_ the chest that Ivor had been searching through opened, Lukas peeking out, _"Is that you whispering super loudly?"_

"Dorks." said Petra, "You both are just such _dorks_."

 _"Lukas! Over here!"_ Jesse gestured for him to come over, but Lukas' eyes widened and he ducked back into the chest. Confused, Jesse looked behind him, only to realize that right behind was the golem.

"GAGH!" yelled Axel and Jesse, Reuben giving a startled squeal. Olivia covered her eyes with a squeak, only to peek over them to see what was happening. Lukas put a hand over his thudding heart, Petra inhaling sharply.

The golem gave an angry roar and swung its arms at Jesse, who barely dodged it. The golem advanced, but then there was the sound of a chest opening and they saw from Lukas's view, _"Hey!"_ The golems head turned towards the sound just as the chest closed again, and Jesse seized his chance, jumping over the bookcase and out of sight, Reuben quickly following him.

Jesse let out relieved breath, "Thanks, Lukas."

"You're the one that came after me."

The golem looked back over to where Jesse and Reuben had been, only to find them gone. It looked around in confusion, as Jesse stood up behind a bookshelf. Too dumb to continue it's search, the golem turned and wandered away.

Jesse and Reuben peeked out of their hiding spots, looking over at the chest Lukas was hidden in. _"You okay?"_ The chest opened so that only his eyes could be seen.

 _"Uh... I've been worse. Well, I can't say this is the_ best _spot I've ever been in. Any bright ideas?"_

_"I'm going to go in swinging."_

"Okay, it's official." Soren said, "This kid has a death wish."

"Jesse, please don't." groaned Olivia, covering her eyes again, "Please, please don't."

 _"With what?"_ asked Lukas sharply, obviously believing that was the dumbest idea ever. Jesse drew the golden sword Petra gave him. The screen switched to show it from Lukas's view.

_"Don't take this the wrong way, but... don't do that. Just... just don't."_

Jesse sheathed his sword and crouched down again, watching as the golem lumbered about. He peeked up when it wasn't looking, spotting a potion next to him. He reached over and grabbed it, quickly crouching back down before the golem could spot him.

"Jesse." groaned Olivia, who was covering her eyes again, "Oh, please don't die."

Peeking up again, Jesse looked from the golem to a potion shelf to a lit torch, before taking aim and throwing it at the potion shelf. Startled by the noise, the golem looked around, the shelf shaking from the impact. Jesse rushed out of his hiding spot.

 _"Now, Lukas!"_ he yelled, _"Run!"_

Lukas tumbled out of the chest, running past Jesse in the direction of the stairs. Jesse turned his attention back to the golem, eyes widening when he realized it was already advancing on him. As the golem raised its arm to knock him down, Jesse jumped back with a yell, briefly making eye-contact with Reuben.

The golem raised its arm to swat at him again, but then Reuben gave a loud oink and it stopped, turning to see what the noise was. Reuben ran to hide behind the shelf, Jesse quickly doing the same while the golem's back was turned.

"Thank you," said Lukas, "Really, Jesse, I owe ya one."

Jesse shrugged, "I haven't even done anything yet."

"Yeah," Lukas looked back at the screen, "Yet."

The golem turned back to Jesse, but he was already gone. It turned around and walked away.

The screen cut to show Jesse and Reuben quickly making their way through the bookshelves and back to the stairs, _"Nice one, Reuben."_

 _"Okay, Jesse, come on."_ whispered Lukas, who was waiting for him, _"Let's go!"_ They ran through the rest of the library, allowing themselves to speak normally as they reached the steps, _"Thanks for coming back for me. I didn't know if anybody was going to."_

 _"No man left behind,"_ said Jesse, as they ran up the stairs to the door, _"That's my motto."_ Lukas stopped at the door, turning to face him.

_"Guess I owe you one."_

The screen momentarily went black, coming back on to show Lukas, Jesse and Reuben making their way out of the basement.

 _"Where are the others?"_ asked Lukas. Before Jesse could answer, Axel's voice drifted over, and they turned to see him and the others standing in front of the stage and speaking to Gabriel.

 _"Dude, I dunno how I can be any clearer!"_ They began making their way towards them, while the screen switched to get a better look at them. Olivia and Petra looked both exasperated and annoyed.

 _"Weird guy!"_ continued Axel, _"Doing weird stuff! Freaky with a side of strange! Why won't you listen to me?"_

"You're, uh, not being very clear there." said Gabriel, raising an eyebrow.

 _"What do you want me to do?"_ Axel asked, _"Tell you charades-style?"_

 _"I promise you,"_ said Gabriel, who looked just as annoyed as Olivia and Petra, if not a bit weird-out, _"That's the last thing I want you to do."_

"Oh, man," laughed Magnus, "What'd you do to the poor guy?"

"He was probably trying to find a way to tell him without causing massive panic." said Ellegaard.

 _"Four words;"_ continued Axel anyway, _"Six syllables; sounds like... 'scmonster in the schmasement.'"_

Gabriel face palmed, both onscreen and not.

_"Next."_

_"Wait,"_ said Olivia hurriedly, _"Just-"_

At the back of the crowd, someone raised their hand, _"_ I _have a question."_

"Wait, is that who I think it is?" Olivia asked.

"This isn't going to end well." muttered Petra.

Onscreen, the man began pushing his way through the crowd, still hidden from the onlookers.

 _"Excuse me, sir,"_ said Gabriel, _"You'll have to wait your turn."_

"Wait," said Jesse, "What do people even ask you about?"

Gabriel shrugged, "It differs. Sometimes they ask my what the Ender Dragon looked like... some ask me what size my underwear is."

 _"Just tell me first,"_ the man continued, _"Do you really believe anyone can be great?"_ Gabriel's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

_"With enough hard work, yes."_

_"Was that were I went wrong?"_ he pushed his way through the last of the crowd, revealing himself to be Ivor, _"I simply didn't_ work _hard enough?"_

Gabriel's eyes widened in shock and he gasped, _"Ivor?"_ The screen went down to show Jesse, watching as Ivor forced his way to the front, _"Is that really you?"_

"So you _do_ know each other." said Petra, "But how?"

"It's... a rather long story." Soren said.

Seeming to have come over his shock, Gabriel glared at him, _"How dare you interrupt like this!"_

Jesse turned to Gabriel, _"That's the guy who attacked us in the basement!"_

 _"I wish I could say I was surprised."_ growled Gabriel.

 _"If it's a surprise you want, you're in for a treat."_ said Ivor, starting to make his way up onto the stage, _"Why don't you tell them the real story, Gabriel?"_ he spat his name out as if it were poison.

"Real story?" said Lukas, "What real story? What's Ivor going on about?"

_"I see time has made you bitter."_

_"And it's made_ you _,"_ said Ivor, now on stage and right in Gabriel's face, _"An even bigger fool."_ he turned to face the crowd, putting his arm around Gabriel's shoulders, but there was no friendship or kindness in this gesture, _"Now, these people were promised greatness; and I'm ready to deliver."_

"Wait, what's he doing?" asked Jesse. Ivor was shaking his head, starring at the screen and muttering to himself rapidly. His face was still pale, but he looked as if it took all of his willpower not to explode and kill someone.

Onscreen, Ivor turned around and walked to the end of the stage, where a lever st on a red beam, _"I'm sorry this is how they have to learn the truth..."_

 _"Gabriel, you have to stop him!"_ shouted Jesse, but it was too late. Ivor flicked the switch, and the ingredients for the Wither rose up out of the floor, two of the heads already on it. Ivor continued.

 _"But nothing build can last forever, Gabriel."_ Gabriel's eyes widened in horror.

_"Ivor, no!"_

But it was too late. Oh, it was far, far too late. Ivor took out the last skull- _Petra's_ skull- and placed it on top of the Command Block.

"This is bad," said Soren, "This is very, very bad."

The ingredients immediately formed into a Wither, a blast knocking Gabriel and Ivor off the stage. The Wither rose, with its three black heads, its spine and ribcage, where the Command Block sat.

Ivor climbed to his feet, looking up at the Wither with a grin, _"Creature: attack!"_

The Command Block glowed at the order, and the Wither flew around the building. People began screaming, running towards the doors. Jesse looked back at Axel and Petra, then back to the Wither as it floated in front of him, blasting a bomb that looked like a smiling skull.

With a yell and a squeal, Jesse and Reuben jumped to the side, the bomb blowing up the floor and leaving a gaping hole into the basement. Jesse backed away from the hole with wide eyes, but before he could do anything else the Wither blasted another skull-bomb at him, which Jesse once again dodged.

"Are you trying to kill us all?!" Gabriel shouted, turning to give Ivor a death glare. Ivor gave him one of his own.

"I wasn't planning on killing anybody! If they hadn't meddled in matters they don't understand, than the Wither would be completely under my control!"

Two blocks from the floor began to shake and fly towards the Wither, which seemed to absorb it. Wooden blocks from the walls did the same, as well as a poster, and soon all around blocks and objects were flying from their places to be absorbed by the Wither, making it bigger and bigger.

"Oooo, we're all gonna die." groaned Lukas.

Tables, plants, posters, blocks, they all were absorbed by the Wither. Bellow it, the only people left who hadn't fled fathered.

 _"Everyone stay calm!"_ said Gabriel, _"This foul beast is no match for me!"_

"Gabriel, you can't go up against the Command Block," hissed Soren, "Who knows what'll happen?"

Gabriel drew his diamond sword, as Ivor repeated himself a few feet away, pointing at the warrior.

_"Creature: attack!"_

The Command Block glowed again, turning to face Gabriel. With a yell, Gabriel jumped up and hit the Command Block, but it didn't even dent it, and he fell on to his back, his sword sliding out of reach.

Those who weren't in the Order gasped. Ellegaard was chewing on her names.

Jesse and the others looked at him with horror written on their faces. Gabriel pushed himself up, _"What have you done?"_

 _"Gabriel!"_ shouted Jesse.

 _"No!"_ Gabriel pushed himself to his feet, turning to face Jesse. His eyes glinted with fear. _"Stay away! It's after me, not you!"_

The Wither flew towards them, and Jesse and Gabriel hit the ground just in time. Everything was flying up towards the Wither, and it shot another skull-bomb at the roof. Ivor walked forwards confidently.

 _"Look at him!"_ he said, _"The mighty Gabriel! Looks like true greatness is out of his reach."_ Gabriel glanced down, _"He may not be able to defeat this creature, but I can!"_

"Everyone else has fled!" Petra exclaimed, "Who exactly are you talking to?"

Onscreen, Ivor turned to the Wither, as it summoned more blocks, _"Creature: retreat!"_ The Wither turned to him slowly, the middle head having turned into something of nightmares, with a long mouth and a single purple eye, but it did nothing else. Ivor cleared his throat.

 _"Creature: retreat!"_ Still the Wither did nothing, just coming closer and closer to Ivor, _"Retreat, I said! Retreat!"_

 _"That's not working!"_ Jesse shouted. Ivor looked over at them.

_"No need to be alarmed, my friends. I have an elixir that will destroy this creature."_

"An elix- oh." Jesse paled, realization dawning, "Oh, no."

Ivor pulled out a purple potion, and Jesse's eyes narrowed on to it. _"That potion. Is that... ?"_

Pulling the cork out with his teeth, Ivor held the potion in the air as he took aim. Axel seemed to have come to the same realization as Jesse, _"Uh oh."_

Ivor threw the potion at the Command Block, and it burst into a cloud of purple swirls. But the Wither remained unharmed. Ivor stepped back, eyes wide.

_"W-What? Impossible! It should have worked. I took such care!"_

"This is all your fault!" Ivor yelled, pointing at the ones that were going to intrude his lair. Jesse gaped at him.

" _Our_ fault? _You're_ the one that's going to unleash that thing on a giant crowd of people!"

 _"The potion."_ Olivia said, _"Axel! You've gotta throw the real potion!"_

Axel, however, did not seem very happy with this, _"But, finders keepers!"_

 _"You thieves!"_ Ivor exclaimed, having heard them, _"You're ruining everything!"_

 _"Axel, come on!"_ said Olivia.

"Throw the stupid potion, Axel!" shouted Lukas, "Do you _want_ us all to die?"

Onscreen, Axel reluctantly pulled out the glowing purple potion, and Jesse quickly snatched it, turning to the Wither. _"Jesse, throw it!"_ demanded Olivia.

Jesse threw it right at the Command Block, but before it could hit it, the Wither covered it with the things it had absorbed, shielding it.

"Oh, no, no, no!" shouted Ivor, "This is a disaster!"

"Run!" Ellegaard said, as though their future selves could hear her.

 _"It's protecting itself!"_ said Ivor, horror in his voice, _"Without the Command Block exposed, the potion is useless! It wasn't supposed to happen like this!"_ With that, Ivor began backing away, before turning tail and running.

"You- You _coward_!" shouted Jesse.

"Ivor!" growled Gabriel.

 _"Ivor! You coward, come back here!"_ Gabriel shouted, but Ivor was long gone. A purple light shone down on Gabriel and he as being lifted into the air towards the Wither with a yell. The light seemed to be coming from that single purple eye.

"I didn't know it could do that!" Olivia exclaimed, "What kind of thing can do that?"

"It must be the Command Block," said Soren, "It's- It's _altering_ somehow!"

Onscreen, Olivia ran forwards and grabbed Gabriel's leg, pulling him down. She looked over her shoulder, _"Jesse, help me!"_

Jesse ran forwards and grabbed Gabriel's other leg, and together he and Olivia tugged him down and out of the purple beam. Gabriel fell to the ground with a grunt.

Real-Gabriel sighed, "Thank you, Jesse, Olivia."

Jesse helped Gabriel to his feet, _"Thank you. Ivor was right about one thing; I can't defeat that thing. Not on my own."_ They looked up at the Wither, which was the size of a small hut by now, sucking up blocks. Gabriel looked around, _"Everyone's running away..."_ Then, he turned to the gang, as if just realizing they were there, _"Except for you. Will you help me?"_

"Gabriel asking for help," Magnus shook his head, "This- This is seriously bad, isn't it?"

_"I must get to the temple. But what happens next, I can't do alone."_

_"Of course!"_ said Jesse. Gabriel gave him a nod.

 _"Follow me!"_ he led the group away from the Wither and to the doors leading outside. The screen went black.

"Oh, Ivor, what have you _done?_ " said Soren, rubbing his temple, "You've- You've killed thousands of people!"

"That thing- That thing was huge." Ellegaard said, "It grew in a matter of _moments_ and it's just going to get bigger, isn't it?"

"We're getting tangled up in all this," Lukas shook his head, "Because Ivor went to Petra for the last Wither skull? And- And we couldn't even stop it... I think we only made things worse."

"Exactly!" shouted Ivor, "If you five had just given up-"

"You don't get to talk!" snapped Petra, "It was you that built that stupid thing in the first place! This is on _you,_ Ivor. Not us."

"This is why we're here." said Olivia, "To stop that thing from even being created in the first place. I'm just glad whoever brought us here have the power to do that."

"Oh, please," Aiden grinned, "I'll take that thing down in a single swipe!"

"The greatest warrior of all time was unable to defeat it while it was still small," Jesse glared at him, "What makes you think you can? With no armor and no weapons, no less?"

Aiden growled, "Well, I've got a better chance at defeating that thing than _you_ do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you go after Lukas or talk to Gabriel? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Yeah, he went after Lukas! I'm as happy about that as you guys probably are. Okay, now the Witherstorm's showed up and they should be thrown through the portal probably at the end of next chapter, then it's on to the Nether! I'm pretty excited for that part.


	7. The Witherstorm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, I'm enjoying myself. I- I'm already on chapter seven. How am I already on chapter seven? I just posted chapter six and I'm immediately starting chapter seven.
> 
> I HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY THE GOD OF WRITING, THERE IS NO OTHER EXPLANATION.

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode One: The Order of the Stone**

**Part Seven: The Witherstorm**

* * *

A flock of chickens are shown clucking about on the stone bridge, when suddenly a group of screaming people come running past them, Aiden among them.

Jesse raised an eyebrow at him, "Yeah, you'll obviously kick that Wither-thing's butt."

Aiden scowled at him.

One of the people running away falls over, and a girl jumps over him. Jesse is shown at the back of the crowd, having just excited the building, his path block by the chickens. _"Outta my way, chickens!"_

"Run through them, you idiot!" shouted Petra.

The screen showed the glass dome on top of the hall, as it collapsed and black tentacles swayed into the air. The Wither flew out, it's one purple eye glowing in a sort of tractor beam, giving off a vicious roar. To make matters worse, two other tractor beams appeared, as well as two other vicious looking heads, giving off roars of their own.

"Holy cow." said Olivia, "It's gotten _bigger_."

"And it's got _three_ head!" Axel exclaimed.

Reuben is shown in the crowd, Lukas briefly seen running past him. He gives a terrified squeal and starts running. The Witherstorm looks around, and starts making its way after the screaming people.

Bellow it, Jesse screamed and ran past the chickens. The screen switched to show two tractor beams going along the front of the crowd, where you could spot Axel and Olivia, sucking up objects and even a few people. The people vanished into the Witherstorm as if they were blocks.

"Oh my god." Petra muttered.

Jesse ran along the bridge, only to get caught by a tractor beam.

"Jesse!" Axel yelled, Olivia covering her eyes again.

"Not Jesse, not Jesse, not Jesse." muttered Olivia. Jesse put a grounding hand on her shoulder.

Jesse screamed, grabbing onto a large part of the bridge that the tractor beam was lifting up. _"Hey! I'm up here!"_ But the others were gone, lost in the chaos of the crowd, _"Somebody, help me!"_ A chicken that had also been caught in the tractor beam flapped its wings and floated forward, coming out of the light and landing back on the ground, unharmed.

Eyes narrowing, Jesse used the stone to pull himself forward, grunting from the effort of not slipping. He reached the end and pulled himself out of the purple light. But he'd been a bit high up, and he fell forwards with a yell, landing on the stairs and falling down them painfully,coming to a stop where the slime block had been earlier.

The audience winced.

Pushing the pain to the back of his mind and climbing to his feet, Jesse looked over to the guy still bouncing on a slime block with his hands on his hips, not seeming to care for the chaos around him. Then the tractor beam went over him, and he and a few others went flying up with yells of fear.

Jesse ran forwards, jumping over a bunch of chickens and spotting Lukas, _"Lukas!"_

Lukas came to a stop and, upon spotting Jesse, ran towards him. _"Holy crap!"_ he said, _"Oh, man, if I was still in that basement..."_

Real-Lukas swallowed, giving Jesse an even more grateful look. Jesse gave him a smile in return.

 _"Thanks for coming back for me, Jesse."_ continued Lukas, _"I wouldn't be here without you."_

 _"Jesse!"_ Petra called, and they turned to see her, Olivia, Axel and Reuben taking shelter under a tent. Jesse and Lukas were quick to make their way over to them, but not a moment later a tractor beam light the area purple and the tent was lifted up into the air.

"Run, you morons, run!" shouted Magnus.

And run they did.

 _"Wait- Wait!"_ shouted Jesse, as they ran in random directions, _"We have to stay together!"_

 _"Jesse!"_ Petra shouted, and Jesse turned to see her floating up towards the Witherstrom, _"Help me!"_

"I'm so sorry, Petra!" Olivia gasped, "We- We must have been too panicked to notice!"

"It's okay, guys." said Petra, gesturing to the screen, "Jesse's got me."

Jesse ran over to her and jumped up, grabbing her hand and holding on to a single fence. But the tractor been didn't move, seemingly determined to suck them both up. Jesse's feet began to leave the ground and the fence started to shake, _"I can't hold on!"_

Petra faltered, "Or... maybe not."

Onscreen, Petra screamed, her fingers slipping from Jesse's. The fence broke, and Jesse gave a scream of his own.

Reuben gave a terrified squeal, hiding his face in Jesse's shirt. Lukas was on the edge of his seat, Olivia had Jesse's forearm in a death grip and Axel was actually covering his eyes, while Petra's seemed to be glued to the screen.

A hand reached out and grabbed Jesse's foot, the screen going down to reveal none other than Gabriel.

"Go Gabriel!" Olivia cheered, Axel peeking up from his hands at her shout.

It was just enough time for the tractor beam to go in search of something else, leaving the three to fall to the ground with yells. Olivia, Axel, Lukas and Reuben, seeming to have realized Petra and Jesse hadn't been with them, ran up to them.

"Well," said Soren, "At least they came back."

 _"Do we have everyone?"_ asked Jesse, doing a quick headcount. Gabriel began running.

 _"We must set out for my fortress. We'll be better protected there."_ They began running after him, the screen going up to show the Witherstorm, before following on of its purple lights to where the Ocelots rainbow beacon was, as the gang running past it on the path bellow.

"Aw, man, our beacon!" groaned Gill.

"The world could be ending as we know it," said Lukas, "And you're worried about the _freakin' beacon?!_ "

"You just quoted Axel!" Jesse grinned.

The beacon swirled up into the tractor beam. The screen went down to Reuben, Petra and Jesse, who were running alongside each other.

 _"Thanks for that just now."_ said Petra.

_"Yeah, well, now we're even."_

The Witherstorm roared, starting to chase the crowd, snapping its three huge jaws. A burning skull fell from the sky. _"Incoming!"_ Petra yelled, tackling Jesse to the ground to avoid the blast.

"Now you owe me again." Petra joked weakly.

They quickly got to their feet and continued running, Petra and Reuben a head of Jesse. He swerved to the right to avoid a gaping hole probably made by another burning skull, then to the left as yet another burning skull fell down and blew up another part of the street.

As he came to a junction, a group of people ran past screaming, a tractor beam chasing them. Jesse dodged left to avoid it, and he was only a few feet away from the gate, Petra and Reuben already out. But it was rapidly closing, as though they'd thought it would be enough to slow the Witherstorm down.

"What are they _doing?!_ " yelled Olivia, "Do they honestly think that closing the gates will stop that thing? It can _fly!_ "

"Yeah," Axel agreed, "All they're doing is trapping people, and Jesse might be one of them!"

"Who's dumb idea was it to close the gate anyway?" asked Petra, as though any of them would gave the answer.

Onscreen, Jesse rolled under the gate, barely making it as it slammed onto the ground behind him. He got to his feet and ran after the others into the woods.

"Well," said Lukas, "At least we all got out. I hope we can say the same for the other Ocelots."

The Witherstorm can be seen in the distance, as Jesse and Petra could be seen running along with the crowd, hovering over the town and sucking up all the buildings and anyone who had been unlucky enough to get trapped inside. Screeching, it turned to face the woods. The screen blacked out.

"Wait, it's coming after us?" asked Jesse, "Why's it coming after _us_?"

"Gabriel must have gotten out as well." Ivor said.

"You- You got that thing to _target_ me?" Gabriel glared at him, "Do you realize how- how _idiotic_ that is?"

Ivor opened his mouth to answer, but the screen was already turning back on and Onscreen-Gabriel was speaking.

 _"Stick together everyone!"_ he yelled to the running crowd, _"We'll be safe as soon as we get to my temple."_

Jesse is shown at the back of the group, looking over his shoulder at the advancing monster. It began shooting burning skulls from its mouths, and Jesse screamed and ran faster.

The skulls set the tree's ablaze, which spread to set even more tree's on fire. Jesse gave another scream, ducking his head and running out of the screen. The Witherstorm continued to set things on fire, and it was as if they were being chased through a fiery hell.

"Oh, man, we're so lucky you found Reuben, Jesse." said Axel, "If he had still been out in the woods..."

Jesse swallowed, tightening his hold on his pig.

Onscreen, Jesse ran past a hole created by one of the burning skulls, but he quickly came to another one and jumped over it with a yell, landing in a roll and quickly continuing his run. They came to the actual part of the forest and were forced to go either left or right. Gabriel yelled over the chaos.

_"Everyone, keep going! We'll meet up on the other side!"_

The screen showed Axel, Reuben, Olivia, the butcher and a stranger going right and Petra, Lukas, Gabriel and what appeared to be Aiden and Gill going left.

"Where's Maya?" asked Lukas. The only girl Ocelot looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Jesse ran left after the other members of the Order of the Pig, and tractor beams began to move across the forest floor. Ahead of him, Axel barely dodged one. They came to a wall of fire, Axel, Reuben and Olivia already jumping over it, Jesse quick to do the same.

They exited the forest, meeting up with the second group and they continued running. Thankfully, all of Jesse's friends were there, but Jesse himself was falling behind.

"Run!" Olivia shouted, upon noticing this, "Jesse, run!"

 _"The temple is just up ahead!"_ shouted Gabriel, _"Follow me!"_

Jesse ran past the last burning tree, but as he looked to the side he spotted black tentacles. One tried to reach for him, but he dodged, quickly doing the same with the other one with a yell.

The screen showed Axel, Olivia and Reuben running, before switching back to Jesse. In front of him, a tentacle smashed into the ground, blocking his path to the temple that could be seen ahead.

 _"_ Come on, Jesse," said Petra, "Jump!"

Jesse jumped over the tentacle with a yell, quickly chasing Gabriel up the steps to the temple.

 _"Hurry!"_ said Gabriel, glancing back at him, _"Inside the temple!"_

They ran inside and the screen cut to them running down the stairs. Gabriel started speaking, _"The inner chambers built entirely of obsidian. We should be untouchable in there."_ He pulled a lever, and a stone wall split to reveal the inner chamber in all its glory, where an unlit Nether portal sat on a raised platform.

Before anything else could be said or done, purple light flooded the room and, screaming, they all ran into the chamber and straight towards the portal. A tentacle reached down the steps.

 _"Hurry!"_ Gabriel drew his sword, batting away the tentacle, _"If you can get through the portal, you'll be safe!"_

They ran up the steps, Axel the first to run through the obsidian archway. But he didn't appear in the Nether, only on the other side of the platform. _"Uh, something's not right here."_

 _"It's not lit!"_ Olivia exclaimed.

Jesse drew out the flint and steel he'd grabbed before leaving the tree house, and clacked them together inside the portal. A moment later, a see-through purple glow appeared in the center.

"It's a good thing I grabbed that." muttered Jesse.

 _"Everyone, get in!"_ said Petra, _"_ Now _!"_

Olivia was the first to run through, while Axel picked up Reuben and quickly followed her. But before Petra, Lukas and Jesse could follow them, a scream cut through the air.

"Wait, we're the only ones who made it?" asked Petra, "What about Aiden and Gill? We saw them running with me, Lukas and Gabriel!"

Onscreen, the tentacle had grabbed Gabriel by the leg and tugged him on to his back. Jesse ran towards him, Petra following him, _"Gabriel!"_

Another tentacle burst through the roof, but Jesse jumped over it while Petra drew her sword to attack it. He grabbed Gabriel and did tug of war with the tentacle, but was thankfully able to pull the warrior free. The tentacle retreated, instead knocking down two people that were trying to make their way inside.

 _"Thank you."_ said Gabriel, climb to his feet. He looked at the entrance, where a women was running from the tractor beam. _"There are so many of them... I-I can't save them all."_ he turned to Jesse, Petra still fighting in the background, _"I can't stop this by myself. We need to find the others."_

"Er... the 'others'?" said Magnus, "Please tell me you know a group of other legendary heroes."

The screen showed Petra hitting the tentacle, before Jesse turned back to Gabriel, _"Others?"_

 _"Soren's been missing for years."_ Gabriel continued, as though he hadn't heard Jesse, _"But the others... you must seek them out."_ he pulled out an amulet, the very same one that they had seen Soren making during the backstory scene. The turquoise gem was glow, but the others weren't. _"Tale this amulet. And guard it with your life."_

 _"You can do this,"_ he said, when Jesse hesitated, _"You must!"_

 _"How am I supposed to find Magnus and Ellegaard?"_ asked Jesse.

"Nope," said Magnus, "He meant us. Just great."

 _"The amulet will guide you."_ he pushed it into Jesse's hand's, _"Take it through the portal, and then-"_ But before he could finish, the roof was torn open and one of the monsters heads peered inside, a tentacle separating Jesse and Gabriel. Petra yelled behind him, and Jesse looked over just as the tentacle hit her away.

He immediately drew his sword and rushed to help her, dropping to the floor as the tentacle tried to hit him. Already on his feet, he hit it, but it didn't seem to do much.

Still on the platform, a defenseless Lukas yelled as the tentacle came towards him, but Petra jumped up in front of it and cut it with her sword. The tentacle retreated.

 _"You two,"_ she said, turning to Jesse and Lukas, _"Go through the portal and meet up with the others. I'll stay here and do whatever I can."_

"Petra, no, you'll be killed!" exclaimed Axel.

She ran forwards, stopping when neither of them moved. _"Go on, Jesse, go! Go through that portal, now!"_

 _"Petra, you've got to go through the portal with us!"_ said Jesse.

 _"Sorry, Jesse."_ Petra said, brow furrowed in determination, _"This is something I've got to do."_ Jesse glanced back at Lukas for help, but he was already making his way towards the portal. Petra continued, _"If anything happens, I'll meet you guys at the temple."_

Before Jesse could say anything, Gabriel yelled and they turned to see him caught up in a tractor beam. Petra and Jesse ran towards him to help, but another beam appeared and captured Petra, lifting her too into the air.

"Oh, no!" Olivia gasped.

On the platform, Lukas gasped. Jesse dodged a tentacle and looked over his shoulder to see Lukas ducking to avoid another one, _"Lukas!_

But Lukas let out a terrified scream, backing away. Realizing that he would be no help, Jesse turned to the two caught in the tractor beams and, sheathing his sword so he could use both hands, he jumped up and grabbed Petra's leg, pulling her out of the beam.

Petra sighed, "Thanks, Jesse."

 _"Thanks, Jesse."_ echoed onscreen Petra, _"Gabriel's still up there!"_

Jesse looked over at Gabriel, who was now sideways and a foot above the ground, _"Jesse! Go!"_

 _"No!"_ screamed Jesse, scrambling to his feet and running towards Gabriel. A tentacle came down and he ducked to avoid it, but as he straightened it came back and it him, throwing him towards the portal with a yell. Lukas screamed as Jesse slammed into him, and they both went through the portal. The screen blacked out.

"What the hell, Lukas?!" shouted Jesse, turning to the Ocelot. "Why didn't you help me? We could've saved Gabriel too!"

"I- I'm sorry." said Lukas, still looking shocked, "I'm not- I'm not sure what happened."

"You froze." Olivia shook her head in disbelief, "Holy crap, you _froze_."

"I'm sorry." Lukas said again, "Oh, god, I'm _sorry_."

"It's okay, Lukas." said Petra gently, "I'm still there, I'll probably be able to get him."

"What about you, Petra?" asked Axel, "You're still out there with that Wither-Monster."

"I'm sure I'll be fine." said Petra, turning to the screen, "I've survived too much to die now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who did you save? Gabriel or Petra? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Okay, wow, guys. Two chapters in one day. Just... wow. I'm on a roll. We going to the Nether next time! Also, I didn't see Aiden and all that when I was playing it, but since I was watching it on YouTube and pausing it frequently, I noticed them and decided to add that in. Maybe you can look out for them if you ever play/re-play the game.
> 
> If you spot any errors, please point them out!
> 
> EDITED ON 1ST AUGUST 2016. Thanks to AnnaRooma for pointing out a few mistakes!


	8. A Trip Through the Nether

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohmygod ohmygod ohmyFREAKINGgod, I'm already writing the eighth chapter. I just posted chapter seven an hour ago and now I'm starting the next one.
> 
> Why can't I be like that all the time?

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode One: The Order of the Stone**

**Part Eight: A Trip Through the Nether**

* * *

Jesse and Lukas come out the other end of the portal, slamming into the ground. They slowly get to their feet as the screen zooms out to show Olivia, Axel and Reuben waiting for them and that they were surrounded by lava and fire.

 _"Where's Petra?"_ asked Axel.

 _"We did everything we could."_ said Lukas.

"You mean _Jesse_ did everything _he_ could." growled Axel. Lukas winced.

 _"What are you saying?"_ Axel questioned.

 _"Jesse?"_ said Olivia, panic clear in her voice, _"What is he talking about?"_

Jesse took a moment to answer, _"It was chaos. There wasn't much I could do."_

 _"Jesse's right."_ said Lukas.

Jesse continued, _"Petra is still up there."_

 _"I got scared,"_ Lukas admitted, _"Just for a second."_

Axel frowned, eyes hard, _"You got_ scared _?"_ he walked towards Lukas, who stepped backwards to avoid him.

_"It wasn't my fault."_

_"You got scared,"_ growled Axel, _"And it's not your fault?"_

"Wow, big guy," said Petra, "It could've happened to anyone. Besides, I wasn't going to go through the portal anyway, remember?"

Axel didn't answer, crossing his arms and glaring at the screen.

 _"Back off, Axel."_ said Olivia.

 _"We gotta go back."_ Axel said, walking towards he portal determinedly. But Olivia stepped in front of it, blocking his path.

_"No! We just have to wait. Think about what you're walking into."_

_"There's nothing you can do,"_ Jesse agreed, _"You'll just end up getting yourself killed."_

"I appreciate that you would try to go back for me, Axel," Petra smiled at him, "But I'm glad Jesse and Olivia stopped you."

Axel sighed, "I just hope _you_ don't get yourself killed."

 _"You don't know that!"_ said Axel, _"You don't know-"_

 _"Hey!"_ Lukas exclaimed, running forwards excitedly and pointing at the portal, _"There she is!"_

They all turned to the portal as the purple bit swayed back and forth, indicating that someone was coming through.

 _"Come on,"_ muttered Jesse, _"Come on."_

But it was not Petra that fell through the portal; it was Ivor.

"Ivor?" said Soren in surprise. Jesse groaned.

"Oh, great."

Onscreen, their smiles faded as Ivor climbed to his feet. Upon realizing who was in front of him, Ivor glared, _"You again?"_

But before anything else could be said, a tentacle shot through the portal and swished back and forth. They screamed and ran away from the portal, Axel falling on to his back. Jesse jumped to the side to avoid the tentacle, before it wrapped around the portal and _squeezed_. The portal cracked and fell apart, the tentacle vanishing alongside it.

The watchers gaped.

"Oh no." said Olivia, "How's anyone else supposed to get out? How's _Petra_ supposed to get out?"

"Looks like we'll just have to find another way." Petra said quietly.

Onscreen, they all stood or sat gaping at where the portal had once been. Axel had a look of horror on his face. Jesse looked at the man who started this all.

_"Ivor."_

Ivor turned to him with a deadly glare, _"You ruined everything."_

Jesse glared at him, the others coming over to stand beside him. Ivor continued.

 _"Don't pretend you don't know, thief._ _You took my most valuable potion and would should've been my moment of triumph!"_

 _"This is all your fault!"_ Jesse accused.

 _"I had a plan."_ spat Ivor, _"And you interfered."_

"This guys insane." muttered Axel. Jesse nodded beside him.

 _"Your plan,"_ said Jesse, _"Was to set off Wither in a theater full of people!"_

 _"A Wither I could control."_ Ivor corrected, _"That is, until you showed up! There's nothing left up there! Nothing but that Wither Storm."_

"Witherstorm." Magnus repeated, "Huh. Kinda catchy."

"Really?" Ellegaard glared at him, "You're doing that _now_?"

"What?"

 _"Why are we wasting time talking to this jerk?"_ asked Axel, _"We have to go and get Petra!"_

 _"The girl!"_ exclaimed Ivor, _"I saw her."_

 _"What?"_ breathed Lukas.

"See?" said Petra, "Told ya I could handle myself."

 _"While I was running towards the portal, I passed her."_ Ivor explained, _"She was running in the opposite direction"_ The gang glanced at each other. Ivor continued. _"Such bravery. Of course, there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity."_

Jesse's eyes hardened into a glare.

 _"And your friend,"_ said Ivor, _"Has crossed it."_

"Don't you talk about her like that!" exclaimed Lukas.

 _"You're a coward."_ declared Jesse.

 _"Maybe."_ Ivor admitted, _"But I survived. And that's what counts."_

 _"There's more to life than survival."_ Jesse said.

 _"Without survival, there is no life."_ Ivor countered. He pointed to a tunnel, _"Through that tunnel is a network of minecarts built by the Order of the Stone. It's your only way out."_

"Wait," said Olivia, "So now he's helping us? I'm starting to think he's bipolar or something."

"I am perfectly sane, thank you." Ivor spat. Axel turned to Jesse.

"Does bipolar even mean you're insane or... ?2

 _"We should go that way."_ said Axel, after a moment.

 _"Times wasting."_ Lukas agreed, _"Let's go."_ Jesse turned back to Ivor.

_"What about you?"_

_"What about me?"_ asked Ivor.

_"How will you get out of here?"_

"Yeah," said Petra, giving Ivor a suspicious look, "How do we know you're not leading them into some kind of trap?"

Ivor shook his head, "Oh, please, why should I even bother? They'll probably get killed in there without me luring them into a trap anyway."

_"I'll use my imagination."_

A strange sound, almost like a child making sad little noises, cut through the air. The group looked around for the source of the cry.

 _"What was that?"_ asked Axel.

"Er..." Petra said, "Very, very bad news."

 _"I would wish you good luck,"_ said Ivor, turning back to them, _"But luck won't carry you through the Nether. You have my sympathies."_ He took out a potion and drank it, pink swirls starting to surround him as he began to glow. Then, just like that, he was gone, the empty potion bottle clattering on the ground.

"Huh." said Olivia, "So that's how he keeps disappearing."

The cry sounded again and a ghast floated up behind them. One by one, they turned around the face it, and Jesse let out a shocked gasp. The ghast made another noise, but this one was much angrier, and its eyes seemed to open, revealing red orbs. They started to back away.

"Er, what is that?" asked Gill.

"I think- Is it what I think it is?" asked Olivia.

"Probably," Ellegaard said, "That, my acquaintances, is a ghast."

 _"Lets get out of here!"_ shouted Axel, as the ghast let out another angry cry.

"Yeah," said Petra, "Go with Axel's idea. It's a- It's a very good idea."

 _"Run!"_ said Jesse, and they all turned tail and ran down the tunnel Ivor had pointed out, the ghast still giving off angry cries.

The screen changed to show a pigman, holding its golden sword and standing there doing nothing. Behind it, Jesse let out a scream as he led the others down the tunnel, the ghast chasing after them.

They came to a stop at a little hill, where six minecarts sat on tracks, ready to be ridden. Olivia said, _"This must be what Ivor was talking about."_

Another cry made them turn around as the ghast appeared behind them, shooting a fireball out of its mouth. With yells, they all jumped either left or right, and the fireball hit just above the minecarts, blasting the red blocks to pieces.

They all jumped down and ran towards the minecarts, quickly climbing into them as the ghast gave off another angry cry. _"Everybody, hold on!"_ said Jesse, as the minecarts took off. Reuben was in the front, Jesse behind him, an empty cart behind him with Olivia in the next one, Lukas behind her and Axel at the back.

The ghast watched them go with another another little cry. The screen went black.

It came back on to show the group riding over a large body of boiling hot lava, passing multiple lava falls.

 _"Wow."_ gasped Lukas, _"The Nether."_

 _"Yeah,"_ said Olivia, _"That's a_ lot _of lava. And fire. And other things that could burn you to death."_ Suddenly,Reuben gave a terrified oink and ducked into his minecart.

 _"Oh, no!"_ yelled Jesse.

"What?" said Gabriel, "What's wrong?"

The screen zooms out to show an incredibly long and steep drop. _"Oh, that's a drop,"_ said Lukas nervously, _"That is very, very much a drop."_

"Ah, yes," Soren winced, "I remember that part."

 _"What are you talking about, new guy?"_ said Axel, _"What dro- Oh, crap! You weren't kidding."_ Reuben gave a terrified squeal.

 _"Everybody, hold on!"_ Jesse shouted, and they went down the drop, going at an seriously fast speed. The screen slowed down and gave them a good view of everyone's expressions, almost like they were getting their pictures taken while on a drop at a theme park. Axel had his hands in the air, Lukas's was holding on to his cart so tight that his knuckles had turned white, Olivia had covered her eyes, Jesse's mouth was wide open and Reuben looked positively terrified.

"Oh, man, look at their faces!" laughed Maya, although she didn't seem to be making fun of them.

"I want a picture of that." said Petra, grinning.

Reuben gave another squeal as they reached the bottom and the tracks went straight forwards instead of down again, but they were still going extremely fast. They entered a tunnel and, ahead of them, a low wall was blocking space for their heads.

 _"Oh, no."_ said Jesse.

"Come on!" Jesse exclaimed, "Why'd you put that in?!"

Ellegaard rubbed the back of her neck, "That track wasn't used very often. Besides, we all knew it was there and no one was really bothered to go out and fix it."

They ducked down with yells, and when they came back up Jesse glanced over his shoulder, but another wall was coming up.

 _"Watch out!"_ shouted Olivia, and Jesse ducked down just in time.

The exited the tunnel and were once again rushing over a sea of lava. They were riding right towards a lava fall.

 _"Okay,"_ said Axel, _"So I'm not the only one seeing that we're running out of track, right?"_

"Again, who put _that_ in?!" asked Jesse.

"That," said Magnus, "Was to stop intruders."

"Who the heck would want to go to the Nether?!" Jesse exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. Petra grinned at him.

 _"No."_ said Lukas.

 _"Good!"_ Axel said. The screen zoomed in on a lever, sitting on a block.

 _"Jesse!"_ Olivia shouted, _"That switch! Now! Do it!"_

 _"Ohhh, arms don't fail me now."_ Jesse leaned out of his cart, lava boiling bellow him, and flicked the lever as they zoomed past it. _"Yeah!"_ cheered Jesse, _"Woo!"_

"See?" said Soren, "You're not gonna die! Probably, anyway."

The carts came to a sudden stop, jolting its passengers, and the screen zoomed out to show billions of pistons bellow them, starting to go down.

Jesse chuckled, _"Huh, wow! I thought something bad was going to happen there, but, heh,"_ he looked over his shoulder at the others.

"Jesse," Petra glared, "Don't you dare jinx it."

"I'm not going to jinx it!"

 _"I guess everything's going to be- woah!"_ he was cut off as the carts began moving again, taking sudden and unexpected turns, their passengers giving surprised yells.

And then Jesse was suddenly alone with the one empty cart.

Petra punched him. "I told you not to jinx it!"

"Ow!" Jesse yelled, "Okay, okay, maybe... maybe I should stop being so optimistic about stuff like that."

 _"Uhhh, Axel?"_ Jesse called, _"Olivia? Reuben? Anybody?"_

A squeal cut through the silence, and Jesse's head snapped left as Reuben's cart was revealed, a skeleton in the one in front of him.

"A skeleton?" said Petra, "You don't get those in the Nether."

Jesse's cart turned so that he was right alongside Reuben's. He stood up, drawing his sword, _"Hang on, Reuben!"_ The skeleton aimed another arrow at the pig, but Jesse hit it with his sword and it turned towards him. But before it could fire, he stabbed at it and it fell out the cart and into the lava bellow.

"Nice one, Jesse!" Axel patted him on the back.

 _"Reuben!"_ said Jesse happily. Reuben oinked at him with a grin, hopping into Jesse's previously-empty cart. _"Okay, Reuben, remember how I said everything was going to be just fine before?"_

Petra groaned, putting her head in her hand. Jesse gave her a sheepish smile.

 _"I know I was wrong_ then _but I have a very good feeling about this time- whoa!"_ A ghast flew over his head with a cry, turning around to face him, two more backing it up.

"Wow." said Magnus, starring at the screen in disbelief, "Just... _wow_."

"Jesse, you've got to have the worst luck of all time." said Lukas.

The middle ghast shot a fireball, and Jesse screamed _"Duck!"_ He covered his head with his hands, the fireball hitting his sword and rebounding to hit the ghast, hurting it.

"Or... maybe not." Lukas said.

Jesse straightened, looking from his sword to the ghasts. The middle one shot another fireball, but he hit it with his sword and it rebounded to hit the ghast again, killing it. The one of the left shot a fireball of its own, but Jesse hit this one two, and did the same with the ghast on the right. Both dropped dead.

"Way to go, Jesse!" cheered Olivia.

"Wow," Petra grinned, "Who knew you had it in you? All you needed was the right equipment."

Aiden crossed his arms with a scowl, "Oh, please, I could take down five of them with my arm tied behind my back!"

Gabriel gave him a disbelieving look, "Right."

Onscreen, Jesse grinned and sheathed his sword, Reuben popping up with a squeal from where he'd been hiding in the minecart.

 _"Well,"_ said Jesse, as he sat back down, _"Ghasts are_ officially _off to my to-see list. Done with Ghasts. Never need to see them again."_

Petra gave a long suffering sigh. Jesse winced.

"I just did it again, didn't I?"

A ghast is briefly revealed through a hole in the blocks. Jesse's eyes widened, and they turned the corner, revealing that the tracks go up and up, before running out entirely. A ghast was hovering close by. _"Ahhh, crap."_

"Come on, people!" shouted Jesse, "Who built _that?!"_

"That... was an accident." Magnus sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Jesse gaped at him, before slowly turning back to the screen.

"I'm about to die."

The ghasts eyes went red and it shot a fireball at them, hitting Reuben's cart. Reuben squealed and jumped out of it just in time, landing in Jesse's arms. The cart fell off the tracks and into the lava.

"That was a close one." muttered Jesse. Reuben oinked in agreement.

Onscreen, the cart turned the corner and began going up, straight towards their doom. _"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad."_ chanted Jesse.

Olivia groaned, looking terribly pale. She was clutching Jesse's forearm so tight that he was sure it would leave a bruise.

With a scream and a squeal, Jesse and Reuben flew off the tracks and into open air, right in front of the ghasts face, which watched them, uncaring. Then the cart began to go down, Reuben's rear end going into the air, before they slammed back down on to more tracks and their cart connected to the one in front of them.

Axel, Olivia and Lukas all turned to face him.

"We're alive!" Axel cheered. Lukas let out a shaky sigh.

"Huh," said Maya, "It seems to have switched the carts around."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that track." said Ellegard, "It was the first one we ever made. Although we stopped using it after Magnus _blew it up_."

"What?" Magnus asked, "I said sorry!"

After a moment, Jesse spoke. _"Is- ha- everyone okay?"_

 _"I mean, I'm not dead."_ said Axel, turning to face the front, _"I guess that's pretty good."_

 _"Ditto,"_ agreed Olivia, _"Ditto on the not dead."_

 _"I just can't believe Petra comes down here all the time."_ said Lukas, visibly shaken, _"This place is awful."_

"You get used to it." said Petra.

Onscreen, Lukas attempted at a joke, _"Your throats going to be sore later, Axel."_

_"Why?"_

_"I'm just say,"_ said Lukas, _"Wasn't that you doing all that screaming before? Sounded like you were really shredding your larynx."_

Magnus leaned over to Ellegaard, whispering, "What's a larynx?"

Ellegaard shook her head with a huff.

 _"Oh, yeah,"_ said Olivia, looking over her shoulder to face him, _"I heard that too. Really high-pitched? Kind of like a squeaky piston?"_

 _"What?"_ asked Axel, _"No. Shut up."_

Real-Olivia and Lukas laughed, Axel glaring at them.

 _"Never mind."_ said Lukas, although he was still grinning, _"Must have been something else."_

 _"Hey, speak for yourselves, fraidy cats."_ Jesse said, _"Reuben and I handled ourselves just fine. Isn't that right, Reuben?"_

"Well, with a lot of screaming, anyway." joked Ellegaard.

"First time in the Nether," Jesse said, "And I fought three Ghasts at once and defeated them all. I don't think I even got hit once!"

"Jesse," Petra said, "You've seen what I can do with a pickax. _Don't_ push it."

Jesse scooted away from her.

Lukas and Reuben turned and glared at him, obviously not believing him. Reuben oinked and Jesse's smile fell.

 _"Pffft, what? No._ You _screamed like... like a piglet... is who did the piglet-like screaming."_

"Sure, Jesse." nodded Olivia, "Sure."

The minecarts rushed on and the screen blacked out.

"Okay," said Jesse, "So none of us are dead yet. At least there's that, right?"

"Um..." Lukas frowned, " _Yet_?"

"But what about the redhead?" asked Magnus, pointing at Petra, "We don't exactly know if she's alive or not."

"Petra made it." said Jesse, glaring at him, "I'm sure she'll show up at some point."

"I hope you're right." Petra muttered to herself. Only Ivor heard her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you choose? Hold on tight, hands in the air or cover your eyes? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Okay, guys, next time should be the last part of Episode One! I hope you've enjoyed it so far and, if you have, make sure to leave a review! I love reading them, and they're my little treat for writing new chapters!
> 
> Same as last time, if you spot any errors make sure to point them out and I'll get around to fixing them. Thanks!


	9. Ruins of Past Greatness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAAAAPTER NIIIIIIIINE! This is the last part of the first episode! Next time, we're off to get either Magnus or Ellegaard!

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode One: The Order of the Stone**

**Part Nine: Ruins of Past Greatness**

* * *

The screen came back on to show the gang still in the minecarts, disappearing through a tunnel. It switched to show them climbing out and starting to make their way up stairs.

 _"Can you throw up, like, inside your body?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"Uh-huh."_ said Olivia, _"I know because I just did. About five times."_

They reached the top of he stairs and the screen gave them a good look of the small circle of land they were on, multiple minecart tracks leading to and from it. Archways looped over each other above them.

"That's amazing." said Lukas.

 _"Wow."_ breathed Jesse, _"Look at this place!"_

 _"All theses tracks converse at this point."_ said Olivia, looking around in awe, _"You could probably get anywhere in the world from here."_

"Yes, you can." confirmed Ellegaard, "It took years and years to build. Although," she gave the other members of the Order a glare, "I was the one that did most of the work."

"We did _some_ of it." said Gabriel.

 _"There's the portal!"_ exclaimed Jesse, and they all gathered round the portal, which was just like the one that had been destroyed. Lukas stepped forward.

_"This is what Gabriel was talking about."_

_"That's our way out."_ said Axel, walking forwards.

 _"It must lead back to the surface."_ Olivia said thoughtfully.

 _"The surface,"_ said Lukas, _"Is also where that creature is."_

"He's right." Petra said, "Who knows what you'll be walking into?"

At Lukas' words, Axel came to a sudden stop.

 _"He's right."_ said Jesse, _"We have no idea what we're walking into. It could be dangerous."_

"Jesse should go first." Soren said, "He's the only one that's got a sword."

When no one else said anything, Axel hesitantly turned back to the portal, looking it up and down nervously.

 _"Thanks for being so brave, Axel."_ said Lukas, no teasing in his voice.

"Aw, great," Axel groaned, "Now I _have_ to go."

 _"Alright."_ said Axel, brow furrowed in determination, _"I'm gonna go. I'm going. I'm going right now."_ He looked over his shoulder at them, before turning back to the portal. He still didn't move. _"Like right, right now."_

"Oh, just go already!" snapped Aiden.

When Axel still didn't go through the portal, Jesse frowned. _"I'll go first."_

Petra threw her hands into the air, "Thank you!"

"No offence, Axel," said Olivia, "But I think it's for the best. Jesse _is_ the one with the sword."

Axel frowned, "Yeah, yeah, I know."

 _"That's not what I was saying."_ said Axel. Jesse put his hands on his hips.

_"I'm going."_

_"Well,"_ Axel stepped back, _"If you absolutely insist."_

Jesse walked forwards, briefly stopping in front of the swirling purple that would transport him who-knows where. He looked back at the others. _"Well... see you guys on the other side, I guess."_

 _"Be careful."_ said Olivia. Axel nodded.

_"Thanks, Jesse."_

"It was for the best." said Ellegaard.

With that, Jesse walked forwards and vanished through the portal.

He walked out the other side and into a pool. Looking around, they're shown that it's nighttime, a small waterfall going into the pool and creating two other waterfalls that went down who knew how far.

"Huh." Olivia cocked her head to the side, "That's not... that's not a temple."

"I thought the portal would be _inside_ the temple." said Petra, "Or at least just outside it."

"Are you nuts?" asked Soren, "If we put that portal inside the temple, it would be incredibly easy for anyone to break in! The temple isn't that far from there."

 _"Okay..."_ said Jesse, looking around, _"Not what I was expecting."_ He wadded forwards, trying to spot something out of the ordinary, and a zombie appeared with a groan in front of him.

"All right," said Axel, "It's a pretty good thing I didn't go first."

Jesse drew his sword and whacked it, killing it in two well-placed strikes. _"Oh, man. That was close."_

Axel walked out of the portal, raising an eyebrow when he saw that Jesse had his sword drawn. Jesse turned to him as Axel made his way into the water, sheathing his sword.

 _"There was a zombie."_ explained Jesse. To his right, he spotted stairs leading out of the pool.

 _"Oh... is it dead?"_ asked Axel.

"Do you think I'd sheath my sword if it wasn't?" asked Jesse.

 _"I mean, you know, dead-dead?"_ he followed Jesse towards the stairs, as Olivia appeared through the portal.

 _"Yeah."_ said Jesse. He made his way up the steps, looking around at the grass and trees.

 _"Where are we?"_ asked Olivia. Above them, Jesse spotted a wandering zombie on the edge of a cliff.

_"In the dark, in the middle of the nowhere."_

_"Maybe we should bed down for the night."_ said Lukas, as Reuben looked over the edge of the cliff. A spider is seen climbing along its length. _"It's dangerous to be out when it's this dark."_

"That's the best idea," said Petra, "You don't know how far away the temple is."

 _"Thought we were headed toward a temple."_ said Axel.

 _"We're looking for a giant building,"_ Olivia said, _"It should be pretty obvious."_

_"Ivor said-"_

Axel cut Lukas off, _"Ohh, 'Ivor said.' Well, then maybe this is the temple."_

"Axel." Jesse frowned.

Onscreen, Axel turned to Olivia, _"I'm being sarcastic."_

 _"Axel... come on."_ said Olivia.

 _"We have to build a shelter."_ Jesse cut in. Lukas frowned.

_"I thought that was what I said, but... uh..."_

"Oh, no." muttered Soren, "I think the shocks wearing off."

Olivia frowned at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," said Ellegaard, "That since Lukas isn't apart of your little group and is instead friends with the people that bully you, and with the shock of recent events turning into stress, you guys are most likely to be... unpleasant towards Lukas."

"Well, it is his fault that Petra's not there with us." Axel said, "If he had helped Jesse-"

"Axel," Petra cut in, "As I've said before, it wasn't Lukas' fault. Fear will either give you adrenaline or, well, make you freeze up. Besides, I'm sure I'm fine."

Axel frowned, but turned back to the screen.

 _"You're right,"_ said Olivia, _"We should hurry. I say we build a treehouse."_

 _"That'll take forever,"_ argued Axel, _"And we'll be exposed while we do it."_ From the way the screen was positioned above the group, a zombie's legs could be seen walking past on the cliff, _"We just need a quick and dirty hut."_

 _"Look, whatever it is,"_ Lukas cut in, _"We gotta do it fast."_

No one said anything at that, Olivia putting a hand on her hip and Axel crossing his arms and glaring at the Ocelot. Lukas frowned at the glare, _"What?"_

 _"In a hut,"_ continued Olivia, turning back to Axel, _"We won't know what's coming until it's knocking on our door."_

"But in a hut, you can just block the door up in case a monster tries to knock it down." Magnus pointed out.

"But in a treehouse, only spiders will be able to get to you and you'll be able to see them coming." argued Ellegaard.

 _"A treehouse is going to be spider town."_ said Axel, _"I hate spiders."_ With that, Axel marched towards a mound of dirt and began digging it up.

At the others stares, Axel looked back over at them and gestured to Jesse, _"Well, he didn't say no."_

"You didn't really give me the chance to." said Jesse.

Olivia looked at Jesse and, with a shrug, he said, _"We should get started."_

"I think a hut's best." said Petra, "It'll take too long to build a treehouse."

Onsreen, it skipped to show Lukas handed dirt over to Jesse, and the group began building the hut at super-speed. It was done, once again, in a matter of seconds, and Olivia turned to the group.

_"All that work and we're still eye level with monsters that are going to try to kill us."_

_"It's done."_ said Axel, _"It's oer. We aren't talking about it anymore."_

 _"We could have maybe done like a multi-level thing, but..."_ Lukas shrugged, _"It's too late now, I mean, it's... it's cool."_

"Well," Ellegaard crossed her arms, "It's better than nothing."

They all began making their way into the hut, Jesse the last one to go in, _"Let's keep it together, guys."_ The door shut behind him.

The screen gave a shot of the moon, before it turned into a burning fire, surrounded by stone. Jesse, Olivia and Reuben could be seen sitting around it. The screen switched angles to show Axel standing, and Lukas a little ways away in the corner.

Jesse looked over at Lukas, who was clutching his stomach.

"When was the last time you guys ate?" asked Petra, "Endercon? And with all that running and the minecarts..."

Abruptly, Axel's voice cut through the silence, _"Oh, man!"_

 _"What?"_ asked Olivia.

 _"I'm going to tell you something."_ said Axel, _"You have to promise not to freak out."_

"What's wrong?" Gabriel asked.

 _"What is it?"_ asked Jesse. Axel turned to face them.

 _"I have cookies."_ And, sure enough, he pulled out a bunch of cookies from his pocket.

"Oh," said Petra, "Well, there you go. You won't be as starving."

 _"One for me."_ he handed one to Olivia, who grinned, _"One for Olivia."_ he handed another to Jesse, _"One for Jesse."_

 _"Thanks, Axel."_ Jesse raised the cookie to his mouth, but lowered it when he made eye contact with Lukas, who quickly lookd away. Axel continued.

 _"And one for Reuben."_ He threw the last cookie to Reuben's feet, before looking over at Lukas, _"Sorry, Lukas. I only have four."_

"Can pigs even eat cookies?" asked Petra, frowning.

"Well, they can," said Jesse, "It won't kill them or make them sick or anything, but they, uh, don't really like it. Most would rather eat leaves than something like a cookie."

Lukas kept his eyes on the screen.

 _"Oh, no."_ said Lukas, _"It's- It's all right. I'm not that hungry anyway."_

"Why don't you just eat the pig?" asked Aiden. Maya silenced him with a glare.

Petra sighed, "Lukas, I know for a fact you only had a caramel apple at Endercon. You must be the most hungry out of all of them."

_"I'll just... grab something in the morning. Or something."_

Jesse glanced at his cookie, before getting to his feet and walking over to Lukas. He held it out. _"Take it."_

"Jesse..." said Lukas, "You- You already got me out of that basement..."

 _"Oh, no, no."_ Lukas said hurriedly, _"I- I can't do that."_

Jesse pushed the cookie into his hand, _"I insist."_

Lukas opened his mouth to say something, hesitated, and give Jesse a grateful look. _"Thanks, Jesse."_

As Lukas began eating the cookie, Jesse returned to his spot by the fire. _"That was for you, Jesse,"_ said Axel, _"Not him."_ Jesse looked at him, before sitting back down without saying anything. Axel turned his glare onto Lukas.

Olivia finished her cookie, looking at Jesse, then Axel and then Lukas. She started speaking, still looking Lukas' direction, _"If you had to, which would you rather fight: a hundred chicken-sized zombies or or ten zombie-sized chickens?"_

Recognizing the question from the beginning, Lukas gave a small chuckle.

Onscreen, Jesse smiled, _"Choose wisely."_

Lukas chuckled, _"That's a good one. Let me think."_

 _"How can you guys joke at a time like this?"_ asked Axel.

Petra's smile faltered, "You know, it's always good to keep your spirits up in bad situations."

"He's not necessarily angry," said Soren, "He's just worried. About you, most likely."

_"Petra is still out there. She's all by herself. There's nothing funny about that."_

Jesse took a moment before answering, _"Petra wouldn't mind at all."_

"He's right." said Petra, "I'm happy that you guys are safe and at least a bit happy. For now, at least."

_"She'd want us to keep our spirits up."_

_"If I were her, I'd... I dunno."_ Axel turned away to his back was facing them, _"It feels wrong."_

 _"Fine, then."_ said Lukas, getting to his feet, _"We should probably get some rest. We gotta start looking for this temple as early as we can."_ He walked towards them, _"Now, my guess is, if we start at the portal and kind of split up-"_

Axel turned around to face him with a frown, _"Whoa, what are you doing?"_

Real-Lukas looked taken aback, "I- I'm helping, aren't I?"

"Axel, you're being a jerk." said Olivia.

 _"Did I do something to you?"_ asked Lukas, _"I'd really like to know. You keep getting on my case for what seems like no reason."_

 _"He's just trying to help."_ said Jesse.

 _"See?"_ Lukas said.

 _"I'm sorry, Jesse."_ Axel crossed his arms, _"I'm not gonna sit here and listen to this guy telling us what's what."_

"But- But I wasn't!" exclaimed Lukas, "I was just trying to think of someway for us to find the temple. You're making it out as if I'm trying to convince you that creepers just want to a _hug_."

"How are they supposed to hug?" asked Olivia, "I mean, ignoring the whole exploding thing, they've got no arms."

 _"I'm just trying to get ready for tomorrow."_ said Lukas.

 _"You're the only one wearing that stupid jacket."_ Axel said, and Lukas glanced down at his jacket, _"Don't tell us what to do."_

Lukas took a threatening step forward, obviously angry now, _"Take. That. Back."_

 _"Can't."_ Axel turned away, _"Wouldn't."_

_"You know what? I get to wear this jacket because I know how to build. But that doesn't mean I don't know how to break things."_

Axel turned back to him, _"Your threats don't scare me, now that we know how you really are."_

 _"Jesse, your friend is way out of line."_ said Lukas.

"And your's never were?" Ellegaard raised an eyebrow at Lukas, who rubbed the back of his neck, "Jesse has every right by now to just say 'he's just trying to get into your head.'"

_"I wasn't going to bring it up, but I can only take so much."_

Jesse got to his feet, _"Let's just drop it."_

 _"Don't be like that, Jesse."_ said Axel.

Jesse repeated himself more slowly, _"Just drop it."_

But Axel ignored him, turning back to Lukas, _"Haven't you done enough damage for one day?"_ he shoved him, _"Petra might be_ dead _because of you."_

"Axel!" exclaimed Petra. Lukas was glaring at his hands, which were clenched into fists in his lap.

 _"You're taking this too far, Axel."_ said Olivia.

 _"I don't have to take this."_ said Lukas, glaring at the large male, _"Listen... why don't I just leave and let you guys hash this out."_

"I swear," growled Petra, "If you let him walk out of there and get himself killed, Ivor won't be the only one getting a beating."

 _"You can't leave."_ Olivia said, _"It's dangerous out there."_

_"I can take care of myself. It's what Axel wants, right?"_

_"Let him leave if he wants to leave."_ said Axel.

"But he _doesn't_ want to leave." said Ellegaard.

 _"You're not going anywhere."_ Jesse said.

Petra let out a long breath, "Thank you, Jesse."

Jesse shrugged, "That was all Axel there; Lukas did nothing wrong."

Aiden shared a startled look with Gill.

 _"But, Jesse..."_ Axel said. Jesse glared at him.

_"That's enough. We're all on the same team now. He's staying."_

After a moment, they all sat back down by the fire, Axel the only one that stayed standing. He glared at the flames.

 _"Zombie-sized chickens."_ said Lukas quietly, _"That's what I'd fight."_

 _"Why's that?"_ asked Olivia.

_"Because I'm starving."_

Thunder boomed outside their little hut, and rain could be seen pelting down from the little window on the door. Lukas turned to Jesse.

_"Thanks for keeping me around, Jesse."_

_"Yeah."_

The screen went black.

"Yeah. Thanks, Jesse." Lukas said, "First the golem, then the cookie... now this? You're... unbelievably selfless, you know that?"

"Jesse's always been selfless." said Olivia, with a small smile, "Do you know how he and Reuben met? Reuben was being attacked by monsters near our treehouse and the noise woke Jesse up, so he grabbed nothing but a stick and rushed out to save him. Axel and I gave him a tongue-lashing afterwards."

The screen came back on to show the sun rising above the hills. Their little dirt hut is revealed, and the group made their way out of it and continued on in search of the temple.

Axel glanced at Lukas, but didn't say anything. He quickened his pace to walk beside Olivia. Lukas came to a stop, watching them. Jesse stopped as well, turning to him.

 _"Sorry about all that business last night."_ he glanced over at Axel.

"You don't need to apologize, Jesse." muttered Lukas, "You didn't do anything wrong."

 _"Honestly, I'm just... I'm more embarrassed than anything else."_ Lukas admitted, with a little chuckle. Jesse smiled at him and walked over to Olivia, who gave him a small shrug.

 _"Hey!"_ exclaimed Lukas, and they turned to see him on a hill and pointing to the distance, _"There's something over that way!"_

"Ah, that must be the temple." said Soren.

The screen switched to show Lukas' back and, sure enough, there was a large structure just overhead. Olivia called up to him, _"What is it?"_

_"Some kind of building, I think."_

_"Let's get a closer look."_ said Jesse, and the group walked up to some vines on the walls. They began climbing them, pulling themselves up on to the hill, and getting a good look at the building Lukas had spotted. It appeared to be mostly in ruins, and above the entrance was a bunch of stained glass.

"Wow," said Ellegaard, "It's really gone down hill, hasn't it?"

 _"We should head in,"_ said Jesse, _"But let's be careful."_

With that said, they all jumped down, Reuben landing with a squeal. They walked towards the entrance, looking about at the ruins.

 _"What is this place?"_ asked Axel.

 _"That's what we're trying to figure out."_ said Olivia.

Lukas looked up at the stained glass, _"It the temple of the Order of the Stone."_

 _"Lukas, are you sure?"_ Olivia asked. Jesse pulled out the amulet Gabriel gave him, holding it up and comparing it to the stained glass, which looked just like it.

 _"He's right."_ said Jesse, _"Look."_

 _"Holy crap."_ Axel said. They began walking forwards.

 _"Do you think they're in there?"_ asked Olivia.

"Oh, please," scoffed Magnus, "If we were in there, do you think it would be such a mess?"

"He's got a point." said Petra, sadly, "That place looks like it hasn't been touched in years. Why'd you send them there if the other members of the Order wouldn't be there, Gabriel?"

"The amulet is like a tracking system." Gabriel explained, "I just hope they can figure that out."

 _"Let's go in and find out._ " said Axel. The screen went black for a moment, before coming back on to Jesse's voice.

 _"Let's just all be careful."_ they were making their way through a dimly light tunnel, or perhaps a hall. Olivia nodded.

_"Okay."_

_"If you spot anything,"_ Jesse continued, _"Call it out. We don't have a lot of time."_

Axel looked over at the wall with a raised eyebrow, _"Isn't it weird how dispensers are carved to look spooky little faces?"_ the screen gave them a view of the inactivated dispenser, which did indeed look like they had faces.

"Uh oh." said Magnus. "I forgot about that."

_"What do you dispense, little guy?"_

_"IIII get the feeling that we don't really wanna find out."_ said Olivia. A hissing cut through the air, and Jesse came to a stop, holding his arms out to make sure the others don't keep walking.

"What was that?" asked Maya.

 _"Get behind me."_ said Jesse. He walked forward, looking around for whatever had made that noise. The place was dotted with spiderwebs.

They stopped again when a creaking sound filled the silence, and the screen cut down to Reuben, who was shaking and looking around in fright. With a terrified squeal, he ran forwards and Jesse ran after him, the others following him. They all ran right over two pressure plates.

"That can't be good." said Petra.

A fence closed down behind them, stopping them from going back.

 _"That's probably not a good thing."_ said Axel.

Sure enough, the dispensers began making noises, indicating that they were about to fire. _"Aw, come on, dispenser faces!"_ said Axel, _"I thought we were friends!"_

"Run!" Petra shouted.

 _"Run!"_ Jesse echoed her, and they all started running as the dispensers began to shoot arrows. Jesse jumped up to avoid one, ducking down into a roll to avoid another and momentarily stopping as one flew past him, before he and Axel arrived to where the others were waiting.

Jesse put his hands on his knees, panting, but he quickly caught his breath and straightened. He gasped, and it was quickly revealed that even more arrows were being fired in front of them. It seemed endless.

_"We're trapped!"_

_"We activated the dispensers with that pressure plate."_ he pointed to said pressure plate, way over by the gate, _"If we can figure out a way to trigger it again, I bet that'll shut 'em off."_

"But with what?" asked Gabriel.

 _"There's a crafting table."_ said Jesse, pointing to the crafting table, _"Maybe we can make something useful."_

 _"Out of what?"_ Olivia asked, _"We don't have anything. All of our tools and materials are back home."_

 _"All right, everyone,"_ Jesse said, _"Empty your pockets. Let's see what we've got to work with."_

Lukas pulled out a bundle of sticks, _"I have a few sticks left over from building the shelter last night."_

 _"I've got some flint and... a piece of string."_ Olivia said, pulling them out.

 _"All I have are some chicken feathers I picked up after that chicken machine exploded."_ Axel pulled them out.

 _"Let's see..."_ muttered Jesse, _"I've got some flint and steel. A sword. Oh, and some string from a spider that I fought in the woods earlier."_

Soren nodded, a hand on his chin, "Not bad, not bad. I'm sure you'll be able to do _something_ with all that."

They put all the useful items the middle of their little circle. _"String, sticks, flint and feathers."_ said Olivia.

Jesse picked them all up and took them over to the crafting table. He placed down three sticks and three bits of string, and they formed together to make a bow. Then he put down a stick, flint and a feather, and they mixed to form an arrow.

"Good job, Jesse." grinned Olivia, "That'll work for sure."

Picking up the bow and single arrow, he held them up. _"Let's do this."_

He drew the string back and took aim, letting it fly a moment later. The arrow hit the pressure plate and the dispensers shut off.

"Yeah, that's the way to do it!" cheered Axel.

The gang grinned at each other as Jesse turned to face them.

 _"All right."_ said Lukas. They continued down the hall.

 _"The Order of the Pig's luck is changing."_ Axel said.

They came to a library- the very same library that was shown in the backstory, but in this scene it was covered in cobwebs.

 _"This... must be their enchantment room."_ said Lukas.

They made their way deeper in and split up to do some exploring, Axel speaking up with a raised eyebrow. _"Doesn't this look like Ivor's creepy basement?"_

"Oh, yeah," said Magnus, "I was wondering why it looked so familiar. You based your villainy liar off our old enchantment room? I'm touched!"

Ivor scowled, not answering.

Jesse walked over to Lukas, who was looking through the bookshelves. _"Find anything useful?"_

 _"Not sure about useful,"_ said Lukas, _"But.. definantly interesting. There is a lot of history in this room."_

Jesse left him to his searching, spotting an enchantment book sitting on an obsidian table, the exact same one that had been shown during the backstory. It must have been created years ago.

He walked over to it, reading it out loud. _"The battle was fierce, but the Order of the Stone emerged triumphant, saving the land and assuring that peace prosperity would reign forever."_

 _"Well,"_ said Lukas, coming up behind him, _"Not exactly forever."_

Jesse turned back to the book and continued reading, his voice being replaced by the narrator that had told the backstory.

 _"These five members,"_ it showed Soren walking out of his archway of iron blocks again, _"Five friends,"_ it showed Magnus, _"Together,"_ it showed Gabriel, _"Would give so much to gain,"_ it showed Ellegaard, _"Their rightful place as,"_ someone wearing gold and blue armor is revealed with their back turned, and they slowed turned around to reveal none other than Ivor. Jesse's voice takes over, _"Five heroes."_

The Order of the Pig, Petra and the Ocelots gasped.

 _"They,"_ continued Jesse, as Ivor walked up to the others members, who were gathered around the enchantment table, _"Would author their own end. They would slay a dragon."_

 _"Ivor was a member of the Order of the Stone?"_ asked Olivia, the screen going back to the present- or, well, the future. _"The stories never mentioned him."_

"You lied." said Jesse, turning to the Order with wide eyes, who all avoided his gaze, "Wh- Why did you lie?"

Gabriel sighed, looking guiltily at the floor, "It's... a very long story."

 _"This is so... crazy."_ said Lukas. Jesse nodded.

_"This might explain why Ivor had such a grudge against Gabriel."_

_"They lied to us!"_ exclaimed Olivia, _"They lied to the whole world!"_

 _"Why would they do this?"_ asked Axel.

 _"This is so crazy."_ repeated Lukas, turning to the book. Jesse put his hands on his hips.

_"The Order might not be what we thought they were, but Petra is still out there. That monster is still out there."_

_"Jesse's right."_ said Lukas, seeming to pull himself together, _"We need to focus on hat we came here to do."_

 _"Where do these stairs go?"_ asked Olivia, looking up at a white staircase. The others walked towards her, Lukas taking the book to look for further info. Jesse looked up at the staircase.

 _"They go up."_ He hopped down and began making his way up the stairs, the others quick to follow him. He emerged in what must have once been a large room, but now the walls were crumbling and there was holes in the floor. The sun was setting.

 _"Now this is cool."_ said Axel.

 _"Wow."_ Jesse breathed. Axel walked over to where the entire wall had been demolished.

_"What happened to the walls?"_

_"More like, what happened to this whole place."_ Jesse corrected.

Olivia turned to them, _"This must have been where they met."_

 _"So where are they, then?"_ asked Axel.

 _"Gabriel said that once we find the temple,"_ said Jesse, _"The amulet would lead us to the Order of the Stone."_

 _"Well, what are you waiting for?"_ Axel asked, walking towards him, _"Pull it out then."_

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." said Gabriel.

Jesse pulled out the amulet as the others gathered around him, and held it up above his head. Nothing happened.

 _"Is... something supposed to happen?"_ asked Olivia.

 _"Well, that as a let down."_ said Axel, as Jesse lowered the amulet.

 _"There's got to be something we're missing."_ said Jesse, _"Look around and see if you can find anything."_ They split up to take a look about.

Jesse walked over to Axel, who was looking up at a giant map on the wall. _"Watcha looking at?"_

Axel jumped, scowling at him, _"Nothing. Whatever."_ he turned away. Jesse gave him a confused look.

_"Axel?"_

_Axel sighed, "I was just trying to figure out where Petra might be."_ he turned back around to face him, _"I mean, I know she's going to be fine, but I was curious."_

Petra shook her head with a small smile, "Sure, big guy."

 _"We're gonna find her."_ said Jesse, having immediately seen through him. Axel gave him a sad look and returned to the map.

Spotting Lukas setting on some steps under the map reading the book about the Order, Jesse made his way over to him, _"Find anything interesting in that book?"_

_"The only thing I've found so far is that the amulet was used to track the positions of the members of the Order."_

_"And does it mention how?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"It's less technical and... well, more historical."_ said Lukas.

Jesse nodded and made his way over to Reuben, who was standing to the side, _"Hey, Reuben, find any clues?"_ Reuben looked down with a sad little noise.

He gave Reuben's head a quick rub, before going over to Olivia, who was examining some sort of pedestal. Upon seeing him, she said, _"We're in the temple of the Order of the Stone. The Order's_ actual _temple. Who'd of thought it, huh? A bunch of small towners like us wrapped up in an adventure like this."_

 _"Yeah, it's pretty insane."_ Jesse rubbed the back of his neck, _"I just hope we all come out the other side in one piece."_ He looked over at the pedestal, moving in front of it to get a better look at it. On it was a banner, which had a drawing of what could only be the amulet on it.

"There we go!" said Soren.

 _"It's the same as the amulet."_ muttered Jesse. He stepped closer to it and took out the amulet, placing to on top of the pedestal. It sat there as if it were made for it. Spotting levers sitting on a long white table on the other side of the hole where the staircase was, Jesse walked over to it. There was five levers and in front of the middle one was a redstone block.

Turning the one in front of the redstone block, a little _ding_ came from the speakers and two blocks of stained glass glowed a light blue. On either side of the map was six different colored bits of glass, all with a redstone block behind them.

Jesse pulled another random switch, and the light blue ones went out to be replaced by the bottom two, which were green and white. He pulled a different switch and the green one went out, the light blue one coming back on. Another switch, and the light blue one went out to be replaced by the two above it, which were red and normal blue.

"Is this some sort of puzzle?" asked Petra.

Jesse turned another lever and the light blue and green one came back on, so that all the glass blocks were glowing. The redstone block on the table began to glow itself and shot a light right towards the amulet.

 _"Wow."_ breathed Jesse.

"Wow, indeed." muttered Lukas.

On the amulet, the two side gems were glowing, the left one red and the right one green. They shot lights of their own, straight towards the giant map in front of them.

"There's only two lights left?" asked Magnus, looking over at Gabriel. The warrior was looking at the screen with grim eyes.

 _"It's absolutely incredible!"_ exclaimed Olivia. The red and green lights directed themselves at the map, the red one going to a little island to the East and the green light going to the middle of a country to the West. _"How did they build this?"_

"Well, we each had to give a bit of our blood." said Ellegaard, "And it took hours and hours of concentration, spells, potions and nearly three years to complete."

"Wow," Olivia said, "That's amazing."

 _"Okay,"_ Olivia said, _"Now I'm impressed."_

 _"This is what Gabriel wanted us to find."_ said Jesse, _"It's the Order, it's showing us where they are right now!"_

Lukas stepped forward, _"Look, we don't know enough about how this thing works. Maybe the amulet only tracks them when they're on the surface. Or maybe it doesn't work when they're in the Nether. We have to go off what we_ do _know."_

"So there's a chance that Gabriel might still be alive?" said Axel.

Soren nodded, "Yes, the amulet is completely useless in any other world that isn't ours. If Gabriel is in the Nether or the End, he won't show up on the map."

 _"There's only two lights on that map."_ Jesse said, _"If there are only two heroes left than we know what we need to do. Petra's relying on us. That Witherstorm is still out there."_

Jesse looked around at the others, _"We_ know _that Gabriel was trying to tell us something. We've got to find the Order of the Stone."_

 _"But there are only two lights,"_ said Axel, as Jesse walked forwards to get a closer look at the map, _"There are only two members of the Order left?"_

 _"He said Soren was missing."_ Jesse remembered, looking up at the green and red lights. Lukas spoke up.

 _"That leaves Magnus."_ Olivia finished for him.

_"Or Ellegaard."_

"But they're on different sides of the world!" exclaimed Petra, "You don't have enough time to get both of them."

"You're all fools." sneered Ivor, "They won't be able to save you, or anyone else! They never have!"

Jesse rolled his eyes, "Shut your yap, Ivor. You're not helping your case."

 _"Let's head out."_ said Jesse.

 _"I'm not going with you guys."_ they turned to Lukas with startled eyes, _"I have to stay here. If I know Petra, she's probably doing everything she can to find this place. She's still out there. She has to be."_

"Thanks, Lukas." said Petra.

 _"We might need your help out there,"_ Jesse protested, _"You should come with us!"_

 _"Nah, you don't need me."_ Lukas shook his head, _"This is where I should be. If there's even a small chance that she's alive, I have to stay. Go. Get help. I'm gonna focus on making this place safe before nightfall."_ he looked around at the ruined walls, _"This temple is pretty big though. If we're gonna have a chance at fortifying it, I'm going to need some help."_ he hesitantly turned to them, _"If, uh, maybe one of you could hang back with me?"_

"Okay, so two stay and two go." Petra said, "Three, if you wanna count Reuben."

 _"Sounds like Olivia will have you totally covered,"_ said Axel, _"While me and Jesse are out finding Magnus."_

 _"'Finding Magnus'?"_ asked Olivia with a raised eyebrow, turning to him, _"You really think that's how it's going to go? We need Ellegaard. She's the worlds greatest engineer. She'll figure out a way to stop that thing."_

 _"We're trying to_ destroy _it."_ said Axel, turning to the map, _"And when it comes to destruction, Magnus is the master."_

"Heck yeah!" shouted Magnus. Ellegaard rolled her eyes.

 _"You're a smart person, Jesse,"_ said Axel, standing under the green light. Olivia stood under the red. _"And obviously, the_ smart _thing to do is to go get Magnus."_

 _"I,"_ Olivia laughed, _"Think Axel meant_ Ellegaard _there, Jesse."_

"They've both got pretty good reasons." said Lukas, "But we've only got enough time to go after one. What'cha gonna choose, Jesse?"

 _"Uh, no, I don't think I did."_ said Axel, _"Pretty sure Axel meant_ Magnus _."_

"Choose me!" shouted Magnus, "Choose me! You don't want that nerd, you want the _King_!"

Ellegaard shoved him, "What they need is _intelligence,_ not some idiot with a bomb!"

"Who are you calling an idiot?!"

_"Jesse, the point is you should be going to Ellegaard. It's the clear choice to make."_

_"You gotta come with me."_ insisted Axel.

_"You're my best friend, Jesse."_

_"It's you and me. Like always."_

"Holy crap, are you _guilt-tripping_ him?" gaped Petra.

"That's- That's not cool." said Soren.

Axel and Olivia looked at Jesse apologetically.

 _"Think about it, Jesse."_ said Olivia.

_"This is more of a gut call."_

_"We need to make sure we get this right. We're not going to get a second shot at this."_

Axel sighed, _"Whatever decision you make, I'll be cool with it."_

Olivia turned to him in surprise, _"Really?"_

_"As long as it's me."_

Real-Olivia rolled her eyes.

 _"Come on, Jesse,"_ said Olivia, _"This is an easy call."_

Finally, Jesse turned to Axel, _"Get ready to roll, Axel. We're going to find Magnus."_

Magnus jumped to his feet, hands in the air, "YES! Take that, Nerd Bird."

Ellegaard huffed, crossing her arms.

 _"Let's do this."_ said Axel. Jesse turned to Olivia.

_"Olivia, you stay here with Lukas and get this place ready for when Petra comes back, okay?"_

Olivia sighed, _"Fine. But I'm only doing this for Petra."_

"Wow, really. Thanks, guys. Again." Petra smiled at them, which they returned.

Jesse smile at her, _"I'll take it."_ He, Axel and Reuben began making their way to the stairs, when a noise that sounded a lot like thunder cut through the air. Lukas looked over at the giant whole, _"Uh, guys?"_

They all looked towards the distance, their eyes widening. For in front of the setting sun, far into the distance, was a black mass of tentacles and screeching. The screen blacked out, Lukas' voice coming through.

_"Please hurry."_

"How did it find you so fast?" asked Gabriel, "The temple is ages away from your home."

"Maybe it can teleport?" suggested Gill. Lukas shook his head.

"I'd rather not think about that."

The screen came back on, the words _NEXT TIME ON MINECRAFT: STORY MODE_ decorating the screen. It faded away to show Jesse, Axel and Reuben back in the Nether and in the minecarts, the deep voice from before speaking. _"Jesse and Axel return to the Nether, intent on finding Magnus the Rouge."_

It changed to show them in a kingdom, with almost every building sporting a gaping hole, _"And find themselves in a kingdom of chaos."_ it switched to show Jesse and Axel leaning back with wide eyes, looking at something they couldn't see, _"Full of dangerous people with poor impulse control and some deadly hobbies."_

"Wait, _that's_ your kingdom?" asked Jesse. Magnus nodded with a proud grin.

"Yup! The one and only Boom Town!"

Jesse opened his mouth, closed it, and turned back to the screen. "We should've gone to Redstonia."

Olivia gave him a look, "Ya think?"

The screen showed the Witherstorm, _"While the great storm grows, consuming everything in it's wake. Time is running out for our intrepid heroes."_ It went black.

"So that's it?" asked Lukas, "The first 'episode'?"

"Seems like it." Ellegaard looked over at the archway leading to the hall, "We should probably look around a bit before going on to the next episode. Maybe they've got some food lying around. Besides," her eyes scanned them, lingering on Petra and Ivor, "I think we've got some things to... discuss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who did you choose to get? Magnus or Ellegaard? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Okay, guys, that's Episode One finished. The gang's going to take a little break, because while they're in a place where time stands still, they still need food and rest, and they have to hash a few things out.
> 
> Now I've got to go into the garage and continue sawing up a bunch of branches my dad chopped down because they were overgrowing, which just so happen to be infested with ants, beetles and spiders. So, yeah. Wish me luck!


	10. Amulet Snatches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guys, here's the next chapter! First two thousand words is them taking a break but the first part of episode two is still in this.

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Two: Assembly Required**

**Part Ten: Amulet Snatchers**

* * *

The house was more of a mansion than anything else. It was surrounded by a ten foot white-washed wall, with a garden the size of an American Football field. The mansion had three floors and a basement, thirteen bedrooms, one for each of them, a kitchen bigger than Jesse and Olivia's treehouse, a library in the basement, an enchantment room, an armory, a second living room and a lab.

They decided to watch the next episode after dinner, give them time to process all they've been shown. They mostly split up, although Jesse had spotted Ellegaard and Olivia making their way to the lab, and he was fifty-five percent sure that Magnus and Axel were plotting to blow up the wall just for the hell of it. He was also sure Ivor was hiding somewhere and Petra, Gabriel and Soren were hunting him down.

Jesse himself was just wandering around with Reuben, struggling to process what was in store for them. The Wither, Petra missing, the Order lying... it was all too much.

He walked into the garden, Reuben happily jumping through the many flower beds. This place was paradise, with no threat of monsters and- as they had discovered in the kitchen- an endless supply of food. A part of Jesse wanted to stay here forever, to hide away from the troubles of the future, but another, larger part of him knew that this place could never be home, no matter how beautiful and safe it was. His home was a little wooden treehouse in the middle of the woods, with his best friends alongside him.

He wondered if the Withrstorm destroys it. He wondered if there was going to be anything left; any _one_ left.

Lukas stood a few feet away under a tree, arms crossed as he stared into a pond. He was alone.

Jesse hesitantly walked towards him, debating whether or not he should leave him alone. He was surprised he wasn't with the other Ocelots. Before he could decide whether to leave him alone or not, Lukas spoke up.

"Do you think some of us are going to die?"

Jesse was taken aback by the question, and he frowned, "Lukas?"

The Ocelot turned to face him, dropping his arms to his side. His eyes were grim and his mouth set into a thin line, "Do you think some of us are going to die?"

"I..." Jesse couldn't think of an answer. He wanted to say no. He looked at the ground. "I don't know."

They stood in silence for almost a full minute, Jesse absently watching Reuben rolling around in the grass. He looked back at Lukas as he started speaking again.

"The other Ocelots die, don't they?"

"You don't know that. Petra could be leading a group of survivors to the temple for all we know."

"We didn't see Maya." said Lukas, turning to look back into the pond, "When we were running into the woods. She wasn't there. And I didn't see any of the other Ocelots come out with us either."

"I can't believe that we'll be the only survivors." Jesse said, "Not when Petra didn't come through with us. Besides, the reason we're being shown all this is so we can _change_ things. We can save everyone, maybe even stop the Witherstorm from ever being created!"

"No, we can't!" Lukas snapped, finally turning to him again. His eyes were glistening with tears he refused to shed. "You didn't read the note, Jesse. It said that once we're sent back... we won't remember anything. Not until it's all over."

"What?"

"We'll just have... _feelings_ about certain things." said Lukas bitterly, glaring at his shoes, "Like, when you and Petra are doing to deal with Ivor, you'll both have a feeling that something's wrong. That you shouldn't give him the skull. But I- I don't think feelings are going to be enough."

Jesse walked up to stand in front of him, reaching over to put his hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "There's nothing we can do to change that, Lukas. We can only hope it's enough. It _has_ to be."

Lukas looked up and into Jesse's eyes. He didn't say anything, but he gave a little nod before returning his eyes to the ground. Jesse gave his shoulder one last squeeze before pulling away, "Everyone's going to get pretty hungry soon. Help me in the kitchen?"

Blinking out of his dark thoughts, Lukas looked at him in surprise, seeming to have just realized how hungry he actually was. Nodding, he followed Jesse back towards the mansion, neither of them noticing Aiden watching them from a second story window with narrowed eyes until they were out of sight.

They didn't run into anyone on the way to the kitchen, but Lukas says he could have sworn he heard Ivor screaming curse words earlier. Jesse assumed that meant they'd finally found him and tried not to think about what they might be doing to him.

The kitchen itself was empty, but they were sure that everyone would start making their way there once they finally processed what they'd been shown and realized how hungry they actually were.

"What should we make?" asked Lukas, looking through the food chest while Jesse searched the kitchen for coal, "We've got apples, mushrooms, quite a lot of cake... oh, hey, how about we have poooooooo-" Jesse turned to him with a raised eyebrow, Lukas starring at him with wide eyes. Reuben oinked questionably from the corner. "Oooooo- _steak!_ I meant steak."

"O... kay." said Jesse, still giving him a strange look. Lukas quickly ducked back into the chest in search of the uncooked beef, while Jesse grabbed a stack of coal for the furnace. "You said we have cake, right? I think we should have that afterwards. It's been ages since I've had a proper sweet like that."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure, sure." Lukas pulled out a stack of beef, placing it in the furnace while Jesse lit the coal. That done, they passed the time by setting the table and chatting about nothing in particular, feeding Reuben a few carrots while they were at it.

"So the guy's really angry," Lukas was saying, "And I tell him to calm down but this only seems to make him angrier, so he grabs the closest thing in the store to him, which happens to be the pineapple we were fighting over, and he throws it at my head."

"That must have hurt." grinned Jesse, setting down the last of the plates. Lukas chuckled.

"I wouldn't know, really. I dodged it, although barely, and it went soaring towards the door just as Aiden came in looking for me. It hit him smack-damn in the middle of the forehead."

"Ow." Jesse laughed, "Was he okay?"

"Yeah, he was fine. Had this wicked bruise for nearly three weeks though. Wore a hat until it went away."

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Olivia, walking in with Ellegaard, their hands and clothes covered in redstone dust, which they had quite obviously attempted to sweep off.

"Oh, there you are, Olivia." said Jesse, gesturing to the table as Lukas went to get the steaks, "Lukas and I made dinner. Hope you're up for steaks."

"I'll eat anything at the moment." said Ellegaard, "Although Olivia and I should probably wash up first."

"We'll be back in a couple minutes." Olivia said, and the two engineers turned and made their way back into the hall, Olivia giving Jesse a face-splitting grin. Jesse smiled back at her, calling after them, "Make sure you tell anyone you see that dinners ready."

They all arrived one by one, Axel and Magnus covered in soot and claiming they were too hungry to stop and wash it off, Ivor sporting a nasty black eye and Petra a satisfied smirk. The only ones that didn't say anything throughout the entire meal was Ivor and Aiden, the latter who kept sending Lukas dirty glares.

When they'd all eaten their fill, they pilled the dishes into the sink to be washed later and each grabbed a slice of cake to take back to the living room. They all took their seats and waited for Lukas to get back from the bathroom, admiring the Episode Two scene, which was of Magnus and Ellegaard.

Lukas came back into the room and made his way over to the Ocelots couch, raising an eyebrow when he saw that Aiden was taking up two seats, leaving no room for him. "Um... you're kinda in my seat."

"Oh, am I?" asked Aiden, "I didn't notice." He made no move to give him some room. Lukas frowned.

"Then, uh, can you move?"

Aiden's eyes hardened into a glare, "Why should I?"

Now Lukas just looked absolutely taken aback, "So I can sit down."

"You don't really need a chair to sit down." said Aiden, almost absentmindedly.

"Did I... do something?" asked Lukas, completely lost.

"I don't know. Did you?"

Lukas' eyes narrowed in annoyance, "Can you stop that?"

"Stop what?"

"Asking me stuff I don't know! Why are you being such a jerk? Just let me sit down!"

Everyone was looking at them with wide eyes, especially Maya and Gill, who looked too stunned to do anything. Ignoring them, Aiden leaned forward, getting right in Lukas' face, "You've got a seat on the floor."

Hurt flashed across Lukas' face, mixed with confusion. It was obvious he had no idea how to respond to Aiden's sudden hatred towards him. But then his eyes hardened into a glare of his own.

"Fine." he said, looking at Maya and Gill to see if they would do anything. They stayed silent. "Fine." Lukas repeated himself, before walking away and taking a seat on the floor, a little ways away from the Order of the Pig.

Jesse, Olivia and Axel all shared a look, before Olivia turned to Lukas and patted the spot next to her. Looking at her in surprise, Lukas scooted over to sit next to her, giving them a thankful little smile. Jesse leaned forwards to get a better look at him, while the Order fought over who should get the remote.

"What was that all about?" he asked, quiet enough that Aiden, Maya and Gill couldn't hear.

Lukas shrugged, glancing back over at the other Ocelots, "I don't know. He was sending me these nasty looks all throughout dinner as well. Wonder what's gotten into him?"

"Think it might be because you've been friendly with Jesse recently?" suggested Olivia. Lukas looked at her in confusion.

"Why should Aiden get upset over that? I mean, come on, you've all seen how Jesse helps me out in the future. And we all know none of the Ocelots would have done that to any of yous. Besides, it's not up to him who I'm friends with."

"Is he jealous or something?" asked Petra, appearing next to Axel. The gang jumped with startled yells.

"Where did you come from?" Axel said, a hand over his thudding heart. Anyone would get a fright if a girl suddenly appeared next to you.

"Why would Aiden be jealous?" asked Lukas, once he'd registered her words, "What has he got to even be jealous _of?"_

"Aiden bullies Jesse, Axel and Olivia because he knows they're better than him, he just won't admit it, be it to others or himself." said Petra, "But now here he is with said bully victims, his little gang and the _Order of the Stone,_ watching the people he's secretly jealous of go on this grand adventure and actually start impressing said Order of the Stone. And Lukas just so happens to be the one to go with them, despite Axel almost chasing him off."

"So," said Jesse, "Aiden's jealous of us because we're finding the Order? And since Lukas is with us, he's jealous of him too and is now being a jerk to him."

"Aiden has always been a bit on the jealous side." admitted Lukas, "I just hope he gets over it and realizes what an idiot he's being."

"I GOT IT!" Magnus exclaimed, and the episode began to load. Ellegaard rolled her eyes.

"I don't see _how_ you could be struggling with it. It says what they do right on the buttons."

"Shut up, Ellie."

Jesse's voice cut off any comeback Ellegaard might have had, _"Previously on Minecraft: Story Mode."_

The screen turned on to show Jesse, Axel, Olivia and an dragon-dressed Reuben walking through the woods, presumably to the Endercon Building Competition. The deep voice from before spoke, _"Heroes can come from unlikely beginnings,"_ it faded to black, only to be replaced by Ivor climbing up onto the stage to stand in front of Gabriel, _"And old friendships can lead to dark rivalries."_ Ivor placed the last Wither skull on the statue and he and Gabriel were blasted off the stage, the Witherstorm rising in a mass of darkness.

The screen switched to show it with its massive three heads and purple eyes, before changing again to show Jesse, looking over his shoulder before turning to face whatever was in front of him, _"When the world is in danger,"_ the screen revealed that the one in front of him is Gabriel, who pulls out the amulet, _"Fate calls on the ordinary,"_ it changed to Petra being lifted int the air by the tractor beam with Jesse holding her down by the foot, _"To do exta-ordinary deeds,"_ Jesse and Petra fell to the floor, then it changed to show Jesse running towards Gabriel, who was still caught in a tractor beam.

It switched to show the gang riding through the Nether in the minecarts, _"And go on journeys they had only dreamed of."_ It changed once again to show Jesse, Axel and Olivia making their way up the stairs out of the pool where the Nether portal was, _"Our heroes, thrown together by fate,"_ Now it showed Axel, Jesse, Lukas, Olivia and Reuben standing on a hill overlooking the ruins of the Orders temple, before switching to show Axel and Jesse looking up at the map, _"Must now seek help from a legendary artisan of chaos."_

It changed to give them a better view of Axel and Jesse, _"But the question remains,"_ their eyes widened and a screech pierced the air, showing the Witherstorm in the distance in front of the setting sun, _"Will it be enough to save the world?"_

"Aaaaaand I'm nervous." said Lukas, "This thing has _so_ much faith in us, doesn't it?"

The screen showed the tracks in the Nether, as three minecarts came zooming past, Axel very obviously in the back with his hands in the air. _"Wooooo-hooooo!"_

"How can you _enjoy_ that?" asked Soren in shock, "One wrong move and your corpse is burning at the bottom of a giant pit of lava!"

"Don't mind him." said Gabriel, grinning, "He's always been scared of stuff like that. Once, Ellegaard made a flying machine-"

Soren covered the warriors mouth, laughing nervously, "Haha, on with the moving pictures!"

Jesse, who was sitting in the middle with Reuben in the front, looked over his shoulder at him. Seeing his look, Axel said, _"Aw, come on, Jesse. You're not even having a little fun?"_ He threw his hands into the air again and shouted, _"I mean, I am!"_

"We're not all you, Axel." said Olivia.

_"I mean, sure, the worlds in danger, but this is our chance to be heroes!"_

_"Just don't lose track of why we're here, okay?"_ said Jesse. But Axel only grinned at him with a shrug. Jesse continued, _"If we don't get the Order back together, the Witherstorm is going to eat_ everything. _"_

At that, Axel lost his smile.

 _"That means we need to get to Magnus as soon as freaking possible!"_ Jesse said. After a moment, Axel's grin returned.

"Why's he smiling again?" Petra asked. Jesse shrugged.

 _"You know what?"_ he said, _"You're right. We're gonna find Magnus, bring him back and he'll_ totally _know how to blow that thing sky high!"_

Magnus grinned, "I will indeed."

Jesse and Axel smiled at each other, before Axel's eyes widened and he pointed ahead of him, _"Uh, dude?"_

Turning to see what Axel was pointing at, Jesse gasped. Right in front of them was a very angry ghast, and they were zooming straight towards it.

"Get your sword! Get your sword!" chanted Olivia.

But the ghast shot a fireball before anyone could do anything, and it sent the cart flying off the tracks, Jesse, Axel and Reuben going with it with terrified yells. They landed painfully on- thankfully- netherrack and not lava, and as they got to their feet the ghast appeared again with an enraged cry.

 _"Hide!"_ said Jesse, and he, Reuben and Axel ducked behind a pile of nether, Axel screaming as the ghast shot a fireball that just barely missed him.

_"Why does it hate us so much?!"_

"It's a monster," said Petra, "All monsters hate humans."

They looked over to the carts, which were starting to slip off the edge to be boiled to nothing but lumps of metal. Jesse shouted, _"THE MINECARTS!"_

"It'll take them _forever_ to get to Boom Town without the minecarts." said Soren.

 _"Hurry!"_ said Axel, _"Use something on that ghast!"_

 _"Okay,"_ Jesse muttered to himself, _"Think fast, Jesse, what to choose?"_

The ghast was slowly circling to the other side of the little mound of land, giving off soft cries. Jesse pulled out his bow and arrow, just as the ghast shot a fireball at them again, destroying their cover.

Yelling, they jumped out, Jesse turning to face the ghast while Axel went after the minecarts. He drew the string back and fired, hitting the ghast dead center. The ghast shot a fireball at him, but Jesse dodged, hitting it with another arrow.

"Oh, yeah, go Jesse!" cheered Lukas.

Putting away his bow and drawing his sword, Jesse hit the fireball the ghast fired at him, causing it to rebound and hit the ghast instead. With one last cry, the ghast fell to its side and vanished into death.

Jesse looked back over at Axel with a grin, sheathing his sword and brushing himself off. Axel turned back to the minecarts and pulled them the rest of the way up, Reuben bounding over to Jesse to get pet.

 _"Time to move, buddy."_ said Jesse, once the carts were back on the tracks, _"Lets go!"_

Axel hopped into the front, Jesse and Reuben just barely making it into the back cart before they took off. Axel turned around to face them.

_"You were awesome, Jesse! With that ghast and chasing the minecart... this is, like, the perfect warmup for when we get to Boom Town!"_

"Wait... _Boom_ Town?" said Olivia, as if just registering the name. Magnus nodded with a large grin.

"Yup! Best kingdom there ever was."

 _"_ Boom _Town?"_ said Jesse, eyes wide.

 _"Yeah!"_ Axel exclaimed excitedly, as the minecart rushed out of sight, _"Boom Town!"_ The screen went to the right a bit to reveal a sign with rainbow letters that read _!BoOmtoWn!_

"Whu-Oh." Lukas said.

"Well," said Soren slowly, "That sign would certainly send a grammar-nerd to tears."

Olivia and Ellegaard looked like they were going to die right on the spot.

The screen changed as the trio rounded a corner on the tracks, the minecarts coming to a stop as they hit a wooden fence. A little ways away was a portal with another rainbow, badly spelled sign next to it. Axel climbed out, _"This is it!"_

They stopped just in front of the portal, looking at it. Axel spoke up, _"I liked it when you went first last time. Maybe you should take this one again."_

Without a word, Jesse jumped through the portal, quickly followed by Reuben and Axel. The screen blacked out.

"This is going to be _chaos._ " muttered Ellegaard, "Isn't it?"

"It's not _that_ bad." Magnus protested.

The screen came back on to pleasant music, but the scene before them was no where near pleasant. It appeared to be a city, not a single building not sporting some kind of whole, random fires left to burn. An explosion went off one a distant building, quickly followed by a second.

Ellegaard turned to Magnus with her eyebrows raised.

"What?" asked Magnus, "It's perfect!"

"It's not wonder people avoid Boom Town." muttered Gabriel. Soren nodded in agreement.

It changed to a close-up of the portal, before abruptly zooming back as Jesse and Reuben walked through, only to fall when they met no ground with startled yells. The reason why appeared a second later; the portal was the 'o' of a sign reading _Boom Town,_ suspended in the air and made of what appeared to be white and red wool.

"Why would you _do_ that?" exclaimed Elleggard, "Someone could seriously get hurt!"

"Boom Town," Jesse shook his head with wide eyes, "Why did it have to be Boom Town?"

"What are you talking about, Jesse?" asked Axel, "This place is awesome!"

Axel fell from the portal not a second later, landing with a scream right on top of Jesse.

The audience winced.

"That's gonna leave a mark." said Lukas.

The screen went up to above the large sign, the words _MINECRAFT: STORY MODE_ appearing. From above, it showed Axel climbing off of Jesse with an apology, Jesse himself getting to his feet with a groan. They both turned around and walked under the sign.

It changed to show them pressing their backs against a wall, _"Just be careful, okay?"_ said Jesse, turning to face Axel, _"One wrong step..."_ they began hesitantly making their way to the corner, Jesse tiptoeing forwards.

"Uh," Magnus rubbed the back of his neck, "You might wanna watch-"

The screen zoomed in on Jesse's feet, revealing that he had just walked over some string. It followed the string to reveal that it was a tripwire stuck to the wall.

"-the... wire."

Ellegaard shook her head in astonishment, "Burning buildings, traps everywhere... who would be dumb enough to _live_ there?"

"A lot of people, it turns out." grinned Magnus.

The ground bellow them exploded, blasting them forwards with yells. Jesse climbed to his feet, only for another explosion to go off right in front of him, although it wasn't close enough to harm him. They started running, more explosions going off. Jesse skidded to a stop to avoid one and began running left towards a small gap between two houses, only for a griefer holding TNT above his head to appear around the corner.

"Oh, why didn't they go to Redstonia?" groaned Olivia, covering her eyes, "Why didn't they go to Redstonia?"

The griever ran towards him with a yell, but Jesse ducked just as he jumped at him. The griever went soaring over Jesse and the TNT exploded, taking the griefer with it.

"Oh my god!" gasped Lukas, "Is- Is he... ?"

Jesse looked up to see another griefer standing on the roof, waving an egg with a wicked grin. The griefer threw the egg at him, but Jesse dodged and it hit the ground, a baby chicken appearing where it had hatched.

Jesse ran down an alley, coming to a stop when Axel appeared with Reuben under his armpit. _"Whoa."_ he said, _"Did you see that?"_ the screen switched to show the ruined city, a dancing griever throwing TNT off a tower, where it exploded somewhere bellow him. Another explosion went off on the building next to him. _"Utter chaos, man."_

"See?" said Ellegaard, "I told you it would be chaos."

Jesse walked out of the alley to a little back area, with a few posters, a cactus and the back of a house was. _"Wow, a cactus,"_ he said, looking back at Axel, _"We don't see these back home."_

 _"I'd take it as a souvenir,"_ said Axel, coming up to stand next to him, _"But I don't wanna stick it in my pants."_

Petra patted Axel on the shoulder, "Wise decision."

Jesse gave him an amused look, _"Good call, buddy."_ Spotting some posters on the side of a building, Jesse walked over to examine them. There was one of Magnus wearing a green bowler hat and another of an explosion, _"Do all these belong to different grievers?"_

 _"Well, here you have it, Jesse."_ said Axel, gaining Jesse's attention. _"Boom Town in all its glory! What do you think?"_

"I think it's the worst place on the planet!" exclaimed Ellegaard. Soren and Gabriel chose not to say anything, although from the looks on their faces it seemed they agreed with her.

"It _is_ a pretty bad place to be." Petra said, "Especially since they're there to try and get Magnus and are on a time limit. While Magnus could be useful in defeating the Witherstorm, I think Ellegaard would be a _lot_ easier to get to."

"Around this time, I'd be locked up until I finished my latest invention." Ellegaard said, "But all they'd really have to do would be to get their hands on a redstone repeater and they'd be in."

 _"It's like I've finally come home."_ said Axel, _"These are my people."_

Real-Jesse, Olivia, Petra and Lukas looked at him with raised eyebrows. Axel shrugged.

"Well, then," said Magnus, "Remind me to take you there some time after this is over."

Axel grinned.

 _"Augh! Axel!"_ cried Jesse, _"This place is absolutely_ _crazy!"_

 _"You're being too small-minded, Jesse."_ said Axel, _"This is awesome!"_

"'Awesome' isn't really the word I would use." Petra said.

_"Axel, you'd think a poisonous potato was awesome if it had TNT strapped to it!"_

Magnus and Axel gasped, looking at each other with wide eyes.

"NO!" shouted Jesse, "No blowing up poisonous potatoes!"

Spotting a banner of the amulet, Jesse pulled it out. The green gem was glowing.

 _"Dude, it's freakin' glowing!"_ exclaimed Axel.

 _"This glow... I think I know what it means!"_ said Jesse. He turned around, waving the amulet about a bit, _"And look! It glows brighter when I move it in a certain direction."_ he held it up, trying to find the part where the amulet glowed brightest.

 _"Maybe a little to the left?"_ said Axel, _"No, the right. I mean your left. Right. I mean... you're right. About left."_

"What?" asked Jesse.

 _"Axel, you're stressing me out with that."_ he held the amulet up high, and a tall black tower with the entire middle bit blown out came into view.

"Holy creepers." gasped Olivia, "Is that safe?"

"Um... no, not really." said Magnus.

"Wait, that's where you _live_?" asked Soren, "What am I saying? Of course it is."

 _"Whoa!"_ Jesse and Axel gasped in unison.

 _"Ding ding ding!"_ said Jesse, _"Looks like that spire is where we'll find Magnus!"_

A blue haired girl with pigtails appeared behind them, wearing a pink t-shirt and a black mask over her eyes. She jumped from the building she'd been on, gaining the trio's attention. _"Hey there, new people."_

"Uh oh." said Magnus.

"'Uh oh'? What do you mean, 'uh oh'?" asked Lukas.

she jumped up out of the ditch she'd landed in, _"You... ah, you siad you know where Magnus is? All the griefers here in Boom Town want to find Magnus, y'know."_

 _"Why do you want to know so badly?"_ asked Jesse.

_"Oh... no reason."_

_"What's going on?"_ another griefer asked, this one in some sort of blue and green mask. Another appeared on a building to the masked griefers left, this one with bright green pigtails.

 _"Nohr found some noobs with a thingy that can find Magnus."_ said a different griefer, this one in a red mask and standing on stone steps that suddenly cut off halfway down. Another griefer in a black jumper with the hood up stood next to him. All four of them jumped down, starting to advance on the vulnerable group.

"Oh..." said Lukas with wide eyes, "That's definitely not good."

 _"Jesse?"_ said Axel.

The girl with blue pigtails- NOHR- turned to the other griefers with a glare, _"Bunch of scavengers! This drop is mine!"_

 _"Everyone just back off, all right?"_ said Jesse, _"We need this to find Magnus and-"_

"Ohhh, you shouldn't have said that." Petra winced.

 _"Hey,"_ the griefer in the red mask cut him off, _"We all wanna find Magnus, friend-o."_

Nohr grabbed the amulet, holding it out of Jesse's reach as he tried to grab it back, before quickly running away.

"Well," said Gabriel, "That's certainly bad."

 _"Get back here with that!"_ shouted Axel. He and Jesse shoved past the other griefers, as Nohr jumped up onto a porch and held the amulet above her head.

_"Oh, Might Magnus! I have to you this offering- !"_

"Wait, does she actually expect me to be able to hear her?" asked Magnus, "'Cause... I can't."

Before Nohr could continue, a griefer on the roof above her yanked the amulet out of her hands with a fishing rod. _"No!"_ Nohr screamed, as the griefer ran away with a laugh. Nohr was quick to run after him.

Jesse, Axel and Reuben ran up the steps, coming to Nohr and the griefer with the fishing rod, who were standing there laughing.

 _"Bunch'a noobs!"_ said Nohr and, upon spotting them, she and the fishing rod guy ran off. They jumped over a gap and onto another building as Jesse and Axel appeared where they'd been standing before.

 _"Hey, are they going the same way?"_ asked Axel, Reuben under his arm. Jesse glowered.

 _"They're working together."_ he ran and jumped over the gap, following the two grifers.

 _"This is just how we do it in Boom Town!"_ said the fishing rod griefer, as though he meant nothing personal. He ran up some steps to the left, while Nohr ran right.

"Magnus, what kind of king _are_ you?" asked Ellegaard. Magnus shrugged.

 _"Which one took the amulet?"_ asked Jesse, time slowing down as he watched Nohr run along the length of a rooftop, before turning to the other guy as he ran up the steps. _"The thief is mine,"_ he declared, time speeding up again, _"You take the one with the fishing rod."_

 _"Got it!"_ said Axel, and with that they jumped after them, Jesse going one way and Axel going the other.

"It's probably the fishing rod guy that has the amulet." said Olivia, "At least, he was the last one we saw holding it."

Onscreen, Jesse jumped over onto a trail of floating wood, one of which was on fire. He narrowly avoided the flames and landed on another rooftop, running after Nohr, who was waving her arms joyfully. She ran along a tiny wooden bride and reached a hole in a house, stopping and turning to face Jesse.

 _"Hey, know what the best time of year is to visit Boom Town?"_ she was slowly backing away with a grin.

 _"Let me guess."_ said Jesse, glaring at her, _"Fall?"_

 _"Nope! Winter. But good idea!"_ a lever is revealed on a block just inside the doorway.

"Run, Jesse!" shouted Soren.

 _"Boom!"_ exclaimed Nohr, flipping the switch with a laugh. The sandstone underneath Jesse pulled away and he fell with a yell, landing in a deep hole. Nohr poked her head over to look at him.

_"Later, dingus!"_

"Dingus?" said Jesse, "What does that even _mean?_ "

"It's used to refer to something one cannot or does not wish to name specifically." Ellegaard said. Jesse blinked at her slowly.

"Huh."

Nohr ran away, and Jesse climbed to his feet, muttering to himself, _"Only one way out of a pit."_

He pulled out some sand and began to stack it underneath him, jumping it before placing another block down so he went higher and higher up. Once he'd reached the top, he jumped through a window and out onto the street, just as Axel came rushing around the corner. _"Axel!"_

 _"Jesse,"_ panted Axel, _"There you are. So I totally cornered that fisher dude, and they were all scared and stuff, and-"_

Jesse cut him off, _"Where is the amulet?"_ Before Axel could answer, Nohr appeared behind him, the green glow of the amulet in her hand.

"There it is!" exclaimed Axel.

 _"Stop right there!"_ shouted Jesse. To his surprise, Nohr did stop, looking over her shoulder at him.

 _"How about 'no'?"_ she laughed, and as Jesse started to run after her, she ran into a building and slammed an iron door shut behind her, placing two obsidian blocks in front of it before running off with the amulet.

"This girl's getting on my nerves." growled Petra.

Outside, Axel punched the wall, _"Augh! These bricks will take forever to punch through!"_

Jesse looked up at the building, or more specifically at the vines all along its side, _"Luckily, I think I found us a punch-free entrance."_ he jumped up onto the vines, but he barely got a foot off the ground before Nohr poked her head out of a window.

 _"Sorry, guys, but I've been trying to find Magnus for way too long for you to stop me now!"_ she held a block of TNT above her head.

"Dodge, Jesse, dodge!" shouted Axel.

 _"Oh, bad."_ said Jesse, Axel running away bellow him.

 _"Jesse, look out!"_ The TNT flashed white and Nohr dropped it, just as Jesse jumped to the side and grabbed onto the vines a little above him. It exploded, tearing a hole in the wall, _"Way too close!"_

Olivia gave a scared little 'eek!' and covered her eyes. It wasn't that she was a wimp or anything, but she didn't like seeing her friends almost get blown to bits while she was helpless to do anything.

Jesse continued climbing, and as he neared the roof, Nohr once again showed up. _"You know what you remind me of?"_ she asked, _"This song I had stuck in my head once. I just couldn't get it to go away!"_ she held up another block of TNT and threw it. Jesse jumped to the right with a scream, barely grabbing onto the vines as the TNT exploded.

 _"Oh, man!"_ he pulled himself up onto the roof, taking a moment to catch his breath. At the very top of the roof stood Nohr, who was holding the amulet up.

_"Okay, little amulet. Show me the way. Of course, not sure what I'll do when I get there... but that's Future Nohr's problem."_

"Even if she _did_ find out where I'm hiding, there's no where she'd get past all the booby-traps!" declared Magnus. Jesse turned to him with wide eyes.

"Um... booby-traps?"

Magnus' mouth formed a perfect 'o' of realization, "Oh, yeah... well, hope you don't die."

Jesse slowly made his way towards her and when he was right behind her, he grabbed her with a yell. They both had a hold on the amulet and were now playing a game of tug of war on the roof of a half destroy building, a TNT block just a little ways away.

 _"Give it back!"_ said Jesse, _"This is more important than you know!"_ Nohr tripped on the TNT block, sending both her and Jesse to the ground. The amulet clattered somewhere out of sight and the TNT flashed white.

"Oh, I can't look!" said Soren, copying Olivia and covering his eyes. Lukas clenched his own shut, looking to the side as if he himself was about to be blasted to bits. Reuben buried his face into Jesse's shirt.

 _"Uh oh."_ said Nohr.

 _"Not again!"_ shouted Jesse, as he and Nohr turned onto their stomachs to get to their feet and run, but they weren't fast enough. The TNT exploded and both Jesse and Nohr flashed red as they were hurt, the blast sending them flying off the roof.

Time seemed to slow down as the amulet came into Jesse's reach, both human and object still flying through the air. But before Jesse could even think to grab it, time sped up again and the amulet fell to the ground bellow, Jesse himself flying through a window.

 _"Ow!"_ he yelled, as he hit the wall upside down and slid to the floor, feet in the air.

"Is he alive?" asked Lukas, eyes still closed.

Petra, who had unconsciously closed one eye and leaned away from the screen as if she too was about to look away, straightened herself and let out a long breath. She nodded, "Yeah. He's- He's probably hurt real bad, but he's alive, so that's- that's something."

Jesse got to his feet with a groan, making his way over to a hole in the wall to look bellow him, but the amulet was no where in sight.

 _"Ha!"_ a voice cut through the air, gaining Jesse's attention, _"Nice. What did I tell you about teamwork?"_ he walked to a small home in the ground, where two griefers stood, the one with the black hood from before standing with a female griefer with bright green pigtails, who was holding the amulet.

"There it is!" exclaimed Maya. Aiden elbowed her and she fell silent, rubbing her sore side and giving him a confused look.

 _"What?"_ the Green Pigtails snapped, _"But I'm the one who said we should work together,"_

 _"No you didn't,"_ said Hood, _"Give me that!"_ he grabbed the amulet and they began tugging over it, grunting and growling. Jesse reached down through the hole and grabbed it, the two griefers looking up in surprise.

 _"Got it!"_ he laughed, _"I actually got it!"_

"Finally!" said Olivia.

 _"Quick!"_ the griefer in white said, _"Flush 'em out!"_ TNT was thrown out of the hole, flashing white.

Real-Jesse groaned.

Onscreen, Jesse gasped and turned to the gaping hole in the wall, looking over at a stone building near by. He jumped over to it just as the TNT exploded, the shock-wave from the blast sending him all the way across.

Jesse leaned against the wall, panting and closing his eyes for a moment. Shouting met his ears and he walked over to the edge, looking down to see a large group of griefers under him and starting to make their way up the stairs towards them, an explosion going off.

"This just never seems to end!" said Lukas, eyes wide, "Man, I'm glad I didn't come with you guys."

Jesse looked over at the spire that Magnus was in, and it was obvious the sun was starting to go down. The spire was a lot closer than before.

Pocketing the amulet, Jesse made his way towards the stairs leading away from the griefers, spotting Axel and Reuben at the bottom of them, _"Axel! Magnus is somewhere in that building above us! He's gotta be close!"_

 _"Than quick!"_ said Axel, _"Toss me the amulet!"_

Jesse looked at him in surprise, glancing down at the griefers running about bellow him. Seeing his hesitation, Axel continued, _"You're surrounded by griefers and they're gonna tear you apart!"_

"Come on, Jesse," muttered Axel, more to himself even though the others could hear him, "Don't you trust me?"

With defeated noise at the back of his throat, Jesse pulled out the amulet, _"Just.. don't lose it!"_ he threw it to Axel, who caught it.

Real-Axel immediately brightened at that. Petra gave a small, relieved smile.

 _"Hey, don't worry about me. I got this. You just keep them distracted."_ With that, Axel ran off, Reuben following him with one last look at Jesse.

 _"At the top!"_ a griefer shouted, and Jesse began running. _"Yeah!"_ another griefer shouted, _"That's were I saw 'em."_

Jesse jumped through a small archway and came to a sudden stop on a roof, a large group of abandoned eggs having caught his eye.

"All right!" exclaimed Olivia, "Show 'em what you're made of, Jesse!"

 _"Love a good table-turning,"_ grinned Jesse, _"Excellent."_ He grabbed the eggs as two griefers, Green Pigtails and Fishing Rod Guy, appeared from where he'd just jumped through.

 _"Oh, no you don't!"_ yelled Green Pigtails, _"Get back here!"_ Jesse ignored her, sprinting up some stairs. Halfway up, he turned around and raised an egg, the Fishing Rod Guy just a few steps away from him.

He hit him square in the chest, knocking him backwards into another guy with a green mask, and they both went soaring off the edge of the stairs.

"Bullseye!" exclaimed Axel, highfiving Jesse.

Onscreen, Jesse raised another egg and hit Green Pigtails, knocking her into a chimney, where she got stuck. Another griefer, this one in a red mask, began making his way up the stairs, but Jesse was quick to take him out with a well placed egg. Off to the side, a griefer in a white mask was stacking up blocks to get to him, but an egg to the head had him falling to the ground.

"Well done, Jesse! " congratulated Olivia, " That was amazing!"

The griefers at least held back, Jesse ran up the rest of the stairs, but far too soon for his liking they were right behind him again. As he reached the top of the stairs, Jesse came across a single block of TNT sitting next to a fire.

"Oh, now we're talking." Magnus grinned.

 _"Well, hel-lo,_ opportunity" grinned Jesse, making his way to the TNT. Picking it up, Jesse held the flashing TNT above his head, looking down at the long line of griefers running up the stairs towards him, yelling and shoving each other in an attempt to get to him first.

He threw it down, straight towards the griefers. One in a white mask looked up as it approached, and he barely had time for his eyes to widen before it exploded, sending griefers flying and destroying most of the staircase.

"Jesse: One, Griefers: Zero." said Petra.

The force of the blast sent Jesse slamming against the wall with a grunt. He slowly climbed to his feet, looking over the edge to see that there were no more griefers left to chase him.

Looking in the direction of the spire, Jesse began running towards it. The screen cut to Jesse reaching a slightly destroyed bridge, with dispensers shooting arrows at the wall one by one.

Jumping down into a hole and climbing back up on the other side, Jesse spotted Reuben and Axel standing in front of two iron doors, their backs to him.

"Well, at least you all made it in one piece." said Lukas, "After all that, everything else should be easy."

Magnus rubbed the back of his neck, " Um, well, not exactly..."

"Excuse me?" said Olivia. Magnus gestured to the screen.

Onscreen, Reuben turned around with a happy oink. Axel did the same, smiling when he saw his friend, _"Jesse, you made it!"_

 _"You don't need to sound so surprised."_ said Jesse, as he began walking towards them, _"Do you have the amulet?"_

Grinning, Axel pulled it out, _"Of course. Me and the pig, we totally rocked it!"_

"There's an arrow in your leg." Olivia pointed out. Axel absentmindedly rubbed his calf.

 _"Well, I'm glad everyone's safe."_ Jesse said, walking over to Reuben to rub his head, _"Good boy, Reuben."_ said pig gave a happy oink, while Jesse turned to the iron doors, _"Magnus, here we come!"_ The screen zoomed out, giving them a good view of the spire.

It went back down to Jesse and Axel as they tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. They looked at each other, shrugging. _"Huh,"_ said Axel, _"Maybe it's, I don't know, locked or something? That's a thing people do to important doors, right?"_

"Yes, that's what people usually do when they don't want someone to come in." said Gabriel, amused.

Jesse stepped closer to the door and banged his fist four times against it.

Lukas raised his eyebrows, "Is that going to work?"

Onscreen, he stepped back to stand next to Axel, who was rubbing the back of his head. Before anything could be said, the doors abruptly swung open, startling them. There seemed to be nothing but blackness beyond it.

"Huh," said Lukas, "It did work. Shows what I know, then."

 _"Fine."_ said Axel, _"Knocking worked. For once."_

 _"So it seems. Let's get in there."_ Jesse said, leading the way through the doors.

_"Right behind you."_

They stopped just inside the spire, peering through the dark to see if there was anything- or anyone- there. But then the trapdoors beneath them opened and they fell with startled yells.

"Wow, what?" Olivia said, taken aback, "What just happened?"

"Like I said," Magnus shrugged, "Booby-traps."

Reuben was able to grab on to the side, but he couldn't hold on and he too fell after them. The screen darkened.

"Please tell me they're not about to fall into a fiery pit of burning lava?" asked Petra. Olivia groaned at the thought.

"It's probably going to take them right to me, actually." said Magnus, "Now all they have to do is convince me to come with them and wa-la! They get out of there in one piece."

"You really need to do something about that kingdom of yours," Ellegaard said, giving him a disgusted look, "It's _terrible_ there. How many people die on a daily basis?"

"None, usually," Magnus glared at her, "The most deaths we've ever had in a month is four, unless there's some accident. My griefers may be deadly, but they know what they're doing."

"The buildings were on _fire_ , Magnus! What exactly is considered an accident in Boom Town?"

"I'm not going to answer that, Ellie."

"Can we please just continue?" asked Jesse, "I'd very much like to be assured that I'm not going to die because I went to Boom Town instead of Redstonia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Axel asked what you thought of Boom Town (or Olivia asked what you thought of Redstonia) what was your answer? Let me know in the comments!
> 
> Wow, over 7,000 words! I'm on a roll! This took me a little while to write, but I would have finished it earlier if my computer charger wasn't so knackered. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it! Please return my gift to you (this chapter) by giving me reviews! (HOLY CRAP THAT RHYMED)


	11. Death Bowl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand I'm already starting chapter eleven. Wow, I shouldn't even be surprised anymore but I am. By god, I am.

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Two: Assembly Required**

**Part Eleven: Death Bowl**

* * *

Jesse and Axel's yells filled the air once again as the screen came back on, and it showed them landing what looked rather painfully on the ground. Reuben fell last, slamming into Axel's back and pushing his face back into the dirt, before jumping to land on Jesse's back, causing the amulet to go soaring out of his pocket.

"Oh no!" shouted Petra.

The amulet hit the ground and rolled around a pool of lava, clattering to the ground just as it reached the edge. They got the their feet, and they got a better view of the room they were in. The floor was made up of sand and a black block that might be obsidian, with two lava falls. A small, two block bridge connected the land they'd fallen on to where the amulet had rolled to.

"Doesn't seem too bad." said Lukas, "I mean, that's a _lot_ of lava, but it doesn't look like there's any traps or anything."

"You think I'd just leave my traps in plain sight?" snorted Magnus. Jesse glared at him.

"You know, that's not very comforting."

Jesse began making his way across the small bridge towards the amulet, but then feet appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, stopping near a group of levers. Their owners spoke.

_"You are completely surrounded by hundreds of hidden death traps. One step closer..."_

"Ohhhh, that's not good." said Petra.

 _"And KABOOM!"_ he pulled a lever and two sand blocks right in front of Jesse popped up, revealing the TNT underneath.

Half the audience jumped

Jesse yelled, falling on to his back, half his body hanging off the bridge. He looked over the side at the lava bellow it, before hastily making his way to his feet.

The screen switched to the man, who leaned down and picked up the amulet, the green part glowing brighter at his touch. It zoomed out to reveal MAGNUS.

 _"It's Magnus!"_ exclaimed Axel, jumping from foot to foot in excitement, _"We totally got caught by Magnus!"_ Meeting Jesse's glare, his face fell, _"Er... I think we're gonna die now."_

"Yeah, that's- that's probably not a good thing." said Soren, rubbing his neck.

Olivia put her head in her hands, "Boom Town. They just _had_ to go to Boom Town."

 _"Did you really think you could sneak up on me?"_ asked Magnus, _"Ha! You're two of the worst griefers I've ever met. And a_ pig _? Really? Hardly stealthy."_ Reuben made an angry noise.

 _"We're here to ask for your help."_ said Jesse. Magnus spoke before he could explain.

_"Uh huh, uh huh, sure. So you're not a couple of griefers here to catch me unawares?"_

"Why would your subjects want to try and catch you unawares?" asked Ellegaard. Magnus shrugged her off.

 _"Because, haha, let me tell ya..."_ he pointed at Axel, _"I mean, that guy? He's got griefer written all over him."_ Magnus tossed the amulet from hand to hand. Axel, however, seemed touched.

_"Man, you don't know how much that means to me."_

"Really, Axel?" said Olivia, " _Really_?"

 _"No,"_ said Jesse hurriedly, _"No, no, he's not a griefer! He might look that way, but I promise- He's totally harmless."_

Real-Axel groaned in disappointment, causing Olivia to roll her eyes. Magnus gave an amused smirk.

Onscreen, Axel groaned in disappointment behind Jesse. Magnus nodded sarcastically.

 _"Riiiiight."_ he walked back over to the levers, _"So tell me something, 'Not Griefers.' How'd you find me? You working with someone? Or maybe you bribed another griefer."_ Jesse glanced nervously at the TNT.

"I swear, Magnus," growled Ellegaard, "If you blow up what might be our only chance at beating that Witherstorm..."

 _"Gabriel sent us on this mission."_ Jesse said.

 _"Gabriel?"_ laughed Magnus, _"You're seriously telling me you're buddy-buddy with Gabriel?"_

"Well, no, I wouldn't say that." muttered Jesse, "I only talked to him for, like, three minutes."

 _"You know how often people try and tell me that one?"_ Jesse glanced at the TNT again, then at the bubbling lava. Magnus continued, leaning slightly closer to the levers, _"This is all sounding pretty weird, dudes..."_

He flipped it, and the two TNT blocks shot different ways, blowing up as they hit the lava falls and leaving the way clear for Jesse, Axel and Reuben. Jesse took a hesitant step before full-out sprinting across the bridge, but he only got so far before Magnus pulled another switch and more TNT shot up in front of him.

 _"Who are you really?"_ asked Magnus, _"Why are you here?"_

"Are you playing Cat and Mouse with him?" asked Lukas. Magnus carefully avoided Ellegaard's deadly glare.

Magnus placed his hand on another lever, but didn't pull it. _"I want answers. Now."_

Jesse and Axel looked at each other.

 _"Just give it to me straight."_ said Magnus.

 _"The world is being destroyed."_ Jesse finally said.

Magnus looked down at the amulet, then back up at Jesse, _"You have me intrigued. Go on."_

"You recognize the amulet, don't you?" said Soren, "That's the only reason they're not dead yet."

"It's a good thing we chased after those griefers instead of just going straight to Magnus, then." Axel said. The others nodded in agreement.

He pulled another lever and the two TNT blocks shot to the side just like the first ones, blowing as they hit the lava falls. Jesse looked at him in surprise, slowly making his way across the bridge, _"There's a huge monster eating up the entire world and nothing can stop it. That's why Gabriel told us to reunite the Order. Magnus, you've gotta come with us. You might be the only chance we have!"_

"Think you've convinced him?" asked Olivia.

"Let's watch and find out." Jesse muttered.

Magnus pulled another lever and more TNT appeared in front of them, Jesse stepping back with a gasp. _"Give me one reason why, for even a second, I should come with you. I am the ruler of this place. I keep the disorder!"_

"Ah. That explains quite a bit." said Gabriel.

 _"You're supposed to be a hero, Magnus."_ Jesse said, _"And right now, the world needs a hero. You can come with us and help stop this disaster."_

Magnus stared at him for a moment, before turning away, _"All this... stuff you've told me..."_ he looked back at them, _"You expect me to just take your word for it? Two strangers with wild stories! And nothing to show for it..."_

"I hate to admit it," said Petra, "But he's got a point. If the griefers are really after him or whatever, than he has reason to be suspicious."

_"Except an amulet, that's not theirs."_

_"Are you that paranoid?"_ asked Jesse, _"Do you really not trust anyone?"_

_"That's how I've survived this long."_

"That sounds a bit... lonely." said Olivia. She briefly made eye contact with Magnus, but he was quick to return his attention to the screen.

 _"Please, just trust me. Just for a minute, okay?"_ said Jesse. Magnus was silent for a moment, before turning around with a huff.

 _"Okay, okay, you sold me. I'm in."_ Jesse and Axel grinned, but a moment later the TNT in front of them blasted to the side, and they ducked down, obviously having expected to be blown apart. Reuben was running around in circles behind them, squealing in fright.

 _"Oh,"_ said Magnus, coming back into sight, _"But we might have a little bit of a problem getting out of here..."_

"Oh, yeah," said Real-Magnus, rubbing his head, "I forgot about that."

"Wait, forgot about _what,_ exactly?" asked Jesse.

Onscreen, Magnus gave a laugh.

 _"Huh? You're Magnus."_ said Axel, _"You can just walk out of here."_

 _"Hello?"_ Magnus walked past them, _"I don't know if you've been around this place, but it's, uh,"_ he looked over his shoulder at them, _"Kinda full of griefers!"_

 _"But... that's kinda awesome. Right?"_ Axel asked.

 _"No!"_ Magnus turned around and walked back towards them, standing in front of them, _"You've heard about the whole "Challenging the King for His Crown" thing, right? It's like their thing."_

"Hold on," Petra said, twisting a bit to look at Magnus, "You're telling me that you can't leave Boom Town because your 'subjects' are trying to _kill_ you?"

"Well, not 'kill.'" said Magnus, "More like 'maim.'"

 _"So long as I'm King,"_ Magnus turned back around, _"I can't leave this tower."_

 _"I know how you feel."_ said Axel. Magnus rolled his eyes.

_"No, you don't!"_

_"You lost me."_ said Jesse, _"What exactly do you mean?"_

Magnus looked over his shoulder at him, _"Boom Town griefers have one goal in mind: to steal my crown!"_ he shouted the last part, turning to face forwards again, _"And, what can I say, I'm too good to give it up, baby."_

Ellegaard groaned, "Oh, dear diamonds, he's giving me a headache."

"I bet going to get Ellegaard wouldn't have been this complicated." said Olivia. Jesse waved her off.

"I know, I know, going to Boom Town is the worst thing we could possibly do."

_"Simply put, that's life as King of Boom Town."_

Jesse and Axel looked at each other, while Magnus put his hands on his hips and said, _"Not as fun as you'd think. I mean, hey, I do get to spit on their heads occasionally, so I guess that's something."_

 _"Just choose a new King and come with us."_ said Jesse. Magnus frowned at him.

 _"Look, I've beaten them dozens of time, and none of them are worthy. They'll see right through it."_ Hit with sudden inspiration, Magnus walked back towards them, gesturing to Jesse, _"But you... you're the new comer with the golden amulet. By now there'll probably be all sorts of rumors about how awesome you are."_

"Er... thank you?" Jesse said.

Magnus turned back around, _"If you can beat me... then I'll be able to leave!"  
_

"But then wouldn't Jesse be stuck there?" asked Lukas.

"Not if he lets one of the griefers beat him." Axel pointed out. Petra shook her head.

"But we don't have time for all of that! Just getting Magnus so far is probably taking dangerously long."

_"Can't believe I didn't think of it before."_

_"How would I ever beat you?"_ asked Jesse. Magnus turned around to face them again.

 _"Haha, I know right? But that's just it... you won't have to!"_ he walked forwards to stand closer to them, looking up at the ceiling as if he could already see it, _"Ohhhhh this is gonna be good. I'm actually excited about this! But we gotta make sure it looks legit. The Death Bowl has never seen the carnage we're about to create."_

"Um... 'Death Bowl'?" said Olivia. Jesse's face had gone white.

"Yeah, the Death Bowl!" exclaimed Magnus, "Where a griefer battles the King to take his crown! Of course, no ones beat me."

"Why's it called Death Bowl?" swallowed Lukas, "I mean, it's not like anyone's actually... _died_ right?"

Magnus wisely chose not the answer.

Onscreen, Magnus turned around and began walking to where the two humans and pig had fallen. Jesse and Axel looked at each other, Jesse with wide eyes and Axel a large grin. _"Erm,"_ said Jesse, the screen zooming in on his face, _"What's the Death Bowl?"_

The background changed from Magnus' tower to the outside, zooming out as Jesse looked around with wide eyes and Magnus walked forwards with a large grin, _"This. Is. The Death Bowl!"_ he threw his hands into the air as the screen zoomed out even more, revealing a large arena-like structure, griefers cheering from the stands.

A group of masked griefers on the top of a small tower stood up, then it changed to show more griefers running up to someplace high to get a good view of the arena.

"That... that's not good." said Lukas, "There is no way that can be good."

"Should I start fearing for my life?" Jesse asked, "I feel like I should start fearing for my life."

Magnus shrugged, "Probably." Jesse turned to him with a glare.

"That's not helping!"

A griefer in a suit and 3D glasses walked up, hands in the air as he shouted to the crowd, _"Welllllllcome, ladies and gentlegriefers, to the Death Bowl! In one corner, we have Magnus, your King of Boom Town,"_ he gestured to Magnus, the griefers cheering as he waved to them, _"Prepared to defend his title and crown."_

Magnus turned to Jesse, who had a grinning Axel standing beside him, _"So, Tiny. Welcome to the Death Bowl."_

Petra raised an eyebrow, "'Tiny'?"

 _"The Grief-Off to end all Grief-Offs."_ Magnus walked over to stand next to him, speaking quietly so no one else could hear, _"How you wanna fake this?"_ he looked up at the griefers, who were chanting something that sounded suspiciously like 'burn 'em,' _"How you wanna fool 'em? What's your, ah, grand plan?"_

"This was your idea!" exclaimed Jesse.

 _"Better lay it on me quick,"_ Magnus continued, when Jesse took a moment to think, _"Griefers aren't known for their 'patience.'"_

 _"We'll start off small,"_ whispered Jesse, _"And then I'll throw some TNT at you."_ Magnus raised his hand to wave at the crowd, _"Just let it graze you and then we'll call it a finish, all right?"_

 _"Okay."_ said Magnus, _"Something about TNT. Awesome."_

Ellegaard gave a long suffering sigh, "You know, I was really starting to like Jesse here."

Jesse gulped, Olivia gripping his forearm again.

As Magnus stepped away, 3D Glasses walked up to Jesse, _"And you?"_ he said, loudly and dramatically, _"What name do you go by?"_ Jesse look at him with wide eyes, scrambling his brain for a name. 3D Glasses said in a normal voice, _"I'm gonna need a name."_

 _"Come on, Jesse!"_ said Axel, _"I can help if you want."_

 _"They call me the Amulet Holder!"_ shouted Jesse.

Petra shrugged, "Not horrible. And you _are_ kinda the Amulet Holder, since Gabriel gave it to you."

Axel shrugged, "I would have gone with the 'Destroyer' or something."

 _"You heard the name, folks."_ said 3D Glasses, _"Give a big Death Bowl welcome to the Amulet Hoooollllder!"_ The griefers cheered. _"Then lets begin!"_

Jesse and Magnus stood in front of each other, 3D Glasses on either side of them, _"Opponents will craft their own griefing towers, which they will then use to grief each other."_

"You know," said Olivia, "You should have gotten Axel to do it. Magnus himself said he looks like a griefer."

_"The only rule is-"_

A griefer cut him off, _"That there are no rules!"_

 _"-No eye poking."_ this earned some boos from the crowd, _"Other than that, go crazy. Seriously."_

"Well," sighed Ellegaard, "At least you have one actual rule."

Onscreen, Jesse gave Magnus a small smile, but Magnus returned it with a wicked grin.

_"Amulet Holder! Pick your building material! And Magnus, you-"_

_"Nah, I'm good."_ Magnus cut him off, _"Brought my own supply."_

 _"Let the griefing begin!"_ shouted 3D Glasses, throwing his hands into the air as the crowd cheered and screamed in excitement.

Jesse and Magnus split apart, going to their own sides of the arena. Jesse came to three already open chests, glancing inside them and listing off their contents, _"Wood. Some stone. Some... hmm..."_ Reuben jumped up onto the last chest, grinning at him as if to say 'pick this one!' _"Pink wool?"_

"Oh, Jesse, please don't pick the pink wool just because Reuben likes it." said Petra.

 _"Stone it is."_ said Jesse, kneeling in front of the middle chest. Reuben oinked in disappointment.

Petra let out a small, relieved breath.

The screen sped up as Jesse build his tower. He stood at the very top, which was made of wood and had a chest and a sticky piston holding a slime block with TNT on the end. A little ways in front of him was Magnus, standing atop his on fort, which appeared to be made out of chiseled stone and a pink-red block that Jesse didn't recognize. He too had a chest and TNT-Launcher of his own.

 _"Hmm. Not bad, not bad. Guess it'll have to do."_ Then Jesse spotted a familiar figure at the bottom of Magnus' tower, jumping up and down and looking up at the green-wearing King in adoration, _"Axel, what are you doing over on his side?!"_

Real-Jesse glared at Axel, who looked at him with a sheepish grin. Petra face-palmed.

 _"Yeah,"_ said Axel sheepishly, _"Thought you might bring that up. It's just that Reuben wanted to take your corner and I didn't want to crowd him or anything I thought that I'd, um, watch from over here."_

"Sure, Axel." nodded Olivia with a straight face, " _Sure._ "

Jesse gave Axel one last glare, before looking back up to Magnus. The King's eyes narrowed, and he gave a single nod, breaking out into an excited grin, _"Take your best shot!"_

Taking out some eggs, Jesse tossed it in the air and caught it, much like they'd seen Lukas doing with that slime ball back at Endercon. He aimed at Magnus and threw the egg, but the TNT-Lover didn't even flinch, as the egg went way off and hit somewhere far behind him.

"Um," Lukas rubbed the back of his neck, "It went really far, I guess?"

The crowd booed, while Jesse rubbed the back of his head, _"And that is how you_ shouldn't _throw an egg!"_

 _"Ha!"_ laughed Magnus, turning his back to Jesse to face the crowd, putting his hands on his hips, _"You grief with me, you grief with the best!"_

"Huh," said Soren, "Who knew you were such a good actor?"

Behind him, Jesse had another egg. He threw it at Magnus, hitting him right in the head and knocking him over. A baby chick popped out, flapping its wings excitedly. Jesse grinned, as Magnus got to his feet and turned to him with a glare.

_"So, Amulet Holder. Taking an amulet isn't enough... you need to take my crown as well?"_

The audience clapped, Magnus standing to take a bow. His acting was incredibly good.

"Wait," said Axel, "Does he even _have_ a crown?"

 _"I do not discriminate in my accessory-taking."_ said Jesse, _"Your crown shall be mine."_

Magnus turned to the little chicken running around in circles, and kicked it over the edge.

"Not the chicken!" cried Lukas.

 _"You are but a student!"_ Magnus declared, walking over to his launcher, _"Prepare yourself! For I am here to give you your final lesson!"_

"O-Okay." said Olivia hesitantly, "He's not going to, um, fire that, is he?"

"I'm sure it's apart of the plan or something." shrugged Jesse.

Magnus pulled the switch and the TNT went flying, Jesse ducking. But it was unnecessary, for the TNT missed his tower entirely, instead hitting 3D Glasses and sending him flying to the other side of the arena.

"See?" Jesse said.

Onscreen, Magnus cleared his throat as the crowd booed, _"Er, that was just a warning."_ It almost actually sounded weak.

 _"What?"_ shouted a griefer behind him, _"A warning that you need glasses?"_

"I've got a bad feeling about this." muttered Petra.

Jesse grinned and walked forwards, _"It seems the student has become the master, and the Amulet Holder will win the day!"_

 _"I don't know what that means,"_ another griefer shouted, _"But I love it and want to put it on a t-shirt!"_ Reuben oinked encouragingly up to Jesse from bellow.

Jesse made his way to his own launcher, aiming at Magnus, who once again had his back turned and was probably threatening the griefer that had said he needed glasses. He fired it and the TNT went flying right towards him, but Magnus turned around and placed stacked slime blocks right in front of him. The TNT bounced off it and began flying towards Jesse instead.

"Er... that was a bit _too_ real." said Soren, looking at his fellow Order member hesitantly. Magnus was glaring holes into the screen.

The TNT exploded upon contact with Jesse's tower, knocking him onto his back. The crowd of griefers went wild. Jesse climbed to his feet, looking at Magnus with confusion, _"But... what happened to getting hit by my TNT?"_ It was low enough so that the crowd couldn't hear him, but Magnus certainly could, for his eyes narrowed.

_"Nobody messes with the BOOM MASTER!"_

"Uh oh." said Lukas.

"He's going to kill him." Ellegaard shook her head, "Holy crap, he's going to kill him." She turned to Magnus with a glare, "What the hell is that? You just couldn't bring yourself to give up that crown, could you?"

"Oh, shut up, Ellie." snapped Magnus, "I probably think they're liars or something!"

"If you thought that," Gabriel cut in, "You would have immediately gone hard on him. But you didn't, not until you missed him with your TNT."

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes were wide, _"Uh oh."_

 _"Jesse?"_ called Axel, running up to his tower, _"Jesse, you okay?"_

Before Jesse could answer, Magnus yelled from his tower, _"Had enough yet? All righty. I think Noob Time... is over."_

Jesse glanced at the crowd of screaming griefers, before turning back to Magnus, _"Luck sometimes visits the most unskilled of us, but it never lingers. Skill... Mastery... These are the things that will see you defeated!"_

Petra shrugged, "Gotta keep it up if they want the griefers to think its real."

"That won't matter if Jesse's _dead_!" Olivia exclaimed.

 _"Magnus!"_ a green-haired griefer called, _"Craft a cannon!"_

"No!" said Olivia, "Don't craft a cannon!"

 _"Yeah!"_ a different griefer yelled, _"Finish him with a cannon!"_

 _"If it's a cannon you want,"_ said Magnus, _"It's a cannon you'll get!"_

Olivia groaned.

 _"Yup, he's completely lost it."_ said Axel, _"Dude's going for the kill! Jesse, you'd better craft... I don't know, the greatest thing of your life. Like, right now!"_

 _"Well, there's still some materials in the chest."_ Jesse turned to the chest, searching through it and bringing out stone blocks. He began building a sort of wall with a small hole in the middle for him to still be able to see Magnus.

"He's gonna die." muttered Magnus, "And if he dies, we all die. Great. I murder the whole world. And not even in the way I wanted to."

_"That's it, Jesse. Go!"_

_"Hey, Axel, check it out!"_ said Jesse, grinning once he was done, _"Ha! That should hold him."_

"You just jinxed yourself." sighed Petra, "Again."

 _"Yeah, it's... yeah."_ Axel called up, _"Um, yeah, it might do. But Jesse, look."_ he pointed towards Magnus' tower, and Jesse looked up, his grin immediately falling and his eyes widening. The screen cut to Magnus, standing in front of a two levers. He threw his head back and laughed, his eyes on fire, as the screen zoomed out shot an opened mouthed skull with TNT in the mouth and a double lava fall.

Real-Jesse leaned forwards and smacked his head on the coffee table. "Next time," he said, voice slightly muffled, "We're going to Redstonia."

Onscreen, Jesse groaned, _"You were supposed to throw the fight."_

Still laughing, Magnus pulled a lever and a block of TNT shot out of his skulls mouth, flashing in midair as it soared towards Jesse's pathetic little fort. He hit the ground, and the TNT immediately destroyed his stone wall. More TNT came flying towards him rapidly.

"Ohhh no, oh no, oh no." Olivia chanted, covering her eyes only to peek through her fingers to see what was happening.

Jesse dodged to the left, the blast destroying some of his tower. _"Jesse, look out!"_ shouted Axel from bellow, and Jesse had just barely gotten to his feet before even more blocks came soaring right for him, and he ducked, the TNT just barely missing him and blowing up his chest and TNT launcher. More and more TNT came flying, destroying his tower bit by bit.

The screen went up to Magnus, who was flipping switches with pause, his pupils replaced by fire. Bellow him, Reuben looked up with an angry oink, before turning away and running off.

"Where's the pig off to?" Gill asked. Aiden shrugged.

"Explosions are going off everywhere. Isn't it obvious it's running away?"

Real-Reuben gave an annoyed oink.

Axel is seen looking about, trying to find something that might help Jesse. Spotting the three chests Jesse had gotten the supplies to build his tower from, he opened one and began searching through it, as Magnus continued firing his TNT.

Now Jesse's tower was just a few cobblestone and wooden blocks, floating in the air. Jesse pushed himself up, as Magnus shouted from his skull, _"You're going up against the King of the Griefers and you pick stone? Ha!"_ It showed Reuben rounding a corner and coming up behind Magnus.

"Reuben! Way to go!" cheered Olivia. Reuben squealed joyfully in Jesse's lap, who squeezed him in a hug.

Reuben backed Magnus away from the levers, squealing and kicking his legs. _"Get off!"_ shouted Magnus, the fire in his eyes dying, _"No pigs allowed!"_

"I thought the only rule was no eye poking?" Lukas grinned. Petra leaned over the others to give him a high-five.

 _"Stuff!"_ Axel shouted up to Jesse, still going through the chest, _"I've got cool stuff!"_ he grabbed an arrow and began sprinting towards Jesse's remains of a tower, _"Coming your way!"_

"Thanks, Axel!" said Jesse, giving the larger boy a smile, which he returned.

 _"I got you an arrow for your bow."_ said Axel, tossing the arrow up to Jesse, _"It's enchanted or something."_

 _"A bow?"_ Jesse said, _"In a cannon fight? Axel! There are all sorts of cliched lines about this!"_

"Ehhh, he's got a point." Petra rubbed her head.

 _"Yeah, but the TNT."_ Axel pointed to Magnus' skull or more specifically, the mouth, _"Inside the cannon!"_ Sure enough, a large stack of TNT could be seen between the two lava falls, enough to blow it all sky-high if activated.

"Axel, you're a genius!" exclaimed Olivia.

 _"TNT plus an arrow..."_ Jesse held up his arrow and bow. Axel put his hands on his hips, grinning.

_"Oh, yeah."_

"Wow." said Magnus, "You seriously are griefer material, aren't you, uh... Alex?"

"Axel."

"Whatever."

 _"Time to see how well you fly, pig!"_ said Magnus, grabbing Reuben and sitting him in front of his TNT launcher.

 _"Reuben!"_ shouted Jesse.

"Well, Magnus is diffidently gonna get it now." said Lukas.

The fire returning to his eyes, Magnus pulled the lever, _"BOOM!"_

Reuben went soaring through the air, squealing in fright. It switched to show Axel running along, looking up at the flying pig. _"I gotcha, I gotcha!"_ He jumped up and caught Reuben before he could crash into the ground, before setting him down on his feet, _"Man, you smell delicious right now."_

Now that Reuben wasn't about to become flat bacon, Jesse turned back to Magnus with a deadly look in his eye, _"Hey, Magnus!"_

_"Yeah, short stuff?"_

Jesse jumped onto the highest point of his towers remains, which happened to be about three wooden blocks. He stood, drawing his arrow back, _"Flying pig jokes are totally played out."_

"See? Look at that." Lukas shook his head, "You harm one of Jesse's loved ones and he just gets _super_ intense. It's... kind of sweet actually."

"Unless your on the receiving end of it." said Olivia. Lukas nodded.

"Yeah, unless that."

At the sight of the bow and single arrow, Magnus began laughing again, flipping switches back and forth. Jesse's eyes narrowed as he took aim, explosions starting to go off as the TNT hit their target at random. He jumped, just as some TNT hit his small island of floating wood, and fired.

The screen followed the spinning arrow, as it went straight into the mouth of the skull and embedded itself into the TNT dead-center. The fire left Magnus' eyes, _"Oh, crap!"_

It exploded, and Magnus fell off his tower with a yell. Reuben grinned, the griefers gasped, Axel had his mouth wide open, and Magnus slammed right on to the floor.

The watchers winced.

Jesse screamed as he too fell, only to grab onto a single bit of cobblestone block, floating all by itself. Holding on by one hand, he looked down at the fallen Magnus with a grin.

Glaring up at him, Magnus got to his feet, brushing himself off. The crowd was silent, as 3D Glasses emerged from the a hole in the ground, looking from left to right with a disbelieving grin. _"We have a winner! The Amulet Hoooolllllder!"_

Snapping out of their shock, everyone but Magnus, Aiden, Ivor and- at Aiden's glare- Maya and Gill began applauding.

Still dangling from his single little block, Jesse grinned and waved at the crowd of cheering griefers. He climbed up onto the cobblestone, standing up and putting his hands into the air, before jumping down as Axel and Reuben ran towards him.

Axel put his hands in the air, as 3D Glasses turned to Jesse, _"You gonna say something there, champ? It's just the winner sometimes, I don't know, gives a speech... ?"_

After thinking for a moment, Jesse turned to the crowd, lifting his hands above his head again, _"Whoooooo likes explosions?!"_ The griefers cheered even louder, _"That's right! Yeah, you do! And that's why I'm standing up here today."_

Above him, a griefer in a blue mask walked forwards, three other griefers around him. One held TNT above his head. _"Welp, you guys ready, then?"_

Petra's face fell. "Uh oh."

"Oh, no. How could we forget about _that_?" asked Olivia.

Somewhere else, more griefers held up their own TNT. _"Yeah, this will be a way easier target than Magnus!"_

 _"Wait,"_ said Axel, _"What's going on?"_

Jesse looked around at the grinning griefers, _"Oh, well, that's not good."_ But before any griefers could start throwing their eggs and TNT, everything began to shake.

 _"Holy CRAP."_ said Magnus, looking up at something in the sky with wide eyes, _"Is that your Witherstorm?!"_

Sure enough, a little in the distance, was the Witherstorm in all its three headed, purple-eyed glory.

"It's at Boom Town." gaped Jesse, "How- How did it get from home to Boom Town so fast?"

"This is bad." said Lukas, "Oh, this is very, very bad."

"That things going to eat my kingdom!" exclaimed Magnus.

 _"How are we... what are we... GAGH!"_ Magnus yelled. He watched as the tractor beam came over one of his griefers, lifting him into the air.

 _"Oh no."_ said Jesse, looking around as another griefer was lifted into the air, _"Oh no."_

 _"No!"_ exclaimed Magnus, as another group of griefers were taken by the tractor beam, _"No no no no no NO NO no NO!"_ He looked around at the screaming griefers, one that was trying to run away getting caught in the purple light and lifted towards the Witherstorm. The screen circled around Magnus, as an explosion was set off, the griefers and blocks getting sucked up.

 _"STOP EATING MY KINGDOM!"_ Magnus screamed.

 _"Magnus, come on!"_ said Jesse, appearing beside him and pushing him to get him running.

Magnus stopped after only a few paces, turning around to face the Witherstorm again, _"YOU'LL REGRET MESSING WITH BOOM TOWN!"_

 _"Go!"_ yelled Jesse, and they both began running again.

It was even more chaos than before; screams erupted from every corner, explosions were going off even more than usual, the Witherstorm hovering above it all as its tractor beams lifted terrified greifers into the air to do who knows what to them. The screen blacked out.

"Oh, god." breathed Ellegaard, "That thing... it appeared so suddenly..."

"B-But Boom Town," said Magnus, looking at the blank screen in dismay, "Is it all gone?"

"I'm sorry, Magnus." Jesse said. The King shook his head.

"Well, kid... at least you know I'll actually be helping you now." His eyes were hard and his brow set. The Witherstorm would indeed regret messing with King Magnus the Rouge's Boom Town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What name did you choose (if you didn't go to Boom Town, which name would you choose)? The Amulet Holder, The Destroyer or the Ocelot Slayer? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Okay, wow, that was fun to write. No one messes with Jesse's friends! Next time, I do believe Ellegaard and you-know-who (no, not Voldemort) will be showing up! And we've reached 46 reviews? Yupee! Lets see if we can make it to 100!
> 
> Thanks to GirlOfMyOwnWorld for pointing out its Ocelot Slayer and not Ocelot Killer.


	12. Green versus Red

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Two: Assembly Required**

**Part Twelve: Green versus Red**

* * *

The portal, dirt hut and the ruins of the Orders temple appear on screen, Jesse, Magnus, Axel and Reuben climbing the vines to the temple. The sun appeared to be just coming up, and a creeper sat on the hills nearby.

 _"Okay,_ " said Jesse, as he and Reuben reached the top, turning around to look back at Axel and Magnus, _"Just a little farther!"_ Magnus reached the top first.

 _"Wow,"_ he said, walking to the edge and looking at the entryway to the temple. It was covered in redstone blocks, the gaping hole that had been there before closed off and replaced by an iron door, _"Someone went bonkers with the defenses, huh?"_

"Wow, Olivia," chuckled Lukas, "You're really good with redstone."

Olivia grinned, "Thank you."

They all jumped down, jogging towards the entrance. But then a flashing creeper appeared right next to Jesse, who yelled in surprise, only for an multiple arrows to hit it, killing it before it could explode. _"Who goes there?"_ someone yelled dramatically.

They turned to see Lukas, standing on a little platform above the door with a bow. Upon realizing who it was, Lukas' eyes widened, _"Jesse? Is that you?"_

 _"Lukas!"_ exclaimed Jesse, _"Hey, we're back!"_

Lukas waved at them, _"I'm so glad you're back!"_

Aiden crossed his arms, his scowl- which had been forgotten during the madness in Boom Town- returning at the sight of Lukas' enthusiasm at the Order of the Losers return.

Onscreen, Axel waved back at him.

 _"And we brought Magnus!"_ said Jesse. Lukas' grin widened.

 _"Fantastic!"_ It cut to Lukas opening the iron door, as the others made their way towards him, _"You guys are never going to believe who showed up while you were gone."_ As Jesse entered the building, he spotted Petra leaning against the wall.

"PETRA!" Jesse, Lukas, Axel and Olivia shouted.

"You're alive!" exclaimed Lukas, grinning ear to ear. Axel turned around and pulled Petra into a hug, the other three- plus Reuben- quickly joining. Petra laughed.

"See? I told you I'd be fine!"

Petra smiled and pushed herself off the wall, Jesse's face breaking out into a large smile.

_"Petra!"_

_"Hey, guys."_ said Petra, _"How's it going?"_ Reuben gave an excited oink, starting to run circles around Petra, who grinned down at him. She knelt down as he stopped in front of her, rubbing his head.

 _"Petra!"_ exclaimed Axel, running up to her as she got back to her feet, _"You made it!"_ He pulled her into a hug, which she returned with a smile.

 _"It's good to see you too, big guy."_ Jesse and Lukas are shown with wide smiles, before Axel finally let the redhead go. Petra turned to Jesse, _"It's good to see you too, Jesse."_ They hugged, Petra continuing once they'd pulled apart.

_"Back there in Gabriel's bunker... it got pretty dicey."_

_"It's such a relief to see you."_ said Jesse, _"I'm glad you're okay."_

_"You pulled me out of that Witherstorm's clutches and I ran and ran and ran for the temple... If you hadn't saved me... well, I owe you everything, Jesse."_

"What about Gabriel?" asked Ellegaard, as though Onscreen-Petra could hear her.

_"I'm just glad I heard Gabriel telling you where to go."_

_"Did anyone else get away?"_ asked Jesse, _"Where there any other survivors?"_

_"It's all a blur... But the Witherstorm left almost nothing behind. Everything... everyone... was just gone."_

"Our home..." said Olivia, tears glistening in her eyes, "Gabriel, that women we thought was Ivor, the butcher, the other Ocelots... they're just... gone?"

Maya hid her face in Gill's shoulder, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Gill wrapped an arm around her, expression grim. Aiden was staring at his lap.

"We're really the only survivors." Lukas said, seeming unable to take his eyes off the screen. He shook his head slowly, "Out of all those people at Endercon... only six make it out? And- And one of them's a pig."

Reuben whined sadly, and Jesse tightened his hold on him, burying his face into the pigs neck to hide his own tears. Since they were already halfway through the Building Competition when they were brought here, and if what Lukas said was true, he'd never see his and Olivia's little treehouse ever again.

Onscreen, Petra turned around and led them deeper into the temple. She glanced back at them sadly, _"It even got Gabriel."_ Jesse looked over at Magnus, who's eyes were wide in shock and his mouth hanging open. He closed it, looking at the ground without saying a word, following the others into the temple.

"Oh, my old friend." sighed Soren, upset. Magnus and Ellegaard glanced at each other, but didn't say anything. Gabriel's face was grim, staring at his hands. He took a deep, steadying breath, and returned his attention to the screen.

It changed to show Petra leading the others up the stairs to where the map was. _"Wow,"_ said Magnus, reaching the top of the stairs to stand next to Jesse, _"Been a while since I've been here. Whoa."_ He turned around, eyes widening, _"What. Is. She. Doing here?"_ he asked, pointing as something off screen. Jesse turned around as well, his own eyes widening in surprise.

By the remains of a crumbling, stood a chatting Olivia and ELLEGAARD.

Soren's eyes widened, "Uh oh. They're gonna kill each other."

"What's Ellegaard doing there?" asked Axel, "We agreed to go after Magnus!"

"Maybe she heard about the Witherstorm and showed up at the temple looking for something." Lukas shrugged, "Or maybe she found Petra and brought her to the temple? Or Olivia went after her?"

"I'm kinda leaning towards the 'Olivia going after her' one." said Jesse, "Heck, Axel would have probably done the same if we'd gone after Ellegaard."

 _"Call this a hunch,"_ said Petra, _"But do you two not like each other?"_

"More like _despise_ each other." said Soren. Magnus and Ellegaard gave identical shrugs.

 _"Right,"_ Lukas said, turning to a wide-eyed Jesse, _"Um, I forgot to mention... Olivia went on a little... expedition of her own, while you were gone."_

"Called it!" exclaimed Real-Lukas.

Magnus frowned, "And _this "Olivia" person,"_

"Did he have to say my name like that?" muttered Olivia.

 _"Came back with her?"_ he looked over at Ellegaard and Olivia, who hadn't seemed to realize anyone else was there yet. He looked at Jesse suspiciously, _"Did you know about this? Did Ellegaard put you up to this?"_

"Oh, please," Ellegaard rolled her eyes, "If there was a Witherstorm on the lose, the _last_ thing I would do would try and meet up with you."

"Well, Gabriel _did_ tell Jesse to reunite the Order of the Stone," said Lukas, "Since there's only you two left, I'd say he's done." Magnus and Ellegaard glared at him, and he faltered, "Um... well..." he sighed, turning back to the screen, "They just _had_ to hate each other."

_"You think you know a guy and then... bam!"  
_

Jesse rubbed the back of his head, _"And this... is a problem?"_

Magnus gave a sarcastic laugh, _"You bet your butt it's a problem. No way am I working with her. Not after... ugh..."_

Real-Petra frowned, "Not after what?"

 _"Jesse!"_ Olivia called, having finally spotted them, _"Jesse! Look- I found Ellegaard!"_

Sighing, Jesse turned back to Magnus, _"Just hang on a sec, okay? I'll go figure out what's going on."_

 _"Good."_ said Magnus, glaring as Jesse walked away, _"You do that."_

"Guys, I go to _Redstonia!_ " Olivia exclaimed, "And I get to meet _Ellegaard!_ How awesome is that?!"

"Tell you what, Olivia," said Ellegaard, "Since Magnus is taking Xander-"

" _Axel._ "

"-to Boom Town, why don't I take you to Redstonia some time?"

Olivia gave a little squeal, "Yes! That would be a dream come true!"

 _"Easy now, Olivia,"_ Ellegaard was saying, _"Let's try and play it cool, hm?"_ She turned to Jesse, her expression turning hard, _"So who are you, now? And why did you bring_ him _with you?"_

 _"We're reuniting the Order of the Stone."_ said Jesse. Olivia stepped forward.

_"It was kind of crazy, actually. I went to Redstonia and there were all these incredible engineers and inventors. It was a little intimidating, actually... But Ellegaard's made me her protege!"_

"Way to go, Olivia!" said Petra. Olivia's grin looked to be in danger of splitting her face.

 _"Well,"_ Ellegaard cut in, _"Assistant, for now. I mean, after what happened..."_

"Don't be so hard on the girl, Ellegaard." said Soren, "It's obvious she idolizes you."

 _"I know."_ Olivia sighed, _"I'm sorry. So sorry.:_

 _"'Redstonia'?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"It's like a town devoted to nothing but engineering and invention."_ explained Olivia, _"It's amazing. And I was pretty out of my league."_

 _"She might have, well,"_ Ellegaard shrugged, _"Embarrassed herself a tiny bit."_

Olivia's face fell.

 _"Yeah."_ said Olivia, flustered, _"But after I pled my case she agreed to take me on as her assistant and come back to help."_ she grinned, _"Not bad, right?"_

Before Jesse could answer, Magnus came up to them, having apparently lost his patience, _"Oh hooo-ray. It's Ellie. And here I was just starting to enjoy myself."_

 _"Hello, Magnus,"_ said Ellegaard, glaring at him, _"Your voice is exactly as pleasant as I remember. Which is to say, not at all."_

"Burn!" exclaimed Gill.

 _"Ow. My feelings."_ Magnus put his hands on his hips, _"Is that the same wit you're going to use to save the world?"_

"All right, Double-Burn!" Axel shouted.

Soren frantically shook his head, "Don't encourage them!"

 _"Why?"_ asked Ellegaard, _"You here to tell me how to do it better?"_ Jesse looked over at Olivia, who shrugged.

 _"Oh, I would never dream of doing of that."_ said Magnus, _"Unlike you, I actually do things instead of just talking about them."_

 _"Hey!"_ Olivia cut in, _"That's Ellegaard you're talking to! Show her some respect!"_

Real-Ellegaard gave Magnus a smug grin, which he childishly stuck his tongue at.

 _"Wow."_ Magnus said, _"You've finally found yourself a live one."_

 _"Hey!"_ said Olivia. Magnus continued.

_"Your little devotes are usually a little more on the bookish side."_

"What's wrong with books?" asked Lukas, "I like books."

Magnus sighed, "Of course you do."

 _"Would you all cut it out?!"_ snapped Jesse, _"Holy crap, you're all acting like crazy people!"  
_

"That's how they usually are, Jesse." sighed Gabriel, shaking his head, "You learn to keep them as far away from each other as possible."

Magnus and Ellegaard turned away, making their way back towards the stairs.

 _"Uh, people?"_ Jesse said, _"Can we please focus on the bigger picture? We have a very hungry Witherstorm in the process of turning the whole world into its dinner."_

 _"Yeah, I'll admit,"_ said Magnus, still making his way to the stairs with Ellegaard, _"That thing looked real nasty. And I've seen some nasty stuff in my time."_ He made his way down some steps, so that they were just a little ways away from the levers that activated the map.

 _"Too much for you, was it?"_ Ellegaard asked, following him.

Half the audience groaned.

_"Your usual brutish approach didn't cut it?"_

_"Hey! You weren't there, all right? You didn't see how this thing just tore everything up."_

Jesse had finally had enough, _"Would you two_ stop fighting _?!"_

"Wow." said Axel, taken aback, "You've seriously ticked Jesse off."

"The entire world is slowly being eaten and there they are acting like children!" Jesse said, "We already wasted enough time fending of griefers and narrowly avoiding getting blown to bits by Magnus, we don't have time for petty arguments!"

Magnus and Ellegaard glanced at the floor guiltily.

 _"Whoa!"_ exclaimed Magnus, taken aback. Ellegaard blinked.

_"Yikes."_

_"Jesse's right."_ Petra spoke up from where she stood next to Lukas, _"We need to find some way to stop that thing."_

 _"I don't know if you've looked around yet,"_ said Ellegaard, _"But this place isn't nearly the stronghold it used to be. Most of our supplies are gone."_

 _"It would take a_ mountain _of TNT to kill that thing!"_ Magnus said.

 _"I hate to say it,"_ Ellegaard sighed, _"But you have a point."_

 _"This is amazing."_ muttered Axel, who was standing behind the two heroes with Olivia, who whispered back to him, _"I know."_

 _"Are they... getting along?"_ asked Lukas, although no one was sure if he was talking about Axel and Olivia or Magnus and Ellegaard. Maybe both.

 _"Can we start crafting some then?"_ Jesse asked. Magnus shook his head.

_"I don't think we have that kinda time. But even if we had all the TNT from miles around, I don't know if it would be enough..."_

_"If only Soren were here."_ sighed Ellegaard, _"He might have something we could use."_

Soren blinked, "I do?"

Lukas groaned, "Oh, great. Now we're going to go after the _missing_ Order member, aren't we? Fantastic."

"Well, Magnus and I know where his fortress is." said Ellegaard, "Even if we can't find Soren, I'm sure he wouldn't mind us borrowing some of his stuff."

"Usually, I'd say no," said Soren, "But considering the circumstances, feel free. But that place is, uh... lets just hope you stay above ground, okay?"

"Why?" asked Petra, "What's bellow it?"

 _"Oh, Ellie."_ groaned Magnus, _"Not this again. You know I hate when you brag about you and Soren's little brainy club."_

"At least we _have_ brains." said Real-Ellegaard. Magnus scowled at her.

 _"I'm not bragging!"_ snapped Ellegaard, _"I think I've got a legitimate idea here!"_

 _"What are you talking about?"_ asked Jesse, _"What did Soren have?"_

 _"Soren had a kind of 'Super TNT,'"_ Ellegaard explained, _"Stronger and more explosive than anything else in the world. The 'Formidi-Bomb'"_

"The Formidi-Bomb?" said Soren, "Huh. That might actually work!"

"That sounds amazing." Axel gaped, "Can I have some?!"

"Um... no."

 _"Yeah, yeah, yeah."_ said Magnus, _"I've heard all about the 'F-Bomb' before."_ Axel raised an eyebrow at him.

_"'F-Bomb'?"_

_"Yeah. Soren claimed that dropping the F-Bomb could destroy anything."_

Soren sighed, "For the last time, Magnus, t _hat is not it's name!_ "

_"But I've never seen it before."_

_"It's real."_ said Ellegaard, _"I swear."_

_"Uh huh."_

_"Well, the Formidi-Bomb sounds perfect!"_ exclaimed Jesse, cutting off any further arguments, _"We should go get it! Now!"_

Ellegaard rubbed the back of her neck, _"Well, there's a little problem there... we don't know where Soren is."_ Jesse's face fell, _"But you found us. Do you know where he is?"_

Jesse's eye went up to the large map on the other side of the room, and he walked up towards it, the others silently following him. Ellegaard nodded.

_"Our map could locate him."_

"But only two lights appeared before." said Olivia, "How do we know he'll show up next time?"

 _"Unless he's in the Nether."_ Ellegaard continued, confirming Lukas' theory, _"Or the End. But it's worth a shot."_

 _"He wasn't on the map."_ said Jesse, still looking up at it. Ellegaard nodded and began studying the map, Petra sitting on the steps in front of it with Reuben. Axel and Magnus were talking a little ways away, Olivia was off to the side and Lukas was standing next to the amulets stand.

 _"How you holding up, Lukas?"_ he asked. Lukas took a moment to answer.

_"I'm all has all been pretty intense. I feel like if I think too much about what's going on... well, I'll just think I'm completely nuts."_

_"Thank you so much for all the help."_ said Jesse, sincerely, _"I-I know we haven't always gotten along the best in the past, but you've been so great."_

Real-Lukas smiled at Jesse, who returned it. Aiden glared at them both.

 _"Wow..."_ Lukas said, giving him a smile, _"That means a lot, Jesse. Thank you."_

Looking over at Ellegaard, Jesse walked up to her, _"Hello, Ellegaard."_

 _"You said you know how to activate the map?"_ she asked, _"I'm very curious to see it- I've never actually seen it work before."_ As Ellegaard returned to the map, Jesse turned to Petra and Reuben.

_"How are you, Petra?"_

_"Fine."_ she said shortly.

Olivia nudged Jesse, whispering to him, "Do you think something happened while she was alone? Now that I look at her, she doesn't look all that good."

Jesse shrugged, "Maybe she's in shock? If she was running for that long, she was probably fueled by adrenaline and now that it's worn off, what's happened is finally setting in." Olivia nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Onscreen, Jesse looked at Petra in concern, _"You okay?"_

 _"We can talk about it later,"_ said Petra, _"Let's just do this map for now."_

Jesse reluctantly left, instead turning to the grinning Axel, _"Hey, Axel, how are you doing?"_

"It's nice of you to check on your team like that." said Ellegaard, "Just to make sure they're okay."

 _"I'm hanging out with Magnus!"_ Axel exclaimed, _"I am doing awesome!"_ Jesse smiled at him.

_"Glad to hear it, buddy."_

_"Hey, small fry," said_ Magnus, gesturing to the amulets stand, _"No shame in admitting that you can't turn that thing on. It's very, very sophisticated."_ Jesse glared at him, noting the sarcasm. He turned around.

 _"I'm going, I'm going. I know what I'm doing."_ he walked up to the stand and took out the amulet, placing it on top. When nothing happened, he glanced back at the map, then looked over to the switches on the table.

Jesse began walking around the stairs to get to it, stopping when he saw an obviously-sulking Olivia. _"Hey, Olivia, you okay?"_

Olivia sighed, _"I'm all right. I can't shake the feeling that I embarrassed myself back in Redstonia in front of Ellegaard. I think she kind of judges me a little bit."_

"I'm sure it wasn't _that_ bad." said Petra, "It's just one little slip. You saw how Axel was fanboying over Magnus. I'm sure Ellegaard will forget it eventually."

Olivia sighed, "I hope you're right. I wonder what I'd done to embarrass myself so much."

 _"It'll be okay."_ said Jesse. Olivia looked at the ground sadly.

_"I hope you're right."_

"Hey, you quoted your future self!" Lukas pointed out. Olivia cracked a small smile.

Jesse continued past Olivia over to the levers, pulling the first one. The redstone block immediately lit up, and the red and green lights from the amulet appeared on the map, right next to each other at the temple.

 _"All right,"_ said Magnus, standing next to Ellegaard, _"There's your light, my light..."_ Abruptly, a white light flickered on near the top of the map.

"Soren!" Gabriel, Magnus and Ellegaard exclaimed. Ivor's eyes widened in surprise.

 _"That's new."_ said Axel.

 _"There he is."_ Ellegaard said, as Jesse joined them. _"Soren had his fortress deep inside the mountains. After the Order... broke up, that's where he went to keep doing his experiments."_

 _"Look,"_ said Magnus, _"He invited me there a couple times but it always seemed a little..."_

 _"Weird, right?"_ finished Ellegaard, _"It always seemed a little weird."_

Soren raised his eyebrows at the two, who were very carefully avoiding his gaze.

 _"Glad we can agree on that at any rate."_ Magnus said.

_"I mean, I never actually went there with him."_

_"That's probably the only time you made the right call."_

Jesse walked up towards them, _"Then let's stop hanging around and go get us some super TNT!"_ Another light flickered on, this one dark blue. It was the middle gem on the amulet.

"Wait... Ivor?" gasped Gabriel.

"That's Ivor?" Petra said, "He must have just gotten out of the Nether!"

Onscreen, Jesse, Magnus and Ellegaard's eyes widened.

 _"Whoa..."_ said Ellegaard. The screen gave them a good view of the lights, showing how far away Soren was and that Ivor was already halfway there. Olivia frowned.

_"It didn't do that before."_

_"Are you sure it's working?"_ asked Lukas.

 _"Who is that?"_ Jesse asked. His eyes widened, _"Oh no... that's Ivor!"  
_

The blue light was steadily making its way towards the white one. _"Ivor is going to Soren's!"_ exclaimed Ellegaard, _"We need to move."_

 _"We're not too far."_ said Jesse, _"We could probably make it on foot."_

 _"Perfect."_ said Ellegaard, putting her hands on her hips, _"We can wait til morning and travel with a full day's sunlight."_

 _"Uhhh and risk that thing catching up with us?"_ Magnus protested, _"I think I've had enough Witherstorm for one day, thank you very much."_

 _"Right. Because getting caught out there in the dark is so much better."_ Ellegaard said sarcastically.

"They've both got good points." said Lukas, "If we leave now, we'll have to face monsters. If we rest first and go out during the day, there's a high chance that thing'll catch up."

 _"Trust me."_ said Magnus, _"If you had seen this thing, you wouldn't want to stick around."_

 _"Yeah, I don't want the Witherstorm catching up to us."_ Jesse agreed, _"We should go now."_

 _"Jesse here's talking a lot of sense."_ said Magnus, grinning, _"Let's just go with that plan."_ Ellegaard glared at him.

 _"You're just saying that because it's_ your _plan. But fine."_

With that said, they all went their separate ways to gather whatever they can, the screen going up to show the four lights on the map before going black.

"To be honest," said Petra, "I think it's best that we left immediately. Monsters we can fight. The Witherstorm, on the other hand... we can only run and pray."

"Yeah," Jesse sighed, "Let's just hope no one gets hurt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you choose to spend the night or leave immediately? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Okay, next time will be the trip to Soren's Fortress and probably the first part of them in it. We might make it to the confrontation with Ivor, but it's not likely.


	13. Soren's Fortress

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Two: Assembly Required**

**Part Thirteen: Soren's Fortress**

* * *

It was dark, as the screen came down to show the group of eight making their way through the woods. They kept close together for obvious reasons.

 _"Okay, everyone, let's get moving."_ said Jesse, who was in front of the group. They walked in silence for a few moments.

 _"Jesse, right?"_ Ellegaard spoke up suddenly. Jesse looked at her in surprise.

_"Oh. Hello."_

_"We haven't had the chance to acquaint ourselves properly."_ said Ellegaard, _"I heard you saved your friend Petra from this Witherstorm. Sounds like you're a pretty impressive individual."_

"Oh." said Real-Jesse, "Thank you."

_"Picks fights with lots of monsters?"_

_"I'm just doing my best to keep everyone safe."_ said Jesse.

 _"I can always appreciate humility. I like you."_ said Ellegaard, _"Innn any case, I sort of wish you had taken my side earlier, but... water under the bridge and all that."_

"I probably would have said we should leave immediately if I'd seen the Witherstorm for myself." Ellegaard admitted. Magnus crossed his arms.

"See? I told you!"

"Don't be so full of yourself."

They were now in a kind of formation: Reuben took the lead now, followed by Jesse with Magnus on one side and Ellegaard on the other. Petra was just behind them, Lukas in front of Olivia, who took up the rear with Axel.

 _"Slight tangent,"_ said Ellegaard, _"What's the, ah, 'deal' with your friend Olivia?"_ she glanced over her shoulder at the assistant, who was smiling, unable to hear what was going on at the front, _"I appreciate her enthusiasm, but she can be a little... much, sometimes?"_

Olivia's shoulders slumped. Lukas patted her back.

_"She's always very eager to jump in and help. Which is sweet, of course, though sometimes I wish she would think a bit more before jumping in."_

_"Olivia's one of my best friends."_ said Jesse, looking slightly annoyed, _"She's smart and she always has a plan."_

Olivia smiled at him, "Thanks, Jesse."

"Ellegaard may be the greatest engineer of all time," said Jesse, "But I don't care if she's the Queen of the World; no one gets to talk about you- or any of my friends- like that. If she's got a problem, she can discuss it with you herself."

Ellegaard rubbed the back of her neck, "I suppose he's got a point. I'm sorry about talking about you like that, behind your back no less."

Olivia looked at the Onscreen-Ellegaard sadly, before glancing back at the real one, "It's okay. I think I was eager to prove myself to you and tripped over my feet while doing it."

 _"Oh, wow, interesting."_ said Ellegaard, _"So... why didn't you listen to her plan to come and recruit_ me _?"_

"Aw," said Magnus, giving the engineer a cheesy grin, "Are you jwealous?"

"No," Ellegaard pushed him out of her face, "I am not _jealous_." Magnus cackled.

"Sure ya aren't, Ellie. Sure ya aren't."

 _"Not to make it awkward or anything. Or to demand 'why didn't you want to recruit me?'"_ Ellegaard gave a small laugh.

Jesse shrugged, _"I figured that we needed firepower, and no one knows destruction better than Magnus."_

 _"The man_ does _know how to blow things up with reckless abandon, that's for sure."_ said Ellegaard, _"I'll do my best not to let it hurt my feelings."_ she chuckled, _"Joke. That was a joke."_

"A very bad one." Magnus declared. Ellegaard rolled her eyes.

A noise cut through the air and Lukas stopped, turning around to see what it was. His eyes widened and the noises continued, everyone else turning around to see what it was. Monsters were coming out. _Thousands_ of them as well.

"Uh oh." said Ellegaard, "This is why we should've stayed the night."

"You _just_ agreed that it was better to leave immediately." pointed out Petra, "You can't go back on it now."

Zombies groaned as they limped by, skeletons searching for something to use their bows on, creepers silently slinking about, eager to find something to blow up.

 _"Yep."_ said Ellegaard, _"Exactly what I worried about. And exactly why we should have waited til morning!"_

 _"At least the Witherstorm isn't tearing us apart right now, all right?"_ shrugged Magnus.

Jesse looked over his shoulder as a spider came down from a tree, losing its web and landing on the ground. Its eight red eyes glowed in the dark, bum in the air as it sensed humans nearby. Jesse turned away from the hoard of monsters that they'd been looking at.

 _"Well, we can hash all that out later, because we've got some monsters to fight here, people!"_ Magnus, Ellegaard and Reuben turned to face the direction Jesse was facing, Lukas, Olivia, Petra and Axel facing the other direction so that they were back to back.

Lukas drew his bow, Petra drew her sword and Jesse took out his own sword. It appeared that they were the only ones with weapons.

"We should have made more weapons before we left." said Ellegaard, "I mean, a wooden sword each is a lot better than nothing."

They ran off into the fight.

Jesse looked left and right at all the monsters, before advancing on a zombie that was heading towards him. In the background, you could see Petra and Lukas holding their own. But as Jesse approached the zombie, one suddenly became three as two more showed up. He quickly backed away to avoid getting hit, slashing as them with his sword. An explosion went off, revealing that while Magnus didn't have a sword, he sure had a lot of bombs.

One more hit killed the first zombie, and another hit had the second vanishing into a smoke. Jesse grinned, knocking the third zombie down and stabbing it.

"Yeah, that's the way to do it!" cheered Axel.

 _"It's gonna be light soon!"_ he called to the others, _"We're gonna be okay!"_ The others appeared behind him, perhaps hurt but alive, and they began running.

 _"Man, I miss daytime."_ said Olivia.

 _"How far is Soren's?"_ Axel asked.

 _"It has to be close, right?"_ questioned Petra.

 _"Not much farther!"_ answered Jesse, _"We can make it!"_ They continued running, right in the direction of a tall mountain in the distance.

"That's gotta be it, right?" asked Lukas.

The screen cut to show them climbing up the mountain, to where Reuben stood at the top in front of two large, shiny double doors. It blacked out.

"Yup, that's it!" Lukas exclaimed, "We made it!"

"Give it here, Lukas!" said Jesse, holding his hand up for a high-five. Lukas grinned and did just that, he and Jesse quickly doing the same with the others on the floor.

The screen came back on to show the doors opening and Jesse walking in, looking around in awe. It was the strangest place he'd ever been in, stairs making up most of it for mere decoration. They were upside down and right-side up to make the room nearly diamond-shaped, and a bridge went from the door to a staircase on the other end.

"Oh, wow," said Maya, "That's impressive. Why didn't we think of that?"

 _"Soren really lived down here?"_ asked Lukas, as they made their way across the bridge, _"So far from... anyone."_

"Maybe he had a pig to keep him company." said Jesse, rubbing Reuben's head.

Soren smiled, "Well, not a pig exactly."

 _"Enchanting, isn't it?"_ said Ellegaard.

"Was that sarcasm?" asked Soren. No one answered.

Petra suddenly started coughing, causing Jesse to turn around with wide eyes, looking at her in concern. But it quickly passed and Petra straightened, following the others past Jesse, who's gaze followed her.

Olivia frowned, "That doesn't sound good. Let's hope your not coming down with something."

Petra shrugged, "It's probably just a small cold. None of us seem to be living in much comfort the past couple days. It'll pass."

They made their way up the stairs, only to come to a huge black hole, the tops of columns around it. Another golden double door stood gleaming on the other side. The abyss, however, was a long way down and wore a shawl of pitch darkness.

"Wow." said Jesse, "You- How did you- _Why?_ "

"That," Soren said, "You can blame Magnus for."

"Why do you three _always_ blame me?" asked Magnus bitterly.

"Maybe because it usually _is_ your fault." said Ellegaard. Magnus scowled at her.

 _"Yeah,"_ said Lukas, _"And I'm reeeally not feeling those columns..."_

 _"Aw, come on!"_ Magnus said, jumping and landing on the closest one, _"It's fine! Look!"_

Axel was quick to jump with a grin and a _"Whoo-hoo!"_ When he landed, the column didn't even shift.

"Well," said Petra, "I suppose if it can support Axel, it'll support the rest of us."

"I feel like I should be offended." said Axel.

After a moment, Olivia followed him, Lukas coming in after her, then Petra and Ellegaard. Magnus was already halfway across. Reuben looked up at Jesse, shaking in fear.

 _"Just... don't fall, okay?"_ said Jesse, stepping back to take a running jump. He landed on the column, quickly followed by Reuben, barely stopping from going over the edge. Jesse swallowed, _"Oh... that is a deep. That is very, very deep."_ They backed away.

Jesse turned to the next column, jumping to it, quickly doing the same to the next and the next, but as he reached the next one his foot slipped and he grabbed onto the edge with one hand, dangling over who knows how far a drop.

"Jesse!" half the audience cried.

 _"Whoa!"_ yelled Jesse, trying to pull himself up, but he didn't have a good enough grip on the rocks and he fell. Jesse landed painfully in a small patch of light, which came from a sea-lamp in the floor. Reuben landed next to him.

"What's Reuben doing there?" asked Jesse, "I didn't see him fall."

"He must have jumped after you." said Olivia, relived that Jesse and Reuben hadn't been killed by the fall. Now they just had to find a way out.

Jesse got to his feet, only to spot a tall dark figure with a purple aurora, picking up a block. It was an Enderman.

Olivia squeaked, instinctively covering her eyes.

"Oh, no." said Axel. No one could bring themselves to look at the screen properly, settling for turning their heads away but keeping their eyes on it to see what's happening. Olivia, however, didn't uncover her eyes.

Jesse and Reuben quickly hid behind some blocks, which were a light grey color. _"Oh, man."_ said Jesse, as he watched the large group of Endermen wandering about, _"We've got Endermen."_

The screen zoomed out a little, revealing that the place was _crawling_ with the teleporters. Reuben squealed in fright, as suddenly someone else fell and landed on top of the sea-lamp with a yell. Lukas climbed to his feet.

"Lukas?" said Jesse, surprised, "You fell too?"

 _"I heard your voice,"_ Lukas said, dusting himself off, _"And I thought I'd come down to help."_

"Jee, thanks, Lukas." Jesse said, "You don't have to do that."

Lukas shrugged, "Yeah, well, you didn't have to come back for me back at Ivor's basement. Or give me your cookie. Or stop me from leaving. And I could probably list off some other stuff if I thought for a moment."

Hearing the tall monsters, Lukas looked over his shoulder, eyes widening, _"Endermen."_

 _"There are so many of them."_ said Jesse, _"I didn't think they ever came in groups that big."_ He turned to Lukas, _"Thanks for coming back, Lukas. I mean that."_ Reuben's squealing pierced the air before Lukas could answer.

 _"Hear that?"_ said Jesse, _"I think Reuben's trying to get our attention."_ He looked over his shoulder in search of his pig, only to come face to face with an Enderman. It's mouth opened, it started shaking and it began to screech, as Jesse gave a startled yell and fell onto his back.

The watchers jumped, some yelling.

"Oh, they're gonna die." groaned Olivia, "They're gonna die, they're gonna die."

"Not helping, Olivia." said Jesse.

Lukas screamed, running out of sight. The Enderman continued screeching, staring right at Jesse, as the other Endermen around it too began screeching and shaking, enraged at the intruders. Jesse got to his feet and drew his sword, but he and Reuben were surrounded, and there were too many of them.

One tried to grab him, but Jesse jumped to the side, only to reach a ledge and fall over with a scream, landing into a rushing river.

"It's okay!" exclaimed Soren, "He's safe as long as he's in the water!"

Jesse resurfaced, looking up at the screeching Endermen watching him from where they stood on the dry ledge. Lukas appeared, an Enderman right behind him, and he jumped in the river after Jesse with a scream of his own. Jesse looked back up at the ledge to see Reuben, watching them with wide eyes, _"Reuben! Jump!"_

The pig immediately obeyed, jumping in with a squeal, surfacing just behind Jesse and Lukas. The river carried them along.

The screen changed to show a waterfall someplace else, and Jesse, Lukas and Reuben came falling from it with screams. They landed with a splash in a large body of water.

Jesse resurfaced, his eyes widening as he took in the room. It was huge, and just beyond the water was a statue of the amulet, an even better one than the one at the Orders old temple. To the right were two statues decorated with light blue and red, and to the left were another two statues, these ones decorated with green and white.

"Soren," said Gabriel, "That is fantastic. It's even better than the one we had at the temple!"

"I know, isn't it?" Soren said, grinning, "So very much better than that crappy glass one."

Jesse swam after Lukas and Reuben, towards the statues. Magnus could be heard by them.

_"Oh, be quiet, it's just a pointless building. That's all I'm saying. I mean, just look at-"_

_"That's it!"_ Ellegaard exclaimed, cutting him off, as the three climbed up onto dry land, _"I'm going."_ She turned around, marching towards a hallway between the statue of Gabriel and herself. _  
_

_"Oh, no, no, no!"_ said Magnus, _"You do_ not _get to be the one who walks away."_ When Ellegaard didn't say anything, Magnus growled, _"That's it! I'm going."_ He turned around and went down a different hallway, this one between the statue of himself and Soren.

Gabriel gave a long-suffering sigh.

 _"See!"_ Magnus said, as the screen zoomed out to show both him and Ellegaard, leaving the others looking from right to left, _"I'm walking away too, now! 'Super TNT' here I come!"_ Then they were both gone.

Olivia shook her head, _"It's hard to pick 'glass half full' when they keep kicking the glass over."_

Lukas sighed, _"And I thought they were doing so well."_

 _"Yeah,"_ said Olivia, _"I wouldn't go that far."_

 _"They've definitely got issues to work through."_ Jesse said, _"But hopefully they'll work things out and got on with the important stuff."_

Magnus and Ellegaard decided to not comment, although Magnus scoffed.

 _"What are we gonna do now?"_ asked Olivia, as those remaining spread out, _"Where should we go?"_

Jesse looked to the hall Ellegaard went down, then to the one Magnus went down, _"Let's figure it out..."_ Bats flew about above them.

Lukas was looking around with wide eyes and a large smile. As Jesse came up to him, he turned, looking up at the statue of the amulet, high above the ground. Then he turned to the statues, the screen passing over the one decorated in white, _"Soren the builder,"_ It passed over the one in green, _"Magnus the rouge,"_ now it showed the one in red, _"Ellegaard the engineer,"_ and finally, the one in light blue, _"Gabriel the warrior..."_ Lukas finally turned to him.

 _"Jesse, isn't this incredible? I can't believe we're actually here."_ As Lukas turned back to admiring the architecture, Jesse turned to Axel.

 _"If they made a statue of me,"_ Axel said, gesturing to the statues, _"I wouldn't choose that pose. I'd look like_ this _."_ He put his arms in the air, flexing his biceps. Jesse grinned, playing along and flexing his own muscles. They stopped when they saw Olivia watching them, Jesse giving her a sheepish grin. Olivia just looked unimpressed.

Real-Olivia rolled her eyes, "Boys."

Jesse walked over to her, but Olivia spoke before he could say anything, _"Hey, Jesse?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"It's Petra."_ Olivia looked over to the other girl, who was sitting on a bit of raised floor, Reuben at her feet, _"She... I don't know, doesn't seem right. I tried asking but she... Well, maybe she'll talk to you?"_

 _"I'll see what I can do."_ said Jesse.

 _"This super TNT feels like such a long shot."_ Olivia continued now that that was out of the way.

 _"Well,"_ Jesse rubbed the back of his neck, _"We're trusting Ellegaard on this one, so maybe are chances are better, right?"_

"What's that supposed to mean?!" asked Magnus.

"It means," said Ellegaard, lips twitching in a smirk, "That your ideas are almost always dumb and death-defying."

Magnus growled at her.

Onscreen, Olivia gave a small shrug.

Jesse walked over to Petra, _"Hey, Perta."_

_"Hey."_

Jesse frowned, concerned, _"You... okay?"_

Petra shrugged and didn't say anything else. Now that they had a proper look at her, she seemed a little pale, with light bags under her eyes.

"You really don't look that good, Petra." said Olivia, "Maybe we should find some help."

"I'm sure I'll be better in no time." Petra objected, "It's just a small bug, I'm sure of it."

Having seemingly given up on finding out what was wrong with Petra (for now, at least), Jesse looked from the tunnel to the left to the tunnel to the right, brow furrowed in thought. Finally, he made his way to the one on the left, which had been the one Ellegaard had taken.

"Ha!" said Ellegaard, "They chose to follow me."

Magnus crossed his arms, grumbling with a scowl.

Before Jesse could lead them after Ellegaard, Petra came up behind him, tapping him on the shoulder.

 _"Petra?"_ asked Jesse, looking at her in a mix of confusion and concern, _"Are you okay?"_

 _"I'm sorry."_ she said, _"I don't mean to worry you."_ Petra glanced at the others, who were standing just behind he and Jesse, _"I've got something I want to discuss with you in private."_ _  
_

Lukas, Olivia and Axel frowned, looking at Jesse and Petra in confusion.

"Why can't you tell us?" asked Axel, quickly covering up his hurt. Petra looked at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry, big guy. If I'm not willing to tell the whole group, it must be something big."

"Do you think it has something to do with her not looking so good?" asked Maya.

Gill shrugged, "Dunno. I suppose we'll just have to wait and find out."

Onscreen, Jesse looked at her for a moment, before seeming to come to a decision and turning to the others, _"Let's split up."_

Albeit reluctantly, Olivia, Axel and Lukas turned around and began walking down the way Magnus went without comment or objection. Jesse, Petra and Reuben walked down the hall where Ellegaard had vanished. The screen went dark for a moment.

Axel opened his mouth to say something, but stopped and shut it, shaking his head. Petra wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. No one knew what to say, so they said nothing.

The screen came back on to show Petra leading the way down a tall, dark hallway, Reuben taking up the rear. They walked in silence, Jesse patiently waiting for Petra to start speaking. Finally, she turned to him.

_"I feel bad about ditching everyone else, but I just wanted to talk to you about this alone. It's... a little tough to talk about."_

Most of the watchers frowned, but no one commented.

_"And Axel can get a little... explode-y sometimes."_

Axel sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the top of the coffee table sadly. Jesse put a hand on his shoulder, whispering to him, "Only because you care." Giving him a small, grateful smile, Axel returned to the screen. If anyone overheard them, they said nothing.

 _"Hey, whatever it is... I trust you. You can tell me."_ said Jesse. Petra gave him a grateful smile.

 _"Thanks for being so understanding."_ They turned a corner, before Petra continued.

 _"You got me away from the Withrstorm..."_ she came to stop, Jesse doing the same a second later, _"But I'm worried I didn't get away soon enough."_

"Petra?" said Olivia, cocking her head to the side in confusion. Real-Petra paled as she finally realized what was wrong.

Jesse's eyes widened in surprise, _"What?"_

In answer, Petra pulled up her sleeve, showing that the skin on her arm had turned a purple, brightening as it got to the middle. It appeared to be some sort of nasty bruise, but no one had ever seen a bruise like this before, and if you looked closely, you'd see that her veins were purple too. Jesse looked taken aback. _"It showed up not too long after you saved me..."_

"Oh my god." gaped Lukas, "I- I thought it was a myth or something."

"What?" asked Axel, "Thought what was a myth? What's wrong with Petra?"

 _"Holy crap- What are we doing down here?"_ asked Jesse, _"We need to get you help!"_

 _"I don't know if there's anything we can do, Jesse."_ Petra said. She was silent for a moment, _"Do you know what Wither is?"_

 _"The Wither? Of course."_ said Jesse, frowning in obvious confusion, _"We've been-"_

 _"No, Jesse."_ Petra cut him off, _"Just 'Wither.' Or 'Wither Sickness,' I guess."_

"Wither Sickness?" said Olivia quietly, eyes wide.

Petra looked a the ground, _"And... I feel like it's just going to keep getting worse."_

 _"Well, we're going to go back and tell the others."_ said Jesse, _"We can get help-"_

 _"You can't tell anyone about this."_ Petra cut him off again. Before either of them could say anything, a creeper suddenly appeared, hissing as it prepared to explode.

Olivia jumped, Lukas giving a startled yell. Maya and Gill accidentally bumped heads.

 _"Ah! Creeper!"_ yelled Petra, running away before it could explode in her face. Jesse wasn't quite as fast.

The creeper exploded, creating a large hole in the floor. Jesse grabbed on to the ledge, Petra and Reuben appearing in front of him. _"Grab my hand!"_ Petra said, reaching out, _"I'll pull you up."_

Jesse grabbed her hand and Petra began to pull him up, but their fingers slipped and Jesse fell down into the hole with a yell, landing with an _"Oof!"_

Half the audience gasped, the other half's eyes widening in surprise.

The amulet bounced out of Jesse's pocket, giving off a dark blue glow, and landing a few feet away from Jesse. It's glow lit up the darkness.

"Blue?" said Olivia. Then, eyes widening, "Blue! Ivor's nearby!"

Ivor gave long, suffering sigh. Great. More screen time.

Jesse got to his feet, looking up at the two above him.

 _"Jesse!"_ said Petra, looking scandalized, _"I just couldn't... I'm sorry!"_

Jesse took a moment to answer, blinking in surprise and probably sore all over after having fallen from a great height in the span on an hour, if even that. _"Jesse? Are you okay?"_ Beside her, Reuben whined.

 _"Hey, you're the one that's sick."_ said Jesse, _"Take care of yourself first. I'll be okay."_

Petra got to her feet, glancing at Reuben, _"Okay... I got this."_ she looked back down at Jesse, _"Stay safe. I'll find a way down to you."_ She turned and began making her way back down the tunnel, probably going after the others. Reuben looked down at Jesse, whining sadly, before reluctantly turning and following Petra, leaving Jesse in the dark hole with nothing but a golden sword, a bow and a glowing amulet.

Jesse took in his surroundings, but there wasn't much to take in. The floor was littered with huge holes. He walked over to the amulet- which had thankfully not fallen down the hole it was next to- and picked it up, finally seeming to register the blue glow. He looked ahead of him, but there was only darkness.

"Oh, please be all right, Jesse." Olivia muttered. All this watching-her-friends-in-danger-while-she-was-helpless-to-do-anything was starting to stress her out.

Jesse started making his way forward, avoiding the gaping holes in the floor. There were no lights, but there was also no monsters, just him and his little glowing amulet. He walked for a long while, before finally coming to some sort of archway.

The amulet's glow faded a little as they came into a brightly lit room, Jesse squinting at the sudden light and giving a moment for his eyes to adjust. When they finally did, they widened in surprise. The room was huge, even bigger than the place with the statues and where they'd all split up at, and there was glowstone on every surface. It appeared to be some sort of ginormous library.

"Wow." said Lukas, "That is a _lot_ of books. Who needs that many books? I mean, no offence to bookworms or anything, but holey cow that is a _lot_."

Onscreen, Jesse walked deeper into the library, looking around in awe. In the center of the room, on the floor, was yet another amulet-themed decoration.

"He seriously likes that amulet, doesn't he?" muttered Petra, so only Axel could hear. He nodded in agreement.

Spotting a wide gap between two bookcases, Jesse made his way up some stairs towards it, coming to another room. Someone passed over the screen, too close for anyone to make out who it was, and Jesse took a step back in surprise.

"Is that Soren?" said Ellegaard. Soren shook his head.

"Can't be. Otherwise the amulet would have glowed _white_ not... uh oh."

Jesse walked into the room, spotting a figure with their back to him, looking through a smaller bookshelf. He was talking to himself. _"He must have something useful in here! He has to! Why would he have so many books? Was he just... collecting them? He can't have read all of these..."_

Soren shrugged.

 _"Uh, hello there?"_ Jesse finally spoke up. The figure turned around, revealing that it was indeed Ivor.

 _"You!"_ the villain snapped, _"Trying to interfere with my plans again, I see."_ Jesse glared at him, as Ivor marched towards him, _"Your tenacity is commendable, but misguided. You found your way here, so now you may find it back out again. Immediately."_

 _"Ivor, just calm down, okay?"_ said Jesse, _"I think we're here for the same reason. I'm here with the Order to find Soren's super TNT. We're going to take down your Witherstorm."_

Ivor, however, looked unimpressed. _"The Order?"_ he laughed, _"Believe me, that plan will blow up in their faces in more ways than one. They cannot help you."_

"Jee, thanks for vote of confidence." Ellegaard rolled her eyes. Ivor glared at her.

"What? I'm simply speaking the truth!"

 _"But me? I choose not to."_ he stepped forward, but Jesse was blocking his path, _"Out of my way."_

 _"Wait, but I-"_ Ivor shoved passed him, but someone else had joined them.

 _"Oh, you're not going anywhere."_ said Petra, Reuben at her feet as she drew her sword.

 _"Petra?"_ Ivor gaped, backing away as the girl advanced on him, _"You escaped?"_

"Hurrah for Petra!" said Lukas. Olivia, Jesse, Axel and Maya threw their hands into the air.

"HURRAH!"

Petra smiled at them, although it fell into a frown when she spotted Aiden giving Maya a sharp kick to the shin.

Petra grinned, but she had backed Ivor up right to a sword stand, and he grabbed one before she could do anything. He slashed at her, but Petra blocked, and thus began the sword fight. _"Foolish girl! I-"_

 _"Shut up. I don't care what you have to say."_ she blocked another swing, _"I'm just going to take you down."_

"Yeah, go, Petra!" cheered Axel. Olivia and Lukas shared a look of concern. While Ivor was obviously not the best fighter, could Petra still take him down while she was sick?

 _"Petra,"_ Jesse spoke up, _"Just let him go. He's not worth it."_

_"Sorry, Jesse. I didn't escape one monster just to let another get away."_

Realizing that Petra wasn't going to give, Jesse drew his own sword, coming forwards and knocking Ivor to the ground, away from the sick girl.

 _"I'm the only one who can stop the Witherstorm."_ Ivor claimed, pushing himself away from them and climbing back to his feet, _"Not you! Not the Order!"_ He raised his sword, the golden blade gleaming in the lamp-light, _"Don't make yourselves the villains in my story."_

Ivor charged at them, bringing his sword up to cut Jesse in half, but he too raised his own sword and blocked it. They struggled, golden blades interlocking, before Ivor shoved Jesse to the ground. But the boy was on his feet again a second later.

The screen went in slow motion, as Ivor raised his sword above his head only for Jesse to slam his own into his arm, throwing off his opponents balance and causing his arm to fly back. Then Jesse raised his foot and kicked him right in the chest, sending Ivor to the ground, but he was on his feet again as Petra came up behind him.

"I never knew you were such a good sword fighter, Jesse." said Lukas.

"Funny. Neither did I."

 _"You're not going anywhere."_ she said, knocking him to the side. Ivor scrambled to his feet, turning to face the two as they advanced on him.

 _"This could have all been avoided."_ he said, _"If you want to stop me, you'll have to catch me first."_ Ivor pulled out a potion, downing it in one go.

"Hey, that's cheating!" said Axel. Ivor rolled his eyes at the glares he was receiving.

 _"Jesse, look out!"_ exclaimed Petra, bringing her sword down to hit Ivor, but the man was suddenly gone, as if he had never even stood there. They looked around, Petra quickly running to the gap between the bookshelves, _"You're not getting out of here that easy, Ivor."_

Ivor began zooming around them, going so fast that he was like a blur, laughing all the way, _"I'm like the wind!"_

Everything went into slow motion again, as Ivor held his sword to the side, running right towards Jesse to cut him in half. Jesse leaned backwards as if he were playing limbo, the blade brushing against the tip of his nose. Ivor ran on, still in slow motion, straight towards Petra. He raised his sword and everything returned to normal speed just as he knocked her down.

"Oh no!" gasped Olivia.

Jesse gasped, as Petra climbed to her feet. Ivor continued hitting at her, Petra blocking the best she could, but her forehead was beaded with sweat and she was even paler than before. She couldn't keep it up, but she refused to move.

 _"I'll cut through you if I have to!"_ yelled Ivor. But he seemed to have forgotten about Jesse.

Jesse ran forwards, hitting Ivor with his sword and knocking him to the side. Ivor yelled, be it in pain or surprise, and climbed to his feet again, _"Don't tempt your fate."_

"Jesse!" Petra exclaimed.

He ran right at Jesse, who slashed and stabbed with his sword in an attempt to hit him, and finally he succeeded. Ivor once again slammed into the hard ground, gasping and panting as the potion wore off.

Ivor got to his feet, backing away as the boy made his way towards him with his sword raised, _"It didn't have to go this way, Jesse. You could've just let me go."_

Axel frowned, "Wait, what's he talkin-"

Suddenly spinning around, Ivor ran away, taking out another potion and smashing it at his feet, _"Now you see me, now you-"_ he vanished.

"Oh."

Jesse, who had been chasing him, came to a halt, looking around for the invisible foe. Laughter that was neither his or Petra's filled the air. _"He could be anywhere,"_ said Jesse, standing next to Petra, _"Stay on your guard!"_

 _"Vanish all you want, slimeball."_ Petra said, _"You're still not going anywhere."_

Jesse looked around, spotting a potion bottle floating in midair. He jumped to the side, hitting the ground as it smashed where he'd been not a moment before. He got up, just as he saw another floating potion on the other side of the room, and stepped away as it was thrown, little swirls coming up from where it had landed. Ivor laughed.

"Coward!" yelled Real-Jesse, earning sounds of agreement throughout the room. Ivor scowled.

Another potion appeared just in front of him, and Jesse jumped over it.

 _"End of the rail, Ivor."_ said Petra, _"We're not letting you get away with this."_ Silence reigned. Jesse and Petra looked around, eyes narrowed. Another potion appeared.

 _"This one's on you, you puffed-up fool!"_ The potion flew right towards Petra, and Jesse leaped towards it, smacking it away and rebounding it back towards Ivor just as he reappeared as the invisibility potion wore off.

Petra smiled at him, "Thanks, Jesse."

Ivor gave a startled yell as the potion hit him, sending him onto his back. Obviously badly hurt, Ivor got to his feet, _"There's no time... no time... This could have all been avoided."_ He limped towards Jesse and Petra, who still had their swords raised, stopping a few feet in front of them.

 _"Jesse! Petra!"_ Lukas yelled, running towards them with Axel and Olivia right behind him. Ivor growled.

_"Even more of you? Will this parade of useless blabber never cease?"_

"That's it." sighed Axel, "I give up. I have absolutely no idea what he's saying sixty percent of the time."

 _"What's going on?"_ asked Olivia, coming up to stand next to Jesse.

 _"We found Ivor."_ Jesse explained simply, _"We stopped him."_

 _"Jesse did, anyway."_ said Petra, Lukas and Axel appearing on her other side.

 _"False."_ Ivor said, glaring at all six of them, _"You have stopped nothing."_ He walked towards them almost casually, _"A query... Have you ever seen the effects of a Splash Potion of Slowness?"_

"That can't be good." muttered Gabriel. Axel frowned.

"Something about slowness?"

Jesse frowned, _"What-"_

Ivor pulled out a potion and smashed it at the groups feet, and Jesse continued in a much, _much_ slower voice.

_"-aaare yoooou taaaalkiiing aboooouuut?"_

"Oh, snap crackers." sighed Olivia.

Ivor grinned smugly.

Onscreen, Ivor walked past the group casually, Jesse turning to watch him far too slowly to do anything.

The screen showed Ivor's face as he walked away, the group behind him slowly turning to face him, brows creased in rage as they realized what he'd done and tried to run after him.

 _"Yoooouu biiiiig jeeeerk."_ said Axel.

 _"Geeet baaack heeeere."_ Petra called.

Ivor turned around, just outside the gap between the two bookcases, the group still far from reaching him. _"Magnus and Ellegaard may think they can stop me, that they can destroy the Witherstorm... but they are mistaken. And it will cost them their lives."_ The two bookcases slammed together and closed the gap. Blackness doused the screen.

"Did- Did he just do that?" gaped Lukas, "He seriously just did that?"

"Hold on, how'd he close it?" asked Petra.

Jesse looked at Soren, "Is there any other way out of that room?"

Soren shook his head sadly, "Afraid not. And it can only be opened from the outside."

Olivia blew out a long breath, "Great. Just... great."

The words _Next Time on MINECRAFT: STORY MODE_ appeared on the screen, Jesse's voice reading it out.

"Wait, that's it?" asked Magnus, "Damn cliff-hangers!"

Ellegaard raised an eyebrow at him, "Wait, are you becoming like one of those people who reads something or watches a play and immediately has to know what happens next?"

Magnus glared at her, "Shut up, Ellie! You can't say you don't want to know if they starve to death or not."

"Okay," said Lukas, "Now I'm _slightly_ scared."

The screen showed Jesse's hand, holding the amulet, all five gems glowing brightly. It slowly fell from his hand, as the same deep voice from before began speaking, _"In pursuit of answers, all our heroes found in Soren's Armory was decent... and treachery."_

The amulet fell through open purple air in slow motion, slowly spinning round and round, _"Locked in a dark chamber deep in Soren's mountain, as the Order of the Stone rides off towards near-certain doom,"_ it zoomed in a little on the amulet, revealing that faces could be seen in the gems, _"Our heroes must ask themselves..."_

It zoomed in closer, revealing Petra in the light blue gem, Ellegaard in the red, Jesse in the white, Magnus in the green and Ivor in the middle. _"Would they find a way out of this dark tomb?"_ It gave a close-up of Petra's gem, _"Is there anyway to cure Petra's Wither Sickness?"_ The screen zoomed out again, as the amulet continued to slowly fall, _"Would they find a way to defeat the Witherstorm?"_

Ground could be seen now, appearing to be in the End with its tall block tower-like structures, as the amulet fell towards the white-yellow ground, _"Or will they remain, trapped, as it continues it ravenous rampage across the entire world?"_

The amulet clattered and bounced against the ground, spinning twice in the air before settling on its side. _"Only time will tell..."_ So there the amulet sat, alone, leaving those to wonder how something so small could be of such great importance. The faces in the gems faded away, soon followed by the images on the screen.

Magnus broke the silence.

"You gotta admit, that voice-thing sure knows how to tell a story."

"Maybe it has children." Gabriel shrugged.

"Ivor," Petra said lightly, still looking at the screen, "Let's play Hide and Go Kill."

"What?" asked Ivor, confused. Then his eyes widened, and his hand flew up to his black eye, "O-Oh, er-"

"You have until the count of five." Petra continued, still looking directly at the screen and her voice still light, "One."

"Petra-"

"Two."

"Is this really necessary-"

"Three."

"You really might want to run right about now." said Ellegaard, lips twitching in a smile.

" _Four._ "

Ivor jumped to his feet, scrambling out of the room and nearly tripping over himself. Something banged in the hallway.

Petra waited a second.

"FIVE!" She was on her feet immediately, pickax in hand, and running after the Witherstorm's creator. Ivor screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you follow Magnus or Ellegaard? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Wow, I can't believe that's part two done all ready. Did this one seem to go really fast for you too? Maybe it's because there's more action in this one than the first episode. I'm not saying the first episode didn't have any action, because there's the Nether bit and running from the Witherstorm and the Iron Golem, but the first few bits are kind of slow.
> 
> Okay, so just like last time, they're going to take a break. Since there wasn't any sleeping last time and they'd had dinner before starting episode two, I'm probably going to have them get some sleep.


	14. The Grinder

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Three: The Last Place You Look**

**Part Fourteen: The Grinder**

* * *

While the sun didn't go down at the mansion, their bedrooms had some strange feature that made it seem like it was night, except without any monster noises that they had all long gotten used to. All the beds were double, so there was more than enough room for Reuben to sleep in Jesse's.

He woke up around the same time as the others did, if not before them, and came down to the kitchen to find Olivia, Maya and Lukas working on making breakfast for everyone.

"Morning, Jesse." said Lukas, "Or, well, I don't really know if you could say morning or not, seeing as time sort of 'holds still' here. Anyway, did you sleep well?"

"It was a little strange without monsters roaming about outside." Jesse admitted, starting to help the other boy set the table. Olivia and Maya were laughing about something, getting along for what must have been the first time ever. Lukas nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. I kept waking up because everything just seemed so _quiet._ I think my body thought it couldn't be time to sleep or anything because you couldn't hear any monsters."

"What are you two complaining about?" Olivia asked, rolling her eyes, "I mean, isn't no monsters a _good_ thing?"

"Well, yes, obviously." said Jesse, "We're not saying that no monsters is a bad thing, it's just that we're so used to hearing them outside."

Maya shook her head, pouring the rabbit stew into separate bowls, "Honestly, I was too tiered to think much about it. I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow." She began handing the bowls out to Olivia, Jesse and Lukas for them to put on the table.

"Do you think we're going to be able to get out of that room?" asked Olivia, after a moment, "Maybe Magnus and Ellegaard come back for us."

"Or maybe Soren shows up." suggested Lukas, "Or there's a hidden switch to open a door or something."

Axel walked in then, yawning a jaw-cracking yawn and stretching his arms above his head, bleary eyes only half open, "Mornin', eve'yone."

Petra came in a few moments later and more 'good mornings' were tossed around. She had a small layer of sweat on her forehead, and says that she'd been up for a couple hours now, sparring in the armory. They all sat down and started eating, the others trickling in one by one, some clean and showered, some looking like they'd just come back from the dead.

"Okay," said Petra, as the last ones to get up started eating. Ivor hadn't even showed up, and Aiden had dragged off Maya and Gill before either could finish eating. "Let's go through what we know so far."

"Well, there was Aiden burning down our build." Olivia said, after a moment of thinking, "And you saving Jesse from those monsters and deciding to take him with you on that deal with Ivor."

"Which he cheats you out of." Lukas continued for her, "So we follow him to the Hall and discover he's building a Wither. Axel steals the back-up potion and Ivor sets an Iron Golem on us, which Jesse saves me from."

Jesse took over, "We try to warn Gabriel, but we're too late and Ivor creates the Witherstorm, thinking he'll be able to control it. But it goes on a rampage and we escape into the Nether, where we head to the Order's temple."

"And then," said Axel, "Jesse and I go to Boom Town to get Magnus, and Jesse has to beat him in the Death Bowl and become King of Boom Town."

"But the Witherstorm shows up," Ellegaard said, who was writing all this down, "So Jesse, Magnus and Axel make a run for it and get back to the temple, where they discover that Petra's alive and that Olivia had gone to Redstonia to recruit me."

"And now we're looking for this mystical F-Bomb," Magnus said, earning a glare from Soren, "Jesse and Blondie fell down a big hole and found a load of Endermen, then everyone split up because the redhead got Wither Sickness and refuses to tell anyone but Jesse." Petra gave him a deadly glare. "A creeper shows up, blasts a hole in the floor and the redhead couldn't pull Jesse back up."

"So," Soren continued, "Jesse found my library and bumped into Ivor, Petra showing up a moment later. They fight him and take him down, just before Olivia, Axel and Lukas show up. But Ivor takes out a Splash Potion of Slowness and locks them in with no way out from the inside."

"Is that everything?" asked Gabriel.

"I think so." Jesse nodded, "Should we go watch the next episode now?"

Petra shook her head, "Let's wait a little while longer. Meet up in the living room in an hour?"

"Sounds good to me." said Magnus, immediately on his feet and walking out the room. Axel was quick to follow him.

Once the dishes were all washed and put away, everyone went off to do their own thing. Olivia and Ellegaard put on the kettle to make tea, chatting about redstone this and redstone that. Jesse, having completely lost track of the conversation within the first five minutes, went off to find something else to do, Reuben following him.

They were walking down the hall when Reuben came to a sudden stop, tilting his head with a questioning oink. "Reuben? What's wrong, boy?" They stood in silence, Jesse straining his ears. It sounded like someone was arguing.

Jesse and Reuben began making their way towards the shouts, which became clearer and clearer the closer they went. Finally, they turned a corner to find Lukas and the Ocelots standing a little ways away from the basement door, Aiden and Lukas right in each others faces, while Maya and Gill stood to the sidelines, not knowing what to do.

"-You're following them around like some sort of love-struck _puppy!_ " Aiden was saying.

"What?" asked Lukas, "I'm not allowed to have friends outside of you guys? Who are you to say who I can and can't be friends with, Aiden?"

"They're _losers,_ Lukas!" growled Aiden.

"They only lost the building competition because you sabotaged their build!" Lukas exclaimed, "We should have been disqualified because of your griefing!"

"What's going on here?" asked Jesse, stepping forwards and making himself known. Aiden sneered at him.

"What's it to you, _loser_?" he spat it out as if it were a curse word. Before he could continue, Lukas shoved him.

"Don't talk to him like that!"

Aiden gave an enraged yell, lashing out and punching Lukas right in the jaw. The force of the blow sent the blond to the ground, Maya and Gill gasping in shock. Reuben squealed, running towards Lukas to make sure he was okay, while Jesse launched himself at Aiden.

He knocked him to the ground, winding him. Before Aiden could even react, Jesse raised his own fist and punched him in the face, breaking his nose with a small _crack_ and earning a scream from its owner. But Jesse didn't falter. He punched Aiden again and again and again. He could have probably continued forever, punching until his knuckles started to split, if a pair of arms hadn't wrapped around his torso and yanked him off Aiden's chest.

"-Jesse! Jesse, stop! Calm down, all right? Breathe with me, okay? Come on, deep breaths, bud."

Jesse took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He repeated this a few times, his anger slowly fading away and he became aware of his surroundings again. Lukas was standing next to him, whispering encouragement into his ear, his arms still wrapped around Jesse's torso in case he tried to launch himself at Aiden again. Aiden himself was still lying on the floor, clutching his battered nose and sobbing, Maya and Gill gaping on the sidelines. Reuben stood at Jesse's feet.

Petra, Gabriel and Soren suddenly came running around the corner, stopping abruptly as they took in the scene before them. Upon spotting them, Aiden pointed at Jesse and Lukas, his other hand still clutching his nose.

"They attacked me!"

"What?" said Jesse, pulling himself out of Lukas' grip, "You attacked Lukas first!"

"They ganged up on me!" Aiden accused, as if Jesse hadn't spoken, "Just look at what they did to my face!"

"Aiden, shut up." Petra said, the first to get her wits back, before turning to Gabriel and Soren, "There's a med-kit in the kitchen. One of you take Aiden there. The other gets to interrogate them two." She pointed at Maya and Gill, who's eyes widened, "I'll talk to Jesse and Lukas."

Gabriel and Soren nodded without complaint, Gabriel taking Aiden to get patched up in the kitchen while Soren led Maya and Gill to one of the empty rooms to question them. Petra gestured for Jesse and Lukas to follow her.

They did so silently, not even Reuben making any noise. Petra led them outside and then to behind the mansion, where no one would be able to see them, before she turned to them with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow, waiting silently.

Jesse was the first to speak, "He hit Lukas."

"I don't doubt that for a second." Petra said, uncrossing her arms and brow furrowing. Her eyes shone in concern. "But doing what you did? That's not like you, Jesse. Aiden dislocated Olivia's shoulder once, and you punched him for it, but you've never left him with a broken nose and sobbing like a toddler. Are you okay?"

Jesse opened his mouth to immediately say that everything was fine, but no words came out. His mouth slowly closed, the silence stretching on. Petra sighed.

"It's these episodes, isn't it? You're worried. And probably stressed."

"Of course I am." Jesse said quietly, not meeting anyone's eyes, "We're going to be trapped inside Soren's abandoned mountain fortress, and Soren himself isn't sure if we'll be able to escape or not. I just-" he cut himself off with a sigh, shoulders slumping, "I just don't want any of yous to die."

Lukas put a hand on his shoulder, while Reuben rubbed against his leg comfortingly. Petra gave another sigh and put her hand on his other shoulder, bending down slightly to look in him the eye.

"Jesse, we're here to _change_ things. Even if one of us don't make it in the episodes, we'll be able to change it once we get sent back home. I know we'll only have feelings to go off on, but... it's something, right?"

Jesse gave her a small smile, nodding, "Yeah. I- I know, it's just... frustrating. Not being able to do anything."

"That's how we all feel, Jesse." said Lukas, "But I have faith that everything's gonna be okay. You'll see."

"I hope you're right."

Petra shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips, "Okay, boys, enough brooding. Let's just go get this over with, shall we?"

Jesse and Lukas nodded, and they all made their way back into the mansion. The hour was up, and Axel, Magnus, Ivor, Maya and Gill were already in the living room, sitting in their usual seats. Jesse sat down between Petra and Lukas this time, Reuben once again hopping into his lap.

"Hey, small fry," Magnus said, gaining Jesse's attention, "Heard what you did to the wussy pussy. Pretty intense stuff."

"Yeah, Jesse," Axel grinned, "I wish I'd been there to see the look on that jerk's face!" Petra elbowed him harshly in the side, causing Axel to give her a confused look, wincing at the bruise she'd most likely created.

Olivia and Ellegaard came in next, Olivia sitting next to Lukas again. They waited patiently for the last two to arrive, studying the picture above this episodes name. It showed Jesse holding a torch and Lukas holding a sword, the two of them surrounded by Endermen. This didn't really bring anyone much comfort.

"Hey, Lukas," said Olivia, "Where's your jacket?"

Jesse blinked, looking over at the blond. Sure enough, Lukas wasn't wearing his Ocelot jacket anymore, just his dark purple and white striped t-shirt. He must have taken it off when Jesse wasn't looking. Lukas shrugged, "Somewhere."

No one decided to comment that, and they sat in silence for a few more minutes.

"Wow," muttered Olivia, as Gabriel and Aiden came in. Aiden's nose was swollen and a nasty purple color. "What happened to Aiden's nose?"

Petra shook her head, "We'll tell you later."

Aiden sent Jesse and Lukas a wicked glare that promised revenge, which they all too happily returned, before he sat down on the Ocelots couch. Maya and Gill started whispering to him, and he whispered something back. Petra's eyes narrowed on them, hand unconsciously touching her pickax.

The screen came on, once again showing the Witherstorm coming out of the top of the Hall at Endercon. Jesse's voice filled the air, _"Previously on Minecraft: Story Mode."_ The Witherstorm's three heads appeared with three roars, their purple eyes glowing as they unleashed their tractor beams. The narrator took over.

 _"It is said that within every loss, every challenge..."_ it shows the running crowd, some poor souls getting caught in the tractor beam. The Witherstorm turned to face the forest, and the screen blacked out for a second, coming back on to show Jesse, Petra and Lukas at Gabriel's temple. Jesse looked over at Lukas, who was running towards the portal, _"Lukas!"_ He looked back at Petra, who gave him a single nod, before they looked over to see Gabriel caught in the tractor beam.

 _"... and every failure..."_ They began running towards Gabriel to help him, only for Petra too to get caught in a tractor beam, _"... there is a gift."_ Jesse jumped up and grabbed her, stopping her from being sucked up by the monster. The beam flickered away, and they both fell to the ground, before they looked up at Gabriel, _"When revered heroes are lost..."_ Jesse got to his feet and ran towards him.

The screen changed to the room in Soren's fortress, Petra drawing her sword, glaring at Ivor, who started to back away. _"... We find new ones in our friends."_ Petra grinned, before the screen changed to show Magnus at the levers of his skull-canon, eyes aflame. _"When we're given grief..."_ Jesse is shown with his bow at the ready, eyes narrowing on his target. He jumped as the wood he was on exploded, setting the arrow loose, _"... We find a way to give it back."_

The arrow goes spinning, right past a lava fall, and hits the TNT. _"And when our band of unlikely adventurers are tasked with saving the world from the coming storm..."_ Magnus looks down in horror, before his skull-cannon explodes. Then it switches to show the Witherstorm, destroying Boom Town, Jesse, Axel, Reuben and Magnus running past the screen in the direction of the portal.

It changed again to show the group gathered before the World's Map, Jesse walking forwards as he looked up at it, _"... They will bring together the bravest and the brightest to stop it."_ He turned to face the others, saying something they couldn't hear. The screen changed.

The amulet sits on the ground, Jesse walking towards it and picking it up, _"But finding the last and most elusive member of the Order of the Stone and his legendary Formidi-Bomb..."_ Jesse looked ahead in front of him, down a dark tunnel. Now it changes back to the fight in the library, as Petra slashes at Ivor, who falls onto his back and starts to scoot away, _"... Would prove their most perilous mission yet."_

Jesse looks at Petra, as they looked around in search of Ivor. He came running up to Jesse from behind at super-speed, his sword held out to chop him in half. Now Ivor's running towards Petra in slow-motion, raising his sword to run her through. _"For some would rather our heroes' story end here..."_ It sped up again as he knocked her down, Jesse spinning around to face them with a gasp.

Now Ivor's standing in front of the entire group, taking out the Splash Potion of Slowness. Jesse's eyes widened, right before Ivor smashes it at their feet. He walks past them, Jesse slowly turning to watch him go. _"... shutting the door on their adventure forever."_

They all slowly turn around to try and run after him, but Ivor is casually walking towards the gap between the bookcases. He turns around just outside it to face them, grinning at his victory. _"But, like all doors, when one closes, another is bound to open..."_ The bookcases slam together, cutting off the only exit and showering the screen in darkness.

"'Another is bound to open'?" said Lukas, "That must mean we find another way out, right?"

"Let's watch and find out." Jesse said.

The screen came back on to show the group slow-running after Ivor. Lukas yelled, _"Noooooooo."_

 _"Stooop hiiiim."_ said Axel. Ivor was already halfway out the gap.

 _"Huuury."_ Olivia said.

Ivor turned around to face them, meeting Jesse's glare with a smug smile. _"Yooou wooon't geet awaaay wiiith thiiis."_ Then the bookcases closed the gap right in their faces.

The screen showed the inside, as Jesse came to a stop right in front of the now-single bookcase. Still in slow motion, Axel tripped, even falling unnaturally slowly.

"Ooh, that's gonna hurt." muttered Soren, wincing.

 _"Waaaatch iit"_ Lukas said, and a moment later everything returned to normal speed, _"Get out of the way!"_

Axel's screaming could finally be heard, as he landed on his face just at Jesse's feet, who twisted to look at them with wide eyes. Axel had been dangerously close to squishing the smaller male.

They all stood there, Axel not getting up, their eyes wide. Finally, Jesse spoke up.

_"Everyone okay?"_

At his feet, Axel groaned, _"I felt all of that."_

Olivia winced, _"That was one heck of a landing, Axel."_

 _"He mostly used his face."_ said Lukas.

Jesse turned back to the bookshelf, looking up at the very top, _"We need to find Soren."_

 _"Yeah."_ Lukas agreed, him, Olivia and Reuben walking up to stand behind Jesse and look at the bookcase, as Axel got to his feet.

Jesse turned to face them and, upon realizing Petra wasn't there, looked behind them to see her standing by the white table, holding her arm oddly. The screen zoomed in on her, moving down to show her arm, a bit of unnatural purple able to be seen.

Olivia sighed, "Oh, Petra."

Walking away from the others, who were talking, Jesse made his way over to Petra. She'd gone even paler, and the bags under her eyes were darker, an almost black color. _"Are you okay?"_

_"Why... are you asking me that?"_

"Oh, I dunno, maybe because you look like the walking dead." said Magnus. Ellegaard elbowed him.

_"Just checking up on you."_

_"Everything's fine."_ Petra insisted, _"All of it."_

"You don't look fine, Petra." said Axel, frowning. Petra chose not to answer.

 _"Are you o-"_ Petra cut herself off with a cough, _"Wait, are you-"_ she coughed again, _"A_ re _you-"_ Another cough cut her off, and this time she went into a full blown coughing fit.

Their eyes widened.

"Oh- oh crap, that's not..." Lukas shook his head, "That's so not good."

Petra finally stopped coughing, and she didn't even try to finish what she'd been saying. Behind Jesse, Lukas looked towards them, eyebrows raised. It turned back to Petra, _"Look at this."_ She held out her arm, showing that the purple had spread, _"I'm not trying to freak you out... but I'm a little bit freaked out right now."_ At the sight of the discolored skin, Jesse's eyes widened.

 _"It's starting to feel stiff."_ said Petra, pulling her arm close again. She was almost hugging herself, her shoulders slouched and head bowed just a little, _"And my visions all jittery."_

 _"We have to tell the others."_ Jesse insisted.

 _"This isn't a 'we' thing."_ said Petra.

 _"Yes, it is."_ argued Jesse, _"We're a team. And they all deserve to know."_

 _"Maybe..."_ Petra sighed, _"Look, I-I'll tell them. Eventually."_

Lukas gave Jesse a small smile, although his eyes were sad and filled with worry, "Thanks, Jesse. At least you tried to convince her."

"Yeah, well," Jesse gave a small shrug, "I have to try something."

 _"You have to."_ said Jesse.

 _"It's just gonna cause panic,"_ Petra said, _"And we can't afford that right now. If it becomes more of a thing, I'll tell everyone. But... let me do it."_

Jesse turned to look at Lukas, Axel, Reuben and Olivia, who were all still studying the bookcase, unaware as to what was wrong with their friend.

 _"Hey, guys,"_ said Axel, turning to face them, _"I have an idea!"_

Giving Petra one last look, Jesse walked over to them. Lukas raised an eyebrow, _"Okay."_

Axel turned back to the bookcase, grinning confidently, and shouted at the top of his lungs, _"Magnus, help!"_

"Do people think I have super-hearing or something?" asked Magnus, raising an eyebrow, "I mean, first that griefer with the blue hair and now this?"

Onscreen, Axel looked back at the others, who were giving him flat, unimpressed looks. Axel's shoulders slumped when nothing happened, _"Well, all right... but I have another idea."_ He turned to face the bookcase again, raising his hands to cup his mouth. Olivia is seen holding her head with one hand, the other plastered to her hip.

_"Is it yelling for Ellegaard?"_

Axel's face fell, and he rubbed the back of his neck, _"Not... anymore."_

Ivor scoffed.

Lukas walked away from them, _"Look, they aren't coming back. We have no idea where they are."_

 _"They couldn't abandon us if they wanted to."_ said Jesse, Lukas turning to face him with a raised eyebrow, _"As long as we have... this!"_ he pulled out his flint and steel.

 _"Flint and steel?"_ Olivia said, frowning, _"I don't get it."_

 _"It-It's not... that's not what I meant to pull out."_ Jesse put the flint and steel away, searching for something else. Lukas and Petra were looking at him in a mix of confusion and expectation, _"Hold on... uh... this!"_ he pulled out the amulet, the green and red gems still glowing. But after a few seconds, they both faded away. Lukas' eyes widened.

"Oh... maybe not." muttered Jesse. Ellegaard winced, Magnus very carefully looking at the screen.

 _"Looks like it might be broken."_ said Petra.

 _"Here, let me see it."_ Lukas stepped forward, taking a hold of the amulet and trying to pull it away. But Jesse wouldn't let go, and when the screen went up to show his face, his eyes were hard.

Lukas tried to tug harder, but Jesse tugged back, and soon they were in a full-out game of tug of war. Olivia looked at Axel, who shrugged.

 _"Maybe your just,"_ Lukas grunted, _"Holding it wrong."_

"Doesn't work like that." said Soren.

 _"Or maybe,"_ more grunting, _"You just have to jiggle it a little."_

 _"Do you mind?"_ said Jesse.

_"I just want to see it."_

Jesse tugged it back, _"You can see it without touching."_

 _"Not if you can't get it to work."_ said Lukas.

 _"It's working fine."_ The screen zoomed in on the amulet, as the white gem started to glow.

Gabriel gasped, "Soren!"

Lukas' gasped, letting go of the amulet in his shock. Jesse gaped at it, eyes widening.

_"Soren!"_

Petra walked towards it with wide eyes, looking even paler in the white light, _"Find him, Jesse. Maybe he can help us."_

Jesse looked down at the amulet and started walking around the room, the glow brighter when it was near the floor. He walked over to a little ways away from where he and Lukas had had their tug of war, the glow brightening as he held it close to the ground.

"He's bellow us?" asked Olivia.

"Hm." hummed Soren, "It would seem so. Although I don't know-" his eyes widened, "Uh oh."

"Er, 'uh oh'?" said Jesse, "What do you mean 'uh oh'?"

 _"This is the spot."_ said Jesse, kneeling on the floor, _"It has to be."_

 _"Maybe..."_ Axel said, as they walked towards him. Jesse hovered the amulet over the spot on the floor, looking back up at them.

_"This is definitely it. Get ready to dig, people."_

_"Who knows how far down that goes?"_ said Lukas, _"We might end up digging until we hit bedrock. Guys, we're not really equipped for this."_

Jesse looked around at them, _"Anyone else have a better plan?"_

No one said anything for a moment. Olivia put a hand on her hip, gesturing to the blond.

_"Jesse's talking to you, Lukas."_

_"I know."_ Lukas sighed, _"I- I just... need a..."_

 _"PAI-GOW!"_ Axel shouted, cutting Lukas off and hitting the ground, leaving a small hole.

 _"Let's get to it, then."_ said Jesse. He pocketed the amulet and everything sped-up again, and soon it was just Jesse digging further and further down. Finally, they reached some sort of dark tunnel.

Standing on a stone block, Jesse took out the amulet and held it down a bit, illuminating the floor just a little bellow them. The jump was a high one, but it wasn't high enough to cause any harm, as long as they made sure to use the blocks Jesse had left as a mock-staircase.

Above him, the others were peering down. Axel spoke up.

_"Are we cool?"_

_"It's a hole."_ Jesse called back up.

Aiden rolled his eyes, but his pride was too damaged for him to make a comment.

Axel was silent for a moment. _"Does that mean we're cool?"_

Jesse looked up at them, _"I'll find out."_ He turned back to the hole, peering through the edges of the dark. Olivia's voice floated down from above him.

_"I guess that makes since. You dig, you get a hole."_

Getting to his feet, Jesse steeled himself, before jumping down. Behind him, millions of little red eyes glowed in the darkness.

"Oh god, what's that behind him?!" gasped Olivia, covering her mouth.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, _crap_." chanted Lukas.

Jesse held the amulet up a bit, looking around, _"Looks pretty good! Uhh, it's dark, but other than that we're okay."_

 _"Heading down."_ said Olivia, turning so that she was hanging onto the edge of the hole, feet braced on the stone. _"Don't look up! I've gotta work up the nerve."_

A little sound echoed from the gave, causing Jesse's eyes widened and he slowly turned to face where it came from, thus facing the red eyes, which were barely visible. _"Wait!"_

 _"You have to say that now?!"_ said Olivia, having just been about to let go.

 _"Somethings not right."_ Jesse said, turning back to the eyes. He raised the amulet, the light revealing a bat nest. Startled by the light, the bats took off, flying to and fro. Jesse screamed, _"Bats!"_

The others started screaming as well, Reuben squealing from where he sat on Axel's back, who was on his stomach, _"Why are we screaming?!"  
_

"Because it's _bats!_ " Ellegaard shuddered. Magnus gave her a wicked grin.

"Aw, is little Ellie afraid of the towtsy wowtsy bats?"

"Magnus, I will slap you."

Onscreen, Jesse was still yelling, flaying his arms in an attempt to keep the bats away from him, _"Get away! Aw, I touched it! It touched me! Augh!"_ After a moment, the bats all flew down the tunnel. Jesse let out a shaky sigh, _"All right... it's safe now!"_

Not bothering to wait for Olivia to get up the nerve again, Lukas started jumping down, Reuben following him. Olivia was right behind them, and Axel screamed as he fell, landing right on top of Lukas,

Real-Lukas winced, Axel giving him an apologetic look.

Reuben walked over to Jesse for some pets, as Petra jumped down as well. She hunched over, panting after just those little jumps. Lukas looked at her with wide eyes, before looking towards Jesse as if expecting him to call it out.

 _"Everyone okay?"_ asked Jesse, looking concerned. Petra straightened.

 _"I just slipped."_ While Jesse didn't say anything, his eyes lingered on her purple arm.

Concerned glances were shot Petra's way, but she forced herself not to react to them.

 _"What's that smell?"_ asked Olivia.

 _"Just breathe through your mouth."_ said Petra.

Lukas gestured to Axel with his head, _"Axel already does that."_

Axel glared at him, _"Hey..."_

"Well, you did kind of fall on him." said Petra.

"On _accident."_

Onscreen, Jesse turned around, holding the amulet up to light their way, _"Let's get out of here."_

The screen momentarily went dark, before coming back on to the light of the amulet. Jesse was still leading the group, Reuben next to him. _"Stay close, boy."_

They reached what appeared to be the end of the tunnel, and the screen went out to reveal thousands and thousands of other tunnels, all at different heights, decorated with dyed wool and most connected by staircases. Far, far bellow them was some sort of machine that smashed together every couple seconds.

"Er... what is that?" asked Gill. He shrunk away from Aiden's glare.

"That," said Soren, who had gone terribly pale, "Is why I said 'uh oh.'"

"Why?" asked Axel, "What is it?"

Olivia swallowed, "Something we don't wanna get caught in."

As the others reached the edge, Lukas gave a startled yell.

 _"Whoa."_ said Axel. Jesse pocketed the amulet, it's glow no longer needed, since the place was lit by torches.

 _"We have to get out of here."_ Olivia said, but the sound of the machine smashing together drowned out her voice.

 _"What?"_ asked Lukas. Olivia started backing away from the edge.

_"We have to get out of here!"_

Axel frowned at her, _"We just got here!"  
_

 _"You don't understand... this is a grinder!"_ Bellow them, one of the tunnels spat out a wave of water, taking three skeletons with it. The skeletons free fell, and as they reached the machine, pistons slammed cobblestone blocks together, smashing the skeletons to pieces and leaving the arrows and bones they'd dropped to fall into whatever was bellow it.

Half the audience paled, Axel's mouth forming a perfect 'o.'

"Oh," Jesse said, eyes wide, "That is a very big uh oh."

Onscreen, Olivia continued, _"They're meant to kill monsters. Trouble is, they can't tell the difference between monsters and people."_

 _"What's a grinder doing down here?"_ asked Jesse.

"For supplies, of course!" said Soren.

 _"Not just any grinder,"_ said Olivia, _"This is the craziest one I've ever seen."_ The screen went out a bit, revealing that there were even more tunnels above them, _"It has to be Soren's."_

Hissing cut through the air, and the group turned to look behind them. From the darkness, creepers emerged, eagerly making their way towards the humans.

 _"Creepers!"_ shouted Jesse. Petra drew her sword, running towards them, quickly followed by Jesse. The others, weaponless, could do nothing but watch.

"Why didn't anyone get some weapons from the library?" asked Ellegaard, "Having a sword you don't know how to use is better than having nothing at all."

"Guess it never came to us." Olivia shrugged.

As Petra faced one creeper, Jesse went for another, killing it with a few hits. Petra too killed her own creeper, eyes widening as one started to flash white far too rapidly to be canceled, heading straight for Jesse. _"Duuuuuuck!"_

Jesse leaped to the side, hitting the ground. The creeper blew up, destroying part of the tunnel with a _boom!_ Jesse hesitantly got to his feet, slowly making his way towards the hole and looking down, where a path lined with orange wool led to another tunnel. Petra stood next to him.

Jesse took out the amulet, the white glow even brighter than before as he held it over the ledge, _"There he is... he's right down-"_ He was cut off by the sound of rushing water, and they turned to see said water indeed rushing towards them, pulling along more creepers and intending to push all of them over the edge and into the grinder.

The water unbalanced them, Lukas grabbing Petra to stop her from going over. The amulet flew from Jesse's hand, and he jumped after it, only to realize a moment later that it had gone straight through the hole made by the creeper. Axel wrapped his arms around Jesse's torso, pulling him back to semi-safety.

The amulet hit the walkway and started to roll, a creeper that had been walking along kicking it and sending it down some steps. The amulet fell off the edge, bounced off the edge of a tunnel, before landing on top of another one a little ways bellow it.

"That was a close one." muttered Ellegaard, "They would have been lost if the amulet had fallen into the grinder."

Jesse and Olivia ran to the edge of the tunnel, looking over to where the amulet had landed, still glowing white. Olivia's eyes widened, _"Was that... ?"_

 _"The amulet. Yes."_ Jesse confirmed. He let out a breath, turning around and going back to the creeper-blown hole. Olivia turned to him.

 _"Wait! Are you gonna jump?"_ she ran up to them, all of them looking from Jesse to the walkway bellow them, _"You're going to jump, aren't you?"_

"What, you want to go back to the library?" asked Real-Jesse.

_"Please tell me you're not going to jump."_

Jesse looked at her, _"Just... tuck and roll."_ With that, he did indeed jump, drawing his sword on the way down and landing on his feet. He began running along the walkway, Petra jumping down after him with her own sword drawn. They were followed by Reuben, Olivia, Lukas and lastly Axel.

Petra ran past Jesse, knocking the creeper that had kicked the amulet off the edge of the walkway. It started flashing at the contact, and exploded a moment later, blowing up the edge of a tunnel and revealing that some zombies were in it.

Jesse and Petra skidded to a stop as they reached the short staircase leading down to the top of a tunnel, where another creeper was. Jesse's eyes narrowed on it, _"This ones mine."_ He ran towards it, smacking it with his sword and sending it flying into the wall, where it blew up to reveal a cave with a waterfall going right down from the ceiling. The words _MINECRAFT: STORY MODE_ appeared inside the hole, as spiders began to crawl out.

"Something exciting's going to happen." said Magnus, "Something exciting _always_ happens when the title shows up."

Ellegaard blinked, "Huh. He's actually right."

Onscreen, Jesse, who had been knocked onto his back by the force of the blast, looked up as the others showed up. Petra knocked a spider away and jumped off the edge of the tunnel, the others following her. Jesse got to his feet and did the same.

They landed on another walkway, and Jesse looked around to see that it was raining monsters. Zombies cried and yelled as the water pushed them off the edge, and they went falling towards the death-machine bellow them. Creepers from the tunnel they'd just gotten out of fell from the hole in the side, hissing and spitting as they all missed the walkway.

In another tunnel there were skeletons, and one shot an arrow at Jesse, which thankfully missed him. Jesse looked over to see Axel on top of a tunnel, backing away from a zombie, unable to defend himself. Jesse ran down the steps and hit the zombie, sending it over the edge.

 _"Jesse!"_ Axel yelled, _"Get down!"_ He raised his fist and punched the other zombie in the face, sending it flying towards Jesse, who ducked. The zombie hit his back, but Jesse straightened and it went soaring over the edge after it's friend.

 _"Who wants more?!"_ shouted Axel.

"Why are you asking for more?" asked Olivia, "Don't ask for more! We don't want more!"

Onscreen, Axel turned around and began making his way down another walkway, Jesse turning to face him with an 'are you kidding me?' look on his face.

_"You're asking for more?!"_

He followed Axel down some steps, Axel's eyes widening when he spotted a skeleton with a loaded bow. He ran past it and jumped off the other side, the arrow missing him and hitting the wall instead, barely missing Olivia. _"Jesse!"_ she yelled, upon spotting her friend, as the skeleton loaded another arrow.

Axel winced, "Sorry, Olivia. I must've not seen you."

"It's all right, Axel." Olivia said, "But I'm blaming you for asking for more."

 _"Hey, ugly!"_ said Jesse, and the skeleton turned its arrow to him. Olivia gasped.

_"Watch out!"_

The arrow went flying and Jesse leaned backwards to avoid it, the arrow soaring over him and vanishing into the dark. Jesse began running down the stairs, but stopped halfway when the skeleton aimed another arrow at him.

 _"Hey, bonehead!"_ yelled Olivia, gaining the skeletons attention, _"I'm talking to you!"_

The skeleton instead shot its arrow at Olivia, who barely dodged it. _"Anytime now, Jesse!"_

Jesse ran down the rest of the stairs and charged towards the skeleton, as it loaded another arrow and aimed at him. It fired, but Jesse skidded across the ground and it went over his head, and he hit the skeleton with his sword, sending it over the edge and to its death.

"Wow, Jesse," said Petra, "You're getting pretty good at this."

The screen cut to Jesse and Olivia jumping onto another walkway, before running along to where Lukas was fending off spiders, Axel going down more steps at the end of the walkway. Olivia ran past, but Jesse came to a stop at the top of the stairs as a spider began to advance on Lukas.

 _"HI-YAH!"_ he yelled, turning the spiders attention away from Lukas and onto him. The spider jumped at him, but Jesse ducked and it went flying over the edge and to the grinder far bellow.

Jesse looked back over at Lukas, who's eyes widened at something behind him. Turning, Jesse saw millions and millions of spiders crawling along the walls and heading straight towards them. Gaping, Jesse ran down the stairs as two spiders lunged, one landing where he'd been standing just seconds before. It jumped onto the tunnel top, advancing towards Jesse and Lukas, who stood near the edge.

"You've got a hero-complex." stated Lukas.

"Um, thank you." Jesse said, looking at him in surprise.

Lukas shook his head, "If you die because of said hero-complex, we're gonna kill you."

Jesse wisely choose not to answer, especially when Olivia, Axel and Petra nodded in agreement.

Above them, water began falling, the holes they'd made in the tunnels causing them to redirect and head straight towards the tunnel top Jesse, Lukas and the spiders were on. Sheathing his sword, Jesse yelled, _"Hold on!"_

"Oh no!" gasped Maya. Aiden kicked her in the thigh, causing her to flinch away from him and for tears to sting her eyes, giving him a half-hurt, half-confused look as she rubbed her new sore spot. Lukas stared at them with wide eyes, before Aiden's glare caused him to turn back to the screen. He'd deal with that little problem later.

Screaming, he and Lukas went over the edge before the water could sweep them away, grabbing onto the edge and hanging on. The spider that had been advancing on them flew over their heads, followed by its friends.

As the last of the water trickled away, the two pulled themselves back up onto the tunnel top, just as a terrified squeal pierced the air. On the walkway in front of them, Reuben ran along, being chased by a herd of zombies.

 _"Reuben, wait up!"_ shouted Jesse, running after him, Lukas following.

As Reuben ran ahead, Jesse and Lukas made their way up onto the walkway, the zombies far too slow to keep up with them. Coming to a stop, they spotted Petra on a tunnel top a little ways bellow them, fighting off four creepers.

She killed one before it could explode in her face, briefly making eye contact with Jesse, before turning to the another two as they closed in on her. Jesse jumped off the walkway, slamming into a creeper and knocking it into its friend, sending them both over the edge.

They hit the next door tunnel, one continuing down to the grinder while the other rolled onto the top, blowing up and leaving a gaping hole in its ceiling.

Axel fist-pumped the air, "Nice one, Jesse!"

Jesse and Petra looked up as more hissing made itself known, a creeper walking off the edge above them and falling towards them. It landed right between the two humans, Jesse leaping away from it with a yell, but it didn't explode. Up on the walkway, more creepers fell from above and landed next to Reuben and Lukas. Reuben squealed in fright and ran down the stairs, Lukas following him, and they both passed Jesse and jumped off the edge of the tunnel top. Jesse made to follow them.

 _"Jesse!"_ Petra yelled, causing Jesse to come to a stop, _"Incoming!"_

She hit the creeper, which had gotten to its feet, and it went flying towards Jesse. Eyes widening, Jesse jumped after Lukas and Reuben, just before it exploded, creating a gaping hole.

Jesse screamed as he quickly realized there was no nearby tunnel top or walkway for him to land on, and he landed on Lukas as he was getting to his feet on a walkway quite a few feet away from where Petra was. Jesse bounced off him, doing a little flip, and landed on his back in front of him.

The watchers winced. Even Ivor looked a bit sympathetic.

 _"Oh, that hurt."_ Jesse groaned, rubbing his temple and still on his back.

 _"The amulet!"_ exclaimed Lukas, still on his stomach. He pointed. _"It's over there!"_

Looking over the edge of the walkway, a little ways away was the white-glowing amulet, sitting on a tunnel top not that far bellow them. Axel's scream met their ears, as on the tunnel top right next to the amulet's, he and Reuben came to a sudden stop as water fell from somewhere above. As well as various different monsters.

"Whu oh." muttered Axel. Olivia was covering her eyes again.

Jesse looked down with wide eyes as Reuben squealed in fright. The water went over the edge of the tunnel top and towards the amulet, where it was swept away to the corner, where the water couldn't reach it, but also where it balanced dangerously above the grinder.

Reuben, still squealing, began running circles around the skeleton as it tried to shoot him, and Axel punched a zombie off the tunnel top.

 _"I've got to help them!"_ said Jesse, as Axel kicked the creeper off the edge, only for another one to fall, followed by another zombie, but the creeper was stuck on its side.

 _"What about the amulet?"_ asked Lukas. Jesse hesitated, before his expression set.

_"You get it!"_

Petra smiled, letting out a quite, relieved breath. It was good to know none of this would be getting to Jesse's head.

 _"I'm coming, Reuben!"_ yelled Jesse, jumping off the walkway and landing on the tunnel top. Lukas followed, making his way towards the amulet.

Jesse landed as the two zombies cornered Reuben, and he straightened, running towards them, _"Get away from my pig!"_ He knocked one zombie down, and it was most likely hurt from the fall because it died instantly. The other zombie barely had enough time to turn towards him, before Jesse knocked it over the edge.

 _"Got it!"_ Lukas exclaimed, holding up the amulet. The zombie that Jesse had knocked over landed on the tunnel top a few feet away from him, bursting into smoke. Jesse looked over the edge at Lukas.

 _"Jesse! Behind you!"_ said Axel, who was fending off the skeleton. Jesse turned around, spotting the creeper that had been stuck on its side eagerly making its way towards him. Jesse knocked it back down with a single hit, just before more water came falling down.

It swept Axel and Reuben towards Lukas with screams, while Jesse went right over the edge and fell towards the grinder with a scream of his own.

The Order and Jesse's friends gasped.

Olivia, who had started to peek out from between her fingers, gave a shout and covered her eyes again. Reuben gave a terrified squeal from where he sat in Jesse's lap.

Jesse fell passed the thousands of tunnels and walkways, still screaming, which were built in such a way that none would be able to stop his fall. Even if one could, he'd probably die from the impact. Bellow him, the grinder's pistons smashed together, the two layers of cobblestone insuring no survival.

A creeper came up from behind Jesse, who, upon spotting it, grabbed it and kicked it towards the grinder. The creeper flashed, hissing angrily, and it exploded just as it reached the grinder, blowing it apart.

Jesse, Lukas, Olivia, Axel, Petra, Gabriel, Reuben, Magnus and Ellegaard cheered (Magnus more for the explosions than the survival), Soren looking dismayed at the destruction of his grinder.

Onscreen, Jesse went through the now useless-grinder, landing in a large, deep body of water. He looked up, watching as the others and a few monsters fell after him. A spider spotted him and swam towards Jesse, clinging onto his shirt and trying to tear him apart. Jesse struggled, it being much harder since he was underwater and couldn't breathe, but he was able to throw the spider off.

The spider floated away, towards a hole in the wall, and it was sucked right into it.

"Oh, that's not gonna be fun." said Axel.

Confused, Jesse looked over as Reuben began swimming towards him, only to get sucked down through another hole in the floor, revealing that they were everywhere. Petra tried to swim up, but she too was sucked down into the floor, Olivia following. Lukas and Axel were sucked through ones in the walls.

Jesse tried to swim up, but he was already too close to the floor, and with a scream that created bubbles, he too was sucked away. The screen went dark.

"What was that?" asked Olivia, "Are we going to be okay?"

Soren waved her off, "You'll be fine. They lead straight to my storage room, as long as you don't drown first."

"Again," drawled Petra, "Very comforting."

"Well," he sent them an annoyed look, "You do destroy my grinder."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you choose to help Reuben and Axel or go for the amulet? Let me know in the reviews!


	15. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter fifteen and we're already in the End! Wow, I expected that bit to be at least at chapter twenty or something. I think the Witherstorm will be 'destroyed' during chapter twenty, if not sooner. And I'm going to guess that the longest the first season is going to be is about thirty or so chapters.

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Three: The Last Place You Look**

**Part Fifteen: The End**

* * *

The screen came back on to screaming, as water rushed down from above and Jesse fell down with it. He hit the floor with an _'oof,'_ the water pushing him away slightly before vanishing altogether. Before he could even think about getting up, squealing came from the speakers and Reuben landed on Jesse's back.

"What is it with you people and landing on top of each other?" asked Magnus, "First Goggles during Endercon, probably a couple of times after that I can't remember, then the Big Guy landing on Blondie in the tunnel, and now the Pig landing on Small Stuff."

"Do you even know _any_ of our names?" asked Jesse.

Magnus shrugged, "I could probably recall them if I thought for a moment. I'm just not bothered."

Reuben crawled off of Jesse, who got to his feet with wide eyes, taking in his surroundings. In front of him was a type of glass tube, a spider eye and other monster-objects slowly going up it. The screen followed it past lit redstone dust, coming to a minecarft track far above Jesse, where a minecart with a chest in it zoomed past. Another track is seen, followed by another minecarft-chest, then another and another, as the screen went up and up to show even more tracks and redstone.

"Wow," said Lukas, "That's amazing."

Water came from the ceiling, and Jesse looked up at it with wide eyes. It splashed to the floor a little ways away from him, the water pushing Lukas to Jesse's feet. Petra and Olivia are seen as the water vanished.

Groaning, the three slowly got to their feet.

 _"I thought water,"_ said Lukas, _"Was supposed to break a fall."_

 _"Is everyone okay?"_ asked Jesse, _"We all good?"_

Lukas looked at him, _"Well, I'm definitely not thirsty anymore."_ Olivia sighed.

_"We're fine."_

"Hey, wait," said Petra, "Where's- ?"

Rushing water met their ears, as well as more screaming, and they all looked up as more water splashed across the floor and Axel landed, once again, right on top of Lukas.

"Oh. Never mind."

"Again?" asked Lukas, looking at the screen in dismay, "A-friggin'-gain?"

Axel winced, "Sorry, Lukas."

 _"No, no."_ said Axel, seeming to not have realized he was sitting on someone, _"Don't worry, I'm totally fine."_ He looked over at Jesse with a small grin, leaving the watchers to wonder if he'd somehow heard what had been said or not.

Under him, Lukas groaned, _"Whyyyy?"_

 _"Oh, crap."_ Axel said, immediately getting to his feet, _"I'm sorry."_ Reuben started oinking excitedly, running forwards and jumping in front of Axel. Lukas made to get to his feet, but slipped on the water and fell back down.

Real-Lukas groaned at his bad luck.

Grinning, Axel picked Reuben up, holding him under his armpit. He looked at Jesse, who was staring at him with wide eyes, _"I knew you'd come for us. I just knew it."_ he gestured to Reuben with his head, _"Reuben had his doubts."_ he looked back at Jesse, _"I owe you. If there ever comes a time I can pay you back for that... I will pay it back, with interest."_

Real-Jesse shrugged, "You would have done the same for me, Axel."

"That's not the point, Jesse." said Axel, "Don't try and pretend that you haven't realized that future-you or whatever hasn't become a bit obsessed with that amulet. I'm just glad you chose us over it."

Jesse smiled at him, _"I'm just glad you're okay."_ Axel set Reuben down, _"Both of you."_

Axel returned the smile, _"Thanks, Jesse."_ He was silent for a moment, squinting as if trying to figure something out, _"There's something different about you, Jesse."_ Jesse gave him a look of surprise, which soon turned to confusion. Axel rubbed the back of his neck, as if trying to figure out how to put what he was thinking into words, _"You're-"_ He spotted the loot going through the tubes through the glass floor.

 _"Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on."_ the screen switched to inside the tubes, Axel's face peering through tinted blue from the glass, _"This is where all the loot gets sorted, right?"_

Olivia appeared, looking down at the loot as well, _"That's exactly what it is."_

 _"See that?"_ said Axel, straightening, _"Things are starting to turn around."_ He shoved passed Jesse, who gave him an annoyed look.

"Well, that certainly ruined the moment." muttered Soren.

"I can't believe you just did that, Axel." said Petra, shaking her head, "I'm pretty sure what you were about to say was important."

"He's right, though." Olivia said, looking from Real-Jesse to Onscreen-Jesse, "I think there might actually be something different about future Jesse compared to when we first started."

"You're saving the world from being eaten by the Witherstorm," said Gabriel, "You watch your home get devoured, and you will be in constant life-threatening situations. It is most likely that none of you will ever be the same after this."

 _"It's cool what you did up there."_ Petra said, waking towards Jesse as the others looked around, smiling at him, _"We stick together and we'll be fine. It's good to know you're not letting all this get to your head. I was worried it might."_

 _"Thanks, Petra."_ said Jesse, _"Means a lot."_

 _"Everyone's look at you to lead."_ continued Petra, stepping a bit closer. He glanced over Jesse's shoulder, _"Well, actually... maybe not everyone."_

Blinking, Jesse looked over his shoulder at Lukas, who had his back to them and was holding out the amulet. _"Look's like it's still working."_

"Of course it is." said Soren, offend at the very idea of it being broken, "Do you know how much time and work I put into that? I made sure it was practically unbreakable!"

 _"I'll just be real careful with it."_ said Lukas.

 _"Hey, thanks for grabbing that up there."_ Jesse said sincerely, _"Can I have it back?"_

Lukas turned to him, _"Not a problem."_ The white glow brightened before he could hand it over, causing Lukas to gasp, _"Hang on a minute... he's close... Soren's close by!"_ He turned around to face a stone archway leading into another room. _"He's gotta be... this way."_

Jesse walked forwards, Lukas looking at him with a wide smile, _"Look how bright it is!"_ Then the light flickered out, and the amulet went dark.

Lukas' head snapped towards Soren, "I thought you said it was unbreakable?!"

"Calm down." said Soren, "It is unbreakable. Don't you remember what Ellegaard said back at the temple?"

"No."

Soren faltered, "Oh... well, just watch and see."

Onscreen, Lukas tried shaking the amulet, eyes wide, but it was dead to the world. Before anything could be said, a loud rumble echoed throughout the room and they looked to the ceiling, startled.

 _"Sounds like the grinder is backed up."_ said Olivia.

 _"With loot?"_ asked Axel.

"Oh no." groaned Ellegaard, "Now that there's nothing killing the monsters-"

Another waterfall came from the ceiling, but it was not bringing loot. It was bringing live, vicious monsters.

 _"Go, go, go, go, go!"_ said Jesse, everyone starting to run for the archway. Lukas was still gaping at the ceiling, and Jesse tried to push him after the others, but the water hit them before they could get out of the way, sending them to the ground.

Jesse sat up, watching in horror as monsters got to their feet, no one having even gotten to the archway yet. A zombie tried to grab Reuben, but the pig was too fast for it. Olivia tried to run after him, but another zombie grabbed her, and the zombie that had tried to grab Reuben went over to join it.

A skeleton raised its bow to shoot the girl, but the first zombie got in the way and the arrow killed it. Before it could burst into smoke, Olivia tripped over its body, and the second zombie fell over as well.

Petra let out a long breath, "That was incredibly lucky."

Olivia nodded in agreement.

Behind her, Axel pushed a skeleton into a chest, before following Lukas towards the archway. A zombie advanced on Petra, but she slashed at it with her sword. At the very back, the furthest from the archway, Jesse was getting to his feet and drawing his sword, quickly ducking as a skeleton shot an arrow at him.

He raised his sword and charged at the skeleton, using the weapon as a sort of barricade and knocking the monster to the ground. _"Keep moving!"_

"I know this is for a good cause and all," said Soren, "But _come_ _on_ , people! Do you know how long that took to build?"

Jesse ran up to another zombie, dodging as it tried to hit him, and killed it with a blow from his sword. Looking over his shoulder, Jesse watched as Axel killed a skeleton, _"Axel, look out!"_

A spider launched itself from a chest and onto Axel, knocking him to the ground with a yell. Axel socked the spider in the face, knocking it off him and onto his back. He got to his feet, _"Take that, ugly!"_

But another spider launched at him from behind, landing on his back. Axel tried to reach for it, _"Oh, you want some too?"_

"Axel!" snapped Olivia, glaring at the large male. Axel inched away from her.

"What? What did I do?"

 _"I'm coming, buddy!"_ said Jesse, running towards him and knocking the spider off Axel's back, _"I... have had..._ _enough... of this!"_ He jumped at the spider, slashing it with his sword and killing it, _"Take that!"_ Behind him, Axel kicked the first spider.

_"In your face, spider!"_

They ran towards the archway, passing Petra as she dealt the final blow to a skeleton. She turned and followed them.

 _"There's two things I hate,"_ said Axel, as they entered another room and went through a smaller archway, _"It's running and monsters!"_

They ran up some steps, coming to a stop and staring wide eyed at what was in front of them.

 _"Holy crap,"_ Olivia gaped, _"An End portal?"_

The screen zoomed out a little, revealing that it was indeed an End portal, with it's delicate surrounding structure and bright night sky of a center.

 _"That's the way out."_ said Jesse.

"Oh, now I remember." said Lukas, "Ellegaard said that the amulet doesn't work in the End or the Nether."

Soren pointed at him, "Bingo."

 _"Wait!"_ gasped Lukas, looking over his shoulder and gaping at what was behind them, _"Wha... look!"_

They all looked behind them to see Petra still in the other room, still fighting off monsters. A zombie hit her and she flashed red at the damage, the blow sending her to the ground.

 _"Oh no."_ said Lukas.

"Oh god." gasped Olivia, covering her mouth in shock. Everyone who knew Petra looked at the screen with wide eyes. Never, _ever_ had she been taken down like this.

"It's the Wither Sickness." muttered Lukas, "It's- It's getting worse, isn't it?"

 _"Petra!"_ gasped Jesse, running towards her and drawing his sword, _"Get away from them!"_ He knocked a zombie down, Petra scooting away from it so it couldn't reach her. Jesse stabbed it, killing it, and slashed at the second zombie. A skeleton raised an arrow at him, but Jesse jumped towards it, knocking it down and killing it, _"In your face, monsters!"_

Turning to the others, he sheathed his sword, _"I think I'm starting to get the hang of this."_

"Thanks, Jesse." said Petra.

Jesse walked over to Petra and helped her to her feet, his eyes widening as more water came down in the sorting room, followed by more monsters. He grabbed Petra's hand, dragging her towards the portal at a run, _"Here we go!"_ Behind them, the monsters made their way into the room.

Climbing up onto the platform set around the portal, an arrow was fired, embedding itself into one of the blocks. Jesse glanced over his shoulder at the monsters, before turning to the portal, _"Jump!"_ He did just that, vanishing through the portal, and the screen momentarily went dark.

It came back on to a deserted landscape, with a purple sky, tall towering black structures and a white-yellow ground. At top one of the structures, you could see three Endermen. A little, high-pitched noise came from the speakers, unable to be truly identified, and Jesse abruptly appeared as if he'd just jumped out of something.

"Wow," said Jesse, "We get to meet the Order of the Stone, and go to the Nether _and_ the End. This is amazing."

Onscreen, Jesse took in his surroundings, his eyes widening. _"Whoa."_

That small high-pitched noise sounded again, and Jesse looked over to see Lukas, the once again glowing amulet in his hand. Lukas' eyes were as wide as Jesse's, as he walked up to stand next to the other boy. _"Oh. Great. It just keeps getting better."_

The noise sounded twice this time, and Olivia and Reuben suddenly appeared, quickly followed by Petra. Olivia looked around. _"Where's Axel? He was right behind me?"_

"You don't think those monsters got him, do you?" asked Lukas.

"I hope not." Jesse muttered.

The high-pitched noise sounded again, and Lukas looked up, just as Axel landed on top of him.

Lukas threw his hands into the air, "Come on, man! Come on!"

"Okay, so my Future-Self _might_ just be doing that on purpose."

The amulet rolled away, clattering to a stop next to Reuben. As Jesse walked over to it, Axel sat up. _"Ha! See? I'd told you I'd pay you back."_

 _"Get off."_ Lukas groaned, and Axel immediately got to his feet. Then Lukas' eyes widened and he gasped, covering his eyes, _"Oh, jeez..."_

"Are you _crying_?" sneered Aiden.

"Oh, shut up, Aiden." snapped Jesse. Axel was frowning at the screen. Had he broken something when he'd landed on Lukas?

_"Oh, man... wh- I- I- uh-"_

Jesse walked towards him, frowning at him in concern, _"Are you hurt?"_

 _"What?"_ said Lukas, uncovering his eyes and revealing he had in fact not been crying, _"No, I'm not crying, just- look!"_ He pointed behind them.

Jesse looked over his shoulder, only to immediately turn forwards again, eyes widening. Behind them were billions of Endermen.

"Oh, okay." said Ellegaard, "He wasn't crying."

"Oh, good." Axel said, rubbing the back of his neck and giving Lukas a sheepish grin, "I was afraid I'd broken something."

An Enderman walked up behind Jesse, not facing him, and Jesse slowly turned around and looked up at it. The Enderman turned around to face the group, and they immediately covered their eyes and ran away to hide behind one of the black structures.

Jesse peeked out from behind it, Lukas crouching next to them. _"So what do we call that?"_ asked the blond, _"A- A 'herd' of Endermen? A 'flock' of Endermen? A swarm?"_

"I prefer to call it a haunting of Endermen." said Soren.

 _"Call it whatever you want,"_ whispered Jesse, _"As long as we don't look at them, we'll be fine."_

 _"Yeah."_ said Lukas, sounding out of breaht, _"Yeah."_

 _"We might want to hold off on the grammar lessons until later."_ Olivia said, peering out Jesse's shoulder, _"Which way are we headed, Jesse?"_

Jesse pulled out the amulet, it's white glow illuminating his face, but a second later it began to flicker again. Eyes widening, Jesse tried to shake it, but it went out entirely.

"Oh, great." sighed Olivia, "Things just got a lot more complicated."

 _"Stuff like that doesn't work in the Nether,"_ said Petra, _"Probably not the End, either."_

Lukas started laughing, getting to his feet, _"Great. Whoo, man. So we were trapped and now we're lost."_ He looked over at the wandering Endermen surrounding them, before turning back to the others, _"So we go from a, uh... a death machine, that almost drowns us and we land here."_ he gestured to the Endermen, _"In the End."_

"Way to keep the spirit up, Lukas." Petra muttered sarcastically.

_"Which is the right name for it, since now, incredibly, we don't even know where we're going."_

_"At least we're alive."_ Jesse said finally, _"And well."_

Lukas glanced at Petra, who was holding her head, _"Yeah."_

"I, uh..." Jesse rubbed the back of his neck, "I think I phrased that wrong."

Jesse continued, _"We just have to keep on truckin' until we get to Soren."_

Lukas sighed, _"Face it, Jesse. We might never find this guy."_ Axel pointed at something the watchers couldn't see.

_"There he is."_

Olivia blinked. "Huh."

"Yeah." said Ellegaard, "Convenient."

"And cliche." Magnus butt in. Soren nodded, looking at the screen with wide eyes.

"Yes. But still convenient."

Sure enough, a figure could be seen in the distance, climbing a long staircase.

 _"Did that just happen?"_ asked Lukas, _"I can't believe that just happened."_ He looked around at the others, who were all staring up at the stairs, _"Am I the only one that's surprise? Because that was... I mean... that was like we conjured him."_

Soren laughed.

 _"Where's he going?"_ said Jesse, turning to the others. Petra gestured to the staircase.

_"Only one way to find out."_

They looked back up to the distant figure, watching as he went up the last few flights of stairs towards a ladder. Jesse looked back at the group. _"We gotta go."_

 _"Everyone follow me."_ said Petra, walking to the front of the group, _"I'll get us to the other side! Just stay behind me and we'll-"_ she cut herself off with a cough, _"We'll be fine."_

"Uh, I don't think that's a splendid idea." said Ellegaard. Petra winced.

Jesse hesitated, _"We'll be right behind you."_

 _"Uh... that doesn't sound like a good idea."_ said Lukas hesitantly. He straightened, _"Actually, you know what? I'll just go."_ He walked past Jesse and Petra, who were looking at him in surprise. Jesse walked up to stand a little behind him, and Lukas watched him from the corner of his eye.

 _"Give me a chance."_ he said quietly, only loud enough for Jesse to hear, _"Just say the word... and I'll do it."_

Jesse looked back at Axel, Oliva, Petra and Reuben, _"Everyone, follow Lukas. And let's pick up the pace, okay?"_

Both Onscreen and Real-Lukas smiled.

Jesse looked over at Lukas, who gave him a single nod with grateful smile, before turning around and starting to make his way to the staircase, _"Come on!"_

He stopped a little ways ahead, careful to avoid looking at the Endermen around him, and gestured for the others to follow. Ducking down, Jesse ran after him Reuben next to him and the others right behind him. He ran past the Endermen, stopping a few times when they got a little too close for comfort, and came to where Lukas was waiting in front of some sort of platform, which had the End Portal right in the middle and the staircase just behind it.

 _"Nice moves back there, Lukas."_ said Petra, as she and the others joined them, keeping their backs to the Endermen. Lukas smiled at her.

 _"Thanks."_ he looked at Jesse, rubbing the back of his neck, _"You too, Jesse. Thanks for giving me a shot."_

Jesse returned his smile, and they began making their way up the short steps and onto the platform, glancing at the End Portal. They stopped in front of the staircase, their eyes following it to the top. It was a very long climb.

"Oh, fantastic." said Magnus, rolling his eyes, "They're gonna die and it won't even be that exciting."

"What? From the staircase?" asked Ellegaard, "If they can survive you going wacko on them, they can survive a long staircase."

Jesse rubbed the back of his neck, "Um, I think I'd rather face wacko-Magnus."

Onscreen, Jesse's brow set in determination, _"Let's go."_ He led the gang up the first flight of stairs, Axel already starting to pant as they reached the first landing and turned to the second staircase.

 _"I hope that someday,"_ the large male said, _"I love something as much as Soren seems to love stairs."_

Jesse glanced back as Petra came up to the landing last, momentarily stopping to hold her head. He turned around and they followed after the others.

The screen cut to show the group making their way up the stairs before the last, Axel and Olivia at the front and Jesse and Petra bringing up the rear.

"Oh, I am _so_ not looking forward to that." Axel muttered.

 _"Jesse?"_ said Petra, the boy turning around to face her, _"Can you give me a sec?"_ She was panting and she looked impossibly _worse_ than before, one foot on the step in front of her so she could lean on her knee. She tilted her head to cough into her shoulder.

"You're just making things worse by not telling us." said Olivia, looking over at the other girl with a concerned frown, "I know there's nothing we can do to make you better, but... I don't know. It would be nice to know why one of our friends have gone from being the best fighter in town to unable to climb a hundred or so stairs, even if there's nothing we can do about it."

Petra sighed, "I know. I just... don't wanna worry anyone."

Jesse shook his head, "We'd still be worried whether you tell us or not. It's obvious there's something wrong, Petra, even if you won't tell what."

Eyes shinning with concern, Jesse held out his hand, _"Need a hand?"_

 _"No, no."_ said Petra, forcing her self to straighten and giving another cough, _"I can manage, thanks."_ Jesse gave her a look, _"Really. I'm fine. I'm good, I'm good. We can keep moving."_

"Pushing yourself is only going to make you sicker." said Gabriel.

Reluctantly, Jesse turned, revealing that Lukas and Reuben had stopped a few steps ahead of them, watching them. As they continue making their way up, Lukas is seen frowning, looking down.

Jesse came to the landing, where Axel, Olivia and Reuben were sitting down, panting.

 _"So many stairs."_ Olivia groaned. Jesse looked up the last flight of stairs, spotting a ladder shrouded in light.

 _"There's a ladder."_ he began making his way up the last flight, Petra and Lukas right behind him as the others got to their feet.

 _"It better not be a long one."_ said Axel. The screen blacked out.

"Why do you even need so many stairs?" asked Real-Axel.

"What? I needed it to be high up to avoid the Endermen."

"Couldn't you have built an _underground_ fortress?" asked Jesse. Soren shrugged.

"Less dramatic."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you let Lukas lead or did you lead? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> This chapters kind of shorter than usual, but I want to name the next chapter 'Wool World,' so there you go.


	16. Wool World

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Three: The Last Place You Look**

**Part Sixteen: Wool World**

* * *

Jesse stood at the bottom of the ladder, Petra not that far from him.

 _"Whatever this is,"_ she said, _"Looks like that's the way in."_

 _"After you, dude."_ said Axel.

Jesse looked back up at the ladder, _"Here goes."_ He grabbed onto it and began climbing, a double trapdoor not that far ahead, surrounded by what appeared to be green wool.

Reaching the trapdoor, Jesse opened it and climbed out, looking around with wide eyes. It was a replica of the world, complete with trees, bridges, a river and, somehow, a sun. Lukas called up from bellow, _"What do you see?"_

The watchers blinked at the screen slowly.

"Er... Soren?" said Ellegaard slowly, tilting her head as if she was looking at what's onscreen wrong, "What is that?"

"My, uh, End fortress."

"I think we should get him a therapist." Gabriel whispered to Magnus and Ellegaard. Soren scowled at him.

"I'm right here, you know."

 _"Please don't say more stairs."_ said Petra.

Slowly, Jesse walked forwards, _"I think I must be... seeing things. It's like another world up here. A brand-new, totally unspoiled world."_

Magnus rubbed the back of his head, "Well, that's one way to put it."

Over at the trapdoor, Lukas climbed out, squinting in the sudden light, _"So bright..."_ Olivia came up next, as Jesse continued hopping down the green blocks, the others following as they came up and looked around.

Axel was last to come up, shielding his eyes from the light, and tripping as he came to the hill everyone was making their way down. With a yell, he fell halfway down and knocked into Lukas, sending them both to the bottom, Axel landing on top of him.

Lukas put his head in his hands.

 _"That's my body, Axel."_ said Lukas, as Jesse inspected one of the trees, _"My broken, battered body."_

 _"Hang on a second..."_ muttered Jesse, walking closer to the tree. Olivia's voice floated over.

_"The ground is almost... squishy. Like carpet."_

_"Looks funny, too."_ said Axel, _"Hey, I can see again."_

 _"This doesn't look like a normal tree."_ Jesse said, frowning. The others were still talking.

 _"Glad to hear it."_ Lukas said, sounding like he'd just been punched in the gut, _"Now could you please get_ off _me?"_

_"Sorry, dude."_

Jesse reached forward and touched the tree, eyes widening, _"What in the- it's made of wool!"_

"Okay, it just got creepier." said Petra. All eyes went to Soren.

"What?" he said, "I like it, okay?"

Magnus and Ellegaard looked at each other, Magnus raising his hand and circling his finger around his ear, mouthing 'coo-coo.'

Jesse turned to face the others, walking forwards and looking around, _"This tree, the grass... it's all... wool!"_ Lukas picked up a dark green block of wool, walking towards them with a raised eyebrow.

 _"You're telling me we've been resting all our hopes on this guy, and this whole time he's been building some... totally artificial Happyland?"_ Silence met his words. Axel was the one to break it.

_"Well... it's real wool."_

Lukas looked at him, _"It's real evidence that Soren is whacked."_

Jesse looked around at the 'Happyland' again, _"Could it be he just... missed home?"_

"Still creepy." Magnus stage-whispered. Soren glared at him, and Ellegaard hit him over the head.

 _"If you miss home,"_ said Lukas, _"You go and visit. You don't build an exact replica."_ He threw the green wool away, _"We came here for nothing!"_ Lukas walked away, his back to the others, _"What are we even supposed to do now?"_

"Lukas..." Petra trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes widened, _"Hey, Lukas, you okay, man?_ Lukas turned to face him, gesturing to the wool world.

 _"Just look around, Jesse! If the greatest builder of all time has spent years working on_ this _, what're the chances he'll even have that bomb, huh?"_

"Actually," said Real-Soren, "I do have the bomb."

Half the room let out a relieved breath.

Not waiting for an answer, Lukas turned around and walked over one of the bridges, _"I've had enough crazy for one day."_ They watched him go.

 _"What's his problem?"_ asked Petra, _"He seem's pretty upset."_

 _"Just... give him some space."_ said Jesse, _"He'll be okay."_

They spread out, Axel and Olivia making their way across the bridge. Jesse looked up as, on the fake-sky, a bunch of redstone lamps shaped in a cloud flashed before going off. Jesse raised an eyebrow at it.

He walked over to Petra, who was standing near a wool-tree, _"Hey, Petra. So on a scale of 'ugh' to 'argh,' how bad are you feeling?"  
_

 _"Somewhere in between."_ said Petra, _"But... I'm holding on, for now."_

"Keep hooolding on." sang Olivia. Maya grinned.

"We'll make it through, we'll make through."

"So far away, I wish you were here."

"Something, something, before all this disappears."

"Maya!" hissed Aiden.

"Leave her alone!" snapped Olivia, glaring at him, "She can sing if she wants to."

"I'm not against her _singing."_ Aiden said, rolling his eyes and returning the glare, "It's who she's singing _with._ "

"Well, you know what?" said Petra, "Just because you don't like them doesn't mean everyone else does too. Get your head out your butt, Aiden."

Onscreen, Jesse glanced around again, _"How do you think Soren managed to get out of here without leaving any clues behind?"_

_"He is the greatest builder of all time. If anybody knew how to put in the secret-est of secret doors, it's him."_

"Aw, you flatter me." said Soren.

_"So I'm probably looking for..."_

_"Well,"_ Petra continued, _"To open a secret door... you need a secret mechanism."_

_"I guess I'm gonna keep looking around."_

_"Look away."_

Jesse turned away from Petra, only to spot a lever on one of the wool-tree's. He walked over to it and flipped it, a musical sound imitating through some hidden speakers. The very far left of the lamp-cloud light up.

"There you go!" Soren grinned, "You're getting there."

 _"Neat!"_ Jesse went across the bridge and looked around, before making his way over to Reuben, who was standing near two blocks of pink wool. He rubbed his head, Reuben leaning into the touch with a happy oink, _"You like that, don'tcha boy?"_

Real-Reuben bumped his head against Jesse's chest, who happily started giving him pets.

Jesse made his way over to Olivia and Axel, Reuben returning to looking- perhaps admiring- the pink wool.

 _"Thought you could trick me, huh, fake sun?"_ Axel was saying, _"Well, it's not gonna work."_ Realizing that his friend was in front of him, Axel turned to him, _"What's up, Jesse?"_

_"You both doing okay?"_

_"Could be worse."_ said Axel, _"Could be better."_

Jesse was silent for a moment, before looking up at the lamp-cloud, _"I think I'm onto something with this lever puzzle. If I can just the secret door I_ know _it's gonna open."_ When neither Axel nor Olivia had an answer to that, Jesse changed the subject, _"Either of you know what's eating Lukas?"_

 _"Well, as a long time observer of human behavior,"_ Axel said, crossing his arms. He looked over at Lukas, who was leaning against a wool-tree by himself across another bridge. Olivia spoke up.

 _"We have no idea."_ she looked back at Jesse, _"Try, ya know, talking to him."_

 _"Okay,"_ Jesse sighed, _"I'm gonna keep poking around."_

Axel gave a single nod, _"Right."_

"Honestly, people, the puzzles not even that hard!" said Soren, "You just have to switch all the levers and that's that!"

Jesse shook his head, "You say that as if you expect future-us to actually _hear_ you!"

Onscreen, Jesse made his way over to the blue wool sky under the lamp-cloud, pressing his ear against it. Soft beats could be heard somewhere on the other side. _"It sounds like... music is coming through the wall."_

Turning to the button right next to him, Jesse pressed it, but nothing happened. Frowning, he walked away, coming towards a wooden fountain. _"Well, at least that's not made of wool."_ He glanced around, _"Must be all sorts of hidden water systems in this place."  
_

"Of course! Having a wool world is kind of a fire hazard."

Jesse made his way across the second bridge, coming up to Lukas, who avoided looking at him.

_"What do you want?"_

_"Lukas, no matter how upset you get, you've got to keep it together."_

Lukas sighed, still not looking up, _"I know, I do... I just..."_

Jesse looked at him expectantly. Lukas gave another sigh.

 _"Listen, I know I've been prickly, okay? But..."_ he finally looked up, pushing himself off the wool-tree, _"Jesse, I think... something's wrong."_ He was looking over Jesse's shoulder, who turned to see that he was staring at Petra, her back to them. _"With Petra."_

"Ohhh, okay." said Olivia, "He's just worried about Petra."

"I think he's realized by now that something's really wrong." Ellegaard said, nodding, "But what with all the chaos, he hasn't had the chance to ask her about it, and she would have probably lied and said she was fine as well."

Lukas looked over at Petra, who kept her eyes on the screen.

It briefly showed Petra's pale face, purple bags under he eyes, as she coughed into her elbow. A sad look on his face, Jesse turned back to Lukas as he continued.

 _"You have to have noticed. The lack of energy... the labored breathing..."_ when Jesse didn't say anything, Lukas seemed to get frustrated, _"There's something wrong! Okay? Something... big. It's not fooling anybody."_ He walked away a bit, looking at the ground with his back facing Jesse. _"At least not me."_

"Come on, Jesse." Lukas whispered. If Petra wouldn't tell them, then Jesse would, right?

But Onscreen, Jesse didn't answer. Lukas crossed his arms, gaze turning hard. _"Oh, so I tell you what's bothering me and now you have nothing to say about it?!"_ He walked back to the wool-tree before Jesse could say anything, _"Just leave me alone."_ _  
_

Real-Lukas sighed, shoulders slumping.

Jesse watched him go sadly, before spotting another lever on the tree he was leaning against. Lukas glared at him when he came closer, and Jesse rubbed the back of his neck, not meeting his eyes. _"I, uh, kinda need to get to that lever you're blocking."_

 _"Fine."_ said Lukas, stepping aside. Jesse walked over to the lever.

 _"That wasn't too hard, was it?"_ He flipped the switch, and the far right of the lamp-cloud started glowing, leaving only the center dark.

 _"Walking one foot to the left?"_ said Lukas, as Jesse walked passed him in search of another lever, _"Nope. I think I've got that covered."_

Jesse winced, glancing at the blond sitting to his left. Silence wasn't really the best answer, but he'd promised Petra that he'd let her tell them in her own time. But now that he thought about it, he doubted it was going to happen.

Onscreen, Jesse walked around, stopping in front of some sort of stage, which had three black wool figures on it. _"It's, uh... cute, I guess?"_

Soren decided to ignore the stares he was getting.

Jesse continued walking around, coming to a stop in front of a block of purple wool that had a zombie head on it. He stared at it for a moment, before continuing his search for the lever. He walked across the third and final bridge, coming back to where Petra was.

 _"Hey."_ the girl said, upon spotting him. Jesse was silent for a moment.

_"Lukas knows something."_

Petra's eyes narrowed, _"How_ much _of something?"_

_"He see's you're not feeling well."_

A moment passed before Petra spoke again, _"I'm trying to hide it best I can, but..."_

Real-Lukas was already shaking his head rapidly, "You shouldn't be trying to hide it."

"Yeah, Petra," said Axel, "Hiding it isn't going to solve anything."

"Neither will telling you." muttered Petra, just loud enough for those on the floor to hear.

"Telling us," Olivia said, "Means you at least don't have to hide it."

 _"You take care of you."_ said Jesse, _"I'll take care of Lukas."_

Petra nodded, and Jesse made his way across the first bridge again, back to where Olivia. Axel and Reuben where. Far off to the side, half hidden by the way it was place on the wool-tree, was another lever.

Practically running towards it, Jesse flipped it, the middle part of the lamp-cloud glowing and completing it. _"Cool."_

Spotting the button on the wall from earlier, Jesse made his way over to it and pushed it. There was the sound of shifting pistons, before a part of the wall vanished into the ground, leaving a doorway four blocks long and nine blocks high.

"So that's where he went." muttered Gabriel.

 _"That's... weird."_ said Jesse, moving to stand in front of the new archway and into the room beyond, which had a fountain right in the middle. Reuben came up to stand beside him. _"Hey, everyone! I think I've found Soren's way out!"_

Axel, Olivia, Lukas and Petra walked up to him, peering through the archway.

 _"Great."_ said Lukas, _"Now on to Weirdoville in three, two,"_ he, Axel, Olivia and Reuben made their way inside, _"One."_

Soren scowled at him.

 _"Nice sleuthing, Jesse."_ Petra said, her and Jesse the only one's who hadn't walked in, _"Sorry I wasn't more help back there. When I think back to how I ran all over Endercon looking for Ivor... or when I got that skull... It's hard to imagine I did_ any _of that... now that I'm like this."_

_"I'm just happy you're with us."_

Petra nodded but didn't say anything, and made her way through the secret door after the others. Jesse followed her, the screen cutting to the inside. The place was decorated with tables with torches on them, and bushes and glowstone hanging on the ceiling. It would have been beautiful, if it hadn't looked as if nothing had really been used since it was made.

 _"We'll check out the rest of the house."_ said Petra, as they all began to split up, _"See if we can find Soren- before he finds us."_

"Wow, okay, you made it sound like I was planning on killing you or something!" Soren exclaimed.

"We just discovered that you've spent years creating a replica on our world out of wool," Petra said, "For all we know, you might actually want to kill us."

Jesse walked up to the fountain, raising an eyebrow at it, _"Guess the water system isn't just for the outside. Not that the outside was... actually... the outside."_ He continued past the fountain, stopping to look at a seating area, _"You could fit hundreds of people in here... but it doesn't look like it's being used for much of anything."_

"Yes, well..." Soren shrugged, "It looks nice."

Magnus blinked at him, "Oh, wow, he's actually got me concerned. _Me_."

Jesse made his way under a wood archway, coming to yet another fountain. To the right, he spotted Olivia and Reuben by a door near a long dinning table, where the source of the music form before seemed to be coming from.

Sharing a look with Olivia, Jesse pressed his ear against the door, much like he'd done back with the wool wall. _"Well, the music's louder. But I don't hear anyone talking in there. Let's see what's going on behind this door."_

Olivia nodded, and the screen went momentarily dark.

It came back on to show Jesse and Olivia slowly making their way into the room. It had bookshelves, counters and some sort of machine that had potion holders. On the far wall was purple stained glass panes and two armor stands, one empty and one holding some sort of black suit. A ladder led up to a small balcony above them, and to the left a jukebox, the source of the music, was playing. Four disks sat in picture frames above it.

 _"I call that one symphony in E."_ the jukebox was playing over the music. The voice laughed, _"A new composition to celebrate my newest discovery!"_

"Isn't that Soren?" said Axel.

 _"That's him!"_ Olivia exclaimed. Jesse's eyes widened.

_"Soren!"_

_"-placed a block on top of another block-"_ Jesse and Olivia rushed towards the noise, coming to a stop in front of the jukebox.

 _"What the- ?"_ Olivia looked at it in dismay.

 _"It's just a recording!"_ said Jesse.

_"-undeniable intelligence. I hope I'm not imagining things. Goodness knows, it's happened before-"_

"Excuse me?" said Ellegaard, raising an eyebrow.

 _"After all that!"_ groaned Olivia, _"He's not even_ here _?!"_

The recording laughed, _"I, uh, should probably eat something. I'm positively lightheaded with excitement!"_

 _"We came all this way and for what?"_ Olivia continued, _"We're not closer to Soren than before."_ Jesse turned to face her.

 _"Well, this record didn't turn on by itself..."_ Olivia blinked at him.

 _"Huh. Good point. I guess he_ really _likes the sound of his own voice, then."_

Soren shrugged. "It can be a bit quiet sometimes."

 _"Maybe there's something useful on this record."_ Jesse contemplated, turning back to it, _"If we can figure out what he's talking about..."_

 _"I've worked up a simple set of building instructions,"_ the recording was saying, _"To... 'inspire' them."_

Many eyebrows were raised at that.

_"I will disguise myself and hide among them in order to observe them more closely."_

"Observe _who_ more closely?" asked Lukas.

"Well, I don't want to spoil anything." Soren said. Magnus rolled his eyes.

 _"Huh."_ said Jesse, _"'Hide among them?' Hide among_ who _?"_

"That's what I just said!" Lukas high-fived Jesse, causing Petra to roll her eyes with an amused smirk.

_"Uh... Jesse?"_

Jesse looked over at her, confused. Olivia's eyes were wide.

 _"Do you think Soren is talking about..._ them _?"_ she pointed to the other side of the room, and the screen switched to behind the purple-stained glass. Monster noises me their ears, as it zoomed out to reveal Endermen. Thousands and thousands of Endermen, just standing about and picking up blocks at random.

"Endermen?" gaped Ellegaard, "You've been experimenting with _Endermen_?"

"They're amazing creatures!" said Soren, ignoring the gaping looks and wide eyed stares he was getting, "They're the closest living being that has ever come to building something like humans do. I mean, sure, it's just picking up and putting down blocks at random, but _-"_

"Soren," Gabriel cut him off, "This is immensely dangerous."

"Oh, I know that! But I'm fine as long as I'm wearing the suit."

"What suit?" asked Petra. Soren gestured to the screen.

 _"Then again,"_ said Olivia, _"Everything_ else _about this guy has been pointing to crazy..."_

Jesse glanced at the glass, _"I guess everybody need hobbies. Even if they are really, really,_ really _dangerous."_ He was silent for a moment, before gesturing to the glass with his head, _"You think he's actually training Endermen to build stuff?"_

"Why, of course!" Soren grinned.

 _"I think_ he _think he's training Endermen to build stuff."_ Olivia said.

Soren's face fell. Magnus patted him on the shoulder.

 _"Let's look around,"_ said Jesse, _"See what we can find out."_

Olivia nodded, before turning around to search about the room. Jesse started walking about, passing Reuben. Looking back at the purple glass panes again, he walked up to it, peering through it at the Endermen, only for one to abruptly appear in front of him.

Most of the watchers jumped.

Onscreen, Jesse jumped back with a startled yell. When the Enderman didn't do anything but stand there, Jesse let out a relieved breath _,_ realizing it couldn't see him. Despite this, he was quick to move away from the glass and, upon spotting a double chest, went over to open it.

After a moment of searching, he pulled out a blueprint to what could only be one of the simplest designs of all time. It was made up of six blocks, five of which formed the capital letter L and the last one sitting alone in the top right corner. The text next to the build said that it was all to be made of clay blocks. _"Found something."_

Olivia walked over to him, _"What'cha got?"_

 _"It's definitely some sort of crafting recipe."_ said Jesse, looking at the recipe in confusion, _"But why would someone as brilliant as Soren need a recipe for a shape that simple?"_

 _"Because they're not_ for _Soren,"_ Olivia realized, _"They're for the Endermen!"_

"Righto!" cheered Soren.

_"This must be what he's trying to teach them to build!"_

Jesse nodded, pocketing the recipe. Olivia went back to searching through a chest, and Jesse glanced at the door. _"Hey, Olivia? What do you think the others have found?"_

Olivia turned to him, _"I dunno. Soren's mansion looked huge, but the lab seems to be where the real answers are."_ She returned to the chest, and Jesse began walking around again. Upon spotting the jukebox, which had gone silent, he walked over to it, looking up at the discs on the wall above it. He grabbed the one of the bottom right.

 _"'Calls of the Endermen.'"_ He put it in the jukebox, and after a second it started at the sound of Soren clearing his throat. But instead of talking, he started making weird, loud noises, like a deep sort of 'ruu-ooo' sound. Jesse blinked at it slowly.

"What?" asked Soren in response to the stares he was once again on the receiving end of.

Jesse started walking away, quickly realizing that the record would be of no help. He spotted a block of clay under the purple glass, and went over to pick it up. Recorded-Soren stopped making noises, _"And now, an Endermen love song."_

Aiden leaned towards Maya and Gill, _"That's_ the leader of the Order of the Stone? A complete nutter?"

Recorded-Soren continued making noises, while Jesse ignored it and pocketed the clay, _"Those instructions called for clay blocks, just like this one."_

 _"It's all just fascinating."_ said Recorded-Soren, and the disk ended.

Jesse walked up to a the armor stands, studying the black suit, which they can now see has purple eye holes. He looked over at the armor stand next to it, which was taller than the other one and bare. Jesse looked over his shoulder, _"Olivia, check it out."_

Olivia walked up to stand beside him, raising her eyebrows at the black suit, _"An Enderman... suit? Either Soren's got a very unique fashion sense or... wait a second!"_

 _"Looks like a taller one was hanging there."_ said Jesse, gesturing to the empty stand, _"But it's missing."_

 _"Because Soren must be wearing it!"_ Olivia exclaimed, _"_ This _is the disguise he was talking about!"_

Soren nodded, "It is indeed. Took rather long to make, the, uh, smaller one is one of the first I'd made, but the taller one is much more realistic."

Ellegaard shook her head, "I still can't believe you're doing... _that._ "

_"You mean-"_

Olivia nodded, _"In order to_ walk _among the Endermen, you have to_ become _an Endermen!"_ The screen went from the taller stand to the smaller one, giving them a good look at the back-up suit and showing that it did, indeed, look like an Enderman, only smaller.

 _"Okay, so,"_ Olivia continued, _"If Soren is using those blueprints to teach the Endermen to build, and there's a disguise missing from the stand..."_

 _"He must be conducting his experiment right now."_ Jesse finished.

_"Of course! The missing disguise is the one he had to put on before going outside!"_

_"Which means if we want to get to Soren,"_ He looked out the purple glass, at the oblivious Endermen beyond it, _"We'll have to go out_ there _to do it."_

"Or, you know, just wait for him to get back." said Axel. Petra shook her head.

"Who knows how long he'll be gone? With every passing second, that Witherstorm is getting closer and closer."

 _"That left over Enderman suit_ would _fit me."_ Jesse said, looking the suit up and down, _"I guess it's time to play dress up."_ Olivia nodded, before going off to look around some more. Jesse took another look at the suit, _"Creepy."_

"Wow, wow, wow. Hold on a sec." said Lukas, looking from Real-Jesse to the screen with wide eyes, "You're actually going _out_ there? Just because Soren's crazy enough to go out there, doesn't mean you have to too!"

"Petra's already pointed out we don't have time to wait for him to get back." Jesse said, "Besides, I doubt future-me's that keen on the idea either. Present-me certainly isn't."

He looked over to the ladder on his right, and walked towards it. Jesse climbed it to the top and came to a small balcony that had wooden fences to keep anyone from falling off. There were more bookshelves, another purple-stained window, two redstone blocks on top a bookshelf to the left and two tables and chairs right next to it. Jesse peered through the glass at the Endermen bellow him.

 _"It's a good thing they can't see me through this glass."_ Spotting another block of clay between the bookshelf and a seat out of the corner of his eye, Jesse picked it up, muttering to himself, _"I'll take this one, too."_

He looked around the balcony some more, but there was nothing else, so he made his way back down the ladder to the lower level. There was another clay block sitting atop a short bookshelf next to the double chest he'd found the blueprints in, and he went over to get it, _"That's three I've grabbed so far."_

Jesse made his way past Olivia and closer to the door, walking past a counter that had a furnace, glowing as it cooked something. He glanced at the paintings on the wall, before his eyes landed on yet another clay block, sitting next to a bookshelf. _"I'll take this one, too."_ he picked it up and put it in his inventory with the rest of the clay blocks.

He looked at the table next to him, which was covered in potted plants with something hanging on the ceiling above them, probably keeping them alive. _"Guess it's hard to grow plants in the End."_

"Insanely hard." Soren said, crossing his arms and shaking his head, "That 'Happyland,' as this young man has so _nicely_ dubbed it," he sent Lukas a glare, who shrugged, "Was not originally supposed to be made out of wool, after all. Only the sky."

Onscreen, Jesse walked over to the jukebox again, standing on his tippy-toes to reach the top right disk. He read it aloud with a raised eyebrow, _"'The Folly of Pumpkins'?"_ Shrugging, Jesse turned to the jukebox and put it in.

 _"Wearing a pumpkin may stop the Endermen from attacking,"_ said Recorded-Soren, as Jesse went off to continue looking around, _"But I remain convinced it's also altering their behavior-"_

Jesse walked over to two double iron doors leading out to the Endermen, spotting another clay block next to it on the potion-stand-thing. _"Looks like this is the last block in here."_ he muttered, pocketing it.

 _"-I am now beginning to fashion a camouflaged suit, which will allow me to mingle-"_ Jesse drowned out Soren's voice, instead looking up at the Enderman suit on the stand. He walked up the steps to it, standing in front of it and looking it up and down.

Jesse took the breastplate off it first, the screen switching to him pulling the sleeves over his hands. Then Jesse turned around to face the helmet, which was still perched on the stand, and then he was holding it above his head, sliding it on and covering everything but his chin and mouth. He turned around with a smile, Reuben grinning up at him, the screen zooming out to give them a good view of the suit.

"Endermen." Olivia muttered, shaking her head slowly, "Oh, why did it have to be Endermen? Wh-Why not giant chickens or something?"

Magnus gave her a strange look, "What's it with you and giant chickens?"

 _"How do I look?"_ asked Jesse, as Olivia walked behind him with a raised eyebrow.

 _"I don't think you want my honest opinion."_ Olivia said, _"But it just might do the trick."_

Jesse looked over at the jukebox again, making his way towards it.

"You don't actually think you'll find anything useful in those disks, do you?" asked Lukas. Jesse shrugged.

"I'm, like, 80% sure I'm stalling."

Jesse reached up on his tippy-toes again and grabbed the top left disk, _"'Totemic Constructions of Peaceful Endermen.' Hm."_

"I don't really appreciate you going through my stuff like this." said Soren.

Petra shrugged, "Maybe you shouldn't have put them in picture frames, then."

 _"Could Endermen be implored to work together?"_ said Recorded-Soren, _"Or are they like sheep and pigs, wandering randomly and doing things based on whim rather than higher thought process?"_ Jesse started to walk around the room again, briefly glancing at all the paintings on the walls, _"I've already decided that only Endermen at peace build structures. When agitated, such as yesterday, they don't seem to have any interest in building things."_ Finding nothing, Jesse made his way back over to the jukebox, _"Only... hitting me. With their fists. Repeatedly."_

This was greeted by many winces.

 _"Meanwhile,"_ Recorded-Soren continued, _"Peaceful Endermen will move blocks to any spot on and on, seemingly adding finalist, until they somehow achieve... satisfaction, and walk away. Clearly, this will require further detailed observation. I am so, so lonely."_

"Then how come you never visited us?" asked Ellegaard, "I would have been more than glad to work with you again."

Soren blinked at her in surprise, "Really?"

"Of course. And I'm sure Magnus and Gabriel wouldn't mind you stopping by, either."

Soren's looked from Magnus to Gabriel, still wide eyes. Gabriel and Magnus shared a look, before turning to the other male member.

"Sure, why not?"

"I would be more than happy to see you, any of you for that matter, every now and again."

At that, Soren broke into a wide grin, "That- That's brilliant!"

Onscreen, Jesse raised his eyebrows at the last part, before taking down the last disk. _"'Endermen Observations, Part 27?'"_

Lukas let out a low whistle, "Wow, that's a lot of parts."

He put it in the jukebox and another recording of Soren's voice began to play. Spotting Olivia looking through another chest, Jesse made his way over to her. Sensing his presence, the girl stood up and turned around, taking a startled step back when she laid eyes on he costumed friend, who was smiling. Olivia sighed.

 _"You know that's_ really _creepy, right?"_

Jesse's smile fell, _"Huh?"_

_"The Endersuit."_

"Hey, that's a really good name for it!" Soren exclaimed, "I've just been calling it the 'disguise.'"

_"I keep wanting to not look at you. It's so disturbing."_

Jesse gave a sheepish chuckle, shrugging, _"Sorry."_

Olivia glanced at the purple glass, _"You go ahead and build with those Endermen outside. I'll just wait here."_

Rolling his eyes, Jesse made his way over to the double iron doors, where Reuben stood waiting for him. Before he could open the doors, however, Olivia came up behind him. _"Hang on a second. Soren-in-disguise looks like any old Enderman... and so will you."_

"Ohhh, so you won't know which one's Soren." said Axel. Aiden rolled his eyes.

"Obviously, dummy."

This earned him glares, which he forced himself not to shrink away from.

_"How are you going to find him? Walk up to every Enderman out there and say, 'Hey, are you Soren?'"_

Jesse was silent, so Olivia continued. _"The whole point of a disguise is to_ avoid _that kind of attention."_

 _"We just need to stand out without being seen."_ said Jesse, _"Like a shadow in the night."_

"Huh?" said Axel. Petra shook her head.

Olivia didn't say anything for a moment, giving him a weird look, _"What?"_ When Jesse only shrugged, Olivia sighed, _"Try not to die, okay? I'd really hate to have to watch that."_ she looked at the purple glass, where Endemen eyes could be seen blinking, _"From behind this protective glass."_

 _"Thanks for the vote of confidence."_ Jesse said sarcastically. With that, he turned around and made his way out the door, Reuben following him. _"Okay, we've just gotta get Soren's attention..."_

"I still don't see how you're gonna do that." said Lukas, raising an eyebrow, "Being a 'shadow in the night' isn't much of a plan."

Jesse stuck his tongue out at him.

Onscreen, Jesse swallowed, looking out at the many Endermen. _"And avoid attracting_ theirs _."_ Reuben looked up at them fearfully.

Abruptly, an Enderman turned to face them, staring right at Reuben.

"I'm pretty sure Future-Me has already said this," Magnus said, "But a pig is _hardly_ stealthy."

It came to stand in front of them, peering down at them with it's purple eyes. Reuben gave a terrified oink and ran back to the doors, Olivia quickly letting him in before slamming it shut again.

The Enderman leaned forwards, getting right in Jesse's face, who was shaking in fright. The tall monster stared right into his eyes for almost a full minutes, before slowly straightening again, turning around and walking away, leaving Jesse shaking near the iron doors.

Petra- and quite a few others- let out breaths they hadn't even realized they'd been holding.

Pulling himself together, Jesse let out a relieved breath. He made his way through the crowd of Endermen, careful not to get too close to any of them, and spotted one of them holding a clay block. _"I need six clay blocks to finish that shape in Soren's instructions."_ he glanced around, but there wasn't any other clay blocks. He sighed, _"And this guy's got the only block around."_

"Oh, please don't tell me you're gonna do what I think you're gonna do." moaned Olivia. Besides her, Lukas had gone terribly pale.

"Uh, you don't wanna do that." said Soren, "You really, _really_ don't wanna do that."

Jesse walked towards the Enderman, stopping right in front of it. The monster didn't move, didn't even look at him. Jesse's eyes went down to the clay block in it's hands. He stepped forwards and took hold of it, before looking up at the Enderman, who was now looking down at him. Ever so slowly, Jesse began to pull the block away, the Enderman not resisting as it slipped out of it's hands.

But as Jesse pocketed the block, the Enderman began shaking and making angry hissing noises, looking down at it's now-empty hands. Jesse backed away, _"Uh oh."_ He quickly walked away from the Enderman, which had seemed to set off some sort of chain reaction, for almost all the other Endermen were starting to shake and hiss too.

Soren sighed, "Aaaand he did it anyway."

"Hey, it's not like I can hear you!"

"You're supposed to be _not_ attracting attention to yourself!" Lukas exclaimed, "But, for some reason, you thought it'd be a great idea to take a clay block off an _Enderman_!"

Jesse came to stop in front of square in the ground made up of dyed wool and glass panes, bellow the panes being lit up redstone lamps, _"Looks like a building grid. Lemme just take another look at the instructions."_ he pulled out the recipe, looking at it for a moment before turning back to the grid, _"Nothing I can't handle."_

He placed the left corner clay block down, _"One block down, five to go."_ He looked around, himself to ignore the increased hissing and spitting, _"I just hope that Soren's watching. Wherever he is."_

"I'm sure you grabbed my attention the moment you took that Enderman's block."

Onscreen, Jesse put down the last of the five blocks, standing back to look at it. He put his hands on his hips, _"False evidence of Endermen intelligence: accomplished."_ Behind him, an Enderman's head snapped towards him, and two of the monsters began walking towards him, _"Uh... nothing to see here, guys. Just walk away."_

Almost every Enderman's attention was on him, and they started walking and teleporting closer to him. _"Okay, they're no walking away. Definitely not walking away."_ The Enderman closest to him opened it's mouth and started screeching in rage.

"Tell me when it's over." Olivia groaned, covering her eyes. Lukas patted her soothingly on the back.

 _"I_ am _sorry about this,"_ a voice said.

Olivia's head snapped back towards the screen, everyone's eyes widening.

Jesse's head snapped towards the direction of the voice, coming face to face with another Enderman, _"But... it has to look real."_ Jesse's eyes barely had time to widen, before the Not-Enderman raised its long harm and whacked him right across the head. The screen went black as Jesse lost consciousness.

The audience was silent. After a moment, Jesse was the one to break it.

"Well, _ow_."

"Hey, I said I was sorry!" said Soren.

"That looked _painful!_ "

"I _did_ just say it had to look real."

"Yeah, _look_ real. Ever heard of acting?"

"At least you're alive?" Petra tried. Lukas looked at her and mouthed 'Happyland.' Petra blinked, slowly turning back to the screen.

She really hoped Soren wasn't as mad as he seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you tell Lukas that Petra/Gabriel was sick or did you lie? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Wow, that must have been the first hard chapter I've had to write in this story. I hope it's only because there wasn't a lot of action in it. If so, than it should be fixed by next chapter. If not... well, crap-a-do.
> 
> Also, I really like the name I've picked out for the next chapter. I like it so much, I won't be telling you what it is right now, so you'll have to wait for the next chapter.


	17. A Rather Short Enderman

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Three: The Last Place You Look**

**Part Seventeen: A Rather Short Enderman**

* * *

It was as if two doors were opening, one going upwards and the other downwards. The angle of the camera is sideways, and it appears to be on the floor, the two empty stands not that far away. Obviously, they were seeing from Jesse's eyes, and this was soon followed by ringing and the distant sound of someone panting. An Enderman's legs walked passed him, before Jesse closed his eyes again, probably in pain.

Real-Jesse winced. He wasn't looking forwards to that.

A voice cut through the ringing and panting, _"I-I don't think it'll bruise."_ Jesse opened his eyes again at the voice, only to see Reuben sniffing at his face. _"You're face, I mean."  
_

Jesse started sitting up, Reuben grinning at him upon realizing he was all right. The constant noise slowly came to a stop, the tall Endersuit seen back on its stand. _"These suits were built with durability in mind."_

Looking in the direction of the voice, Jesse's eyes rested on none other than SOREN, who was sitting at the bottom of the potion-stand, one hand on his raised knee. He was looking at the younger male with a raised eyebrow.

"And there he is!" said Magnus dramatically, "The greatest wacko builder of all time!"

Eyes widening, Jesse climbed to his feet, the screen no longer looking through his eyes. He was still wearing the Endersuit, but the helmet had been removed. _"You must be Soren."_

 _"I am. But must I be?"_ said Soren, as Jesse walked up to him with Reuben beside him, _"I'm not sure if I want to sometimes. Sometimes, I'd prefer to be anything but Soren. Like a donkey, for example!"_

"He's the greatest architect of all time," said Maya slowly, "And he wants to be a _donkey_?"

"Well, why ever not?" asked Soren. Maya decided not to answer that.

 _"You have to help me."_ Jesse said, getting straight to the point. Soren raised his eyebrow again.

_"I just did."_

_"You hit me. Hard. In the face."_

_"You upset the Endermen. And I got you to safety."_

Jesse didn't seem to have an answer to that.

 _"By the way,"_ Soren continued, getting to his feet, _"As far as introductions are concerned..."_ his eyes turned hard, _"This is not going very well."_ He turned his back to Jesse, walking away to stand in front of the tall Endersuit and the smaller one's stand.

 _"We're in danger."_ said Jesse.

 _"Oh, what else is new?"_ Soren said, looking over his shoulder, _"Whatever your issue is, whatever your problem, it has occurred before and has been solved before."_ He looked far from happy.

"Well, no, not this time." said Petra.

Soren turned back to the stands, _"Even so, what do you need me for? I've gone out of my way to avoid these types of problems. I don't even remember what it looks like up there."_

"Isn't that just more reason to come back?" asked Ellegaard.

Jesse seemed to have finally thought out what to say, _"Help me save the world."_

Soren's eyes narrowed, interest captured, but he still didn't turn to face Jesse, _"How?"_

_"The Formidi-Bomb."_

Soren didn't say anything, and for the first time Jesse noticed all the Endermen crowded around the glass. Shaking. He decided to hurry things up.

_"There's a Witherstorm on the loose and it's eating the world."_

_"Ah, I see. You misspoke."_ Soren turned around to face him again, _"You don't need me. You need my_ stuff _."_

"But we need _you_ to _build_ said stuff." said Petra. Soren, who had turned sour, immediately brightened.

"Huh. I suppose you're right."

 _"I found that when you give people what they want,"_ Soren continued, _"They turn on you."_ He walked passed Jesse, stopping in front of the dying plants, _"They become resentful. They show their true colors."_

Ivor and the Order glanced at each other, before quickly turning their attention back to the screen. Only Lukas saw it.

 _"Who turned on you?"_ asked Jesse, having put two and two together.

 _"All of them!"_ exclaimed Soren, glaring at the plants as if they had personally offended him, _"It's why I prefer Endermen. They always do what you expect, almost to a fault."_ Jesse looked over his shoulder at the Endermen crowded around the glass, his face taking on an uneasy expression. He turned back to Soren as he continued.

_"You're a stranger. And what you're asking for is too dangerous."_

Jesse reached into his pocket and spoke slowly, clearly, as though he were choosing his words extremely carefully, _"I have the amulet."_

Soren's eyes widened, but he didn't turn to face Jesse, _"What?"_

_"Gabriel gave it to me."_

Finally, Soren turned to face him, looking from Jesse to the amulet. He put his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow, _"Gabriel?"_

_"Gabriel asked me to reassemble the Order of the Stone."_

_"The Order of the Stone?"_ said Soren, his eyes widening even further as he came up to stand in front of Jesse, _"They... asked for me? I've always known they needed me, but I was never sure if they wanted me."_

"Wait, what?" Ellegaard said, "Of course we want you, Soren. You don't really think that, do you?"

"Yeah, man," Magnus slung an arm around Soren's shoulders, "I mean, you may be a complete wacko and, like, really, really, _really_ strange, and maybe a bit crazy- no, wait, a lot of crazy- hold on, where was I going with this?"

"What Magnus means to say," Gabriel cut in, "Is that you have always been welcome among us."

Soren gave them a grateful smile, for once not knowing what to say.

_"It's lonely, down here without your friends."_

_"Gabriel is your friend."_ said Jesse. Soren frowned.

Magnus shook his head, "You should've gone with Ellegaard. Brainy club, remember?"

_"Hmmm... I don't know. Does he ever talk about me?"_

_Uhh... sure."_

Soren was still skeptical, _"What kinds of thing's do they say?"_ When Jesse took a moment to answer, he put his hands on his hips, _"Specifically. Give me an example."_

 _"That you were missed."_ Jesse finally went for.

This caused Soren to blink in surprise, _"Really?"_

Jesse rubbed the back of his head, _"Maybe it was more miss-ing. You have to read between the lines."_

"Doesn't mean you weren't missed." Ellegaard chimed in.

 _"Yes,"_ Soren was giving him a look, _"Yes, you do. But what about you? Are you my friend?"_

Many glances were sent Jesse's way. Soren, however, was looking at the screen expectantly.

_"As long as we're on the subject."_

Jesse and Reuben glanced at each other.

 _"Not to put you on the spot."_ said Soren.

Jesse shrugged, _"Sure."_

Real-Soren broke out in a grin, Gabriel sending him an amused look.

Onscreen, Soren grinned and threw his hands into the air, _"That's the best thing I've heard in years!"_ He rubbed the back of his neck, _"Admittedly, that's not a very high bar."_ Then, turning back to Jesse, his excited smile came back and he walked towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder as he spoke, _"Don't worry, I'm going to help you. Because that's what friends do."_

Lukas shook his head. Was he the only one that didn't want this wacko near Jesse? Or any of his friends, for that matter.

Soren pulled away, walking past Jesse to face the glass where the Endermen were gathered, _"Before we leave, I'm going to give my old friends a gift. The gift,"_ he spread his arms wide, spinning around to face Jesse and Reuben, _"Of song!"_

Axel blinked, "What?"

"Soren, no!" Magnus laughed, "You'll scare the poor kid off."

"How come that's the only time you ever like my songs?"

Jesse's brow furrowed in confusion, Reuben giving a questioning oink at his feet. Soren started singing.

 _"Gary may seem scary, but he's a swell guy,"_ he slid to the other side of the glass, _"Sally, dilly dallies, but give her credit, she tries."_

"Have you... _named_ the Enderman?" asked Lukas.

"Everyone needs a name!"

Olivia shook her head slowly, "How do you even know what _gender_ they are? Heck, I didn't even know they _had_ genders!"

Soren dance-marched over to stand in front of the raised platform bearing the Endersuit stands, holding his arms out, the Endermen seen behind him. _"They look the same to the untrained eyyyee."_ He slid over to stand next to Jesse, _"But that's a lie,"_

Jesse blinked slowly, _"What is happening?"_

 _"And so I say..."_ Soren twirled around, standing on one foot and spreading his arms again. But before he could continue, the door suddenly opened and Lukas came running in, the record that had been playing in the background abruptly cutting off.

"Well, that must've been a sight to see." muttered Petra.

Jesse, Soren and Reuben turned to face him, Soren raising an eyebrow at the interruption. Lukas' eyes widened.

_"Wait, is that... ? A-A-Are you... ?"_

Soren raised his eyebrow even further, Jesse glancing at him as he came up to stand beside him. Olivia and Axel followed Luaks through the door, Olivia's eyes widening as she realized who was in the room.

 _"Soren."_ she gasped. Axel's eyes widened.

_"Whoa."_

Lukas walked over to Jesse, tugging him closer to the group and further from Soren. Jesse raised an eyebrow at him, but his eyes widened as Axel stepped away to let Petra through.

She had gotten worse. Paler. The bags under her eyes more produced. It was in the way she walked, shoulders slouched as if she wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball. Her breathing was so labored at that you didn't even have to listen for it anymore. Her eyes were tired, sunken into her skull. as if she hadn't slept in years.

She looked like she was dying.

"Oh my god." gasped Olivia, "It's gotten _worse._ "

"I don't think she'll be able to make it much further." muttered Lukas, "Not with the way we're going."

 _"Nice to meet you, Soren."_ said Petra, coughing into her elbow. She even sounded sick.

Soren's eyes widened, and he stepped closer to stand in front of Petra, _"You look... terrible."_

Real-Petra rolled her eyes, "Jee, thanks."

Onscreen, Petra's eyes widened as she spotted something behind him. Jesse frowned, looking over to see what she was staring at, only for his own eyes to widen a moment later. The screen showed Soren looking confused, as behind him an Enderman stood right in the middle of the lab.

The audience gasped.

"But I thought we were safe in there!" exclaimed Jesse.

"Only because the Endermen don't _know_ they're being held captive." said Soren, "You can't escape when you don't know you're trapped. But, ah... yeah. Yeah, this is bad."

Soren looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening when he spotted the Enderman. Then another one teleported in, and then another. Petra bowed her head, Soren stepping closer to the group and unintentionally hiding her from the watchers. Jesse closed his eyes, Axel covered his face, Olivia closed one eye but kept the other open to look at the Endermen's feet to see how far they were, and Lukas shielded his eyes.

Jesse peeked to see where the Endermen were, which were just standing there staring at them. Soren spoke.

_"Seems a bit odd... They've never been inside before."_

_"Look away!"_ said Jesse, everyone immediately scrunching their eyes shut. Despite this, an Enderman began screeching in rage, and Jesse gasped, his eyes flying open to peek through his fingers again.

"I feel like this is my fault." Jesse said, rubbing the back of his neck. Petra rolled her eyes.

"That's because it probably is."

The Enderman stopped screeching as the one next to it gave a screech of it's own. This seemed to anger the first Enderman, for it began screeching at the second.

 _"You've upset them!"_ Soren accused, glaring at Jesse, _"You've altered their behavior!"_

 _"Okay, let's go."_ said Jesse. They began tip toeing towards the door, being sure to keep their heads down. Behind them, more and more Endermen began teleporting in. The screen blacked out.

It came back on to show the lab door opening, Jesse walking out and crouching just behind it. His eyes widened, and the screen switched to show that the place was _crawling_ wither Endermen

Olivia sighed, "Why can't things ever be simple?"

 _"And the hits just keep on comin'."_ said Jesse, as Axel and Olivia crept out behind him. Lukas, Reuben, Soren and lastly Petra came out, crouching around the end of the dining table. Soren gasped.

 _"I wasn't expecting so many house guests."_ he crouched on the other side of the table, parallel to Jesse, _"There's no way I have enough seashell soups for all of them."_

"I'll have to try and remember that." said Real-Soren, "Do you think this feeling-based thing will be enough to warn me to get more seashell soups?"

 _"How are we supposed to get out of here?"_ asked Lukas. He looked around at the group, _"We need to come up with a plan. And not our usual we'll-come-up-with-a-plan-when-we-have-to-OH-WAIT-NOW-WE-HAVE-TO-"_

 _"Shhh!"_ hushed Olivia.

_"-kind of plan."_

"Well," said Magnus, "He's right."

Jesse looked at Lukas for a moment, before turning to the Order's leader, _"Soren, you've been studying Endermen for ages. Any bright ideas?"_

Soren was silent for a moment. _"One constant about Endermen is that they hate water."_ he looked at the second fountain a few feet from them, _"If we can force that fountain to overflow somehow..."_ He looked back at him, _"Jesse, you still have the Enderman suit. Put that on, and you'll be able to safely reach the fountain."_

Jesse looked over at his friends, sighing when none of them said anything. _"Just when I thought I'd never have to smell this thing again."_ Pulling out the mask, he slipped it on over his head.

"I better not get hit in the face again." grumbled Jesse. Soren sent him a sheepish grin.

Jesse made his way past Lukas, Olivia and Axel, the latter who said _"Good luck, dude."_

 _"We'll, uh, all watch from here, then."_ said Soren, as Jesse crept passed him, _"Where it's safe."_

Jesse paused a little ways ahead of the builder, before rolling his eyes and continuing forwards. He looked up at an Enderman on the other side of the table, watching him silently. Jesse turned around to face forwards, only to give a startled yell as he found an Enderman to be right in front of him. He covered his head with his hands, scrunching his eyes shut, expecting it to attack.

But when no hits came, he opened one eye, then the other, and turned back to the Enderman in front of him, only to realize it's back was to him. It walked away.

Axel let out a long breath. "He's not dead yet, Olivia."

"Yeah." said the girl, who had once again covered her eyes, "'Yet.'"

Jesse let out a relieved breath, shoulders shagging in relief. Soren's voice called over to him.

_"Try not to die."_

Jesse rolled his eyes, "Very helpful advice, Soren."

Onscreen, Jesse looked over his shoulder at Soren with annoyed eyes, before continuing towards the fountain. He came to stand in front of it, looking down at the blocks stopping the water from escaping. He started breaking the blocks with his fist, giving a yell of triumph as he destroyed the last block. Immediately, water spilled out, wrapping around the legs of Jesse and the Endermen. Said monsters began to screech, before teleporting away.

 _"C'mon, guys, it's clear."_ whispered Jesse loudly.

The screen zoomed in on Lukas, Olivia and Axel, all of who had clenched their eyes shut. At Jesse's call, they opened their eyes and, upon seeing no Endermen (not any tall ones, at least), they began creeping along the table towards him.

Jesse looked over into the other room, only to find this one, too, full of Endermen. He groaned, _"Oh, no..."_

"Aw, I've gotta do it _twice?_ "

The others came to stand in the water, at least one eye closed.

 _"We're gonna die."_ said Lukas, causing Axel, who stood right in the middle of the archway, to open an eye to look at him. Reuben, upon realizing he was in plain sight of the Endermen, began pushing him to the side with annoyed oinks, causing the large male to fall over with a splash and a small yell.

Real-Axel huffed.

 _"Nobody's gonna die."_ Jesse sighed, _"Because I'm gonna break that other fountain."_ He made waded his way through the water, before entering the haunting of Endermen. Jesse carefully weaved his way through them, only for one to abruptly appear in front of him just before he could reach the fountain. _"Whoa!"_

Olivia squeaked, covering her eyes again.

Jesse straightened slowly, unwillingly participating in a staring contest with the Enderman. He swallowed, _"Heyyyy..."_

The Enderman walked away.

"Oh, man, that was close." muttered Lukas. Jesse nodded in agreement, hugging Reuben close.

 _"Fountain number two,"_ muttered Jesse, _"Prepare to meet your doom."_ Just like with the last one, he broke the blocks with his fist, before finally breaking the last one and leaving the water free to spill across the floor. The Endermen began screeching as it touched them, and they were quick to teleport away and up onto the balcony above them. Jesse grinned, _"Okay, everybody, let's go!"_

The group opened their eyes and, seeing no more Endermen in his way, Axel threw his hands in the air and began screaming, running past the fountain. The others were right behind him, Jesse taking up the rear as the Endermen hissed and screeched at him, having obviously realized he was not one of them.

Jesse skid around the fountain and ran, more than happy to get away from them, only to come to a stop as he realized the others were blocking the exit. _"What's the holdup?"_

When no one answered, Jesse walked forwards, gently pushing them aside. He gasped as he came to the front. The screen zoomed out to show that the Wool World was swarming with the tall monsters, even more so than in Soren's mansion. They were on the ground, on the bridges, even on the wool-tree's.

"Whu oh." said Petra.

"That's a _lot_ of Endermen." said Ellegaard, "How are you all supposed to get to the trapdoor?"

 _"They're everywhere."_ Lukas said, _"How are we supposed to get through this? I mean physically and psychologically."_ he shielded his eyes to avoid accidentally looking at the Endermen, _"Say we somehow make it... I can't say this won't become a reoccurring nightmare."_

"I'm sure that's said for all of us." Olivia winced, "And we haven't even lived it yet."

 _"Everyone just hold onto me."_ said Jesse, _"I'll guide us through them."_

Lukas sighed, putting one hand on Jesse's shoulder and covering his eyes with the other, _"I guess if this is the only way to make it to that trap door..."_ Axel put his hands on Lukas' shoulders, Olivia doing the same to Axel, then Soren and then Petra, forming a long line. It was almost as if they were playing Follow the Leader. An incredibly terrifying and extraordinarily deadly version of Follow the Leader.

"This has got to be the most terrifying part so far." muttered Lukas. Almost everyone had given into the instinct of looking away from the Endermen again, taking to watching it out of the corner of their eye.

Onscreen, the Endersuit-clad leader looked over his shoulder at them, making sure everyone was there and holding on. He turned back to face the first bridge, slowly starting to make his way towards it, the others following him as if they were all just one strange, long caterpillar.

An Enderman teleported, reappearing on the other side of the bridge. Another Enderman watched the human-train with interest, teleporting closer to the bridge to get a better look at Jesse. As Jesse made his way onto the bridge, the Enderman teleported to the other side of it. Jesse looked over his shoulder, and the screen switched to show two Endermen watching the train with interest, only the top of Soren and Petra's heads able to be seen.

"They're taking too much interest in us." said Soren, looking at the screen worriedly, "They know we're humans, but they think Jesse's an Enderman. It must be a confusing sight to them."

 _"Maybe we should, uh,"_ Jesse whispered, coming to a stop just before the bridge ended. Their path was blocked by Endermen. _"Turn around."_ He looked behind him, only to find that more Endermen were blocking that part too.

He looked around for an escape route, only for an Enderman to appear right in front of him. Jesse yelled, taking startled steps back and causing the others to accidentally ram into each other.

"Oh, bad, bad, bad." muttered Jesse.

The Enderman cocked its head left and right, looking at the shorter version of itself in confused interest. It leaned down and put it's face right up to Jesse's, who turned his head in an attempt to get away from it. _"This guys right in my face."_

They stood like that for a long moment, before the Enderman slowly backed off from his face, but still stood in front of them. Hopeful, Jesse turned to face it again. The Enderman opened its mouth and let out a loud, horrifying screech of pure rage.

"He's been found out!" screamed Soren.

"I can't watch this!" cried Maya, covering her eyes. Reuben hid his face in Jesse's shirt with an agreeing oink.

 _"Quick!"_ shouted Jesse, _"In the water!"_ He destroyed the fence, and one by one the others jumped in. Jesse looked back at the Enderman that had gotten in his face, before swiftly jumping after the others before it could attack.

Jesse resurfaced near the front of the group, Reuben sitting on Axel's head behind him. Soren swam passed him, turning around to face as they started swimming away from the bridge in an attempt to further the distance from the Endermen. _"Oh! When I constructed this place, I worried about how flammable my building material was. So, I installed a fire suppression system to prevent the whole thing from going up in flames."_

Soren pointed to the tower with the waterfalls, which had no Endermen on it. _"So... there's more water?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"Much more!"_ said Soren, starting to swim towards it with Jesse following him, _"If we activate it, it could disperse all these Endermen,"_ they ducked under a bridge, _"While we swim to safety."_

Jesse turned around to swim backwards, looking up at the Endermen on the bridge he and Soren had just gone under, hissing and shaking in anger. _"Can we reach the controls from here?"_ He swam back over to Soren, so that they were both right next to the fire-suppression system.

 _"The lever is right up there."_ the builder said, pointing to the top of the tower. A ladder ran along its side.

"Will he be able to get up there without the Endermen chasing him?" asked Lukas. Ellegaard nodded.

"That tower is surrounded by water. He'll be fine as long as he doesn't fall off."

The screen cut to Jesse climbing the ladder, passed a group of shrieking Endermen standing on top of a wool-tree. He reached the top without problem, turning around and backing away from the edge as he saw just how many Endermen there were. _"Yeesh"_ Jesse looked over to the trapdoor, which was still wide open. Any Enderman that had been near it had teleported to surround Jesse and his friends.

Looking down at the lever, Jesse pulled it. The tower began to shake, much like the Endermen were. _"I don't know how much water this thing is going to kick out,"_ he called down to the others, _"So everybody-"_ The tower gave another violent shake and Jesse fell over the edge, the sound of water spilling out in waves meeting their ears.

The others are seen huddled together as the water lever rose, then it switched to the Endermen teleporting out of the liquid and onto the wool-mountain and the bridges. The water rose even higher, and the Endermen on the bridges teleported onto the trees, hissing and spitting.

"Oh, wow, that is a _lot_ of water." said Petra, "Please tell me we're not about to nearly drown again?"

 _"It's working!"_ exclaimed Lukas, Soren swimming up to him. The water went higher, momentarily taking the two under, before they resurfaced as Jesse swam up to them. Soren grinned at him.

_"Well done, Jesse! Now time to swim that trap door!"_

Everyone began swimming immediately, shouting for Jesse, who was falling behind, to hurry, as the water level rose with every second. Within moments, they were above the trees. In front of him, the others began diving down to reach the trapdoor, and a moment later Jesse did the same.

In the top left corner, ten hearts and ten bubbles appeared. Jesse swam after them, a bubble popping every couple seconds. Olivia and Soren were already through the trapdoor, and Lukas, Axel and Reuben were starting to make their way through. Frowning, Jesse turned around, spotting Petra a little ways ahead of him. She was moving too slow, and the trapdoor was too far. Jesse had three bubbles left.

"They're not gonna make it!" gasped Ellegaard.

Onscreen, Jesse swam towards Petra and grabbed her around the waist, before turning back around and swimming as fast as he could towards the trapdoor. Petra was limp in his arms as another bubble popped. Axel and Reuben were gone, but Lukas was just in the trapdoor. Seeing that he had Petra, his head vanished, and Jesse's last two bubbles popped.

He began flashing red, his hearts slowly starting to go down. Jesse reached the trapdoor and pushed Petra through first, still flashing red, before going down himself and closing the trapdoor behind him with a muffled _bang,_ covering the screen in a shawl of darkness.

"Oh, that was close." said Lukas, "That was _way_ too close."

Petra sighed, "Tell me about it. Sorry, Jesse."

"You don't need to apologize, Petra." Jesse frowned, "If I was the one to get Wither Sickness, I'm sure you would say the same to me."

"I know, I know. It's just... frustrating."

"This is all frustrating." muttered Gabriel.

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you tell Soren that Gabriel, Magnus or Ellegaard was his friend? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> First time I played the game, I said Gabriel was his friend, but looking I realize that Ellegaard would have been more believable, as Magnus had stated in this chapter. Anyway, guys, the magic is back! The only reason I haven't been writing is because Story Mode has got me back into Minecraft and... yeah... I now have a Nether Portal in my attic.
> 
> And who can't love this chapters title?


	18. The Formidi-Bomb

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Three: The Last Place You Look**

**Part Eighteen: The Formidi-Bomb**

* * *

Jesse screamed as he and Petra were thrown from the End Portal, Jesse still in the Endersuit. Reuben stood at the bottom of the portal, wincing as the two landed painfully on the floor. He and Lukas ran up to them to make sure they were okay.

Jesse got to his feet and pulled off the mask, Olivia and Axel coming up behind him. He turned and smiled at them, _"We made it!"_

 _"'Making it,'"_ said Soren, dusting himself off, _"Is relevant."_

Petra gasped, pointing towards the archway. Their eyes widened as a zombie groaned, slowly making its way towards them. The room was filled with monsters.

"Ah." said Ellegaard, wincing, "I'd forgotten about that."

 _"Oh, come on!"_ groaned Jesse, drawing his sword, the golden blade flashing in the light. He whacked at the zombie, killing it within three well-placed hits. It fell to the ground in a puff of smoke, but as Jesse looked up, two skeletons loaded their bow and took aim, a zombie poking its head around the corner.

"Get down!" shouted Petra.

Jesse leaped to the side and pressed his back against the wall next to the archway, the arrows narrowly missing him. _"Not that this isn't a ton of fun,"_ he said, looking over to the other side of the archway, where Soren stood, _"But let's grab that Formidi-Bomb and get out of here!"_

 _"One small problem."_ said Soren, carefully peeking through the archway as the arrows continued flying. He drew a sword, _"Tiny really."_ A zombie walked through the archway, and Soren slammed the butt of his sword into its face. _"Minuscule."_ He stabbed the monster, then looked back at Jesse, _"I haven't actually built it yet."_

"How is that a tiny problem?!" yelled Lukas, "That's a _huge_ problem!"

"Well, uh, just watch!" said Soren.

 _"That's a small problem?!"_ exclaimed Jesse.

 _"You seem like a person who appreciates cool stuff that's cool for no reason."_ By the End Portal, Reuben stood shaking, two arrows embedding themselves in the steps next to him. Giving a scared oink, he backed away, curling up in the shadows.

Jesse blinked at Soren slowly, _"Thanks?"_

Soren gestured to the inside of the archway, _"Go ahead and throw that lever behind you."_

"I've always wanted to do this!" grinned Soren.

Onscreen, Jesse poked his head around the archway, and sure enough there sat a lever on the wall. A skeleton fired an arrow, which hit the wall just in front of the boy.

 _"Jesse?"_ called Olivia. Eyes narrowing on the lever, Jesse lunged forwards, knocking the arrow off the wall in the process, and pulled it down.

 _"Hold onto your socks,"_ came Soren's voice, as inside the monster-filled room, pumpkins fell from the ceiling and landed on top of four iron blocks, _"'Cause they're about to get blown off!"_ One by one, the six statues turned into six Iron Golems, breaking free in a cloud of iron shards. _"Go to work, boys."_

"Oh, cool." breathed Axel.

Onscreen, Reuben jumped back with a startled oink. A Golem raised a long arm and whacked a zombie out into the sorting room. Another Golem put its hands on the ground and slammed its strong legs into a skeleton, knocking it into the wall, while another took hold of a zombie by the leg and raised it above its head, slamming it into the ground. A spider lunged at one of the Golems, but it simply raised an arm and caught it, before tossing it over its shoulder. Another Golem held a zombie as if it were a baseball bat, and hit the spider with it, sending the eight-eyed monster into a group of other monsters, scattering them and knocking them down like bowling pins.

"Awesome!" said Gill.

A skeleton started backing away as two Iron Golems advanced on it, and they both raised an arm and hit it at the same time. Over by the archway leading to the End Portal, the group stood watching with wide eyes. Soren winced at the skeletons brutal defeat, before a zombie went flying past them to slam into the wall. A skeleton hit the inside of the archway, falling to the ground at Soren's feet. _"Ouch."  
_

A zombie suddenly appeared, backing away hastily, but a Golem raised its fists and sent it's face to the floor. _"Eeeyikes."  
_

_"When those Golems are done with the monsters,"_ said Jesse, _"They won't attack us, will they?"_ In front of them, the Golems continued tearing the monsters limb from limb. Soren glanced over his shoulder at him.

_"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies."_

Lukas blinked. "What?"

Jesse hesitantly glanced at the ground, _"That... didn't actually-"_

Soren's head snapped towards him, _"Ask me no questions!"_

"He doesn't know, does he?" said Olivia. Soren carefully avoided everyone's eyes.

The monsters dealt with, Soren grinned and led the gaping group into the room, the Golems starting to lumber about at random in search of any leftover monsters.

 _"You guys hear that?"_ asked Axel.

Jesse glanced at him, _"Hear what?"_ A Golem raised its foot and squished a spider.

 _"All that stuff whispering,"_ he put on a ghost-y voice, _"'Take me, take me now.'"_

Jesse rolled his eyes at him, looking up at the many minecarts still zooming back and forth above them.

 _"I think it's saying 'Olivia should get to take more than Axel.'"_ said Olivia, doing her own ghost-y voice, _"But why? 'Because she's cooler.'"_

Petra shook her head in amusement, Axel and Olivia giving each other playful shoves.

 _"Aw, c'mon, loot."_ said Axel, looking at the minecarts and crossing his arms, _"I thought you and me were tight."_

Jesse gave a small shrug, _"It wouldn't hurt to take a few things."_

Axel rose an eyebrow at him, _"And by 'few' you mean 'all,' right?"_ Jesse gave him a look.

 _"I'll just fetch the super TNT."_ Soren said, gaining everyone's attention, _"It's right up there."_ He pointed to above the archway, where a platform with three rows of chests on it sat. There was no staircase or ladder to get up to it.

 _"How are you gonna get up there?"_ asked Jesse.

"Another secret door, maybe?" suggested Olivia. Soren gave a little grin.

 _"Oh, I have my ways..."_ he turned around, as Iron Golems jumped onto teach others shoulders, creating a Golem-Ladder. Soren climbed up them, reaching the platform within moments.

"A proper ladder's just too good for you, isn't it?" said Magnus, shaking his head slowly. Soren rubbed the back of his head.

"Actually, I'd just ran out of wood."

He looked back down at the gang, who were once again staring at him with wide eyes. _"Oh, and feel free to help yourselves!"_ At this, Axel and Olivia grinned and turned around to search through the loot. _"Just make sure you keep an eye out for the gunpowder we'll need to make that Formidi-Bomb."_

Lukas and Petra wandered off, Jesse rubbed the back of his neck before following them. Glancing about, he walked over to Axel, who was sitting by the wall. _"Are you in paradise or what?"_

_"Honestly? I'm a little more in 'what' right now."_

Real-Axel gave a disappointed groan.

 _"All this power went straight to me head, and then I got a head rush, and now I'm too overwhelmed to take_ anything _."_

_"Stay strong, Axel."_

Axel sighed, _"I'll try."_

Jesse left him to his thoughts, spotting Reuben standing by himself a little ways away. _"See anything you want, Reuben?"_

Reuben gave a little oink. Jesse put a hand to his chin, glancing about. _"Just because everyone else is grabbing stuff doesn't mean you have to, too."_

"Actually, I think Olivia's the only one taking anything." said Ellegaard, "Everyone else is just standing around."

Petra sat on some steps in front of a chest, Lukas standing next to her. Frowning, Jesse made his way over to them, _"Are you both doing okay?"_

Lukas looked at him sadly, _"It's gotten really bad."_

The sort of cheerful atmosphere that had settled over them immediately evaporated. Petra's amused smile, which she'd had since Axel and Olivia's little 'who should take more' charade, fell.

 _"Part of me is hoping,"_ Lukas continued, Petra just staring at the floor, _"That when we bomb the Witherstorm, this sickness will just- dissipate."_

Petra finally looked up at Jesse, giving him a weak smile, _"Sure would be nice, huh?"_

But after a moment, her smile faded and she returned her gaze to the ground. Lukas gave her another worried look, _"It makes sense, doesn't it?"_

 _"I had the same thought."_ said Jesse.

Ellegaard shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry... but I don't think it works that way."

Petra looked at the ground, crossing her arms. Jesse put a hand on her knee.

 _"Fingers crossed, right?"_ Lukas said, giving a weak smile of his own. Jesse nodded.

_"Toes too."_

Turning away, Jesse made his way over to a double chest near Axel. Rummaging through it, he found some of the gunpowder that they'd need for the bomb, but he still needed to find more. He walked up to Olivia, who was rummaging through another chest.

 _"I mean,"_ she said, without even looking up at him, _"It would be really hand to have glowstone dust... but it would be so cool to finally have my very own spider eye!"_ She stood up, holding the items in hand.

 _"Big decision."_ said Jesse with a little smile, _"I'll leave you to it."_

As Olivia returned to the chest, Jesse made his way over to another double chest, this one near a wooden button. He opened it and, after a moment of looking through the stuff, he pulled out more gunpowder. Pocketing it, he glanced over to the wooden button on the wall and, curiosity caught, made his way over to it.

"You know, you shouldn't really go around pushing buttons when you don't know what they do." said Olivia. Jesse shrugged.

"What better way to find out what they do than to push them?"

Onscreen, Jesse pushed the button, and a moment later the wall next to him began to split in two, revealing a long line of minecarts on a track. The minecarts moved forwwards one by one, going around a bend and coming to a stop, the many super redstone tracks in front of them flickering on. In front of them was a long, empty tunnel.

"Oh, yeah, can't wait for that bit." grinned Axel.

 _"Cool."_ said Jesse, grinning at the carts. The screen switched to Olivia, pulling a fishing rod out of the chest. Behind her, Jesse walked up to the platform with the chests, _"Hey, Soren?"_

Soren turned away from the chests to face him, the Golem-ladder still in place, _"Jesse!"_

 _"I think I've almost got enough gunpowder now."_ Olivia came up to stand beside him.

 _"Glad to hear it."_ said Soren, sliding down the Golem's backs. _"And Jesse, I am sorry for not keeping this place as organized as I should. It's very embarrassing."_ he reached into his pocket, _"And this is my Super TNT."_ At first glance, it looked like any other TNT block. But there was a glow to it, an aurora, that said it was so much more.

"Oooo." said Magnus, "Can I just... touch it?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes, "No, Magnus. We'd all die if you were allowed five feet from it."

Grumbling, Magnus crossed his arms, "Buzzkill."

 _"Wait,"_ said Olivia, as the Golems lumbered back into the other room, _"But I thought Super TNT_ was _the Formidi-Bomb."_ Axel, Lukas and Petra gathered around them.

 _"Of course not!"_ exclaimed Soren, _"They're two completely different words, aren't they?"_

 _"So, what is Super TNT, exactly?"_ Jesse asked.

_"Well, it's just another one of my... marvelous Impossible Objects."_

_"If it's impossible, how'd you make it in the first place?"_

_"Remember, Jesse. I killed the Ender Dragon. I do impossible things everyday."_

Ivor scoffed, sending the ginger a glare. The Order carefully avoided looking at him.

 _"Do we just combine it with the gunpowder?"_ asked Jesse.

Soren gestured to the TNT, _"Well, the crafting recipe is quite simple, really. Super TNT in the middle and gunpowder all around."_

Jesse grinned, _"Got it!"_ He reached for the Super TNT, but Soren quickly backed out of his reach.

_"No! No, no, no! The ingredients are highly unstable. Even putting them in close proximity to each other is a risk."_

_"Okay, well..."_ Jesse put his hands on his hips, _"We may not have the Formidi-Bomb yet, but at least we finally have the ingredients to build one. Progress!"_

 _"And now that we have them, we..."_ Soren trailed off, looking at Jesse expectantly, who only raised an eyebrow at him. _"Ahem. We..."_ When Jesse still said nothing, Soren continued, _"I literally don't remember. You're going to have to help me out a little, Jesse."_

"We stop Ivor!" said Petra, while Olivia said, "We find Magnus and Ellegaard!"

_"Now we just need to find a way to get it inside the Witherstorm to blow it up."_

"Well... that works too." shrugged Olivia.

Before Soren could say anything, an Enderman abruptly appeared in the other room, and Jesse's eyes widened. Soren looked over his shoulder. _"Oh! Oh, dear."_ Immediately, everyone turned around, Soren pocketing the Super TNT. _"I was afraid of this. With the End underwater, the Endermen will try to escape."_

Lukas groaned, "And as soon as I thought I'd never have to see another one of those things again."

Onscreen, Reuben was shaking again, giving a scared squeal.

 _"Of course,"_ said Soren, to something Jesse had said. Then, eyes widening, _"Of course!"_ He pointed straight ahead, right towards the minecarts patiently waiting for passengers, _"To the miencarts, everyone!"_

Real-Soren threw his hands into the air with a wide grin, "YES!"

Everyone began running towards the carts, more and more Endermen appearing behind them. Soren, despite this, was grinning, _"I've been waiting ages to say that..."_ he glanced over his shoulder at Jesse, who was running behind him, _"To people, I mean."_

Reuben reached the minecarts first and jumped into the front one, Jesse behind him, Olivia behind him, then Lukas, Axel, Petra and lastly Soren. The carts began to move, the screen switching to show Endermen legs appearing in the loot room, coming closer and closer.

It turned back to the carts, as Reuben looked down at the glowing tracks curiously, and as soon as his cart touched them, he was zooming away and disappearing down the tunnel in a matter of seconds.

"Wow!" exclaimed Maya.

Then went Jesse, Olivia, Lukas, Axel and Petra. Soren looked over his shoulder as his cart neared the super tracks, accidentally making eye contact with one of the Enderman. His head snapped forwards, just before he went zooming after the others. Behind him, the walls began closing again, the Enderman he'd looked at teleporting just in front of it and letting out an angry screech. The walls closed right in its face and the screen went dark.

"That was so close." muttered Petra.

"Now all we have to do is find a way to get that bomb into the Witherstorm." said Lukas, "Shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"We just have to put it in the tractor beam and it'll eat it itself." Olivia said, "Then kaboom! Bye, bye, Witherstorm."

The screen came back to the sound of carts rushing along tracks. Reuben is seen in the front, just as Axel shouted _"Incoming!"_

The reason why is revealed a moment later, as they come outside to see that the sun was setting and a creeper and two spiders on the tracks. Reuben gave a squeal and covered his eyes with his hoods, right before the carts slammed right into the creeper.

"Ohhh, that's gonna hurt." Jesse winced.

Screaming, the gang went flying out of their carts, which scattered about the place, and landed roughly on the ground. Groaning, Jesse got to his feet, gasping a moment later when he saw just how many monsters there were, all running past him.

"What's with the monsters?" asked Axel.

Lukas shook his head slowly, "I think they're... running away?"

 _"There you are!"_ Ellegaard is revealed a little ways away with Magnus standing beside her, both of them holding stone swords.

 _"So glad you could make it!"_ said Magnus.

"Hey, we're back!" said Real-Magnus, "Told ya we wouldn't abandon you."

"When did you tell us that?" Jesse asked.

"Well, at least I think I said something like that. Did I? Eh, I can't remember."

Onscreen, Jesse drew his sword as the others got to their feet, running towards the two. The screen briefly showed Soren stepping to the side to hide behind Axel, before switching back to Jesse.

 _"Could have used you earlier."_ Magnus was saying, standing back to back with Ellegaard, _"Showing up just in time to hold up the trophy, eh?"_

Jesse turned around so that his was to them, _"I'm glad you're okay!"_

 _"This looks like 'okay' to you?!"_ asked Magnus.

_"I thought Ivor was coming to get you!"_

_"Ivor?"_ said Ellegaard, _"We haven't even seen him!"_

"That will probably be a bit confusing for them." said Petra, "They don't even know Ivor was there in the first place."

A creeper jumped up a block from where it stood near a small pond, hissing quietly as it made its way towards them. Spotting it too late, they could do nothing but jump out the way with surprised yells as it exploded right in front of them.

Jesse landed on his back at Lukas' feet, who looked around with wide eyes. _"Uh, what's going on?"_

The screen showed Olivia running past Axel and Petra, the former who was standing behind the latter. Axel put his hands in the air and ran after Olivia, screaming, much like he'd done back at Soren's mansion.

Jesse got to his feet, looking around with wide eyes. Soren spoke up, gaining everyone's attention.

 _"You don't have to worry about the monsters. They're running away."_ Sure enough, they all seemed to be fleeing towards the tunnel they'd just come out of. _"Worry about what they're running away from."  
_

They all turned to face the direction the monsters were coming from, and in the not-so-far distance was the Witherstorm in all its three-headed, terrifying glory.

"Has that monster gotten larger?" asked Gabriel.

"It must get bigger the more it eats." said Ellegaard, "And so far, it hasn't seemed to be a picky eater."

 _"I feel like that got bigger."_ said Axel. Olivia glanced at him.

_"It did."_

Jesse stepped forwards, brow set in determination, _"It's Formidi-Bomb time."_

 _"Soren?"_ said Ellegaard, as she and Magnus walked towards them, sheathing their swords.

 _"It's him!"_ exclaimed Magnus, _"I-It's you!"_

Soren walked forwards hesitantly, standing in front of the two and giving them a small smile, _"Hello, old friends."_

"It's a shame Gabriel couldn't be there." muttered Ellegaard. Magnus and Soren looked at the warrior sadly, who didn't seem to know what to say. So he returned his attention to the screen.

But before anything else could be said, the Witherstorm gave a ear-numbing roar, causing Jesse to gasp. The screen cut to Soren running up to a sort of platform, giving them a great view of the Witherstorm. Jesse and Rueben stood on the steps, the others on the ground.

The Witherstorm roared again, before the screen switched to the front of the group, revealing that the platform was actually a dock. _"It's time to go."_ said Soren, turning to face the group, _"We only get one shot at this. Remember, once the Formidi-Bomb is crafted, it'll explode in a matter of seconds."_ They looked at him with wide eyes, as Soren paused to let this information sink in, the screen giving a view on Jesse, who was still wearing the Endersuit, sans the helmet.

 _"It means whoever is doing the crafting... will be in great danger."_ Soren glanced at the Witherstorm, before returning to the group, rubbing the back of his neck, _"I was hopping... well... perhaps we could draw straws?"_

All eyes went to Magnus and Ellegaard, who stood there awkwardly.

 _"Don't look at me."_ Magnus said.

 _"I think I my have tweaked an ankle earlier, so..."_ Ellegaard trailed off.

 _"I never wanted to be a hero."_ said Jesse. Soren chuckled nervously.

_"That's not how it works-"_

_"I never wanted to be a hero."_ Jesse repeated more fiercely, _"But I'm willing to do the heroic thing."_ He looked down, closing his eyes for a moment, as if bracing himself. Then, he turned to Soren, _"I'm going to set off the Formidi-Bomb."_

"But- But you're the Order of the Stone!" said Maya, "You defeated the Ender Dragon, you're the best heroes there ever was! Why... why does Jesse have to do it?"

The Order was silent, looking down in shame.

"I'm afraid," said Soren, after a moment, "We have not been the Order for... quite some time."

Onscreen, Soren made his way down the steps to stand in front of Jesse, and for a moment some watchers thought he was going to say something encouraging or try to talk him out of it. But then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Super TNT, _"That's what I was hopping for."_

Without comment, Jesse took the TNT, and Soren continued.

_"The rest of us will build distractions in its path. Hopefully it'll buy you some time."_

On the ground, Petra coughed into her fist, glaring at Ellegaard and Magnus. _"You should be ashamed of yourselves."_

At that, Ellegaard and Magnus looked down. After a moment, Ellegaard raised her head and looked the selfless boy before her in the eye, stepping forwards, _"Jesse... take my armor. It will help."_ Behind her, Olivia's eyes widened.

Ivor blinked at the screen in surprise, before looking over at the Order's couch. Soren, Gabriel and Magnus looked just as surprised as he was, and Ellegaard's own surprise had melted into a small smile.

Not one to be upped by Ellegaard, Magnus stepped forwards as well, _"Nah, you can take mine."_ Now it was Axel's turn to widen his eyes, _"It's gotten me out of a lotta jams."_

Jesse looked from Ellegaard to Magnus, seeming a bit overwhelmed.

 _"I insist."_ said Ellegaard.

_"I double insist."_

_"I triple insist."_

_"I... insist four times."_

_"Quadruple."  
_

_"Know-it-all."_

_"I've never found that insulting."_

_"I bet you don't know what the fifth one is, though."_

_"Quintuple... alternatively pentuple."  
_

Axel blinked, "Uh... pen-what-uple?"

_"Up to you, Jesse. Real armor or nerd armor."_

Finally, Jesse walked down from the steps and stood in front of Ellegaard, looking at her hesitantly.

 _"Jesse, you deserve this."_ said Ellegaard, _"What you're doing means we're ALL GONNA DIE!"_

Almost all the watchers jumped.

 _"What?!"_ gasped Jesse, head snapping around. The Witherstorm was right in front of them now, roaring and screeching as it sucked up the ground, trees, and whatever else was unlucky enough to get in the way of its tractor beams.

The screen switched to the ground, before moving up to show group running forwards, Jesse wearing Ellegaard's armor.

"Huh." said Ellegaard, cocking her head to the side, "It actually suits you."

 _"Jesse,"_ said Soren, _"You're going to have to set down as crafting table out there and make that Formidi-Bomb!"_ Tractor beams moved all around them, _"Everyone else, grab a buddy and split up. We need to keep that Witherstorm on track, so build, build, build!"_

"Oh, god, he has to actually put down a _crafting table_?" groaned Olivia, "This just got a million times worse."

At Soren's words, they began to split up, Soren, Magnus and Axel going right and Petra, Olivia, Lukas, Reuben and Ellegaard going left. _"Jesse! Don't forget!"_ called Soren, as Jesse ran straight towards the storm, _"Super TNT in the middle and gunpowder all around!"_

The screen went up to show the monsters three massive heads, snapping at roaring, before switching back down to Jesse as he ran towards it at full speed, brow set. To his left, he spotted Ellegaard, Olivia and Lukas building something that looked completely random, before Jesse returned his attention to the Witherstorm as a tentacle went swinging.

With a startled yell, Jesse hit the ground, skidding a little, as the tentacle smacked some trees right out the ground, roots tearing and leaves flying.

"Crap, that thing's strong." muttered Lukas. Jesse nodded in agreement.

Jesse got to his feet again and continued running, dodging to the left to avoid another tentacle. He came to as stop right under the Witherstrom, looking up at it's ginormous underbelly. _"I hope this works."_

He pulled out a crafting table and sat it down in front of him, looking over his shoulder to see the random structure Ellegaard, Lukas and Olivia had been building- which was made out of some fancy stone, red wool, glass, redstone lamps and gravel- being lifted up into the air and torn apart by the tractor beams. On the ground, the group ran away to avoid following the build.

The screen briefly showed underneath the three heads, before going to the right to reveal Axel and Magnus working on a statue of a giant pig, as Petra, Olivia, Ellegaard and Reuben ran up to help them. It went back to Jesse as he returned to the crafting table.

He put down the Super TNT first, right in the middle of the crafting table just like Soren had said, before putting down the gunpowder piece by piece. But just as he sat down the last bit of gunpowder, the Witherstorm let out another roar and the middle head snapped down towards him, covering Jesse, the crafting table and the ingredients in a purple glow.

Lukas gasped, "Oh no!"

"Not good, not good, not good!" chanted Axel.

 _"No, no, no!"_ shouted Jesse, as he was lifted off the ground. The Super TNT and gunpowder began to shake as it started to form, but a moment later they all separated and became still. Jesse was a foot off the ground now, the dirt shaking and lifting up as well. _"Not yet!"_

"I can't look!" said Maya, covering her eyes and ignoring the look Aiden shot her.

Onscreen, Jesse looked up at the Witherstorm, before his eyes settled on a bit of gunpowder in front of him. Not willing to go down without a fight, Jesse kicked his legs and moved his arms, almost as though he were swimming, and grabbed the gunpowder. _"Got it."_

"Come on, Jesse!" exclaimed Petra, "If you die, I'll bring you back to life and kill you again!"

"Why do I feel like she probably would find a way to do that?" asked Jesse. Lukas nudged him.

"Because she's Petra."

"Good point."

Jesse 'swam' towards another bit of gunpowder, grabbing it. Almost as soon as he did that, he gasped as a tree made its way towards him and he air-swam out of its way. Dangerously close to the monsters mouth now, his eyes rested on the Super TNT and the last bit of gunpowder. He stretched himself thin and grabbed both of them, swallowing as he looked at the bomb to the gunpowder. _"Please don't blow up."_

Gabriel winced, "Ah. I had nearly forgotten about that.

Turning to the crafting table just a little bellow him, Jesse spotted the others finishing up their pig statue bellow him, just as a tentacle came flying towards them. _"Watch out!"_

But they were too slow and the tentacle too fast. It smacked into Ellegaard and Magnus, who were standing on the pig statue's bottom feet, and the two went flying, Ellegaard smacking into a tree and Magnus out of sight.

 _"NO!"_ screamed Jesse.

The watchers gasped, on the edge of their seats, unable to tear their wide eyes from the screen. Even Aiden was entranced.

The screen showed Jesse from a distant view, only a few feet from the Witherstorm's mouth. _"Ellegaard!"_

It zoomed in on him, as his face set and he looked down at the crafting table. He pushed himself towards it, kicking his legs and lifting his arms, as the pig statue was lifted up and torn apart by another tractor beam. Jesse reached the crafting table, the middle head giving an impatient roar, wondering why its dinner wasn't in its mouth yet.

Moving quickly, Jesse placed down the TNT and put the gunpowder around and, within moments, the ingredients began to shake before letting off a dramatic _pow_ sound. It was shaped like any other TNT block, but a dark purple-grey color instead of red, and a glowing F on each side. Simple creating it had seemed to destroy the crafting table.

"He's only got a couple seconds before that thing explodes!" exclaimed Soren, "If he doesn't get it in that thing's mouth in time, this will all be for naught!"

"Come on, Jesse!" said Olivia.

Only taking a split-second to marvel at the bomb, Jesse grabbed it and spun around to face the Witherstorm, _"Eat this!"_ He pushed the Formidi-Bomb away, and it began floating towards the beasts mouth, when suddenly something snagged onto the back of Jesse's borrowed armor.

He looked over his shoulder in surprise, to see Axel, Lukas, Petra, Olivia, Magnus and Soren holding onto the other end of a fishing rod, the very same one that Olivia had taken from Soren's loot room.

"He's not gonna die!" cheered Lukas.

Jesse twisted a bit to see the fishing rod's hook on one of the armor's belts, and then looked back at the others, and while they were struggling to not get sucked up themselves, the combined effort of them all kept them to the ground. Grinning, Jesse looked back at the Witherstorm, punching the air, _"Yeaaaah!"_

The Witherstorm's middle head turned to look at the Formidi-Bomb, slowly floating towards it, and opened its mouth to grant it entry. Just as it entered its mouth, it exploded in a massive flash of white that left the watchers squinting at the screen, knocking Jesse back and out of sight. Then the white turned to black.

"I-Is that it?" asked Olivia, "Is it over?"

"Only one way to find out." muttered Jesse, and they returned their attention to the screen, the room thick with expectation and a mountain load of tension.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's armor did you choose? Magnus or Ellegaard? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Holy crap. Oh, holy moly crapper-fracker. That was- that was- wow. Just wow. The next chapter is probably going to be a little short, since there's only a couple minutes of gameplay left, and then after that they'll have another break and the Order will have a small chat about Ellegaard's death and Gabriel's amnesia. They'll also have a day off from watching the episodes, so the others will also be shown as well, not just the Order.


	19. Survivors (A Limp Hand)

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Three: The Last Place You Look**

**Part Nineteen: Survivors (A Limp Hand)**

* * *

The screen came back on to the sound of ringing. Jesse lay face down on the ground, small fires behind him, none of which were in danger of spreading. He stirred, slowly pushing himself up. Axel, Olivia and Lukas knelt in front of him, looking concerned. Axel's mouth moved, but all that could be heard was ringing.

Behind his three friends, a black tentacle hit the ground with a muffled _thump!_ The ground shook at the impact, as Lukas' mouth moved in answer to something Axel had said. Another tentacle fell, and they looked over their shoulders as the top part of the Witherstorm landed on the ground with yet another muffled _thump!_ It's head bounced up and down for a moment, purple eye dark and mouth slightly open.

"We did it." breathed Jesse, "We did it!"

Cheers broke out, Lukas and Axel high fiving, many looks of relief and wide grins forming throughout the room.

 _"Is that it?"_ asked Axel, the ringing finally coming to stop, _"Is it over?"_

Slowly, they all climbed to their feet, looking at the wreckage with wide eyes. The middle head sat a the top of the ruined body, it's rib cage showing and coming from it's fried parts. A few tree's were on fire, purple guts splattered across the ground, and there body was sitting in a massive crater.

It was dead.

"I can't believe _Ivor_ created _that_." said Ellegaard, shaking her head, "It's... horrific."

 _"I can believe it's... actually_ dead _."_ gasped Olivia.

Grinning, Lukas turned to his new friend, _"You did it, Jesse! You actually did it!"_

Magnus laughed, stepping forward with his hands on his hips, _"Handled like a champ!"_

 _"I know it wasn't easy, but..."_ Lukas shrugged, still grinning. Axel nodded behind him.

_"About time we got a real win."_

Jesse looked over at Magnus, _"Thank you for saving my life back there."_

Magnus gave him a single nod, smiling. _"Happy to."_

Reuben came running up to Jesse, oinking cheerfully at him. Grinning widely despite the bruises he most likely had, Jesse rubbed the pigs head, _"Thanks, buddy."_

"So what happens now?" asked Petra.

"Well, since the Witherstorm destroyed our home..." Lukas gave a small, sad shrug, "I suppose we go looking for a new one. Maybe we can go with Ellegaard to Redstonia and see what it's like."

 _"Hey,"_ said Olivia, stepping forwards and looking around, _"Not to put a damper on the party, but... anyone seen Soren or Ellegaard?"_

They started looking around at that and, sure enough, neither Soren nor Ellegaard were anywhere to be seen.

"I didn't see Ellegaard holding the fishing rod either." said Gill, "She recovered from that hit, right?"

"She didn't have her armor..." Gabriel muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. He didn't tear his eyes from the screen.

Jesse looked to his left, eyes widening as he spotted Soren and Ellegaard a little ways away, on the ground, Ellegaard lying in Soren's arms. _"Oh no..."_ he said, running towards them. The screen showed Magnus, Lukas, Olivia and Petra behind him, looking over at his old friends with wide eyes.

Coming to a stop, Jesse knelt next to the two Order members. Behind him, the others came to a stop as well, Olivia's eyes widening in horror.

 _"You fought valiantly, my friend."_ said Soren. Ellegaard gave him a weak smile, her voice wavering and strained as she spoke.

 _"You and I... both know... my fight... is over."_ It seemed like it took all of her energy just to say that. She sounded like she was in pain, her bones shattered and piercing her insides, and if she were to somehow miraculously survive, she'd most likely become a cripple.

She was right. Her fight was over.

"Ellegaard..." whispered Soren, looking at the screen in dismay. It was one thing to know Gabriel was going to die; it was another thing to watch it happen to another one of his friends.

 _"Stuff and nonsense, stuff and nonsense."_ Soren said, _"Save your strength, Ellegaard. We'll take care of this. We'll take care of_ you _."_

Ellegaard didn't seem to have an answer to that. She looked away from him, blinking in surprise as if she was just seeing Jesse for the first time. _"Jesse."_

_"Ellegaard."_

The engineer smiled, looking him up and down, _"My armor... really suits you, Jesse. I want you to keep it... okay?"_

Gabriel stood up abruptly, causing some of the others to give him startled looks. The warrior walked passed Soren and Magnus and knelt in front of Ellegaard, pulling her into a tight hug.

Ellegaard blinked, but after a moment she wrapped her arms around her old friend and buried her face into his shoulder. Soren and Magnus looked at each other, before Soren stood up as well and sat on the armrest next to Ellegaard, hugging both her and Gabriel.

Someone nudged Magnus' leg, and he looked down, locking eyes with Reuben. The pig looked up at him expectantly, briefly glancing over at the other three Order members. Heaving a sigh, Magnus scooted closer to them and put and arm over Ellegaard's shoulders and Soren's back, leaning into them. Gabriel shifted, pulling one arm free to wrap it around his explosive friend, pulling him closer into the group hug.

In that moment, they weren't the Order of the Stone. They weren't legendary builders or engineers or warriors. In that moment, they were just four friends that had been told two of them were going to die in the near future.

In that moment, Ivor felt guilty for the first time since this whole thing started.

_"It's... certainly not going to be... much use to me now."_

_"Don't say such things!"_ snapped Soren, his hold unconsciously tightening on her. Ellegaard shook her head.

_"Jesse knows... that I'm right..."_

_"Please don't die, Ellegaard."_ said Jesse, _"Please, just- hang on a little longer!"_

 _"I'm trying, Jesse."_ said Ellegaard, _"But... 'a little' is all I've got left."_

"I can't watch this." said Olivia, blinking away tears and turning away from the screen. She buried her face into Axel's arm, who pulled her into a hug.

Onscreen, Ellegaard looked up at Soren, _"Well, Soren... at least I... finally got to be... a real hero... right?"_

Soren closed his eyes, bowing his head. He didn't seem to know how to answer that. Ellegaard looked away from him, eyes widening as she spotted something over Jesse's shoulder. Frowning, Jesse looked over his shoulder, gasping in shock a moment later.

Behind him, people were wandering away from the Witherstorm's giant corpse, staggering and tripping, looking lost and dazed, confused and disoriented. But they were alive. _They were alive._

Petra gasped. "They're alive!"

The Order finally pulled out of their group hug, if only slightly, eyes widening as they looked towards the screen again.

"Wait," said Magnus, "Does that mean... ?" Ellegaard gasped.

"Gabriel could still be alive!"

"And so could Aiden, Maya and Gill!" exclaimed Lukas, "Everyone- all those people- they can still be alive!"

 _"All those people... they're alive!"_ Jesse exclaimed, turning back to Ellegaard, _"The Witherstorm didn't kill them!"_

 _"Jesse,"_ said Ellegaard, sounding out of breath, _"Those people- you have to help them. All of them. Make sure they get out. Don't leave anyone behind. Promise me."_

 _"Of course I'll save them all."_ Jesse promised, _"Everyone of them."_ He reached down, taking Ellegaard's hand in his, _"We're the good guys, right? That's what we do."_

Ellegaard's eyes slid shut before she could even think of an answer, her hand going limp in Jesse's. Behind him, Magnus' eyes widened, and he stepped forward, looking down at the engineer in something akin to disbelief.

Jesse closed his eyes, the survivors walking forwards, unaware of the tragedy going on just a few feet away. Heads bowed, the group stood in silence, mourning the loss of a great hero, a brilliant engineer, and a fantastic friend.

Soren was crying, shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. Gabriel's eyes glistened with tears, and the four friends returned to their group hug, Ellegaard once again in the middle. Even Magnus' throat had closed painfully, furiously fighting to keep his eyes from watering. The only one who wasn't close to crying was Ellegaard. The poor girl seemed to be in some state of shock.

Who wouldn't be, after watching your future-self die?

After a moment, Jesse opened his eyes. His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. _"C'mon, Reuben. We've got a job to do."_ He stood up, Reuben at his feet, as they looked towards the wreckage. He had a promise to keep.

The group looked wide-eyed at all of the survivors, Jesse stepping forwards and turning to look a them. _"You guys help the survivors. I need to make sure we find the people who might be trapped."  
_

Olivia, Axel and Lukas nodded at him, before running off to help the people. Jesse and Reuben ran towards the carcass, jumping over a giant, limp tentacle. Reuben ran up to a survivor, trapped under another tentacle, which Jesse lifted it and threw off him. He helped the man to his feet. _"Get to safety. There are people over there who can help you."_

 _"Thank you..."_ said the man, starting to limp after the other survivors, _"Thank you."_

"Does anyone see the other Ocelots?" asked Lukas.

Petra shook her head, "No. Maybe one of you've got them."

Reuben jumped down in the crater, stopping in front of another survivor. Jesse jumped after him, helping the survivor to his feet. _"You're going to be okay, I promise."_

_"I... thank you."_

Jesse once again followed Reuben to another survivor, this one wiggling beneath another tentacle. _"Don't worry,"_ he said, pushing the tentacle off him and helping him to his feet, _"It's all over now. My friends are gonna help you."_

_"I hope you're right... thank you."_

Looking about, Jesse made his way deeper into the corpse, wrinkling his nose at the smell. He came to the bottom of the rib cage, the head at the top lolling to the side. Jesse's eyes widened. _"No."_

"'No'?" frowned Axel, "'No' what? What's the matter?"

Right in front of Jesse, sitting on a large lump of flesh and bone as if it were a pedestal, was the Command Block, not sporting a single crack. Not even a scratch.

 _"The Command Block? That's impossible!"_ Reuben squealed in agreement.

The watchers gasped, eyes widening in horror.

"B-But how?" said Maya, "The Formidi-Bomb was supposed to destroy it!"

Soren shook his head, "I don't understand..."

Onscreen, Jesse stepped forwards, unknowingly echoing Soren. _"I don't understand... Soren said the Formidi-Bomb would destroy it, but it looks... fine."_

Abruptly, the Command Block came to life, lighting up a sparkle of pink, green, yellow, purple and red. _"What the-"_ Jesse cut himself off, and he turned around, _"Guys! Over he-"_ He was suddenly pulled back by some invisible force, the sparkles that had surrounded the Command Block now surrounding him, pulling him closer and closer to it as of he were caught under a tractor beam.

Reuben gave a startled squeal, as Jesse desperately tried to break free. _"No! No!"_

"Jesse!" exclaimed half the audience.

Olivia lunged across Lukas' lap to pull Jesse into a hug, half on top of Lukas, burying her face into her best friends neck. Axel scooted closer to them, wrapping an arm around Jesse and pulling both him and Olivia- as well as a caught-in-the-middle Luaks- closer to him. Petra joined the semi-group hug, putting her arm over both Jesse and Lukas' shoulders and wrapping her other one around Olivia's waist.

 _"Somebody!"_ shouted Jesse, _"Help!"_ But he received no answer, the Command Block pulling him closer and closer despite his struggles. _"Can't- hold- on!"_ It lifted a flaying Jesse into the air, when someone else abruptly appeared on the corner of the screen, grabbing hold of the boy.

Jesse's head snapped towards him rescuer, a gasp leaving his lips as he realized who it was. The screen switched around to reveal none of other than Gabriel the Warrior, his eyes a rather odd color, pulling him away from the Command Block.

"Gabriel!" gasped Magnus, "He's alive!"

Gabriel pulled Jesse out of the Command Block's reach, and they both fell to the ground. Jesse pushed himself up, looking at Gabriel in disbelief. _"But- I thought you were dead! I_ saw _you..."_

Blinking at him, Gabriel put a hand up to his head, and Jesse scrambled to help him up. _"What...what happened here?"  
_

The ground shook, a loud, echoing sound coming from the Command Block. Jesse held his arms out for balance, panic clear in his voice, _"I'll explain everything, just not right now!"_

The Witherstorm's head moved, the ribs shifted and moved to touch the ruined flesh of its insides, the sky darkened, and the monsters gave a growl of anger, of hunger. A growl that promised they'd regret trying to kill it, a growl that read certain doom.

A growl that meant the Witherstorm was alive.

"No!" shouted Gabriel.

"It's alive," gasped Olivia, "It's _alive!_ "

The ground shook without pause, Jesse backing away from the monstrosity as it rose. To his right, _another_ head with _another_ body appeared, slightly smaller than the one in front of him. Another growl pierced the air, and Jesse's head snapped towards it, revealing the third head with it's own body. The Witherstorm's rose into the air, black blocks swirling around it and putting their mangled flesh back together.

People began running again, screaming, as the screen zoomed out to show _three_ different Witherstorm's, each head with a body of its own, a tractor beam appearing from its eyes. It was chaos, almost as bad as Endercon, with cries of horror and fire's already there from the Formidi-Bomb.

They'd failed.

"There's three of them." whispered Petra, "Oh god, there's _three of them._ "

"We failed." said Lukas, his face terribly pale, "We... we've only made it _worse_."

"Ellegaard died for nothing." muttered Maya. Jesse could only shake his head slowly, unable to tear his eyes from the screen.

 _"C'mon, we've gotta get out of here!"_ shouted Jesse, and he and Reuben began running away. But upon realizing Gabriel wasn't following, he skidded to a stop, turning around and running back to him. _"Gabriel, let's go!"_

Gabriel turned to him slowly, face forming a look of confusion, eyes shinning with worry and fear and uncertainty. He looked at Jesse as if he'd never seen him before, and what he said next caused the young hero's heart to stop.

_"Who's... Gabriel?"_

The screen blacked out.

Many mouth's were hanging open. Shock had descended over everyone.

No one said anything, just stared at the dark screen.

After a moment, the words _Next Time on MINECRAFT: STORY MODE_ once again came up, Jesse's voice reading it out. It vanished, replaced by the entire group riding away on horses, Gabriel holding on to Jesse. _"Faced with a devastating defeat..."_ It changed to Jesse and Reuben standing next to each other on the edge of a cliff, a cave behind them, looking to the distance with sorrowful gazes. _"Our heroes will have to search deep within themselves..."_

Now it shows them inside a cave, Jesse, Axel and Olivia standing around Petra. Jesse was saying something. _"In order to rise above tragedy..."_ And then Petra fell, hitting the ground, her friends looking at her in horror.

Jesse, Lukas, Olivia, Axel, Maya, Gill and Petra gasped.

 _"Heal broken friendships..."_ Lukas stands besides a horse, holding its reigns, face set in determination as he walked forwards. Now Soren and Ivor are seen outside, arguing. _"Untangled bitter rivalries..."_ The screen changed to show Jesse, Axel, Olivia and Reuben walking towards the edge of a cliff, looking up at the three deadly Witherstorms floating in front of what appeared to be Soren's mountain fortress. _"And find the strength to make one last stand against the storm."_ And then the screen went dark again and that was that.

Jesse was the one to break the silence. "I... I can't believe it."

"None of us can." muttered Petra.

Nothing else was said. Nobody knew what to say. So one by one, they exited the room, until there was only Ivor left, staring at the screen with a blank face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you say to Ellegaard/Magnus when they told you to help the survivors? I'll save them all, I can't promise that or I'm not leaving you? Let me know in the reviews!


	20. Triple the Terror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER TWENTY. WE'VE MADE IT TO CHAPTER FRIGGIN' TWENTY. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT. HOLY CRAP, WE'RE ON EPISODE FOUR. HOW ARE WE ON EPISODE FOUR?! DIDN'T I JUST POST THIS STORY?!

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Four: A Block and A Hard Place**

**Part Twenty: Triple the Terror**

* * *

Ellegaard found Magnus in the second lab, which was still covered in soot and smoking slightly from when he and Axel had set off some TNT. She'd expected him to be going about as if nothing was wrong, blowing stuff up and just being his usual explosive self.

So she was rather surprised when she found him standing there, doing nothing, staring at the wreckage he'd created but not really seeing it. He hadn't even crossed his arms, wasn't even leaning on one foot or against the wall, he wasn't even frowning.

He just stood there. Staring.

"Are you all right?" Ellegaard asked. Magnus jumped, twisting around to look at her with startled eyes. He relaxed upon realizing who it was, turning to properly face her. "Since when have you been sneaky?"

"I wasn't being sneaky." said Ellegaard, moving to stand in front of him, "You were just lost in thought. What were you thinking about?" Magnus shrugged.

"Just stuff."

Ellegaard raised an eyebrow at him, "'Just stuff'?"

"Yeah."

They stood in silence for a long moment, neither knowing what to say to the other. Something had shifted, changed perhaps, and neither of them knew what to do about it, or what had exactly shifted. They both knew the cause though, even though they wouldn't voice it.

"We've been standing here for thirty seconds and you haven't insulted me." Ellegaard said, abruptly breaking the silence, "Is this about Gabriel getting amnesia?"

Magnus blinked at her in surprise. "Gabriel?"

Ellegaard shrugged, "Yeah. I mean, forgetting your entire _life_ is a pretty big deal-"

"You actually think this is about Gabriel?"

Now it was Ellegaard's turn to blink at him in surprise. "What else would it be about? Is it the Witherstorm coming back to life? Because I just thought-"

Magnus grabbed her by the shoulders, cutting her off, "You _die,_ Ellegaard! I know Gabriel getting amnesia is really bad, but he can make new memories or we'll find a way to get his old ones back, but- Ellie, you _died_."

The engineer was staring at him with wide, startled eyes now, too shocked to think up an answer. Magnus continued, quieter than before, his voice a mere whisper.

"You died, Ellie. We can find a way to bring back Gabriel's memories, we can find another way to take down the Witherstorm... but we can't bring back the dead."

"But... but you hate me." Ellegaard finally said, still looking at him with wide eyes, "You've always hated because... because I'm nerdy. Because I'm smart. Why... why would you care if I lived or died?"

Magnus' shoulders slumped, his fingers tightening their hold on the girls shoulders. "You... you actually think that? Yeah, we kinda rub each other the wrong way time to time... but I'd never want you to die."

Ellegaard looked down, counting the yellow buttons on Magnus' armor in quick succession. She was silent, Magnus not removing his hands from her shoulders. Just when he thought she wasn't going to say anything, she said in a small voice, "I don't want you to die either."

The engineer raised her head again and looked him in the eyes, and for the first time Magnus realized she was close to tears. Had she not allowed herself to cry at her own death until now?

"I don't want any of us to die." Ellegaard whispered, her hands starting to shake, "Not you, not Gabriel or Soren, not Jesse, not Olivia or Petra or any of their friends, not even Ivor. I-" her breath hitched, and the tears began falling, sliding down her cheeks like left over raindrops after a storm. She was shaking harshly now, bowing her head in a weak attempt to hide her tears. _"_ _I_ don't want to die."

That's when Magnus did something he hadn't done in a very, _very_ long time. He wrapped her arms around her and pressed her against his chest in a hug, burying his face in her hair.

Ellegaard buried her own face in Magnus' armor, wrapping his arms around his waist loosely and sobbing. Her shoulders shook with each cry, breath hitching every now and then, her tears soaking into the man's armor and staining her cheeks.

Magnus said nothing. He closed his eyes and he held her close, trying to put everything he couldn't find a way to say into that one moment. That everything would be all right, that she wasn't alone, and that he will do anything, _anything_ to make sure that she doesn't die.

And that was a promise he was planning to keep until he died himself.

Neither of them knew how long they stood like that. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. They didn't say anything throughout all of it, just stood there in a soot covered room and held each other.

They didn't say anything when they finally pulled apart, Ellegaard wiping the tear stains off her cheeks. They didn't say anything as they walked out of the room and back into the hall. They didn't say anything, but nothing needed to be said.

They didn't say anything when Magnus reached out and took Ellegaard's hand.

* * *

Jesse sat with Olivia, Axel, Petra, Lukas, Maya and Reuben in the second living room, drinking warm cups of herbs and sugar. There wasn't much talk, but the silence wasn't thick with tension or sorrow. It was just silence, briefly broken by the sound of sipping and gulping.

Maya sighed, "I can't believe things could go so wrong."

"Me neither." muttered Axel, "First Petra's Wither Sickness, then the Witherstorm turning into _three_..."

Olivia shook her head, "And Gabriel's amnesia... and what happened to Ellegaard... things just keep getting worse and worse, don't they?"

"I was right." Lukas whispered. He hadn't touched his drink; it was starting to go cold. He leaned back in his seat. "I was right."

"That's why we're here, though." said Petra, "To _change_ things. We can save Ellegaard, we can stop Gabriel from losing his memory, we can stop the Witherstorm from even being created in the first place."

"Based on feeling?" Lukas cut in, his eyes grim, "And what if Jesse doesn't take Ellegaard's armor? If he choose's Magnus' armor, won't he die instead? He was hit by that tentacle at well. But if he choose's not to take either's armor, how do we know he'll survive the blast?"

"We'll think of _something,_ okay?" Jesse said, speaking up for the first time since the episode had ended. "We _have_ to think of something. We're here to stop people from dying; that includes Ellegaard and Magnus and all of you. It even includes me."

"But we still have to watch them die before we can do that." said Olivia quietly. Jesse sighed.

"Yeah. Yeah, we do."

They sat in silence again, sipping at their drinks. Maya once again broke it.

"Do you think you'll be able to cure Petra's Wither Sickness?"

"I hope so." muttered Axel. Petra stared into her drink, before sipping at it silently.

"What about us?" asked Olivia suddenly, "It didn't show us escaping the Witherstorm. What if it... what if it takes one of us this time? We were really lucky to have escaped it the first time, but this time around..."

Lukas shook his head, "I- I'd rather not think about that. Not... not until I have to watch it."

"Don't say stuff like that." Jesse said, "You don't know it'll get us."

"Petra's sick." Lukas snapped, said girl tensing. "And she's getting worse. Do you really think she'll be able to run from that thing again?"

"We won't let that happen." said Axel, glaring at him, "We'll carry her if we have to."

"I'm not saying we should just abandon her!" exclaimed Lukas, "I'm just-"

"Lukas." Petra cut in firmly, "Let's just... not think about that stuff. It hasn't happened yet. It's... it's Future-Us's problem."

"But it's still _our_ problem." Lukas said, "Maybe not right not, but... but it _will_ be."

"I don't really want to watch the next episode so soon." Maya muttered, "The suspense is killing me but I just... I just can't." The girl sighed, downing the last of her drink and standing up. "I'm going to go look for Gill. I'll see you all later."

Maya walked out of the room and disappeared into the hall, the others watching her without a word until she was out of sight.

"What are we gonna do about Aiden, then?" asked Petra, earning confused looks from her friends.

"Aiden?" Lukas repeated, "What about him?"

"You saw how we was pushing Maya and Gill around while we were watching the episode." Petra said, placing her empty cup on the coffee table, "He almost made Maya cry, and he's probably going to push her around some more when he realizes she's been hanging out with us during breaks. So," she raised an eyebrow at them, "What are we gonna do about it?"

Jesse, Olivia, Axel and Lukas looked at each other, Reuben giving a small oink from where he lay on the floor.

"How about we invite her to sit with us?" suggested Jesse, "Like we did with Lukas. It would keep her out of Aiden's reach, at least physically."

"That would work." said Olivia, "And if she says no, she can always sit in the other armchair. But what about Gill? Should we ask him if he would like to sit with us too?"

"We can invite Maya to come sit with us, and tell her that Gill can do the same whenever he wants to." Petra shrugged, "Gill hasn't shown as much liking to you guys than Maya has, so he might say no."

"Okay... so who's cooking lunch?" asked Axel. Petra sent him a look. "What?"

"Maya and I made breakfast." said Olivia, standing, "And Jesse and Lukas made dinner last night. I think it's someone else's turn."

"What, do we need a chores list or something?" Jesse said jokingly. Olivia shook her head, smiling at him.

"Actually, a chores list isn't a bad idea. We're the only ones in the house, and it doesn't magically clean itself. The dishes still need to be washed, and while there's a lot of food in the kitchen, we don't know how long we'll be here and we'll run out eventually, and if we don't harvest the farm, we'll have no food."

Axel groaned, "Aw, great. Do we really have to do all that?"

Petra shrugged, "I could probably think up more." Axel gave her a look of horror.

"Please don't."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Gill and Petra can make lunch, then Gabriel and Soren can make dinner. I'll go find Ellegaard and we'll fix up the labs. Axel, you find Magnus and help him clean up the rest of the house."

"Have you _seen_ this place, Olivia?" asked Axel, "It'll take at _least_ a week to clean this whole thing!"

"Lucky for you," said Petra, "This place doesn't need much cleaning in most places. I'll... convince Ivor and Aiden to help set the table for lunch and dinner. Maya, Lukas and Jesse can do the farming."

Jesse shrugged. "I'm good with that. I'll go get started and you find Maya?"

Lukas nodded, "Sure." He and Jesse got to their feet, Reuben trailing behind them. Lukas looked over his shoulder at the others, who were getting to their feet to do their required chores as well, Axel rather reluctantly. "See you guys later."

As Lukas went off in search of Maya, Jesse made his way outside and towards the farm, which was right next to the garden. The fence around it was dark oak, complete with wheat, pumpkins, melons, carrots, sugar cane, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, rabbits and even horses.

There was a chest and a crafting table right next to the gate, inside of which Jesse found two stone hoes, some extra seeds, shears, a stone axe and a stack of ten buckets. Carefully avoiding the axe, which had a stomach-churning red ting to it, Jesse took out the hoe and made his way over to the crops, which were separated based on what they were. A sign stood outside each gate, reading Wheat Farm, Melon Farm, and so on.

He was halfway through replanting the wheat when Lukas and Maya showed up, Aiden walking behind them with a scowl. It only deepened when his eyes rested on Jesse.

"What's _he_ doing here?"

Jesse raised an eyebrow at him. "I could say the same of you."

"He and Gill got in a fight." Lukas explained, "They can't even be in the same room together, let alone around a hot furnace, without someone getting injured. So we brought him here."

"Where he can murder me with an axe for punching him in the face?"

"He's not going to murder you." said Lukas. Aiden sneered.

"We'll see about that."

"No one's going to murder anyone." Maya stated firmly, "I'll help Jesse with the crops and you two... attend the animals." She opened the chest, pulling out the shears and buckets. Scowling, Aiden snatched the shears out of her hand.

"Fine." he spat, before stomping off towards the sheep. Lukas gave her an apologetic look, taking the buckets and making his way over to the cows.

Maya grabbed the second hoe and began helping Jesse with the crops, by the end of which they had two stacks of everything and more seeds than they knew what to do with.

"Can I give Reuben a carrot?" asked Maya, pulling out one of the orange snacks. Jesse blinked at her in surprise, before nodding.

Smiling, Maya turned towards the gate, where Reuben had been sitting, waiting for them to finish. She blinked in surprise when she saw he was gone, just as a terrified squeal pierced the air.

"Reuben?" said Jesse. He gasped. "Reuben!"

"Aiden, what are you _doing_?" exclaimed Lukas, jumping to his feet and tripping over two of the buckets he'd sat down, spilling milk across the grass and all over his pants.

Aiden stood with the axe in hand, holding onto Reuben's scruff with his other. The poor pig was squealing and screeching, yanking and kicking, trying desperately to get out of the bully's grasp. "Hold still, you stupid pig!"

"Leave him alone!" Jesse shouted, running across the crops and destroying a good part of his and Maya's work. He leaped over the fence, reaching Aiden at the same time as Lukas. Jesse grabbed Reuben, yanking him away from the axe-wielding Ocelot, and turning slightly so that his body covered most of his pig, who was shaking in fright. Lukas grabbed the axe and pulled it out of Aiden's hand, dripping fresh milk from head to toe.

"What is _wrong_ with you?!" Maya shouted, coming to a stop in front of them. "You almost killed Reuben!"

"You told me to attend to the animals!" snapped Aiden, "I was attending to the pigs, wasn't I?"

"Attending to the animals does not mean killing Jesse's!" said Lukas, glaring at him, "You know what, Aiden? Get out of here. I don't care if you don't do anything around the house, just- just get out of here."

"It's just a dumb pig!" Aiden shouted, "Why are you siding with him and not your friends?!"

Lukas looked him dead in the eye, his mouth set in a firm line and his eyes cold and hard, his entire stance reeking that he was done. That he'd had enough. "I _am_ siding with my friends."

Aiden's eyes widened, but then they hardened, narrowed, and he turned his back on them and stomped out of the farm, hands clenched into fists and his sides. Lukas watched him go with a blank face, before turning to Jesse.

"Sorry about that, Jess."

"It's fine." Jesse muttered, hugging Reuben close to comfort him. Maya held out a carrot, which he happily ate up within moments. "You didn't have to do that, Lukas."

Lukas shook his head. "I hate to admit it, but I think I did. He'll see reason." he looked to where Aiden had vanished into the house, the double doors left wide open in his anger. "I hope."

* * *

Soren, Gabriel, Magnus and Ellegaard were scattered around Soren's bedroom, the only place that was least likely to be disturbed. They had just had lunch, and Soren himself sat on the double bed, crossed legged, examining his nails as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. Magnus and Ellegaard sat next to each other on a small couch at the back of the room, while Gabriel leaned against a bookcase, watching the two out of the corner of his eye.

They had been sitting next to each other for nearly a full minute and nothing had blown up. Things were indeed tense throughout the whole room.

"So..." said Soren, finally looking up, "How have things been lately?"

This earned him quite a few flat looks. Soren shifted uncomfortably under their stares.

"I'm not good at starting intense conversations, okay?"

"Oh, trust me." Magnu drawled, "We know."

Gabriel sighed. Looks like it was up to him. "The Witherstorm's still alive, Ellegaard dies and I don't remember my own name. Are we talking about that?"

Soren winced. "No need to put it so bluntly."

"We don't know if Gabriel's memory will come back or not." said Ellegaard, "For all we know, it could only last a day or something. Maybe all your memories come back given time."

Gabriel sighed. "I do hope so."

Silence once again descended on the room. That seemed to be happening a lot around the house lately.

"How are you holding up, then?" asked Magnus, causing his friends to blink at him in surprise.

Gabriel frowned. "Excuse me?"

"How are you holding up?" Magnus repeated, not looking at the other two. "You just found out you're going to forget you're entire life, even your own name. How are you holding up?

"I..." Gabriel didn't seem to know how to answer that. Maybe it was because it was Magnus who was asking it. "I could be better, I suppose."

Soren raised an eyebrow at him, "You suppose?"

Gabriel sighed, scrambling his brain for what to say. "Well... I can deal with it, it's just a bit... unnerving. Knowing that, in the near future... I won't remember anything. I won't remember my family, my friends, not even myself. And I believe... there is nothing we can do about it."

"You think Jesse won't be able to save you?" asked Ellegaard.

"If he saves me, he won't be able to save his friend." Gabriel pointed out, "Besides, if he were to save me... our roles would most likely be reversed. I would get Wither Sickness and the girl- Petra- would get amnesia."

"At least that way," said Soren, voice nothing but a whisper, "You would have gotten to see Ellegaard again."

"We're not talking about that." Ellegaard said, looking down at the floor. Soren looked over to her.

"Elle-"

" _No._ "

"Leave her be, Soren." said Gabriel quietly, "We can speak of it later."

Soren looked reluctant to drop the subject, but didn't say anything. He looked down at the bed sheets.

Nothing else was said.

* * *

It wasn't until the next morning that they all made their way back into the living room. No one could bring themselves to eat much at breakfast, only a few scraps here and there. Petra had spoken to Maya, and while she did not sit on the floor with them, she took a seat in the other armchair, not right next to the gang but closer to them than the Ocelots couch. She forced herself to ignore Aiden's eyes boring into the back of her skull.

There was a big gap between Gill and Aiden as well, each boy sitting on either side of the couch. Neither would say what they'd fought about, but they had a few plausible ideas. Ivor sit in his usual armchair, furthest from everyone else, while on the Order's couch they'd switch seating positions again.

Ellegaard and Gabriel were in the middle, Magnus next to Ellegaard and Soren next to Gabriel. No one was sure if it was coincidence or if Magnus and Soren had done it on purpose, but neither Gabriel nor Ellegaard decided to question them, so everyone else brushed it off as well.

On the floor in front of the coffee table, Jesse was once again squished in the middle with Reuben sitting in his lap. Olivia and Axel were to his left, while Lukas and Petra were to his right. Behind them, Soren was fiddling with the remote.

This time, the picture on the screen was of Jesse, who had his sword out, Reuben, Olivia and Axel running away from two beams of purple light, the Witherstorm barely visible from behind a wall of fire.

Jesse looked away from the screen.

"Ah, here we go." Soren muttered, pointing the remote at the screen and pushing a button. The picture faded away, replaced by Jesse's voice.

_"Previously on Minecraft: Story Mode."_

The soul sand, Command Block and two Wither skulls on the stage from the first episode appeared, as the narrator, once again, took over. _"Everything in the universe..."_ Gabriel's eyes widened, as Ivor placed the final skull on the statue, _"Starts out as just a block."_ The two are thrown off the stage at the force of the blast, and the wither rose up, the Command Block in it's rib cage.

"Is it going to show this every time?" asked Olivia.

 _"What comes of those blocks..."_ The Wither floats over the screaming crowd, as they run for the exit, the gang looking up at it with wide eyes. It changed to the glass dome above the Hall, shaking and cracking. _"Is up to those who wield them."_ The dome caves in, and long, black tentacles emerge in a swirl of black. In the screaming crowd bellow, Reuben gives a terrified squeal and runs after Axel. _"And in every block there lies the potential to create..."_

The Witherstorm's three heads rise up one by one, each giving off a massive roar. _"Or destroy."_ Now Jesse is climbing up through the trap door into Soren's Happyland, shielding his eyes from the sudden brightness. _"Our friends have traveled far and wide..."_ As Jesse made his way into the Wool World, Olivia came up through the trapdoor behind him, and they took in the crazy land. _"In search of the Order of the Stone,"_

The screen changed to the gang jumping into the minecarts in Soren's loot room, an Enderman looked around with narrowed eyes. The walls began to close as Soren's cart sped after the others, more Endermen appearing in the loot room, one walking forwards and screeching in rage, just as the wall closed in its face.

Now Jesse's floating in the air right in front of the Witherstorm's middle head, pushing the Formidi-Bomb towards it. _"And a way to stop the Witherstorm for good."_ The Witherstorm opened its mouth, and the bomb exploded right in its face, sending Jesse flying. Back in Soren's armory slash library, the gang are under the effects of Ivor's Splash Potion of Slowness, trying to run after him as the man himself casually walked through the gap between the bookshelves.

 _"But even well-laid plans can go awry..."_ Ivor turned around, smirking at them, as the bookshelves slammed closed in his face. The screen switched to show the gang now climbing up the long staircase after Soren. Jesse turned around and looked down at Petra, who was falling behind, looking up at him tiredly. _"The strong can grow weak..."_

Real-Petra looked away from the screen.

The screen changed again to Ellegaard, cradled in Soren's arms, Jesse holding her hand as he eyes slipped closed. _"And beloved heroes can fall.."_ Her hand went limp in Jesse's, who bowed his head and closed his eyes. It zoomed out to show the survivors walking passed them in a daze, as the group shared a moment of silence.

Silently, Magnus reached over and grabbed Ellegaard's hand again, giving it a comforting squeeze. Seeing this, Soren reached over Gabriel and gripped the engineer's other hand, while Gabriel himself wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Ellegaard let out a shaky sigh, giving them grateful smiles.

With a muffled thump, one of the Witherstorm's heads slammed into the ground, the others kneeling around Jesse in the background. The screen looked over the monsters corpse, split into three different pieces, before showing Jesse running up to Gabriel as it comes back to life. _"And although some glimmer of hope may remain..."_ Gabriel turned to him slowly, his discolored eyes wide with confusion.

The Witherstorm's ribs touch down onto the Command Block, it's head lifting itself up and giving an enraged growl as it rose, high into the air along side it's brethren. _"The threat to this world, to it's very existence..."_ Jesse and Reuben look up at it in horror, slowly backing away. Jesse looks to the side to see another half of the beast rise up, giving a roar of its own. _"Is_ far _from over."_

The screen momentarily went dark, before switching back on to the sound of terrified screams of the survivors, horrified that the monster that had imprisoned them was still alive and fearful that they would be sucked right back in and, this time, not come back out. The three Witherstorms roared and growled, their tractor beams going far and wide, the millions of parts that had been blown away swirling around them in a massive black cloud.

"But those people," said Lukas, "Didn't they just get out?"

"That must be terrifying." said Petra.

In the crater that had once held the Witherstorm's body, Jesse looked up at the beasts with horrified eyes, Gabriel looking left and right in a mix of confusion and terror. _"Where- Where am I?"_ the warrior asked, _"What's going on?"_

"Do you think that some of the other survivors have amnesia as well?" asked Jesse, "Like, the ones that have been in there for a long time?"

"That's actually very likely." said Ellegaard thoughtfully from where her friends were wrapped around her like a human blanket, "Gabriel can't be the only one that gets amnesia, so the people that had gotten sucked up back at Endercon probably don't remember anything either."

 _"What is all this?"_ Gabriel gave a sniff, _"And what's that awful smell?"_

 _"Are you okay?"_ asked Jesse, staring at him with wide eyes. Gabriel looked at him for a long moment.

 _"I... I have no idea..."_ Gabriel backed away from him, suddenly becoming weary, _"Who are you?"_

Soren wrapped his free arm around Gabriel's shoulders, much like the warrior himself was doing with Ellegaard. Gabriel rose an eyebrow at him, before turning to watch as Magnus put his own arm around Ellegaard's shoulders, atop of Gabriels and coming to rest half-on Soren's. A small smile playing on his lips, Gabriel settled back and returned to the screen.

Reuben gave a confused oink, Jesse's eyes widening even further at Gabriel's question. Before he could say anything, Axel's voice shouted over.

_"Jesse! Jesse, where are you?!"_

Axel is seen a few feet away, peering through the flying debris and smoke from the fires, trying to find his missing friend. Jesse grabs Gabriel's hand and runs towards Axel, who's covering his face to avoid getting a head injury. _"Say something, Jesse!"_

"Where's everyone else?" asked Maya.

"Axel must have gone back for Jesse." said Petra, "I'm sure the rest of us are fine."

_"We gotta go, pronto!"_

_"We need some help over here!"_ shouted Jesse, glancing over at Gabriel. At the shout, Axel's head snapped towards their direction, barely able to make them out through the smoke and flying blocks.

 _"Then help is on the way!"_ he declared, running towards them.

Jesse, Gabriel and Reuben jumped up out of the crater, Axel skidding to a stop in front of them and staring at Gabriel with wide eyes. _"No way, no way! You found Gabriel?"_

Gabriel frowned, _"Who's Gabriel?"_

"Please don't say that again." muttered Soren.

Onscreen, Jesse looked back at the Witherstorms, each giving an hear-bleeding roar, as two new heads appeared on each body. Now there were nine tractor beams, and nine mouths that were drooling with hunger.

"Of course." sighed Olivia.

 _"We need to get out of here."_ said Jesse, _"Now!"_

Axel spun around, _"This way!"_ He took off at a run, obviously knowing where he was going, and the other three were fast to follow him. One of the Witherstorm's spat a flaming skull, which hit a tree near Jesse and set it aflame. They came to a large mound of dirt and stone, which the others were hiding behind. Olivia poked her head out as Axel and Gabriel joined them, giving a relieved grin, _"Jesse! You made it!"_

Jesse skidded to a halt, nearly falling over, and joined the others behind the wall. People ran past them, screaming, tree's burned and sizzled away to nothing all around them. Once again, chaos had descended upon them.

 _"And..."_ Lukas' eyes widened, _"Gabriel?"_

Petra's head snapped up, _"Did you say Gabriel?"_

But before anything else could be said, a tractor beam illuminated them in it's purple glow, tearing the wall that was shielding them apart.

"Run!" exclaimed Lukas.

 _"Let's go!"_ shouted Jesse, and they all sprinted out of their hiding spot before they too could be sucked up in the tractor beam, running as fast as they could away from the three Witherstorms.

Abruptly, Endermen appeared right in front of Jesse, who came to a stop with a startled yell. But the Endermen didn't acknowledge him, didn't even glance at him, just calmly walked right up to the Witherstorm's. Once he realized they weren't going to attack him, Jesse ran after his friends.

"Uh, what's up with those Endermen?" asked Axel.

Soren shook his head, looking at the screen in astonishment. "I have absoloutly no idea."

Jesse came to a stop beside a tree, which Soren stood behind, watching the Endermen. _"Those Endermen are running the wrong way. They'll be killed!"_

Lukas came to a stop behind them, having run back to see what was going on. _"Soren?"_

Soren gestured with his head to the Endermn, _"I can't just stand by and watch. I'd be condemning them to death!"_

"The longer you stand there," said Petra, "The more likely you'll be condemning _us_ to death!"

"But the Endermen- !"

"Soren, they'll be fine." Magnus reassured, "They can just teleport away, can't they?"

Soren opened his mouth, before closing it. He reluctantly turned back to the screen, "I suppose..."

 _"Stop staring and get a move on!"_ exclaimed Jesse. Soren looked over his shoulder at him and Lukas,

_"I can't just abandon them. Not after a lifetime of study!"_

_"Your heads gonna be abandoning your body if you don't turn around and run!"_

A Witherstorm spat a flaming skull, and it hit the tree they'd been standing next to, immediately setting it on fire. Giving startled screams, the three ran after everyone else.

Horses, abandoned or having run away from their owners, neighed and whined in terror as they ran alongside the monsters. In that moment, no spider, zombie, skeleton or creeper payed any attention to the humans or the animals, to focused on escaping certain doom.

 _"Jesse!"_ said Lukas, coming to a stop. Jesse stopped a few feet in front of him, three spiders running passed him, and turned around to face the blond. _"They're falling behind!"_

Sure enough, Axel and Petra are seen behind them, Axel supporting the sick girl and trying desperately to quicken their pace. It was raining now, although it barely did anything to put out the many fires. No one seemed to even notice.

Real-Petra's groaned, "Oh no."

 _"Axel!"_ Jesse shouted, _"You gotta move faster!"_

 _"She's too sick!"_ Axel exclaimed, _"This is the best we can do!"_

Petra looked absoloutly devastated, guilt shinning in her eyes. Jesse shared a look with Lukas, before reaching over the blond and nudging the redhead's shoulder to get her attention.

"Hey, this isn't your fault, okay?" he said, "You've got nothing to be guilty about.

"I know, it's just..." Petra sighed, shaking her head and looking back at the screen, not finishing her answer. Her friends frowned.

Reuben hopped out of Jesse's lap, climbed over Lukas' and jumped into Petra's, who jumped, surprised to find her lap full of pink pig. She gave a small smile as Reuben settled down contentedly against her chest, Jesse giving the pig a thumbs up.

 _"They're not going to be able to outrun it!"_ said Lukas, _"Not on foot! We gotta find a way to move faster, or we're all gonna be caught in the tractor beam!"  
_

 _"Can we build a portal?"_ asked Jesse, as Olivia ran up to them, _"If somebody has the right materials-"_

Olivia shook her head, _"We don't! I haven't seen obsidian since the End!"_

A horse ran passed them, Jesse watching it go. _"Then we'll have to use the next best thing."_

"All right!" Axel grinned, "Nice thinking, Jesse!"

The horses neighed and whined, jumping to and fro. Jessed looked over his shoulder at the others, pointing to the group of horses. _"Everybody, get on!"_

They all ran towards them, Jesse watching as Axel helped Petra over to them before running to one as well. Behind them, a Witherstorm- one of the smaller ones- was looking about for more stuff to consume.

Lukas is seen running up to the horses, but they run away from him immediately and he skids to a stop. Behind him, Magnus chases a horse out of sight at random. As Lukas goes after a horse, Jesse appears on screen, Olivia taming a brown horse over his shoulder. The horse in front of him- a white one- jumps away from him with a loud neigh.

Jesse's eyes narrow in determination, as the horse bucked and kicked and jumped. _"Slow down, horse!"_ He grabs the saddle and hoists himself up, tugging at the reigns to get the horse under control.

 _"Hey!"_ Petra shouted from where she stood a little ways away, _"What about us?"_ Indeed, both she and Gabriel didn't have a horse, and there wasn't anymore in sight. Lukas, on a black horse, rode up to Jesse.

_"Come on, Jesse, we got this! We'll take the reigns, and they can just hang on."_

"That's not very safe." said Ellegaard, "And they'll be in constant danger of falling off, since you'll be running as fast as you can."

"There's nothing else we can do." Jesse pointed out, "And we're not just gonna abandon them."

Jesse nodded, _"I'll take Gabriel."_

_"Then I've got Petra."_

Lukas rode around Jesse and came to a stop in front of Petra, helping her onto the back of his horse, while Jesse did the same with Gabriel.

 _"Hold on,"_ said Jesse, _"This might be a bumpy ride."_ They took off at a full blown run, Gabriel giving a startled yell and wrapping his arms around Jesse's stomach to keep himself from falling off.

Jesse, Gabriel, Lukas and Petra ran side by side on their horses, the three Witherstorm's behind them and the world around them on fire as they ran, once again, for their lives. The screen went black for a second, before coming back on to show the entire group.

Turns out there were only four horses. Soren sat behind Magnus on a chocolate brown horse, while Axel sat behind Olivia on one nearly identical to Lukas', Reuben under his armpit.

 _"Come on, horses!"_ urged Lukas, as they ran past tree's and monsters. The Witherstorms each gave a heart stopping roar, and Jesse looked over his shoulder at them. _"Whatever you do, don't look back!"_ Axel yelled, and Jesse glanced over at him.

_"I looked!"_

Real-Jesse face palmed.

 _"Everyone!"_ shouted Lukas, _"Follow me!"_ Jesse drew his sword as the blond raced ahead, the others running after him as fast as their horses could go. Monsters were everywhere, running along side them in a desperate attempt to escape the Witherstorm's.

 _"Whoo hoo! Haha! This is awesome!"_ yelled Magnus, as he came up along side Jesse.

"How is this awesome?!" asked Ellegaard. Magnus gave a sheepish shrug.

 _"Jesse, look out!"_ Lukas yelled, as a creeper stopped and started flashing. Jesse swerved around the creeper, narrowly avoiding getting blasted away.

 _"Axel, stop back-seat steering!"_ said Olivia.

_"I can't help it, I'm getting horse sick!"_

Jesse came up to a skeleton riding a spider, raising his sword and whacking it down. They were coming to a gap between two mountains.

The screen switched around to show the Witherstorm's, which were getting closer and closer with each passing second. Lukas shouted, _"It's gaining on us!"_

 _"We're not gonna make it!"_ exclaimed Gabriel.

 _"Just keep it together, Gabriel!"_ said Jesse, urging his horse to go faster.

Ahead of them, tractor beams appeared, sucking up the dirt and a few monsters, creating a massive hole. Gabriel gasped.

_"Watch out!"_

"Oh, come on!" groaned Olivia, "Why is saving the world so _hard_?!"

The others jumped across the gap, and Jesse leaped after them. They landed on the other side and kept running, Gabriel looking over his shoulder at the Witherstorm's.

_"That monster! It's chasing me!"_

_"It's chasing all of us!"_

Maya shook her head, "He's seriously got no idea what's going on, doesn't he? That... that must be really scary. All he knows is that they're running from a enormous monster."

Gabriel sighed, "Yes. I... am not looking forward to it."

"None of us are." muttered Soren.

The Witherstorm's roared and screeched, nine tractor beams in front of the group, flaming skulls raining down upon them. Jesse dodged left and right to avoid the tractor beams and the gaping holes the flaming skulls created, running passed monsters getting sucked up themselves.

 _"Please!"_ exclaimed Gabriel, _"Don't let it come any closer!"_

_"I'm trying!"_

Aiden gave the real Gabriel a look, " _That's_ the greatest warrior of all time?"

"Leave him alone, Aiden." Gill glared at him, "Guy's just lost his memory. You heard what Maya said; he's got no idea what's going on."

"Yeah, but if he was really brave, he wouldn't be begging that _loser_ to save him!"

Nearly the entire room groaned or rolled their eyes.

"Aiden," growled Petra, "You say something like that again, and I break your nose again."

Aiden flinched, hand hovering above his still sore nose. The bruise was only just starting to fade.

Onscreen, Jesse gasped as a tractor beam landed on one of the Endermen. The tall monster looked up at it, opening it's mouth and screeching in rage as it was lifted into the air, before teleporting away. Now they were surrounded by Endermen, screeching and shaking and teleporting, and then they were all gone.

Blinking in surprise, Jesse barely had time to process this before a tentacle came swinging towards him, and he yelled, ducking down and swerving out of its reach. Another tentacle appeared, and they jumped over it before it could grab them or knock them off their track.

As they raced through the gap between the mountains, yet another tentacled plunged towards Jesse, who swerved right to avoid it, and it instead went right into the ground, spraying dirt. But within seconds, a different tentacle did the same thing, and Jesse dodged to the left, and the tentacle plunged into the ground as well, quickly followed by a third one.

Lukas let out a long breath, "That was close."

A Witherstorm head opened it's mouth and spat a flaming skull, which landed right in front of Jesse and created a hole in the ground. With a scream, they leaped over it, the horse neighing at the sudden jump.

"Never mind!" squeaked Lukas, _"That_ was way too close!"

Jesse and Gabriel landed on the other side and kept going, Olivia, Axel and Reuben appearing next to them.

 _"There!"_ said Jesse, and the screen switched to show a bridge leading across a deep chasm, _"We just need to ride over that-"_

A flaming skull came down from above, hitting the bridge and destroying it entirely, the gang coming to a sudden stop to avoid going over.

The watchers gaped.

 _"...Bridge."_ Jesse sighed.

A tentacle suddenly slammed into the ground in front of him, an Enderman appearing as it lifted away. _"Oh no!"_

 _"Jesse, look out!"_ shouted Lukas, more and more Endermen appearing.

Jesse immediately covered his eyes, as a tractor beam descended on the Enderman and it looked up at the monster, mouth opening and starting to screech. Blinking, Jesse looked up, watching in shock as the Enderman ripped a block off the Witherstorm's tentacle.

"Wow." said Axel.

The Witherstorm gave a pained roar, and the gang looked over their shoulders at it. Soren gasped, _"The Endermen!"_

At a closer look, Endermen could be seen on the three monsters, tearing blocks off of them. _"They're slowing it down!"_

"Huh." said Olivia, "So flooding the End turned out to be a good thing."

 _"Am I seeing Endermen attack a Witherstorm?"_ asked Jesse, as the three beasts roared in both agony and anger.

 _"Endermen moved blocks."_ said Soren, Magnus staring at the monsters with wide eyes, _"It's what they do."_

 _"Guys, come on!"_ shouted Olivia, the screen showing her and Axel on the ground with blocks in hand, standing in front of the destroyed bridge. Axel gestured to the chasm with his head.

_"We gotta build a new one. Like, right now."_

Jesse, Lukas and Soren got off their horses and joined them, their own blocks in hand, Petra, Gabriel and Magnus staying on the horses to guide them across.

 _"C'mon, faster!"_ yelled Jesse, as they started building across the chasm. Behind them, Soren seemed to be doing something entirely different, but they seemed to focused to notice.

 _"We need more blocks!"_ exclaimed Axel.

 _"I got some!"_ Lukas said.

Petra looked over her shoulder. _"It's getting closer!"_

At the end of the bridge, Soren had built an archway out of wooden fences, redstone lamps and wood.

Gabriel face palmed, Ellegaard letting out a long breath and Magnus shaking his head. Soren blinked at the looks he was getting.

"What I do?"

Once they'd reached the other side of the chasm, they all climbed back onto their horses as quickly as possible, and they ran, ran as fast as they could. The Witherstorm roared and screeched, the angry Endermen still slowing it down considerably, as it's dinner escaped it's clutches once more.

 _"Yeeha! Whooo!"_ yelled Axel. Olivia grunted.

_"Axel, you're screaming in my ear."_

_"Sorry."_

They rode out of sight, leaving the three Witherstorm's behind. The screen went dark.

Jesse threw his hands into the air, "We're alive!"

At this declaration, the living room burst into cheers, Reuben jumping up and running circles around the group on the floor. Axel and Lukas high fived, before Reuben returned to Petra's lap and they all turned back to the dark screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you take Petra or Gabriel? Let me know in the reviews!


	21. The Cave

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Four: A Block And A Hard Place**

**Part Twenty-One: The Cave**

* * *

It was snowy lightly, the Withestorms bulky figure in the distance, too far to be of much trouble. The screen went over some mountains, before coming to a ledge, where the gang were getting off their horses and fixing up a small cave.

 _"We made it."_ Jesse gave a disbelieving laugh, jogging after Lukas into the cave, _"We actually freaking made it."_

"But now what?" asked Axel, "How are we gonna defeat that thing now?"

Petra shook her head, looking at the screen grimly. "I don't know."

 _"Jesse,"_ said Petra, coming up to him. She looked even worse than before, hunched over herself and looking like she'd just crawled from the grave. _"I'm worried about Gabriel."_ They looked over to the warrior, who was leaning against the cave wall, staring at the floor with his discolored eyes. _"If he was inside the Witherstorm... he could have Wither Sickness, like me."_

"Amnesia _and_ Wither Sickness?" Ellegaard sighed, "Things just keep getting worse and worse."

Jesse, however, looked unsure. _"I don't know. You've never acted the way he's been acting."_

He made his way over to Gabriel, giving him a small smile. _"Hey, how are you feeling?""_

 _"I... I'm afraid I don't feel much like myself at the moment."_ said Gabriel, pushing himself off the wall. Before Jesse could answer that, Soren's voice cut through the air.

 _"Gabriel!"_ Jesse and Gabriel turned to face Soren, who was smiling at him widely, _"It really is you!"_

Magnus appeared on Gabriel's other side, _"They told us you'd kicked it!"_

"In our defense," said Soren, before anyone could say anything, "We had no idea he had amnesia."

"Maybe he'll remember you two?" suggested Olivia.

Onscreen, Gabriel backed away from them, _"Wha- Who are you people?"_

 _"It's me, Magnus!"_ said Magnus, his smile falling when Gabriel continued to look confused.

 _"Old friend,"_ Soren said quietly, _"Don't you recognize us?"_

"That must be horrible." said Lukas, "They've just lost Ellegaard and Gabriel doesn't even recognize them. I'm not sure which one's worse."

 _"It's Soren."_ Soren and Magnus were looking at him with sad eyes, desperate for something to go right. _"We've known each other for... a very long time."_

 _"Just give him some space, for now."_ said Jesse, _"He may still come out of it."_

Soren sighed, _"What a terrible turn of events."_

Gabriel was looking at the ground with a frown, before he raised his head, eyes landing on Jesse. _"You. You're the one who rescued me."_ He walked passed Soren and Magnus to stand in front of the boy, looking at him desperately, _"Tell me, please. What is going on?"_

"He... he seriously doesn't know." muttered Magnus, "He's not snapping out of it?"

Ellegaard shook her head. "Amnesia is... a tricky thing, Magnus." Gabriel glanced at the ground grimly, before steeling himself and returning to his future.

Jesse looked at the warrior with grim eyes, scrambling his brain for a way to put it. Gabriel crossed his arms almost insecurely, his eyes solely on his rescuer.

_"I remember only blackness. Then, suddenly, you were there. And then we were galloping..."_

Magnus and Soren came up to stand on either side of Jesse, shoulders slumped, looking at Gabriel sadly. This was their friend, they'd gone on adventures together, laughed together, and he couldn't even remember his own name, let alone any of that stuff. They'd started out as five; now one was dead, one was the cause and one had no memory.

"He can't remember Elelgaard." said Soren suddenly, gaining surprise looks. "He can't- He can't grieve for her. Not like Magnus and I. To Gabriel..." he looked over at the warrior and engineer, both who were returning his gaze with wide eyes. "To Gabriel, Ellegaard is just a name."

That seemed to be what really punched Gabriel in the gut. "I am... I am so sorry, Ellegaard."

Ellegaard shook her head. "It's not your fault, Gabriel."

 _"You were caught in the Witherstorm."_ Jesse finally answered, _"Trapped."_

 _"For how long?"_ asked Gabriel.

_"Long enough that it did this to you."_

Gabriel was silent for a moment, glancing down. _"It felt like an eternity. It was dark... and foul... and I was sure I was a goner."_

 _"Well, you aren't."_ said Soren, patting his friend on the shoulder and moving to stand in front of him, _"You made it back alive. Which is... more than I can say for some of us."_

 _"Oh, man. Ellie."_ Magnus turned away slightly, looking down at the floor, _"For a second, I almost managed to forget."_

Ellegaard blinked in surprise, glancing over to the real Magnus. The self-declared Boom Master was looking at her with sad eyes, before looking down at his lap, giving the engineer's hand a long squeeze.

A small smile tugged at her lips, and Ellegaard shifted slightly to lean against Magnus, her head not quite resting on his shoulder. Magnus blinked, glancing down at her, before his eyes met Gabriel and Soren, who were looking at him with raised eyebrows, their lips turning up in surprised smiles.

Magnus looked back at the screen, feeling rather hot all of a sudden, and forced himself to ignore the suppressed laughter from the other two.

Onscreen, Lukas glanced over at them from where he sat with Petra, Olivia, Axel and Reuben on the other side of the cave. _"We talking about Ellegaard?"_

 _"I just can't believe she's gone."_ said Olivia, shaking her head slowly, _"Doesn't feel real."_

The screen showed Soren's back, his hands on his hips. _"How?"_ he asked, dropping his arms and turning to face them, _"How could this have happened?"_ Soren looked around the cave, his eyes coming to rest on Gabriel and Magnus, the former who was leaning against the wall again. _"To lose not just a friend... but a member of the Order of the Stone!"_

 _"Guys... it was my fault."_ said Jesse.

"Oh, Jesse, no!" said Olivia.

"It wasn't your fault, Jesse." said Ellegaard firmly, "I knew the risks, and I gave you my armor anyway. The blast would have killed you if you didn't have any armor, and I don't think we'd be able to stop the Witherstorms without you."

Jesse was silent for a long moment, staring at his lap. He looked at the engineer out of the corner of his eye. "Thanks, Ellegaard."

_"I'm the one who took Ellegaard's armor."_

_"But you couldn't have known what was going to happen."_ said Olivia, Jesse looking over his shoulder at her.

 _"She's right."_ Magnus cut in, putting his hand on his hips. _"Don't blame yourself, kid. I, uh... never blame myself for anything."_

Ellegaard rolled her eyes. "Don't we all know."

Jesse gave Magnus a weak smile, but then Soren let out a frustrated yell.

 _"Being emotional is getting us no where!"_ he turned around, walking away, _"What I want to know is what happened out there today?"_ he turned back around, his hard gaze on Jesse, gesturing wildly with his hands, _"Why is that thing still alive?!"_

Soren walked over to Jesse, standing right in front of him. _"My instructions were simple. You were the one in the middle of everything, what went wrong?!"_

 _"You tell me!"_ said Jesse. Soren's eyebrows raised.

_"Excuse me?"_

_"Well, you're the one that thought we could destroy the Command Block with a big old bomb!"_

_"So the Command Block is still out there?!"_

_"Of course it is!"  
_

_"Oh, great!"_ exclaimed Soren, _"Now to make matters worse, we've gone from one Witherstorm to three!"_ He turned around, starting to pace in a small circle. _"Our plan was a total failure! I should've cast that foul thing into the abyss! Why didn't I destroy that cursed block ages ago?"_

"Wait, what?" said Petra, "Hold on, where did Ivor get the Command Block in the first place?"

"I had that thing locked away for years." explained Soren, "He must have broke in and stole it."

 _"So... it the Command Block controlling all three Witherstorms?"_ asked Jesse.

Soren twisted around to glare at him, _"Oh, why are you asking me? Am I expected to know every last thing in the universe?"_ The builder let out a frustrated breath. _"I need a moment to think."_ He turned around and made his way out the cave, the others watching him go.

Gabriel turned to Magnus with a raised eyebrow, _"Is he always like this?"  
_

 _"You have_ no _idea."_

"Hey!" said Soren, Magnus giving the glare directed at him a grin.

Gabriel looked back at the cave entrance Soren had disappeared, his eyes landing on the Ocelot on the back of Lukas' jacket. _"That jacket. I recognize it!"_

Ellegaard gasped, "Is his memory coming back?"

Onscreen, the warrior walked up to Lukas, Jesse joining him with a raised eyebrow. Blinking, Lukas turned to face them as Jesse spoke.

_"Lukas always wears that jacket."_

_"No."_ Gabriel shook his head, _"There were other people wearing that very same jacket when I was thrown from the monster!"_

Multiple gasps erupted around the room, Lukas look from Maya to Gill and Aiden, all three of who were looking at the screen hopefully.

Lukas' eyes widened, as Gabriel backed away with a groan. _"Ugh.. it hurts just to think about..."_

Magnus came up behind him, eyes wide with concern _as he took his friend by the arm and led him back to the corner, "Hey, hey, it's okay..."_

Ellegaard gave Magnus a teasing smile, "You loooooove us."

"What? I've got no idea what you're talking about."

Gabriel grinned. "Hm. Sure you don't."

"I don't!" Magnus insisted, not meeting their eyes. Soren nodded slowly, giving a grin of his own.

"Uh huh."

 _"Jesse..."_ said Lukas, _"If what Gabriel said is true... I mean... do you think? I thought for sure they were gone, but... if they were just trapped in the Witherstorm..."_

 _"Lukas, your friends could still be out there!"_ exclaimed Jesse.

 _"I know!"_ said Lukas, sounding almost breathless, _"That means I- I gotta got after them!"_ He turned around, walking towards a chest they'd sat up against the wall, _"They might need me, Jesse!"_

"Wait, you're leaving?" asked Petra.

"I've gotta find Aiden, Maya and Gill." said Lukas, "They might have Wither Sickness or amnesia as well and not be able to make a shelter in time."

"We can handle ourselves, Lukas." Gill said, "They might need your help in defeating that thing. If we were able to survive our first night, I'm sure we'll survive this, whether we have amnesia or Wither Sickness."

 _"Whoa..."_ said Petra, grimacing, _"I suddenly feel really dizzy."_

 _"Easy, easy."_ said Axel, helping her onto the floor, _"It gotcha."_

"That doesn't sound so good." muttered Olivia.

Jesse looked about the cave, his eyes settling on Reuben. He knelt in front of him. _"Hey, buddy, you doing okay?"_

Reuben gave a little oink, causing Jesse to smile and rub his head. _"Of course you are."_ His smile fell as he stood up, glancing about at the others, _"Wish I could say the same for everyone else."_

He walked over to Petra, who sat in a corner with Axel kneeling next to her and Olivia standing behind him. _"Petra, how are you doing? You feeling any better?"_

_"'Better' is relevant. If I just sit here and don't move... or breathe... it's almost_ _bearable."_

"Sooo not looking forward to that." said Petra, wincing. Lukas patted her shoulder sympathetically.

 _"Man, if it wasn't for Ivor,"_ said Axel, looking about at his friends, _"She wouldn't even be like this."_

 _"No kidding."_ agreed Olivia.

 _"That's... not exactly true."_ Petra sighed, earning surprised looks. _"Ivor built the Wither, sure... but he couldn't have done it without that skull I gave him."_

"Oh, great, more self-blame." muttered Magnus, wincing when Ellegaard dug her elbow into his ribs.

 _"If I'd just taken a second to think about it..."_ Petra shook her head, _"But all I cared about was getting that stupid diamond."_

"This isn't your fault, Petra." said Real-Jesse. Petra didn't answer.

 _"This isn't all on you, and you know it."_ Jesse said, _"I was in on the deal, too."_

_"But I brought that skull back solo. I was... Ivor's henchman."_

"Well, that's one way to put it." muttered Ivor, earning a dirty look from Soren. No one else seemed to have heard.

 _"Well, I was_ your _henchman."_ said Jesse, _"So based on the transitive property of henchmen..."_

"What does that even mean?" asked Axel.

 _"Just know,"_ Petra cut in, _"I'm gonna do everything I can to make this right."_

 _"Petra..."_ said Olivia, kneeling besides Axel, _"I know this isn't easy to hear, but... you're too sick to be going_ anywhere _."_

 _"I'm not that sick."_ Petra insisted.

 _"Maybe you should rest in this cave for a while."_ Axel said carefully, _"I mean, it's safe... defensible..."_

"I can't just let you guys face that thing alone!" exclaimed Petra.

"I hate to say it, but you would just slow them down." Maya pointed out, "You're only getting weaker, and they'd have to constantly protect you."

Petra glared at her, "I can handle myself."

"We know you can." said Lukas, "You're one of the best warriors in this room. But with your Wither Sickness getting worse every second? If we take you with us... Petra, you could be killed."

 _"If I say I'm fine, then I'm-"_ Petra coughed, _"Fine!"_

 _"If you try to keep going... I'm afraid you're not gonna make it."_ said Olivia softly, getting to her feet. Petra shook her head.

_"No. No way. I'm not a quitter."_

_"We're not saying you are."_ Olivia said.

_"I can do this, guys!"_

_"You staying here is the right move."_ Jesse said, _"You'll never get better if we keep pushing you."_

 _"But I want to be there for you guys!"_ Petra insisted.

"You will not be of much use to them dead." Gabriel said gently.

Petra gave the carpet a nasty look, as if it had personally offended her. Reuben rubbed his head against her arm, causing Petra to sigh and rub the pigs head. "Maybe you guys are right."

 _"I know you do."_ said Jesse, _"And you will."_

Petra looked at him for a long moment, before her shoulders slumped and she sighed. _"Maybe you're right."_

Olivia nodded, _"It's the right call, Jesse."_

_"I hope so."_

_"Gravel? No."_ said Lukas, gaining the groups attention, _"Dirt? Don't think so..."_ He stood up and closed the chest with a sigh, before making his way over to the horses, which were behind a fence in the cave entrance.

Jesse frowned after him, before looking over at Gabriel and Magnus. He gave Lukas one last glance before going over to them, catching the last part of what Magnus was saying.

_"I'm not gonna lie, man. But we've pulled through worse, right?"_

Gabriel frowned. _"Have we?"_

 _"How's it going?"_ asked Jesse hesitantly.

 _"Tell me, Jesse."_ said Gabriel, pushing himself off the wall and gesturing to Magnus, _"Who_ is _this person? He keeps insulting me."_

Real-Magnus winced, giving a small chuckle. "Whoops."

Ellegaard rolled her eyes, Gabriel shaking his head in amusement.

_"One minute I think I'm talking to a friend... the next, I'm being made fun of."_

"Yeah, that's Magnus for you." said Soren.

 _"That right there is Magnus! Everyone knows Magnus."_ said Jesse. Gabriel raised an eyebrow, looking at the King out of the corner of his eye, who was smiling.

 _"Magnus. Hmm... and_ how _do I know him, exactly?"_ Magnus' smile fell.

 _"I sense we have a history, but..."_ Gabriel shook his head, _"I feel I need a little reminder."_

 _"He's your friend."_ said Jesse, _"He's_ been _your friend for a very long time."_

 _"Really?"_ asked Gabriel, almost disbelievingly.

_"Really. You go waa-haa-haaay back."_

_"It isn't working."_ said Magnus, _"He doesn't remember."_

Real-Gabriel sighed, "This is indeed very bad."

 _"Talk to him about your past."_ Jesse suggested, _"Something only_ you _would know about."_

 _"Like what?"_ asked Magnus, looking at Gabriel with sad eyes, _"It's been so long since we've seen each other... I'm not really sure_ what _would be useful."_

"What about that time you set his bed on fire?" suggested Soren.

"Which one?" grumbled Gabriel.

"That was an accident!"

"You do seem prone to setting his bed on fire, though." said Ellegaard, "He went through, what, twenty-two? Twenty-five?"

"I only set fire to six!"

"Ah, yes." Soren said, "You blew eighteen to smithereens and threw the last one off a cliff."

Petra raised an eyebrow, "Now I'm wondering how many of those were actually accidents."

 _"Talk a little about Ellegaard."_ said Jesse.

"Me?" asked Ellegaard, "How will talking about me bring his memory back?"

"He doesn't remember you." said Soren, "And unless he gets his memory back, you'll be nothing but a name, as I said before. I believe he would at least be interested in what you were like."

Gabriel nodded, "I think my future self would like that."

 _"Ellegaard. Yes."_ said Magnus, _"She was...really something. Smart. Funny. Amazing with redstone."_

Ellegaard smiled, kissing Magnus on the cheek. "Thank you."

Magnus went bright red, starting to stammer as Ellegaard settled back against his side. Petra whispered something in Lukas' ear and he nodded.

"You're on."

Onscreen, Magnuse gave a small laugh, _"Heck, she was the one person among us who didn't even need the, uh... the..."_

Gabriel gave him a confused look. _"Didn't need the what?"_

"Well, that wasn't suspicious." said Maya. Soren sent Magnus a look.

 _"Nevermind."_ said Magnus, patting Gabriel on the back, _"Point is, you liked her. A lot. We all did."_

 _"Thank you for sharing that with me."_ Gabriel said genuinely, _"And Jesse, thank you, too. You've been a big help here. I... I need to repay your kindness. I'm not sure how, exactly... but I want to express my gratitude."_

Jesse smiled at him, _"It's no problem. I'd have done it for anyone."_

 _"All the same. You have my thanks."_ Gabriel looked back to Magnus, _"Now, tell me more about this 'Ellegaard.'"_ Magnus rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head.

_"Man, I don't even know where to begin..."_

Jesse left them to it, making his way over to the chest Lukas had been searching through earlier and rummaging through it. _"Some leftover cobblestone. Might come in handy."_ he muttered, pocketing the rock. He glanced to the cave entrance, where Lukas was, standing in front of the horses.

 _"Lukas, what are you doing?"_ asked Jesse, the blond turning to face him.

 _"I told you. I'm going after my friends."_ said Lukas, _"I thought the other Ocelots were dead... but if they're not, I need to go find them."_

Maya smiled. "Thanks, Lukas. Really. But you really need to stay with Jesse; who know's what'll happen."

Aiden glanced away from the screen, looking at the wall with an unreadable expression.

 _"Look, I am grateful to you guys for bringing me this far..."_ Lukas glanced over his shoulder at the exit, the sky streaked with purple from the tractor beams, _"But I can't leave them alone out there. Not with three Witherstorms raging."_

 _"You can't just up and leave, Lukas."_ said Jesse, _"You're part of our team!"_

"I appreciate that, Jesse." said Lukas, giving the other boy a small smile, "But I can't just leave them out there."

_"You saying that just reminds me I left my team."_

_"Lukas..."_

_"Look, you and me,"_ Lukas cut him off, _"We've made a pretty good team so far. I'd even call us friends. So I know you'll understand why I need to help my_ old _friends. They'd do it for me. Same way you'd go back for any of_ your _friends."_

 _"I'm asking you, as a friend, please_ _stay, Lukas. We_ need _you right now."_

"He's right." Axel said, after a moment, "With three of those things... we're gonna need all the help we can get."

Lukas blinked at him in surprise, not knowing what to say to that. He looked back at the screen.

 _"You really mean that?"_ asked Lukas.

 _"Yes, we're in this together."_ said Jesse, _"Whatever happens next, there's no way we can do it without you."_

Lukas was silent for a long moment, before he finally sighed. _"Okay. I'll stay. I just... really hope they're all right."_

"We'll be fine." said Aiden, not meeting anyone's eyes when they all looked at him in surprise. He didn't say anything else, and one by one they all returned to the screen. Lukas gave his old friend a small nod before doing the same.

 _"Me too."_ said Jesse. Lukas gave him a smile, before he returned to the horses and Jesse made his way back into the cave.

The screen switched to show Reuben walking over to Petra, oinking in concern.

 _"Sorry, Reuben."_ said Petra, _"I don't really feel like company."_

Reuben oinked again, before turning around and running out of the cave. Jesse's eyes widened, _"Reuben! Not again."_

Petra winced, "Sorry, Jesse. I didn't mean to upset him." Reuben gave a small oink in her lap, and the girl started petting him, much to the pig's delight.

Onscreen, Jesse began making his way after Reuben, momentarily stopping to turn to Lukas. _"How are the horse's looking?"_

 _"Tired."_ answered Lukas, looking over his shoulder at him, _"But they're okay. Same as the rest of us."_

_"Well... I'm glad you're staying with us, Lukas."_

_"Yeah."_ the blond said, turning back to the horses. _"Me too."_

Jesse made his way out onto the ledge, snow flakes still falling from the clouds. _"Reuben!"_ He eyes landed on the massive black form in the distance, flanked by two smaller ones. They were getting closer.

"How's it moving so quickly?" asked Axel, "It's almost like it knows where we are."

Ivor shifted in his seat.

Jesse swallowed, and he made his way over to Reuben, who was standing near the edge, looking out towards the monsters. _"Don't run off on me like that, okay?"_ said Jesse, kneeling down as Reuben turned to face him, giving a small oink.

Looking out towards the Witherstorms, Jesse got to his feet, joining his pig at the edge. He was silent for a long moment. _"I don't want to lose you, you understand?"_ Reuben oinked something. _"Yeah, I know you've run off before, but things are different now. We've lost too many people already."_

"Do you speak pig or something?" asked Magnus, "'Cause I swear you know what that things saying."

"Reuben is not a 'thing.'" said Jesse, glaring at him.

The screen switched to show their backs, the Witherstorms clearly visible in the distance, as they stood in silence. _"They world needs us, Reuben."_ said Jesse finally. Reuben turned to look at him as he continued.

 _"So much of it has already been reduced to bedrock... and it's up to us to save the rest of it."_ Reuben oinked.

"Yeah, so, ah... no pressure." said Petra. Jesse rolled his eyes.

 _"Well, maybe that is a lot pf pressure for just a person and a pig."_ said Jesse, rubbing the back of his neck, _"But we have to find a way."_

"You keep fighting, even when all hope seems lost." said Gabriel, "I have come to admire that about you, Jesse."

Abruptly, a voice cut through the air, and Jesse turned to where it came from with a raised eyebrow. _"That's what I said, isn't it?"_

"Who's that?" asked Olivia.

 _"Just as you 'helped' us once before."_ said another voice, this one sounding a lot like Soren. Jesse made his way passed some tree's towards a ladder, which led up to a small flat area on the mountain, which couldn't be seen from where he was standing.

 _"This isn't about the past!"_ shouted the first voice, _"It's about the future!"_

 _"There are three of those things now!"_ snapped Soren.

"Hold on a minute..." said Petra, leaning closer to the screen as if that would help her figure out who was talking, "Is that... ?"

_"You say that like it's my fault!"_

_"It is your fault!"_

Lukas gasped, "What's _he_ doing here?!"

_"Oh, take responsibility for once, Soren!"_

Jesse climbed up the ladder, revealing Ivor and Soren standing in front of each other. _"Soren, you need to listen to me!"_

"Have you been _following_ us?" asked Petra, turning to the real Ivor with a nasty glare. Ivor forced himself not to flinch.

"How am I supposed to know?"

 _"Oh, what good has ever come of that?"_ asked Soren. Neither of them seemed to have spotted Jesse.

Frowning, Jesse walked towards them, Ivor's eyes widening once he spotted him. _"Jesse? You shouldn't sneak up on people!"_

"You know, you do that a lot with Ivor." said Lukas, "You did it in his creepy lair, then in Soren's library and now here."

Olivia chuckled, "I think it's revenge for when Ivor sneaked up on him back in that alley during Endercon."

 _"Ignore him, Jesse!"_ said Soren, _"He's been following us!"_

 _"It's not like that."_ Ivor insisted, _"You need to hear me out!"_

Jesse glared at him, watching as Ivor started pacing back and forth. _"What you don't understand is that you are all in very grave danger."_ he turned around to face them again.

Soren made a strange noise, as if he didn't know what to say to that. _"Obviously!"_

 _"No, I mean specifically this group!"_ said Ivor, _"The Witherstorm isn't acting randomly, it's following Gabriel!"_

Gabriel blinked. "It's doing what now?"

 _"Gabriel?"_ echoed Jesse. Ivor rubbed the bacck of his head.

_"You see, I may have... programmed it to follow his amulet."_

"No wonder that thing keeps finding us so fast!" exclaimed Olivia, "It's been following us!"

"It tried to grab Gabriel back at his temple because he had the amulet," said Lukas with wide eyes, "Then it stuck its tentacle through the portal in an attempt to get Jesse after Gabriel gave it to him. It followed him and Axel to Boom Town, and then all the way over to Soren's Fortress. I didn't even realize that it was targeting us until now... how it- how it always seemed to be right behind us..."

"I apologize." said Gabriel, "I never should have given you the amulet."

"You didn't know the Witherstorm was following it." said Petra, shaking her head, "Besides, we never would have found the other Order members if you hadn't given it to us."

Onscreen, Soren and Jesse looked at each other with wide eyes.

 _"You mean the Order's amulet?"_ asked Soren.

 _"Yes, Soren. That amulet!"_ Ivor said.

Jesse's eyes hardened into a glare. _"Did you also know_ I _was the one he gave the amulet to?"_ He reached into his pocket and pulled the amulet it, all but the red gem glowing brightly. Ivor's eyes widened.

_"What? I... I didn't know..."_

_"Argh, Ivor, you fool."_ said Soren, walking a little ways away, _"You've created a monster that's following Jesse!"_ Jesse put the amulet away, watching Soren. _"And it's only getting stronger!"_

 _"You don't think I realize that? Nothing can stop those things!"_ exclaimed Ivor, _"Nothing even hurts them!"_

"Way to point out the obvious." muttered Petra, giving the man a glare.

 _"Well..."_ said Jesse, looking thoughtful, _"Except Endermen."_

Ivor looked at him as if he'd just grown a second head. _"Endermen?"_

"Endermen?" echoed Real-Soren. He gasped. "Endermen! That's it! They can tear the Witherstorm's apart!"

Soren turn around, his eyes widening. _"Jesse's right! The Wither's gaze passed over them... and they went wild. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes..."_

 _"Trouble is,"_ said Jesse, _"We've had a few run-ins with Endermen, and they're bad news."_

Soren shook his head. _"Hm, no necessarily."_

Ivor was staring at them with confused eyes, as Soren continued. _"Enough of them, working together, might ignore us and destroy a Witherstorm entirely!"_

Lukas threw his hands into the air, "We're not officially doomed!"

"Yeah!" cheered Axel, Petra shaking her head with an amused smile.

Soren started pacing in a circle again. _"It's a promising concept, at least in theory... if I'm seeing all the pieces correctly..."_

 _"Could you coordinate the Endermen somehow?"_ asked Jesse, _"Make them attack all at once?"_

 _"If I know my Endermen,"_ said Soren, still pacing in a circle, _"All we need to do is get them into the Storm's vicinity. In fact, there's probably more than enough of them still in my fortress..."_ Jesse briefly met Ivor's eyes, before turning back to Soren as he stopped pacing to stand in front of him. _"An unintended side effect of you flooding the End."_

"But how do we bring the Endermen and the Storms together?" asked Petra.

"You could use the amulet." suggested Ellegaard, "Make them follow you to Soren's Fortress."

"That's it!" exclaimed Soren, "We take the Witherstorms to the Endermen! It's perfect!"

 _"This is just like the old days, Soren."_ said Ivor, _"You and your crazy ideas-"_

 _"Hush, Ivor, for once!"_ snapped Soren, getting in the others face. Ivor stared at him with a startled expression, as Soren turned around and made his way back to Jesse, letting out an annoyed breath.

"Well," said Lukas, "You've certainly annoyed him."

 _"The question is,"_ Soren continued, _"How do we bring the Storms and the Endermen together? Endermen aren't pets; they don't follow orders. At least, not from mere mortals..."_

Gill blinked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

 _"We know for a fact that the Witherstorms will follow the amulet."_ said Jesse, _"So if we take it the amulet back to your fortress where the Endermen are..."_

 _"Yes."_ breathed Soren, _"Yes, that's it! We'll lead them straight into a massive trap!"_

 _"If we can't bring the Endermen to the Witherstorms,"_ said Jesse, walking forwards, _"Then we take the Witherstorms to the Endermen!"_

"We've got a new plan!" said Olivia, "There's no way we'll mess us this time!"

 _"Just one problem."_ said Ivor, gaining their attention, _"You're forgetting about the Command Block."_

Soren groaned, _"Oh, yes. It's clear now that no weapon can destroy it, not even a Formidi-Bomb."_

Ivor stroked his beard, starting to walk. _"Actually, I... may have a solution to that."_ Jesse's eyes widened, and he turned to face him, _"You see, when I first took possession of the Command Block-"_

 _"You mean stole it."_ cut in Soren.

 _"Yes, well, I created a failsafe."_ he came to a stop in front of them, _"A backup plan, for just in case."_

"How could you not tell us that?" snapped Petra, "Or done it yourself? What's wrong with you?!"

"It didn't think it would be necessary!" Ivor said, "I had the potion, which would have worked just fine if you five hadn't stolen it!"

"Actually," Lukas cut in, "Axel stole it. We had nothing to do with that."

 _"Well, I'd say 'just in case'_ _is here!"_ said Soren.

Ivor nodded, _"And I'm inclined to agree."_

 _"What kind of 'failsafe,' exactly?"_ asked Jesse, as Soren came up to stand beside him.

 _"An enchanting book."_ explained Ivor, _"One that contains the power of the Command Block itself."_ Soren and Jesse's eyes widened, and they looked at each other in shock. Ivor turned to face the distance. _"Use it to enchant a weapon... and you'll be able to smash the Command Block to bits. Forever."_

 _"Yes..."_ said Soren, putting his hands on his hips and looking at the ground with wide eyes, _"Yes, that's it!"_ He looked at Jesse, grinning, _"It could very well solve all our problems!"_

"What are we waiting for? Let's go get that super weapon!" exclaimed Axel. Ivor shook his head.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple."

Olivia sighed. "It never is, is it?"

 _"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get that book!"_ said Jesse.

"Hey, you two nearly said the same thing!" Petra pointed out, causing Jesse and Axel to grin at each other and high five.

 _"Just one problem."_ said Ivor, turning to face them. _"It's at my secret lab... which is... sort of far away."_

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "'Sort of'?"

Ivor shrugged. "Well, very far away, actually. Incredibly, impossibly far away."

Groans erupted around the room.

 _"How far could it possible be?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"Let's just say it's the farthest place a person can travel before being utterly-"_ A roar cut him off, accompanied by the sky flashing purple behind them.

"Uh... what was that?" asked Maya.

"Nothing good." said Jesse.

 _"Oh dear."_ said Soren, the three of them looking in the direction of the roar. _"What was that?"_ He ran to investigate, Ivor quick to follow him. The screen switched to show the top of Ivor's head as he went down the ladder, Jesse coming up and following them.

It changed again to show the three Witherstorms, the giant one flanked by it's smaller counterparts. They were far too close to comfort, and it was obvious they knew just where they were going.

"It's gotten so much bigger." muttered Ellegaard, "How can it be that big?"

It zoomed out a little to show Jesse making his way onto the ledge he and Reuben had stood on earlier with Ivor and Soren, Olivia, Reuben, Magnus, Axel, Petra, Lukas and Gabriel coming out of the cave to join them.

 _"I can't believe it found us so quickly."_ said Petra, still hunched over herself.

 _"We're not safe anywhere, are we?"_ asked Lukas.

"You're safe from it in the Nether and the End." tried Maya. Lukas shook his head.

"There's a reason no one lives in either the Neither or the End. Well... except for Soren. But we saw what that did to him."

Soren blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing."

 _"Well, we can't just stand around and wait for it."_ said Olivia.

 _"So what do we do?"_ Axel asked. Jesse stepped forwards.

_"Guys, there's a reason it's been following us! Ivor says it's because of the amulet that Gabriel-"_

_"Ivor!"_ exclaimed Magnus, cutting Jesse off and walking towards them, _"It is you!"_

 _"Good to see you too, Magnus."_ said Ivor, as the other man came to a stop in front of him. Gabriel walked up to them, extending a hand to Ivor.

_"Hello. My name is Gabriel."_

Real-Magnus blinked. "Welp. At least he's not asking who Gabriel is anymore."

Onscreen, Ivor stared at the warrior for a long moment, before looking towards the others. _"Somebody pinch me."_

 _"Anyway."_ continued Jesse, pulling out the amulet and walking to the ledge, _"Ivor's figure out that the Witherstorms are drawn to the amulet. So we're gonna lure them back to Soren's fortress a_ _nd destroy the Command Block with an enchanted super weapon!"_

"That's one way to tell them." muttered Ellegaard, giving an amused smile.

Olivia came up behind him. _"You figured all that out just now?"_

 _"The point is,"_ said Ivor, walking forwards, _"We're need to get moving. We aren't safe. Not as long as we have that amulet."_

Jesse held out the amulet, the screen zooming in on it. Then another, larger hand appeared and took the other end. _"I'll take it."_ Jesse looked up at Axel in shock, not letting go.

 _"You can't!"_ said Olivia _._

 _"I can."_ Axel stated firmly, _"And I have to."_

"Axel, you could be killed!" exclaimed Jesse.

"And so could you." Axel pointed out, "I'm sure Future-Me knows what I'm doing."

 _"But you be killed!"_ Olivia exclaimed.

_"We all could, Olivia."_

_"Axel, are you sure?"_ asked Jesse hesitantly.

 _"Of course not."_ admitted Axel, giving him a nervous smile.

 _"But you'll have three Witherstorm's chasing you wherever you go!"_ said Olivia.

 _"If things get too intense,"_ said Axel, as Jesse hesitantly let go of the amulet, _"I'll duck into the Nether or something."_ Axel pocketed it, not saying anything for a moment. _"I'm tired of always being the selfish one."_

"You're... you're really going to do this?" asked Jesse. Axel gave a determined nod.

"Yeah, Future-Me's right. It's about time I stopped being so selfish."

"You aren't selfish, per say." said Lukas, "But you're not really that selfless either."

Axel gave a small shrug. "I suppose it's about time I change that."

Onscreen, Jesse looked at him with startled eyes, still seeming hesitant. Axel continued _,_ crossing his arms. _"You just go make that super weapon. I'll meet you back at Soren's fortress."_

 _"Well, Axel shouldn't have to do this alone."_ declared Magnus, stepping forwards, _"I'm coming with you, man!"_

"You really gonna do that?" asked Ellegaard quietly, shifting slightly to look up at Magnus. The king shrugged slightly, which was a bit difficult with the engineer's head on his shoulder.

"You got to be a hero. Now it's my turn."

Axel grinned. _"Nice!"_

 _"Well,"_ said Gabriel, _"I'm going with Jesse. I pledged to help, and that's what I must do."_

 _"My friends are still out there somewhere."_ Lukas said, looking towards the Witherstorms.

 _"Then you must do this."_ said Soren gently, _"For them."_

Jesse gave a single nod, looking about at the group. _"Everyone, take good care of yourselves."_ _  
_

 _"You too."_ said Axel.

The screen changed to show Lukas leading a horse out of the cave, Jesse leading his own horse behind him.

 _"Hey, Jesse."_ Axel said, walking towards him, _"Let's try our handshake again. Just once, for the road."_

 _"The Builder Bump?"_ said Jesse, as Olivia got on a horse behind him, _"You got it."_

Axel fist pumped Jesse's left hand with his right, then the same with his left and Jesse's right, then the first way again and then the second, before they jumped up and bumped chests. They laughed as they finished, grinning at each other.

Grinning, the real Jesse and Axel high fived. Soren shrugged behind them.

"It was better than the first one, I suppose."

Jesse climbed onto his white horse, Reuben sitting behind him, before looking down at Axel. _"I'll see you at Soren's, all right?"_

 _"Not if I see you first."_ the larger boy said.

And with that, Jesse followed after Soren, who had Ivor on the back of his horse, Lukas and Olivia, the latter who had Gabriel behind her. They made their way down the mountain, leaving Petra sitting in a cave all by herself, and Axel and Magnus to head back to Soren's Endermen-filled fortress with three Witherstorms right on their heels. The screen went dark.

"Do you think Petra's gonna be all right?" asked Lukas.

"I'll be fine, now that I'm resting." said Petra, "I'm more worried about you guys."

"We'll be fine." Jesse said. "At least... I hope so."

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you convince Lukas to stay or did he go after his friends? Let me know in the reviews!


	22. Swamp Treats

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Four: A Block And A Hard Place**

**Part Twenty-Two: Swamp Treats**

* * *

The screen came back on to rain, showing the heroes making their way passed birch and oak trees. It showed them from different angles, before zooming in on Reuben as he looked left and right, squealing as the rain hit him.

It was night, and then day, and then night again, this time with them riding through a valley, and then it was day again. Jesse looked over at Ivor, sitting behind Soren just in front of him. _"Are we there yet?"_

Ivor glanced over his shoulder at him. _"Almost there."_

The screen changed to nighttime again, the group walking under the words _MINECRAFT: STORY MODE._ It showed them walking along, before they went passed a tree and the area around them changed to a desert, smoke lifting from the ground and the hills made up of brightly colored sand. It switched to show the horses feet as they walked passed a small cactus, before switching again up to Olivia as she looked around.

Spotting nothing of interest, she faced forwards again, the screen moving to show Ivor and Soren. The it changed again to show Jesse, as they passed some sort of sand bridge nature had created.

It changed to night again, and then to day, then night and then day again. Not once did they stop for a break.

"Oh, that's gonna be so boring." groaned Lukas.

Jesse looked over to Ivor. _"Are we there yet?"_

The bearded man sent him an annoyed look. _"Not much further now."_

The screen zoomed out to give them a good view of a single desert mountain, the moon high in the sky and the group in the bottom right corner. It changed again to the gang as they continued on, before the screen passed over some ice and then it was daytime again, and they were in a snowy landscape with frozen tree's looking like giant spikes all around them.

"Wow, what are those things?" asked Axel.

"Frozen tree's." said Ellegaard, "You only get them in _really_ cold places."

The screen showed the group from above, before switching to the side again, the sky dark. It changed again to daytime, Jesse looking over at Ivor, who was sleeping with his head on Soren's back. Face twisted in annoyance, Soren rammed his elbow into Ivor's side, jolting him awake and causing Jesse to laugh as Ivor glared at the ginger, although the watchers could only hear the music.

Petra shook her head. "It's a really good thing you guys found those horses, otherwise you'd never make to Ivor's lab."

"I know." said Olivia, "Although it still looks really tiring."

It changed again to show the group from above and in front, before passing over some leaves and then showing them making their way through a jungle, although there was nothing of interest. It switched to night and zoomed in on Reuben, showing the little pig struggling to stay awake. It zoomed out to show the entire group once more, before changing back to day and then to night again, and then day and then night and then day.

 _"Are we there yet?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"No, no, no, we are not there yet!"_ snapped Ivor.

Lukas snorted, Jesse smiling sheepishly when his friends looked at him in amusement. Ivor, however, did not seem to find it very funny.

The screen changed once again to show them silently riding through the jungle, before coming to a thick tree covered and vines and going dark. A moment later, it came back on to show a swamp, around midday or early morning, the group making their way through it with bleary eyes and rumbling stomachs.

 _"My rear end is profoundly soar."_ said Gabriel. Lukas sighed.

_"I feel like we've been riding forever."_

_"I am telling you,"_ Soren was saying, _"We_ cannot _go to the Far Lands!"_

"Bit late for that now." muttered Jesse.

"Wait, hold up." said Maya, "You're going to the _Far Lands_? Is this the first time this was mentioned or did I miss something?"

Petra shook her head slowly. "The Far Lands. I can't believe you're going to the Far Lands."

_"They're not just the edge of our world, but the limits of our comprehension!"_

Ivor rolled his eyes. _"Oh, please. The Far Lands are a happy accident. Nature's way of keeping life interesting."_

 _"No, no, no."_ said Soren, shaking his head with each 'no.' _"They are perilous and unpredictable!"_

"You constructed a laboratory in the Far Lands?" asked Soren, gaping at the real Ivor. "What sort of thing possessed you to do _that_?"

"No one ever goes to the Far Lands." said Ivor, "Including me. I only go there for my most secret experiments."

_"Perlin noise, floating points... these are not matters to be toyed with!"_

_"Why are you so down on the Far Lands, Soren?"_ asked Jesse, _"They sound cool!"_

Real-Soren rolled his eyes, sighing. "Of course you'd say that."

 _"See?"_ said Ivor, _"Jesse thinks the Far Lands are cool."_

"I don't know why," Axel said quietly so that only those on the floor could hear, "But that just sounded wrong." Olivia gave a small shrug.

"Maybe because it's coming from Ivor."

 _"The Far Lands lie at the very edge of all things."_ said Soren, _"Where logic gives way to chaos. They're a dangerous place to visit."_ he looked over his shoulder at Ivor, _"And a ridiculous place to construct a laboratory!"_ Ivor chuckled.

_"Just wait until you see it."_

"Should I be scared for you now?" asked Ellegaard, "Because I am kind of scared for you now."

 _"Do those two never stop arguing?"_ asked Olivia, obviously annoyed.

 _"I don't know."_ said Gabriel, _"I'm too hungry to care."_

 _"Yeah."_ agreed Lukas, _"I'm starving."_

"When was the last time _any_ of us had a proper meal?" asked Petra, "The last time I remember seeing anyone eating was back in that dirt hut, and Jesse didn't even have anything."

"I'm sure we got something before going to Boom Town." said Axel, "Or at least before we left for Soren's fortress."

"And how long ago was that?" asked Gabriel, "It is hard to tell how many days pass."

"Well," said Olivia, "We spent the rest of the night in that hut, then it took a day to get Magnus and Ellegaard, and the sun was setting when we got out of Soren's fortress, so that must have been another day..." she shook her head, "That's all I got. It's nearly impossible to tell how many days passed on our way to the Far Lands, but it's got to about a month or something in total."

Onscreen, Olivia sighed. _"We all are."_ She looked up at the others, bringing her horse to a halt, _"Maybe we should turn back?"_

"And then what?" asked Magnus, "You can't stop that thing without this super-duper weapon thingy."

Everyone else came to a stop as well, turning to face her. Ivor shook his head.

 _"This isn't the time. Swamps are too dangerous. You never know what might be lurking around."_ A loud noise pierced the silence that followed.

Gabriel's head snapped around, spooked, _"What was that?"_

 _"My stomach."_ said Soren.

 _"Let's look around."_ Jesse said, climbing down form his horse, _"See what we can find out."_ The others happily climbed down as well, Ivor walking up to the younger male.

_"We mustn't linger long. The Far Lands are just beyond this swamp."_

They looked out towards the a lake, Soren turning to face them. _"So this could be our last chance to find food?"_

Jesse looked over at the others, who were sitting about looking miserable, tired, hungry, sore and dirty. _"Everyone doing okay?"_

 _"Not really."_ groaned Olivia, _"We're starving."_

"I guess people become kind of useless when they're hungry." muttered Real-Jesse.

Jesse made his way over to the lake, jumping down into it, the water going up to his waist. Spotting some potatoes growing nearby, he waded over to them, grinning as he pocketed it. _"Potato, you're coming with me."_

"You sure like to talk." said Gill, although it didn't sound like an insult. Jesse couldn't find anything to say to that, so he just shrugged.

 _"It's not much, but it'll help..."_ Looking about, Jesse spotted some more potatoes a little ways away and waded through the water towards them, _"Like they say,"_ he said, as he pocketed the food, _"Two potatoes are better than one."_ Jesse blinked. _"I think they say that."_

"I've never heard anyone say that." said Olivia.

"Doesn't Axel say it?" asked Lukas, "I feel like he'd say something like that."

"I'm not sure whether I should be offended or not." Axel said.

 _"Hey, Jesse!"_ called Olivia, _"Have you found any food?"_

 _"I should probably take what I have back to the group."_ muttered Jesse, starting to make his way back to where he'd left the others. He looked around to see if he could spot any more potatoes, but there didn't seem to be anymore in the lake. He jumped back up onto dry land, water dripping from his pants, and walked over to the group. _"Check out what I found!"_

Jesse pulled out a potato, handing it to Gabriel. Olivia didn't look all that impressed.

 _"A potato."_ she said, _"Incredible."_

"At least I'm _trying_ get food." grumbled Jesse, "You guys are just sitting about."

 _"Hey, at least it's food."_ said Jesse, glaring at her. Then, rolling his eyes, he pulled out the second potato and handed it to her. _"Potato number two, coming your way."_ Olivia gave an amused huff, smiling at him.

 _"Could I have this one?"_ asked Gabriel.

Soren crossed his arms. _"You had the last one."_

"Yeah, don't be greedy." grinned Magnus, causing the warrior to roll his eyes at him.

 _"Oh, yeah."_ said Gabriel, _"You take it, Ivor."_

"Did he just do that on purpose?" whispered Lukas. Petra shrugged.

Soren gave him a look. _"I'm Soren, not Ivor."_

_"Right. Of course you are."_

"I look nothing like Ivor!" said Soren. Magnus was laughing too hard to say anything to that.

 _"Hey, you guys want to help me look?"_ asked Jesse.

Soren gestured to the horses with his head, _"Probably best if we stay with the horses."_

Jesse looked at him for a moment, unimpressed, before turning and making his way up a short hill next to the lake. He jumped up the dirt blocks, walking about a bit in search of more food. Upon finding some more potatoes, he eagerly made his way towards them, scooping it up. _"Gotcha, potato."_

Passing a tree, Jesse jogged up to another potato plant, grabbing it, _"One potato, two potato, three potato, four."_

"You're singing about potatoes?" said Lukas, looking far too amused. Jesse shrugged, giving him a small grin.

But then Jesse stopped, spotting something out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to face it. It appeared to be some sort of house.

"Uh oh." muttered Ivor.

"Why?" asked Jesse, "What is that?"

"It's a Witch's hut." Ivor explained, "Witch's can only mean bad news. We have to get out of there before we run into any."

Curious, Jesse made his way over to the hut, jumping down from the hill he'd been on. He came to a stop just in front of the hut, looking at it with wide eyes.

_"A witch's hut!"_

Jesse's head snapped to the side and he gave a startled scream, Ivor having abruptly appeared right next to him.

"How do you _do_ that?!" exclaimed Magnus, him and some of the others having jumped at the mans sudden appearance.

 _"We should stay clear of it."_ continued Ivor, keeping his voice low to avoid attracting any unwanted company, _"Nothing good ever happens when witch's are involved."_

Jesse's eyes landed on the window, spotting a cake just sitting there, unguarded. _"Look, a cake! That's- That's enough to feed everyone!"_

"Cake!" cheered Axel.

 _"It isn't worth it, Jesse."_ whispered Ivor, _"Witches_ _hate trespassers."_

Axel groaned in disappointment.

_"Besides... there are plenty of_ _potatoes around."_

Jesse jumped, spotting a figure making it's way through the tree's, giving of what sounded like a weird, high-pitched laugh, _"Is that a witch?"_

 _"Jesse,"_ Ivor said, lowering his voice to a whisper again, _"We shouldn't be here. Witch's are_ very _strong. And they know these swamps far better than I."_ Jesse was silent for a moment, looking from the cake to the direction the witch had disappeared to.

 _"Ivor, I can't pass this up."_ he said finally, starting to make his way to the hut as quietly as possible.

The real Ivor gave a long, suffering sigh. "I'm surrounded by morons."

_"I need you to watch my back, okay?"_

_"I'm telling you,"_ whispered Ivor, following him to the front of the hut, _"This is a bad idea."_

Jesse ignored him, pulling himself up onto the stairless porch. He made his way to the hut's doorway, looking about to make sure there wasn't anything that could cause harm.

 _"I'll keep watch."_ Ivor loudly whispered, reluctantly, _"Just be quick about it!"_

Giving him a small nod, Jesse walked into the hut, which was quite simple, really. It didn't have a bed, and the walls had massive holes in them, although some could be brushed off as glass-less windows. There was a cauldron filled with some sort of green goop, a single chest with a torch above it, and the cake on the window ledge.

Ignoring the chest and cauldron for now, Jesse quickly made his way over to the cake, grinning as he grabbed it. _"An entire cake. Nice!"_ That's when another laugh sounded behind him.

Olivia sighed. "Of course. You're not going to die, are you?"

Jesse winced. "I hope not."

"Hold on a second," said Soren, "Where's Ivor? I thought he was keeping watch."

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes widened. Slowly, he turned around, letting out a yell when he spotted the witch.

The witch took out a red potion and threw it at him, but Jesse ducked and it smashed onto the ground behind him. He straightened and ran right towards the witch as she pulled out another potion, ramming into her and sending them both flying out the window, hitting the ground harshly bellow.

 _"Ow!"_ exclaimed Jesse, but he was already getting to his feet and running under the hut, away from the witch. He came to a stop where Ivor had been waiting, but the man was gone, no where in sight. _"Ivor!"_

"You ditched him!" accused Petra, twisting to glare at Ivor.

"You don't know that!" he said, "Who knows what happened?"

"If something went wrong," Petra growled, "Then you would have yelled to alert Jesse! Or he would have at _least_ heard fighting!"

Receiving no answer, Jesse ran back to where he'd left the others, looking around for the potion maker. _"Ivor?"_

He skidded to a stop, eyes widening as he took in the scene before him. Another witch stood before his friends, potion in hand and glare on her face. She threw the potion, the others jumping to the side to avoid it. Reuben is shown backing away fearfully, as an arrow buried itself into the dirt a few feet from him.

The screen showed the witch, banked by around five skeletons with loaded bows. The witch took out another potion. _"Jesse!"_ yelled Lukas, upon spotting him, _"Help us!"_ An arrow embedded itself into the tree right next to his head, quickly followed by many more arrows and potions, the gang barely managing to dodge them.

The horses neighed loudly in fright as a potion smashed not that far from them, and they turned tail and ran away as fast they could.

"Oh on, the horses!" exclaimed Olivia.

 _"Hey, you!"_ yelled Jesse, _"Witch!"_

The Witch turned to face him, and the skeletons did the same almost automatically, their arrows immediately aimed at him. Jesse's eyes widened, as the witch raised another potion and threw it right at his head.

Jesse leaped to the right, the potion smashing into the ground where he'd been not moments before, and he came back up right besides the witch and shoved her, knocking her to the ground. The skeletons began firing arrows at them again, Jesse briefly stopping in front of his friends. _"Everyone, let's get out of here, ASAP!"_

"I can't believe you just shoved a witch!" Axel said, "Why is no one else freaking out? It's like he just shoved the school bully or something!"

"Freaking out on the inside, Axel." said Lukas, not taking his eyes off the screen.

The group started running, more arrows and potions raining down on their heels. Jesse looked over his shoulder at them as they ran. _"Ivor said the Far Lands are just past this swamp!"_

 _"Wait,"_ said Soren, _"Where is Ivor?"_

"Wouldn't we all like to know that?" drawled Maya. Ivor crossed his arms, scowling.

 _"What?"_ Lukas said, as if just realizing the bearded man wasn't with them.

 _"I thought he was with you!"_ Olivia exclaimed, looking over at Jesse.

 _"I don't know!"_ said Jesse, _"He disappeared outside the witch's hut!"_

Soren shook his head, glaring at the ground, _"Curse that fool of a man."_

Jesse looked at him for a moment, before turning to face forwards. _"Come on!"_

So on they ran, arrows and potion bottles hitting the ground just at their heels. The screen went dark.

"That went well." said Petra sarcastically.

"How are you supposed to get to Ivor's laboratory without him?" asked Ellegaard, "Or know how to use the enchanting book or that it's the right one?"

"I'm sure he'll catch up later." said Gabriel. Ivor chose not to say anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you take the cake or not? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Wow. You have no idea how many videos I had to go through to find someone that actually got the cake. If you look in the chest and at the cauldron first, the witch appears and you don't have any time to get the cake, which I have just discovered. I had to go watch Dan TDM to get the results I wanted.


	23. At the Corner of the World

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Four: A Block And A Hard Place**

**Part Twenty-Three: At the Corner of the World**

* * *

Jesse, Reuben, Lukas, Olivia, Gabriel and Soren are seen running, no longer in the swamp. They had spread out a bit, Jesse and Reuben in the front and Gabriel and Soren taking up the rear. Ivor was still no where to be seen.

 _"Guys,"_ panted Jesse, looking over his shoulder, _"I think we lost them for-"_ He and Reuben skidded to a stop, eyes widening as they took in the sight before them. _"_ Wow _."_

Lukas came up to stand next to his gaping friend, his own eyes wide. _"I see your 'wow,'"_ the screen switched around to show their backs, _"And raise you a woooooooow."_ It zoomed out to reveal a massive wall of stone and dirt, with impossible twists and holes and tunnels and floating lands. Waterfalls ran down it's side, and it was so tall it went right passed the clouds and who knows how far on.

"Holy Notch." breathed Petra.

"That thing is _awesome._ " said Axel. Olivia shook her head slowly.

"How can something like that even _exist_?"

"The Far Lands." Lukas said, "I've always wondered what it looked like."

 _"It's like we're at the edge of the world."_ said Olivia, coming up to stand on Jesse's other side.

 _"Actually,"_ Soren said, walking passed them, _"We seem to be at the corner of it."_ He turned around, spreading his arms wide and walking backwards, _"Welcome to the Far Lands, my friends."_

"It is truly a sight to behold." said Gabriel, "It is even mightier in real life."

Maya nodded slowly. "What is it, exactly?"

"It's called the Glitch Wall." answered Ivor, "The entrance to the Far Lands."

Onscreen, Soren turned back around and led them towards the Glitch Wall, passing tree's with stone on their trunks and in their leaves.

 _"I'm glad Jesse snagged this cake."_ said Olivia, eating a slice of the treat as they walked. _"Makes the whole wall-of-insanity a lot easier to face."_

 _"Say what you like about witches,"_ Gabriel said, eating his own slice and clearly enjoying it, _"They sure know how to make a cake."_

"Great." groaned Axel, "Now I'm hungry."

"Well, we didn't have much of a breakfast." said Petra, "We can pause this episode in twenty minutes or something and have lunch."

 _"Quite a sight, isn't it?"_ said Soren, as Jesse looked up at the wall in awe. _"Stretching skyward, in all it's glory... like a monument to chaos itself."_

 _"Soren, have you been here before?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"Not here specifically,"_ Soren said, _"But I_ have _been to the Far Lands. The Order traveled far and wide during our heyday."_

 _"Incredible."_ said Gabriel. It appeared to be raining in a few spots, although it disappeared for a few moments before coming back again. Olivia shook her head.

_"You can say that again."_

_"Incredible."_

"I didn't mean- of never mind." said Real-Olivia, Magnus snickering on the couch behind her and Gabriel smiling sheepishly.

_"My fault, should've seen that coming."_

_"How can Ivor live here?"_ asked Jesse, _"I mean, it's one thing to build a wool world inside the End, but_ this _..."_

 _"Oh, I doubt he lives here."_ said Soren, _"He most likely comes here only for his most secretive research. Whatever Ivor's hiding in here, it will be extremely well-guarded."_

"You'll be _fine._ " said Ivor, "Probably, anyway."

"That's not very comforting." muttered Lukas.

The screen zoomed out as they approached one of the lower caves, revealing them to be surrounded by waterfalls, lit redstone blocks, iron bars, ores and many other things, placed seemingly at random.

They stopped in front of the entrance, looking deep into it's depths, where it gave way to darkness. Soren looked back at the others, pointing ahead of them.

 _"This way, I suspect."_ Without another word, he made his way into the Glitch Wall, the others watching him, taking a moment to pull themselves together. Lukas rubbed the back of his head.

_"I'd feel better about this if Axel and Petra were here."_

"Aw, we'll miss you too, Lukas." grinned Petra, giving the blond a small shove. Lukas rolled his eyes, shaking his head with a smile. Axel looked pleasantly surprised that the blond was missing him.

 _"I know what you mean."_ sighed Olivia.

Reuben looked up at her, before turning to the ground sadly, oinking in agreement. Jesse looked back at the others, gesturing after Soren. _"Come on."_

They made their way through the tunnel, the screen zooming out to show them all, the cave dimly lit by a glowing block on the ceiling, with Soren leading. The screen went dark.

It came back on to show a cobblestone ledge, shifting forwards slightly to show the group walking bellow. It switched to their feet as they jumped down a block and continued on, before going up to show Olivia's face. She was squinting up at something.

_"Is this... a maze?"_

_"It would appear so."_ said Soren, coming to a stop in front of it. _"A massive one, from the looks of it."_ The maze was indeed massive, with crumbling stone walls made up of four different types of stone covered in ivy. A small pond sat near the entrance of the maze, and little hills of gravel and stone littered the ground, accompanied by flowers and saplings.

"A maze?" gaped Olivia, "A _maze?_ We don't have time for this! That thing is eating up the world and we're on a really small time limit as it is!"

 _"If Ivor used the Command Block to build this,"_ continued Soren, _"It could hold unspeakable peril."_

 _"So,"_ Lukas said, _"Maybe we should_ not _wander into the worlds hardest maze without a guide?"_

 _"Unfortunately,"_ Soren turned around to face them, _"This seems to be the only way forwards."_

Petra sighed. "Of course it is."

 _"There has to be another way."_ said Olivia, _"A secret door or... I don't know... some way around."_

Ivor shook his head. "That's the only way."

Onscreen, Jesse shook his head. _"There's no way we're going into some crazy maze that Ivor built to keep people away."_ Then, making his way over to the wall, _"We'll find another way through."_

Olivia followed him. _"Best decision you've made all day."_

She, Lukas and Soren started examining the walls, Gabriel sitting down and leaning against it. Jesse walked along the length of the wall, stopping in front of a bed of red and yellow flowers.

 _"Flowers, but no tree's."_ he muttered, _"Guess it's a Far Lands thing."_ His eyes landing on the vines, Jesse made his way over to them, looking up at the greenery entangling the walls. _"Huh. We can probably climb these."_

 _"Everyone, en garde!"_ yelled Soren, causing Jesse to jump and spin around to look at him.

Maya snorted. "'En garde'? Really?"

A hoard of zombies were making their way out of the maze, the others backing away, Soren with a golden sword in hand.

"Oh no." muttered Petra.

 _"There's too many!"_ Olivia exclaimed, _"We can't fight them all!"_

Upon seeing Jesse, some of the zombies split off from the group and began making their way towards him, dragging their feet and groaning.

Jesse, his eyes wide, began to back away, glancing from the zombies to the vines. He ran up to the greenery, grabbing onto them and hauling himself up. _"Guys, climb the vines!"_

His friends were quick to obey, Olivia with Reuben under one arm. Jesse started climbing the vines as well, the zombies reaching where he'd been not moments before.

The screen showed Lukas, Olivia, Reuben, Soren and Gabriel reaching the top of the wall, before switching back to Jesse as he did as well, his eyes widening as he straightened.

 _"Well,"_ said Soren, sounding slightly out of breath, _"That worked, I suppose."_

 _"Yeah, I guess."_ Olivia said, pointing to something they couldn't see. They turned to where he was pointing, Soren wincing when he realized what was wrong.

On the other side of the room, across a large gap, Jesse raised his arm and waved at them.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." groaned Petra, "Why is Jesse always the one that ends up alone?"

"I'm starting to suspect that he attracts danger." said Ellegaard.

 _"Yeah, but now what?"_ asked Lukas, _"We're all separated."_

Jesse looked down at the ground bellow them, zombies still lumbering about mindlessly, with no plans of leaving anytime soon. He looked up to the other end of the maze where, in the far distance, a house could be seen in a sort of spotlight.

"That must be Ivor's lab." said Gabriel. He, Soren, Magnus and Ellegaard were now more cuddled up on the couch than anything else, although none of them would ever admit it. They had shifted somewhat during the watching, and now Ellegaard lay against Magnus's chest, her legs tangled with Gabriel's, while Soren leaned against him.

"Did you purposefully build it in a spotlight?" Soren asked. Ivor shrugged.

Onscreen, Jesse gestured to the house. _"Let's just head that way and find a place where the paths connect."_

Soren gave a small nod, turning around. Reluctantly, the others did the same and they began making their along the wall. Jesse watched them go.

 _"Sure hope they don't get lost in there."_ The, turning to look out at the maze before him, _"I hope_ I _don't get lost in there._

Jesse began walking along the wall, in the opposite direction the others had gone in. There were little stands sticking out the side with torches on them, lighting his way, and clear blue waterfalls fell from above.

He walked and walked and walked, turning around when he reached dead end after dead end, bats flying pass every now and then. At one point, the others could be seen walking bellow him, but neither them nor Jesse noticed.

"Hey, look, there we are!" said Olivia, "We must have fallen or something."

Jesse came to a stop in front of a waterfall. _"I first met Reuben near a waterfall like this."_ he muttered to himself, smiling at the memory, _"Hope the little guy's okay."_

Reuben gave a small squeal, jumping out of Petra's lap to return to Jesse's. The boy smiled, scratching him behind the ear, much to the pigs delight.

He continued on, reaching dead end after dead end. Jesse came to a stop in front of some floating dirt land, looking up at curiously. _"I think it's safe to say the Far Lands are strange."_

"No kidding." muttered Lukas.

A little ways away from the floating land, Jesse came to a stop again, looking down at the broken, crumbling wall he was standing on. Swallowing, Jesse was quick to continue, reluctantly turning around when he reached another dead end.

Waterfall after waterfall, bat after bat, dead end after dead end.

"Is that a spider?" asked Maya, pointing to the far left of the screen, where there was indeed a spider crawling along the wall near Onscreen Jesse. Nether the spider nor Jesse noticed the other.

The waterfalls were slowly giving way to lava falls the further Jesse went left, and he stopped once again in front of some floating land, this one made of obsidian. From the look on the boys face, it was clear he was starting to get a bit frustrated. _"This place just gets weirder and weirder."_

He was now making his way along the wall they'd spotted the spider on, but it wasn't until he was a little passed it that said spider- or perhaps a different one- crawled up onto the wall in front of him, causing Jesse to jump back with a startled yell. _"Yikes!"_

Jesse barely had time to draw his sword before the spider lunged at him, slamming into his chest and knocking him onto his back, thankfully avoiding falling off the wall entirely.

"Oh, please don't fall, please don't fall." mutter Olivia.

Onscreen, Jesse struggled with the spider for a moment, it's pincers clawing at his face, before he was able to throw it off him and onto its back. Immediately getting to his feet, Jesse raised his sword, slashing at the monster just as it got up again. The spider fell off the wall, the blow and the harsh landing combined leaving it to burst into smoke. That's when Jesse's sword decided it would be a brilliant time to break into two and puff into smoke itself.

"Of course." sighed Jesse. Axel nudged him.

"At least you still got that bow."

 _"Shoot."_ said Jesse, _"You have got to be kidding me."_ He kept walking, turning left and right, going back and forth, and coming to more and more dead ends. As Jesse made his way along the wall, the lava falls not that far ahead of him, he spotted something bellow him and looked down, only to see Olivia and Reuben as they turned around the corner. _"Olivia!"_

"Where's everyone else?" asked Magnus.

"We must have gotten split up." Gabriel said, "Jesse may not run into much trouble, but we're down in the maze itself; who knows what's in there?"

But Olivia didn't seem to hear him, and when Jesse looks back up again his eyes widen. The screen switches to reveal a witch, giving off one of her high laughs as she crossed her arms.

"Aaaaand that happens." said Olivia.

Jesse pulled out his bow, loading it with an arrow as the witch took out a potion. He fire just as she threw, ducking down immediately afterwards to avoid the bottle. The arrow hit the witch right in the face, knocking her back a bit but not enough to send her over the edge. And Jesse was out of arrows.

"You have _got_ to be joking." Lukas exclaimed. Axel winced, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, uh... I think you're dead, dude."

The witch took out another potion and threw it at him, but Jesse ducked, trying to think of what to do next. Seeing no other way, he sprinted forwards, hitting the witch with his bow. Before she could get another potion, he hit her again, sending her over the edge to puff into smoke just like the spider.

"Oh, uh, never mind." said Axel, grinning at his friend, "We're good."

Jesse let out a relieved breath, backing away from the edge. He looked about, choosing a path at random and starting down it. The waterfalls had completely given away to the lava falls, their boiling masses deadly and their heat near unbearable, especially when they come in this amount.

Reaching another dead end, Jesse came to a stop with a scowl, before he looked at something a little ways away. It appeared to be some sort of machine, made up of pistons, slime blocks and two boats. _"Huh. What's that?"_

Ellegaard gasped. "My flying machine!"

"Oh no." groaned Soren, "Not that blasted thing!" Magnus laughed.

"Oh, yeah! I'll never forget the look on your face, Soren. _Never_."

Looking down at the wall in front of him, which crumbled down to a sort of staircase, Jesse started jumping down it, reaching the bit where the machine was. There was also a small chest and a crafting table, and Ivor's lab could be seen not that far away. Across a gaping chasm, that is.

Jesse walked to the edge, looking down at the chasm and letting out a whistle. _"I don't see a way across."_

Turning back around, he made his way over to the machine, muttering to himself as he looked it over. _"Hmm... redstone blocks, some pistons..."_ he shook his head, _"Wonder what this things supposed to be."_

"A 'flying machine,' apparently." said Petra, "Think it'll get you across that chasm?"

"It's not done." Ellegaard said, frowning, "Unless you figure out how to work it, you're stuck."

_"Hello? Anyone?"_

Jesse's eyes widened at the sound of Olivia's voice, and he turned around to face the maze. _"Olivia? Is that you?"_

Sure enough, Olivia turned the corner, Reuben right behind her. She grinned upon spotting him, running towards him. _"Jesse! There you are."_ Reuben gave a happy oink.

"Oh, good." said Axel, "Olivia'll be able to work that thing out."

 _"I thought I'd never find you."_ Olivia continued, _"All those dead ends back there..."_

Jesse stepped forward, pulling her into a hug. _"Am I glad to see you guys!"_

 _"Us too."_ said Olivia, as they pulled apart. _"I thought Reuben and I would be lost in here forever!"_ Jesse looked down at the pig, reaching out and rubbing his head. Olivia was silent for a moment, looking over her shoulder at the maze.

 _"This maze... we don't have time for this."_ Looking over to the chasm, they started walking to it, _"Who even knows where the others are by now."_ Reuben made a sound of agreement. _"I mean, the clock's ticking here, Jesse. Yet we're lost in some elaborate puzzle."_ They reached the edge, looking out towards the lab, just out of their reach.

 _"We really need to figure out what happened to the others,"_ said Jesse. Olivia nodded.

_"I wonder if they found some other way across this gaping bottomless pit."_

Ivor shook his head. "That's the only way."

Olivia and Jesse looked down at the chasm, which held no bottom within their sight. _"I think it drops forever."_ said Olivia.

Jesse was quite for a few moments, before turning around and pointing to the machine. _"What about this thing? Could it get us across?"_

They walked up to it, Olivia inspecting it much like Jesse had done earlier. _"It's some kind of flying barge. It would probably get us to the other side... but it's in really bad shape."_ she peered passed the slime blocks, at the pistons and redstone, _"And it's really complicated."_

 _"You can fix it though, right?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"I don't know."_ Olivia rubbed the back of her neck, _"I think it's out of my league."_ She walked around the barge to stand in front of Jesse, shaking her head, _"I wish I'd had more time to study with Ellegaard. She could have fixed this thing right up."_

"I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out." said Petra, "You've got to be, like, the smartest person I know."

Olivia gave her a grateful smile at that. "Thanks, Petra. But it doesn't change the fact that I might not be able to fix that thing."

 _"Come on, I'll help you."_ said Jesse. Olivia gave him a look.

 _"How are you going to help me when I don't even know where to start."_ she turned back to the barge and knelt in front of it, frowning, _"This layout doesn't even make any sense. What was Ivor even thinking?"_ She was silent for a long moment, before sitting down, looking at her lap, shoulders slumped in defeat. Jesse looked down at her in surprise.

 _"Or maybe it's just me."_ the girl sighed, _"I mean, Ellegaard herself said that I don't have what it takes to be a great engineer."  
_

Ellegaard straightened slightly, although it would be impossible for her to sit up from the way Gabriel's legs were half on top of her. "I- I shouldn't have said that, Olivia. Or, well, _say_ that. You were great in the labs earlier, and while you haven't reached your full potential, you pick up things really fast. You can solve anything if you put your mind to it, and I, well, I admire you for that." she shook her head a little, "This time around, if I don't... well, you know... I'll be more than happy to take you on as my protege."

Olivia was staring at her with wide eyes now, shocked speechless. She didn't seem to know what to say, how to react. This was one of her biggest dreams coming true.

Jesse, grinning, reached over and nudged her, giving her an encouraging nod. Olivia snapped out of her shock at that, smiling herself and looking back at Ellegaard. "Uh, th-thank you."

 _"She was right, I just can't hack it!"_ Olivia continued, as Jesse knelt down behind her, _"I might as well be a carrot farmer."_

 _"So prove her wrong."_ said Jesse, _"Show the world what you're made of!"_

 _"Prove her wrong? Jesse..."_ Olivia shook her head, getting to her feet, _"She was the greatest redstone engineer- ever!"_ She looked out towards the chasm, _"She was in the Order of the Stone!"_

 _"Sure,"_ Jesse said, _"But the Order are still people. Just like us."_

 _"Right. Just like us."_ Olivia turned around to face him, _"I mean, how are we the ones saving the world when even they don't have what it takes?"_ _  
_

"You've certainly done a better job than we have." said Gabriel.

"All we've done so far is made things worse." said Lukas, "If we hadn't even taken that stupid potion..."

"Aha!" exclaimed Ivor, causing quite a few of them to jump, "So you admit this is all your fault!" Lukas scowled at him.

"I never said that. This is still your fault. _You're_ the one that built the Wither."

"But I could have stopped it," Ivor said, "If you five hadn't followed me!"

"We wouldn't have had to follow you," Petra cut in, "If you'd just given me my diamond!"

 _"Soren and Ivor are always at each others throats."_ Olivia turned back to Ivor's lab, _"The 'greatest warrior in history' doesn't remember his own name. All I ever see Magnus do is argue..."_ Jesse walked up to her, both their eyes becoming sad at what she said next, _"And we both know what happened to Ellegaard."_

"Don't remind me." muttered Magnus. Gabriel and Soren glanced at each other sadly. Ellegaard's face had gone oddly blank.

They stood in silence. Olivia glanced at Jesse, before taking a step closer to the edge, looking down at the chasm. _"If the Order can't do this... how are we supposed to? How are we supposed to do anything? We're nobody. The Order of the Nothing."_

 _"All I know is,"_ said Jesse, _"The world is depending on us."_

Olivia's eyes hardened, and she glared at the ground as if it had offended her. _"Then maybe the world is in trouble. I mean, they defeated an Ender Dragon. Can you name even one thing we've done right?"_ she turned around, walking away from the chasm, _"And I don't mean managing to stay alive. Something that actually matters."_

Jesse moved to stand in front of her, ducking slightly to look her in the eye, _"Well, for starters, we're the ones who brought them back together again. You found Ellegaard, I found Magnus... we both played a role with Soren."_

Olivia blinked, finally looking up at him. _"Yeah, I suppose that's true."_

Jesse put his hands on his hips, looking at her expectantly. Olivia looked at the barge, then back at Jesse, before her face broke out into a grin. _"Argh. All right. I'll try it one more time."_ Jesse smiled as Olivia walked back to the barge, looking it up and down.

Lukas patted Jesse on the back, "Good job, Jesse. You're pretty good at keeping people's spirits up."

Jesse shrugged, smiling. "Thanks."

Olivia knelt in front of the machine again, Jesse watching silently. After a moment, her eyes widened and she got to her feet. _"Wait a second... I think I see what he was trying to do..."_

"Knew you'd get it." grinned Jesse. Olivia smiled at him gratefully.

 _"Jesse, take this piston,"_ she handed him a piston, _"Craft it into a sticky piston, then place it on the other side of the barge, along with a redstone block. You got all that?"_

Jesse was looking at her with wide eyes. _"I think so..."_

"I didn't." said Axel and Magnus in unison, causing both Olivia and Ellegaard to roll their eyes.

Nodding, Olivia turned back to the barge, while Jesse turned to the chest and crafting table. Opening the chest, he began searching through it, _"Looks like Ivor left some redstoen dust handy._ _And... a slime ball."_ Taking the items, Jesse straightened and closed the chest with a grin.

Making his way over to the crafting table, Jesse sat down the piston and slime ball. The ingredients shook for a moment, before forming together into a sticky piston. Pocketing it, Jesse took out the redstone and began placing them into each slot, one by one. They shook just like the piston and slime ball had, before forming into a redstone block.

 _"Okay, a redstone block."_ said Jesse, pocketing it and turning back to the barge. _"Okay, let's put the redstone block where it's supposed to go, and place these pistons."_ Reuben is seen coming up behind him, before switching to show the inside of the barge.

"He really likes talking to himself, doesn't he?" Gabriel said quietly, so that only Soren, Magnus and Ellegaard could hear. The only girl shrugged.

"I suppose some people just like thinking out loud."

Jesse placed the redstone block on the floor, and then the piston diagonally above it to the right. Olivia finished what she was doing and the redstone blocks lit up, she and Jesse stepping back to admire their work.

 _"Holy cow!"_ exclaimed Olivia, _"We did it!"_

"See? What I tell ya?" said Jesse.

Onscreen, Olivia turned to him. _"We just need flint and steel to get it started."_ Jesse nodded.

_"I'm proud of you, Olivia."_

_"Thanks, Jesse. And... thanks for everything you said just before. It really helped."_

Jesse put his hands on his hips. _"No problemo."_

He and Olivia high fived, before turning to Reuben as he started sniffing about, looking up in the direction where he and Olivia had come.

 _"It must be this way!"_ someone they couldn't see yelled.

Lukas gasped. "It's Gabriel!"

_"Run!"_

"And Lukas!" exclaimed Olivia.

Sure enough, Gabriel, Soren and Lukas came skidding around the corner, followed by a hoard of zombies. Reuben gave a frightened squeal.

 _"Everybody, get on!"_ said Jesse, pointing to the barge, _"Quick onto the barge!"_

They ran passed him, Jesse turning to the zombies and backing away from them. Without his sword or any arrows, there was no way he'd be able to defeat them all. He turned around and ran to the barge, everyone else already in the boats, taking out his flint and steel.

"Go, go, go!" chanted Axel.

Clicking the flint and steel together, the pistons started going back and forth, and the barge started moving forwards, towards the chasm and Ivor's lab. Jesse turned to face the zombie's as they closed in on him, before he sprinted towards the flying barge, the others watching with wide eyes.

 _"Jesse?"_ said Soren.

Jesse came to a stop as the barge approached the chasm and, eyes narrowing in determination, he jumped, grabbing onto the boat Olivia and Reuben were in. The barge left the cliff behind, leaving him dangling above a bottomless abyss.

Maya gasped.

"Pull him up, pull him up!" said Lukas.

With a little help from Olivia, Jesse climbed into the boat, before the screen switched to show the zombies as one fell off the edge and into the chasm.

"Well," muttered Petra, "At least that zombie wasn't one of you."

 _"That was close."_ panted Jesse, _"Everyone okay?"_

Soren was standing as still as possible, carefully not looking at anything other than the lab dead ahead of them. _"For the moment."_

Magnus snorted, causing the real Soren to scowl at him.

 _"Wait,"_ said Gabriel, who was the only one sitting down, _"I remember something. Didn't Ellegaard build a machine like this once?"_

"He remembers!" cheered Magnus, Gabriel's shoulders slumping in relief.

"So talking to him and showing him stuff about his past and the Order can help restore his memory," grinned Ellegaard, "I mean, there's no guarantee that he'll get all of his memory back but... it's something, isn't it?"

 _"Yes,"_ said Soren, sounding as though it were an unpleasant memory, _"In the Nether."_

 _"Hmm..."_ Gabriel's eyes, still discolored, widened, _"And you were terrified of flying on it!"_

"You're scared of flying?" asked Petra.

"I most certainly am not!"

"He is." said Magnus, grinning wickedly.

"No, I am not!"

"He totally is. Petrified of it."

"Magnus- !"

"He thinks it's hiding under his bed-"

"That thing wouldn't even _fit_ under my bed!"

"-and in his closet, waiting for the perfect moment to-"

Soren leaned over Gabriel and Ellegaard to smack Magnus on top of the head, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. It wasn't a hard smack, more of hard tap than anything, but it still caused him to scowl and punch the other man in the shoulder.

"Children, children, please." Gabriel said, as he pushed Soren back into his seat when he tried to lunge at Magnus, "Let's just watch the episode, shall we?"

 _"What?"_ Soren laughed nervously, _"Stuff and nonsense!"_

 _"No, no, I'm positive!"_ Gabriel insisted, _"You spent the whole ride quivering in terror!"_

 _"Soren, is that true?"_ asked Jesse, raising an eyebrow at him.

 _"Of course not!"_ The barge rocked slightly, causing Soren to make an obviously frightened 'whu-oh-oh' sound.

Magnus snorted into his elbow, his shoulders shaking. Ellegaard rolled her eyes.

Gabriel chuckled, _"Well, I suppose I might be mistaken..."_

_"I like'd you better when you had amnesia."_

The barge came to a stop in front of a wooden platform, and they all got off, Soren looking like he was trying not to vomit. Gabriel came to a stop in front of stairs leading up to the door, turning around to face the others. _"Well, that was exciting."_

"'Exciting' wouldn't be the word I'd use." said Lukas.

 _"By 'exciting,'"_ said Soren, _"I assume you mean 'absurd and unnecessary.'"_

Lukas shrugged, _"At least we made it."  
_

 _"Let's go see what he's hiding in there."_ said Jesse, gesturing to the house. They all turned to look up at it, before starting to make their way up the stairs. The screen cut to show them reaching the double iron doors, Soren once again in the front with Jesse and Reuben just behind him. The screen went dark.

"One step closer to defeating the Witherstorm." said Petra, "Things seem to be looking up a bit."

"I hope you're right." Axel said, "Wonder what's going on with me and Magnus? We must've reached the fortress by now."

"You're probably bedding down or something." Jesse shrugged, "Waiting for us to get back."

"What about Petra?" asked Lukas, "She's all alone in that cave."

"I sure Petra'll be fine." Olivia assured, "Now that she's resting, it probably won't be getting worse so fast, at least."

"I just hope we can beat this thing." said Soren, turning back to the screen, "And all come out on the other side."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you go into the maze or look around for another way? Let me know in the reviews!


	24. Ivor's Laboratory

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Four: A Block And A Hard Place**

**Part Twenty-Four: Ivor's Laboratory**

* * *

As promised, they paused the episode for a fifteen minute break. It was supposed to be Axel and Magnus' turn to cook, but they were soon ushered out of the kitchen after they blew up the furnace. Jesse and Lukas were once again the cooks, having been the only one's in the kitchen when the furnace had blown up, and Axel and Magnus were more than happy to let them take over.

They talked about random stuff as they worked, nothing serious and not much about the episodes were mentioned. It was nice, really, to finally be able to relax and not worry so much that his friends might all die in the near future.

Since they no longer had a furnace, they settled on making everyone two chicken sandwiches each.

"Once this is all over," said Lukas, he and Jesse standing at the counter, stacking the sandwiches onto plates next to them, "And we, well, remember this actually happening, Ellegaard promised she'd take Olivia to see Redstonia properly. And Magnus promised he'd take Axel to Boom Town."

Jesse raised an eyebrow at him, sliding a bit of slicked chicken between the cut bread, "So?"

Lukas shrugged. "I don't know. Guess I was wondering if you were going to go with one of them."

His new friend was silent for a long moment, a thoughtful look like his eye. He placed another sandwich on the plate. "I haven't really thought about it. I mean, Olivia is Ellegaard's new protege, so she'll be in Redstonia a lot, but with the Nether portals, we can see each other any time we like. Same goes for Axel, I guess."

"Have you ever wanted to travel?" asked Lukas.

"You mean like delving into ancient temples for buries treasure?" Jesse gave a small shrug, "I've always wanted to, actually. But you saw how I was with that wooden sword back when me and Reuben were cornered in the woods. I wouldn't last a day."

"Yeah, but look at you're future self." Lukas said, "You got a hang of that sword incredibly quick. And with a little more practice and the right stuff..." he shrugged, "I think you'd make a pretty good adventurer."

"What about you?" Jesse asked, as Lukas placed the last sandwich on the plate and they moved to start setting the table. "Ever thought about adventuring?"

"I'm more of a builder than anything else." The blond said, "Although I wouldn't mind doing it from time to time, just not on a daily basis."

Once the table was set, they called the others and they started to trickle in one by one, sometimes in twos or threes.

"How did you blow up the furnace?" asked Petra, gaping at the blackened object. Axel gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head, while Magnus just shrugged nonchalantly.

"It wasn't cooperating."

After lunch, they piled the dishes into the sink again ("You two are washing them since Jesse and Lukas made lunch.") and made their way back into the living room, returning to their previous seats. Ellegaard snatched the remote before anyone else could get it, pointing it at the screen and clicking the _'on'_ button. She gave a smug smile to Magnus when it worked, causing him to roll his eyes.

The screen showed Jesse and the others looking about, having entered a library. The screen zoomed out to show them the rows of bookcases, potion bottles lining the top of them, and glowing blue ore's and lit redstone lamps lighting up the place all about.

Gabriel walked forwards, looking about with wide eyes. _"So many books."_

 _"We should be careful."_ said Olivia, _"This place could be booby-trapped."_

"Is it?" asked Petra. Ivor shook his head.

"No. But there is some redstone lying about."

 _"Let's just start looking for the enchanting book."_ said Jesse.

"I'm afraid you won't find it there." muttered Ivor.

Everyone spread out to search for the enchanting book, examining the bookcases. Jesse glanced as some of the cases near the door, running his fingers along the covers, before he shook his head. Looking over at Lukas, who still a few feet away looking up at another bookshelf, Jesse made his way over to him. _"Hey, Lukas. Having any luck?"_

 _"No. Just..."_ Lukas sighed, turning to face him, _"Been thinking about other stuff, actually."_

_"Stuff such as... ?"_

_"You know."_ he shrugged, _"Gabriel. The Ocelots. People getting Wither Sickness and amnesia..."_ Lukas sighed again, _"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I came with you, I'm just... I'm just scared for everyone."_

"Thanks, Lukas." said Gill, "I'm sure we're worried about you too. If we remember you, that is."

_"For them, for us... for everybody, really."_

_"You're a good friend, Lukas."_ said Jesse, _"The fact that you're always thinking about others... it says a lot."_

Real-Lukas smiled at Jesse gratefully, who returned it happily.

Onscreen, Lukas rubbed his head, letting out a small laugh. _"Well, I like my friends. I guess that's why they're friends in the first place."_

 _"Either that,"_ said Jesse, jokingly, _"Or you like that they say nice things about you."_

Petra snorted.

Grinning, Lukas looked up at the bookcases. _"Ivor on the other hand... I think his only friends were books."_

"There's nothing wrong with books." grumbled Ivor.

 _"I guess being an angry loner leaves you a lot of time to read."_ said Jesse.

Magnus burst into a full blown laughing fit, Soren and Gabriel trying- and failing- to stiffle their own laughter. Even Ellegaard was struggling to hold back a grin.

Ivor huffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. _Children,_ the lot of them.

Lukas laughed. _"Tell me about it."_ He gestured to the books, reading the titles aloud, _"How to Train Your Slime... The Various Uses of Mooshroom Stew... Potion-ology,"_ Lukas' eyes widened, _"Volume_ Twenty-Four _..._ _?"_

"Wow." muttered Olivia. Axel shook his head.

"That's a lot of potion-y stuff."

 _"Are any of them the enchanting book?"_ asked Jesse. Lukas shook his head.

_"I don't think so."_

Jesse nodded, and Lukas returned to searching the bookshelf. Turning around, Jesse made his way over another bookshelf, muttering to himself as he ran his hands across their spines. _"A Brief History of Cubism... Crafting for Noobs, Revised... A Collector's Guide to Precious Gems..."_ Disappointed, Jesse stepped back, _"None of these are enchanting books."_

"I don't think Ivor would store the most powerful enchantment book _ever_ among things like _Crafting for Noobs_." said Maya.

"Yeah, but that looks like the only room." Jesse pointed out, "Unless there's a secret door, it's gotta be in there."

Jesse made his way passed Lukas and into a second aisle, where Olivia is revealed to be looking through a lower bookshelf, this one lined with a long row of potions.

 _"Olivia, any luck?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"Not really."_ the girl sighed, _"Ivor has too many books, and there's too few of us looking."_ Olivia's shoulders slumped, _"How did we end up all split up like this? I feel like we're spreading ourselves too thin. I miss how things used to be. That first night we all spent together? That was... kinda fun. Almost."_

Lukas looked thoughtful. "I suppose that could've been a lot worse."

"How about we do it again?" Olivia faltered, "Well, not that we've done it yet, but you get what I mean."

"There's plenty of tree's to go around." said Petra, "We could build a treehouse in the garden and have a sleep-over thingy after this episode."

Jesse shrugged. "Sounds fun."

"If Jesse's in," grinned Axel, "I'm totally in."

"You guys are welcome to join." said Jesse, looking over at the Order, Aiden, Maya and Gill. Magnus shrugged.

"Eh, I'll think about it."

"I'll join in." said Maya. Gill looked from her to Aiden, before shrugging.

"If Maya's in, I suppose I'll have a go." He glanced at Aiden, but the other boy didn't say anything. They turned back to the screen.

 _"At least Lukas is still here."_ Jesse said, _"For a moment, back at the cave, I thought he was gonna leave us."_

 _"Glad you talked him out of it."_ Olivia smiled, _"He's smart, I like having him around."_

Lukas mirrored the onscreen Olivia's smile. "Thanks, Olivia."

 _"And..."_ Jesse leaned in, _"He has excellent hair."_ They looked over at Lukas, who was still studying the bookcase, unaware of their gazes.

Real-Lukas blinked. "Uh... thank you." Jesse felt oddly hot, Aiden's eyes boring into the back of his skull.

"Hmm." hummed Petra, looking at the blonds hair with a critical eye. "Well, he's not wrong."

 _"He does have good hair, doesn't he?"_ Olivia laughed, turning back to Jesse, _"See? This is why we get along."_ Jesse smiled at her, and she turned back around to the bookshelf.

Jesse walked along the bookcases, muttering the titles to himself again. _"How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mining... The Unabridged Redstone Encyclopedia..."_ he crouched to read the ones near the bottom, _"Zombies and Pigs, An Intimate Memoir..."_

"A what now?" asked Axel.

 _"None of these seem to be enchanting books, either."_ Jesse left the bookshelf behind, turning a corner to find Soren, looking through another shelf. _"Find anything yet?"_ Jesse asked, Soren turning to face him.

 _"In this mess?"_ Soren scoffed, _"It's as though Ivor learned nothing from my lectures on organizational methodology!"_

Ivor rolled his eyes, ignoring the look he knew Soren was giving him.

 _"If only he hadn't gotten lost in that confounded swamp."_ Soren looked around in annoyance, _"He could just tell us where the book is! Coming here was his idea."_

 _"He was just doing what I asked."_ said Jesse, giving Soren a look. _"It wasn't his fault we got separated. Not really."_

Soren shook his head, glaring at him. _"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!"_ He marched away, standing in the middle of aisle and looking up at the many, many books. _"There's neither rhyme nor reason to how these books are stored. Finding anything here is impossible!"_

"Well, it's not like you can just give up." said Lukas.

 _"Tedious, maybe."_ said Jesse, _"Impossible? No way."_

Soren was silent for a moment, staring at Jesse with his hands on his hips. Finally, he sighed, walking back over to the bookcase he'd been examining earlier. _"Fine. I will continue this monotonous search. But I reserve my right to grumble about it."_

_"It's a deal."_

Jesse left the ginger to his searching, walking into a small room with a lava fireplace, more books, a chest and a crafting table. Spotting Reuben sitting near the lava, he made his way over to him. _"Reuben, what are you doing?"_ The pig gave a squeal in answer. _"Yeah, well, you're gonna get yourself cooked. I've told you before: Stay. Away. From lava."_

Grumbling, Reuben got to his feet and moved to sit a little ways to the left, out of the lava's way. Jesse looked around at the potions lining the lavaplace, before his eyes landed on a hole in the wall. He made his way over to it, peering inside to reveal a trail of redstone.

"Yup, there's a secret door." Petra said.

 _"Hey, Olivia."_ called Jesse, _"I think there's some redstone over here."_

Olivia walked up to him, Jesse stepping back to let her look through the hole. _"Looks like a circuit. We probably just need a lever to power it."_

_"Too bad I don't have one."_

_"Yeah."_ Olivia shrugged, turning to make her way back to the bookshelves. _"No lever, no functioning circuit."_

"I'm sure you can make one." Maya said, "You've still got that cobblestone from the cave, so you just need to get a stick."

"Maybe Ivor has one lying around?" suggested Olivia.

Jesse looked about the area, his eyes landing on the chest and crafting table. Next to the chest, looking up at the potions lining the shelves, was Gabriel. He made his way over to him, the amnesia-suffering warrior glancing at him as he approached.

 _"This Ivor characted..."_ Gabriel said, _"I'm recalling that he knew something about potions."_ he turned to face Jesse, _"Could one of these stop those Wither monsters?"_

"The potion," said Ivor, "Would simply power it down. For all we know, it could take just a matter of second to power back up. A super weapon is much more... permanent."

"Using a potion's just too risky, then." Ellegaard muttered,

_"I'm remembering correctly, am I not?"_

_"What do you remember?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"I seem to recall that Ivor was..."_ Gabriel looked away, frowning at the ground as he attempted to regain his memories. _"Better with potions than people... and he... he..."_

_"Keep going."_

Gabriel sighed, disappointed. _"Nothing else is coming._ _Besides the whole Ivor-being-a-jerk thing."_

Magnus snorted into his elbow, quickly turning it into a fake cough when Ivor's head snapped towards him with a deadly glare.

Onscreen, Gabriel turned back to the potions. _"Potion of blindness... potion of dullness... potion of nausea... none of these will help me."_ he was silent for a long moment, before slowly turning back around, _"Jesse, am I going to be all right?"_

The mood instantly sobered, Gabriel tearing his eyes from the screen and staring at his hands.

_"Or is this just... who I am now? Always struggling to remember what I was... what I'm supposed to be..."_

_"Of course you'll be okay!"_ Jesse insisted, _"You're Gabriel the Warrior."_

Gabriel smiled. _"Thank you, Jesse. Your confidence in me is stronger than any potion. Except perhaps a potion of confidence,"_ he turned to the potions again, _"I wonder if he has one of those..."_

Jesse turned to chest, opening and searching through it. _"Wood planks, those will be useful."_ he muttered, pocketing two wooden planks.

"All right, now you can make that lever." said Axel.

Turning to the crafting table, Jesse muttered to himself, taking out the planks. _"First, I'll need some sticks."_ He placed down the two planks, and they merged together to form four sticks. Grinning, Jesse picked them up, _"'Kay, got the sticks."_ He took out the cobblestone he'd gotten from the cave, placing it under the stick and making it form together into a lever. _"There we go,"_ he said, picking it up, _"A good old fashioned lever."_

"Now we're getting somewhere." said Soren.

Jesse made his way back over to the redstone circuit, placing the lever on the wall next to it and causing the redstone to light up. _"Like it was made for it... which it was."_ The others made their way towards him, watching expectantly.

 _"Let's see what this sucker does."_ said Jesse, flipping the switch. Pistons can be heard going off, and the lava in the fireplace began to disappear bit by bit, and the front of it descended into the ground, creating a massive staircase going down into blackness.

Soren came up to stand between Jesse and Olivia, all three of them staring with wide eyes. The screen switched to show Lukas, who looked skeptical, then Reuben, before going to Gabriel. _"A secret passageway... hmm."_

"Think the enchanting books down there?" asked Petra.

Jesse shrugged. "It must be."

"You know," said Ivor, "I actually expected you to find that a lot slower." he shrugged, "Well done, I suppose."

 _"Why would you build a secret passage in a house nobody ever visits?"_ asked Lukas.

Jesse turned to him. _"More like why_ wouldn't _you? Secret passageway's are cool."_

Lukas shrugged. _"Good point."_

"I wonder if there are any secret passages in the mansion." said Ellegaard thoughtfully, looking around the living room as if a hidden door would magically open, "Or a hidden room."

"For what?" asked Gabriel, "Ivor uses secret passageways to keep that enchanting book of his out of reach. Are you implying that this mansion may have something to hide?"

"This place _is_ full of surprises." Jesse said.

"Yeah," said Maya slowly, looking unsure, "But if there's a secret passage or a secret room... could that mean we're not the only one's here?"

"You mean like the one's that brought us here?" said Petra, "You think they're watching us or something?"

"Oh, great," groaned Axel, "Now I'm paranoid."

"We should definitely look into it." Jesse gestured to the screen, "But until then, let's just watch the rest of the episode."

They watched as Soren, Jesse and Reuben began making their way down the stairs, the others not that far behind them. But then there was the sound of something being triggered, and Soren looked down to find himself standing on a tripwire.

"Oh no!" gasped Olivia.

 _"What the- ?"_ Jesse turned around to find two walls closing behind them, the others on the other side. Lukas ran to it, but it slammed shut right in his face. Little orange-red specks appeared here and there, indicating that the lava had come back on.

 _"Are you guys okay?"_ shouted Jesse.

"Oh, great." muttered Lukas, "We're separated _again_."

The screen switched to show the others, Olivia standing in front of the lever with Lukas and Gabriel just behind her. _"We're fine."_ she called back, flipping the switch up and down, _"But the lever isn't working anymore!"_

Jesse looked over at Soren, who shrugged. He turned back to the wall. _"Stay there. We'll head down and see what we can find."_ With that, Jesse, Soren and Reuben turned back around and made their way down the stairs. The screen went dark.

"At least Jesse isn't alone this time." Petra shrugged, "Wonder what's down there besides the enchanting book? It can't just be craft-a-lever easy."

"Oh, it's not." Ivor said, "But since Soren's with him, it shouldn't be that difficult."

The screen came back on to show Jesse, Soren and Reuben reaching the bottom of the stairs, Soren with a torch in hand. Jesse's eyes widened, as Soren placed the torch on the wall next to them.

_"Whoa."_

The screen zoomed out to reveal a large room with two long red carpet's and pedestals with items on them. _"What is all this?"_

The Order gasped.

"Is that... ?" Ellegaard trailed off. Gabriel nodded, eyes wide.

"It is."

After a moment, Magnus gave a small laugh. "Wow. I kinda expected him to sell 'em or something."

"What is it?" asked Maya. Soren shook his head slowly, a small smile on his face.

"That, my dear, would be the Order's most precious treasures."

Onscreen, Soren gave an astonished laugh. _"Incredible! He's gathered them all in one place!"_

_"Gathered... what, exactly?"_

The screen switched to show a large black object in the shape of an egg sitting at the head, before zooming out to show white tear drops to the left and a brightly glow block to the right, and then furthered out to show Soren walking down the row, eyes jumping from treasure to treasure. The screen came to a stop just behind Jesse and Reuben, also showing a blue shard to the right and some sort of ice block to the left. _"The treasures of the Order of the Stone!"_

"Wow." breathed Axel, "Man, I wish I was there."

"Hold up." said Petra, frowning, "Why does _Ivor_ have the Order's treasures?"

Soren rubbed the back of his head, none of them looking at anyone. "Well, uh... it's rather complicated."

 _"The stories I could tell about these dusty old things..."_ said Soren, looking left and right at the objects, probably taking a trip down memory lane. He stopped in front of the egg, giving it a sad little smile.

 _"I don't see any enchanting book, though..."_ Jesse said, coming to a stop in the middle of the aisle. His eyes landed on some double iron doors off to the side, and he pointed to them. _"Maybe through there?"_

Soren walked over to the double iron doors, tugging at the handle and knocking on the metal. He shook his head, turning back to Jesse. _"Locked. Of course."_

Jesse put a hand to his chin, looking about. _"There must be some way to open it."_

"Is this a puzzle?" asked Maya, "Is this seriously gonna be another puzzle?"

There wasn't anything that could obviously open the door; no lever, no button, not even a drop of redstone. Jesse's looked over at the teardrops he was standing next to, his eyes widening upon realizing just what they were. _"These Ghast Tears... they're super hard to get!"_

 _"You don't know the half of it."_ said Soren. He stood off to the side, Reuben sitting next to him. _"It was our first official mission as the Order of the Stone. We fought those Ghasts for hours... and these tears were our reward."_

"Ah, yes." said Gabriel, smiling, "I remember that. I believe we angered quite a few Pigmen while we were at it as well."

"Hey, _that_ was Soren's fault." Magnus said, "He's the one that hit that fireball towards them."

"On accident!"

 _"Wow."_ breathed Jesse. He turned back to the Ghast Tears, reaching out to take them.

 _"Jesse, what are you doing?"_ asked Soren.

_"Uh... taking this really cool rare item? We might need it to unlock that door."_

"Oh, please, you just wanna touch it." said Petra.

"Come on, who can blame me?"

Axel shrugged. "Not me."

 _"Hmm... very well."_ Soren said reluctantly, _"Just be careful with it."_

Jesse nodded, turning back to the Ghast Tears and pocketing them. A pressure plate, previously hidden by the item, is revealed. _"See?"_ He looked about at all the other items, squinting slightly when he looked at the glowing block. _"So why does_ Ivor _have the treasures of the Order of the Stone? Did he steal them?"_

"There we go." muttered Maya.

 _"No, no, no."_ said Soren, _"We... let him keep them. When we split up."_

"What?" frowned Olivia, "Why? I would have thought you'd divide them between yourselves or something. Like, one at Gabriel's temple, one at Soren's fortress, one in Redstonia, one in Boom Town and one wherever Ivor lives... or something."

 _"You_ let _him keep your treasures?"_

_"Frankly, Jesse, it's a long story."_

"You'll have to tell us later, then." said Petra. The Order shifted uncomfortably.

Realizing he would be getting nothing else out of him, Jesse turned back to the treasures, walking up to the black egg. _"Soren, is this the actual Ender Dragon Egg?"_

 _"Alas... yes."_ Soren said, a bit sadly, _"The only thing that remains of our final adventure together."_

 _"No way I'm leaving this behind."_ Jesse grabbed it, pocketing it. Just like with the Ghast Tears, a pressure plate popped up. Looking over to the blue-white glowing block, Jesse made his way over to it, squinting as it's bright light assaulted his eyes. _"Am I crazy, or is this a Sea Lantern?"_

"Yeah, yeah, I remember that thing." said Magnus, "I mean, we nearly died getting the stuff to make it-" Ellegaard swatted his arm, causing him to jump in surprise. "What'd I say?"

 _"Ah! The very same one the Order built, all those years ago."_ Soren sighed, _"We were so green back then... it looks just as bright as the day we crafted it."_

Jesse grabbed the Sea Lantern off the pressure plate, putting it with the other two rare items. _"A Sea Lantern, huh?"_ He walked over to the next item, which happened to be the blue shards. _"These a Prismarine Crystals. You can only get these underwater, right?"_

 _"Precisely!"_ said Soren, _"We nearly ran out of oxygen getting these."_ he chuckled, _"Ellegaard had to use a spare bucket just to grab a few extra breaths."_

"Like I said," Magnus drawled, "Nearly died."

_"We used most of these to craft the Sea Lantern. This is all that remained."_

_"Prismarine is such a cool word."_ Jesse said, taking the crystals. _"Prizzzzzmarine."_

Petra coughed into her fist, saying something that sounded suspiciously like 'dork.' Jesse scowled at her.

Onscreen, Jesse turned to the final item. _"So where'd this Packed Ice come from?"_

 _"We brought it back from the Ice Plains Spikes biome."_ explained Soren, _"It was colder there than anywhere we'd ever been. But Magnus slipped so many times, our laughter kept us warm."_

Ellegaard, Soren, Gabriel and even Ivor snickered at that, the real Magnus scowling at them.

"That's not funny."

"It was incredibly funny." said Ellegaard.

_"After that, we knew we were ready to face the Ender Dragon!"_

Jesse grabbed the Packed Ice, jumping slightly as he touched it. _"Ohh, cold! And slippery."_

The wall besides Soren shifted, coming down to reveal ten hoppers: five on the floor, and five on the ceiling above them.

 _"Aha!"_ exclaimed Jesse, eagerly making his way towards it, _"A hopper."_

"Wow, this- this enchanting book is seriously well-guarded." said Olivia, "How many puzzles _are_ there, exactly?"

"Well, there's the maze," Ivor said, "You would have to know how to fix the barge, then you'd have to build the lever... and there's two puzzles in the basement."

Lukas shook his head. "We're wasting time here. I wonder if me, Olivia and Gabriel have found anything."

 _"Why is Ivor hiding a hopper in his basement?"_ asked Soren.

Jesse didn't seem to have an answer to that. He moved closer to the hopper, kneeling down to examine it. _"Looks like a regular hopper... that's hooked up to a bunch of redstone circuitry."_ he straightened, shaking his head, _"Man, Ivor sure does love his puzzles."_

"If only you were there, Olivia." said Jesse, "You're much better with redstone than I am."

Each of the bottom hoppers were numbered, from one to five. _"Hmm... Five slots."_ he took out the Ender Dragon egg, looking from slot to slot, before placing it into the fifth one. _"The Ender Dragon egg. So cool. Let's try it here."_

Ellegaard's eyes widened. "Oh, I see what he's done!"

"You do?" Magnus shook his head, "What am I saying? Of course you do."

Jesse took out the Ghast Tears next, placing then in the first hopper. _"Ghast Tears. Let's try them here."_ He put the Packed Ice in the fourth slot. _"Packed ice. Let's put it here."_ Taking out the Prismarine Crystals, Jesse sat them in the second slot. _"Prismarine Crystals. Into the hopper."_ Lastly, he placed the Sea Lantern into the third hopper, and the five items were sucked in, the iron doors flying open.

"All right!" cheered Axel, "One step closer to that book."

 _"Yes!"_ Jesse cheered.

 _"You solved it?"_ asked Soren, _"But how in the world did you know what order to put them in? There were one hundred and twenty possible combinations!"_

"How did- how did you figure _that_ out?" asked Petra.

 _"Everything I need was in your stories."_ explained Jesse. Soren nodded in realization.

 _"Nice work, Jesse."_ he turned to look out at the pedestals the Order's treasures had previously rested on, _"You know, I often give Ivor a hard time... but for all his complaining, his time with the Order clearly meant a great deal to him."_

"I believe it meant a great deal to all of us." said Gabriel, "It's a shame that it had to end the way it did."

"Yeah." Magnus muttered. Ellegaard gave his hand a firm squeeze.

 _"Yeah, I guess so."_ Jesse shrugged. _"Anyway..."_ he turned to the doors, _"Let's go get that enchanting book."_

The screen changed to show them walking into another room, Soren's eyes widening. _"By the stars... the Ender Dragon!"_ It switched around to show that room, revealing a replica Ender Dragon made out of obsidian blocks with a glowing redstone lamp for the eye, purple ones running along beneath it. Behind it was no wall, but a massive hole, going into what appeared to be a fake End. _"With replica Ender Crystals and all!"_

"Holy Notch, that's amazing!" gasped Maya.

 _"Wow."_ breathed Jesse, _"I always wondered what it looked like."_ He and Soren made their way into the room, showing four obsidian stands with colored banners with an object on the front, a button under it, a lit redstone lamp on top of it, and redstone on it's back. He looked over to the right, spotting another set of iron doors. _"Hmm... no way out."_

"Okay, so this is the second puzzle." said Olivia, "Shouldn't be too hard, right? Right?"

Jesse made his way up to Soren, who was admiring the Ender Dragon replica. _"Soren, what's this thing supposed to be?"_ The screen zoomed out, showing the four stands and the Dragon-Replica. One banner was green with TNT on it, the one next to it was yellow with a loaded bow, the one in front of that was red with some redstone decorating it's front, and the one in front of the TNT banner was blue with a diamond sword on it.

 _"It appears to be an homage to our battle with the Ender Dragon."_ said Soren, _"Despite his anger, Ivor never stopped being fond of us. He was a big part of our team, after all. He knows his days in the Order were his finest."_

"All of our days in the Order were our finest." said Ellegaard. Magnus was too busy sending Ivor a smug smile, who was trying very hard to ignore him.

_"This is the same Ender Dragon that you and the Order of the Stone defeated, right?"_

_"No, Jesse, it's just a model."_ said Soren, seeming more amused than anything else.

_"Right... that's my point."_

"Sure it was." muttered Olivia.

_"If you tell me about the battle, it could help me solve this puzzle."_

Soren put his hands on his hips, looking up at the ceiling and seeing something only he could see. _"If you'd only been there... it was a fight for the ages."_

"Sure it was." Ivor grumbled. Petra was the only one who heard him.

 _"We'd spent weeks preparing for our greatest battle ever."_ the screen changed from the homage to the End, with it's towering structures and purple sky. Large, purple stones bobbed up and down black structures, and the Ender Dragon flew around, giving off a mighty roar.

"Oh my god, this is awesome!" exclaimed Axel. Everyone who wasn't in the Order were staring at the screen with wide eyes, some of them even on the edge of their seats.

The screen switched to show the Order appearing out of thin air, Soren in front with a bow and arrow in hand, Gabriel with his diamond sword and Ivor with a potion to his left, and Magnus with a block of TNT and Ellegaard with a bow of her own to his right. They ran into the battle field, Soren coming to a stop behind one of the black structures, watching as the Ender Dragon flew passed, a giant pink beam briefly connecting it to one of the End Crystals.

 _"But even so,"_ Soren's voice continued, _"The Ender Dragon was stronger than even I had imagined."_

The Ender Dragon continued to fly in a large circle, briefly connecting to each crystal as it flew passed, Soren watching it. _"I realized it was drawing energy from the Ender Crystals, and that the crystals had to be destroyed."_

Soren peeked out of his hiding spot, loading his bow and aiming at the closest crystal. _"I hit the first with a perfectly placed arrow."_ The arrow went soaring, hitting the crystal and causing it to shatter.

 _"The second,"_ Soren is seen running up to Magnus, who held a flashing block of TNT above his head, _"By launching myself,"_ Magnus threw the TNT and Soren went flying towards the second crystal, _"On a shockwave of Magnus' TNT!"_ He smashed the crystal with his sword, before landing on the back of the Ender Dragon. Magnus is seen on the ground, grinning as he fist pumped the air.

 _"Using only my strength and my wiles, I steered the foul beast towards the third crystal."_ On the ground, Ellegaard appeared to have made some sort of dispenser machine. She placed down a redstone torch as they passed, and millions of arrows flew out of the dispensers, hitting the Ender Dragon and destroying the third crystal. Ellegaard is seen fist pumping the air much like Magnus had done, before the screen changed back Soren.

 _"I flew the dragon directly towards the final crystal!"_ Soren scrambled to his feet and jumped off the dragon, just before it slammed right into the fourth crystal. He landed on the ground, ducking into a roll, and the Ender Dragon hit the ground behind him. _"Only then did Gabriel deliver his famous final blow."_

Gabriel inched towards the dragon, and he plunged his sword into the dragon's neck. The beasts skin started to crack, purple light spilling through, before it burst in an explosion of purple and was gone.

"That was _amazing_!" exclaimed Olivia, "I didn't know Soren rode the Ender Dragon!"

"All I really knew was that they had to destroy the Ender Crystals to kill the dragon." said Petra, "But that _was_ pretty awesome."

Gill, meanwhile, was trying to suppress his laughter. "T-The Death Poke!" Magnus barked out a laugh of his own at that.

"Why is no one else freaking out?" asked Axel, looking about at the others, "How come no one's shouting and screaming? Am I the only one who feels like we should do that?"

"Freak out on the inside, Axel." said Jesse.

Ivor had a sour look on his face, his arms crossed against his chest. His glare had never been harder, and it was directed solely at his former friends.

Soren is shown with his hands on his hips and a wide grin on his face, Magnus, Gabriel, Ellegaard and Ivor cheering behind him. The screen changed back to the present, Jesse still standing in front of Soren. _"We became heroes and, eventually, legends. The greatest the world has ever known."_

 _"You... did all that?"_ asked Jesse.

Soren gave a single nod. _"Indeed I did. They didn't call us the Order of the Stone for nothing."_

Jesse turned to the banners, muttering to himself as Soren returned to admiring the Dragon-Replica. _"I wonder if that story will help me solve this puzzle."_ He turned around, looking up at the Dragon-Replica, revealing a lever on the back of it's head. _"So Soren rode the dragon, huh?"_

"Sure he did." muttered Ivor.

Looking to the stand with the bow banner, Jesse made his way over to it, pressing the button under the banner. The redstone lamp on the top flickered off. _"Hmm. Interesting."  
_ Turning to the TNT banner, Jesse pressed that one's button too, the redstone light going dark as well.

"Okay, okay." said Olivia, "So it's a bit like the first one, but with how they destroyed each Ender Crystal."

"Yeah, but what's the lever on the Ender Dragon for?" Axel questioned, "It can't just be there for decoration, can it?"

Jesse walked up to the redstone banner, pushing that button and turning the light off as well. Finally, he turned to the sword banner, pressing that button as well and looking about expectantly. Sure enough, the iron doors burst open much like the first one. _"Aha!"_ Only to reveal another two. Jesse's eyes widened.

_"There's another door?"_

This was greeted by many groans.

Onscreen, Jesse walked around the room, examining each and every inch for button, a lever, redstone, _anything_. He came to the end of the Dragon-Replica's tail, which had a blue redstone lamp just under it, and was low enough to be able to climb onto with a little help. He stared at it thoughtfully for a moment, his eyes following the tail's length, all the way to the lever, sitting innocently on the back of it's head.

"How's he supposed to get up there?" asked Lukas.

 _"Soren said he rode on the dragon's back. Hmm..."_ he looked towards his pig, _"Hey, Reuben, give me a boost, will ya?"_

"Oh." said Lukas, "That's how."

Reuben made his way over to him, standing right bellow the end of the tail. Jesse climbed up onto his back as if he were a foot stool, jumping up and grabbing onto the blue lamp. Jesse hauled himself up, jumping up the blocks and onto the tail against the wall. He made his way along it slowly, keeping a hand on the wall in an attempt to stop himself from falling off the edge.

Within moments, Jesse had reached the Dragon-Replica's back, and was walking passed the wing. He came to a stop just in reach of the lever, flipping it. _"Aha!_

Next to Soren and Reuben, the third set of iron doors opened, allowing them entry.

"All right, Jesse!" cheered Petra, "You're pretty good at puzzles."

 _"Bravo! You did it!"_ Soren cheered, as Jesse jumped down from the Dragon-Replica's tail. He reached forwards and grabbed the younger one's hand, dragging him through the doorways, both of them grinning.

 _"There's the book!"_ exclaimed Jesse.

Sure enough, the enchanting book sat right in the middle of the room on a quartz block, purple runes and numerals floating around it.

"Way to go, kid!" said Magnus, as half the audience cheered at future Jesse's success. Said boy was currently high fiving each of his friends, Reuben included.

They came to a stop in front of the enchanting book, grinning at it. Reuben walked forwards, giving a confused oink. Jesse looked over to what he was staring at, his eyes widening in shock. The screen switched around to reveal all four Ender Crystals, bobbing up and down on small obsidian stands like trophies.

Gaps erupted all around the room.

 _"Wait,"_ said Jesse, _"Aren't those the Ender Crystals?"_ He looked over at Soren, _"Like, the real ones."_

 _"No."_ Soren said, walking forwards, his face a mix of shock and horror. _"It can't be. Not here. Not after all this time!"_

"Wait- How- But- What?" said Lukas. Olivia shook her head slowly.

"Th-That's impossible."

 _"Soren, why are the Ender Crystals in the Far Lands?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"He kept them."_ Soren said, as though he didn't hear Jesse's question. He stepped closer to the crystals, shaking his head slowly. _"The fool actually kept them!"_ He turned around so that his back faced the crystals, although he didn't look at Jesse. _"He looked in the eye and swore..."_ he clenched his eyes shut, _"He was going to dispose of them."  
_

"But they were destroyed!" exclaimed Jesse, twisting around to face the Order. His eyes bounced from face to face, all lined with guilt, all avoiding everyone's eyes. A terrible feeling was spreading through Jesse's chest, and when he spoke his voice was quite, unsure, not sure what to make of the situation. "... Right?"

 _"Soren,"_ Jesse spoke slowly, moving to stand in front of the ginger. _"You said destroying these crystals was the key to defeating the Ender Dragon."_ When Soren still didn't look at him or answer, Jesse's eyes became suspicious, weary, as though he wasn't sure if the man in front of him was trustworthy. _"You_ did _kill the Ender Dragon... right?"_

 _"Jesse, this isn't-"_ Soren glanced back at the crystals, panic clear on his face, _"This isn't what it looks like. Our story-_ the _story- it's mostly true! I swear- I swear it!"_

"Mostly?" said Maya, _"Mostly_?"

"You... you lied?" Olivia asked, her voice a mere whisper. "You lied about something other than Ivor?"

"Yes." Ivor said, his voice cold and his glare causing the Order to squirm uncomfortably. "Yes, they did."

Onscreen, Jesse put his hands on his hips, his eyes hard.

 _"Whatever you're thinking..."_ said Soren, _"I promise, I can explain!"_

 _"So what really happened, Soren?"_ asked Jesse, gesturing to the Ender Crystals. _"If you didn't destroy the Ender Crystals..."_

 _"I-I can't."_ Soren said, backing away a little. _"We swore never to speak of it..."_

_"I think it's time to start talking."_

Soren sighed, his shoulders slumping, his head bowed in shame. _"I'm afraid I haven't been honest with you, Jesse. We_ did _defeat the Ender Dragon. But it... wasn't exactly as I said."_

"Does does that mean?" asked Axel. "You can only defeat the Ender Dragon by destroying it's crystals. Everyone know's that."

Soren turned around, splaying his palms on the stands the Ender Crystals hovered above, his eyes closed. Jesse's glare hardened.

_"How 'not exactly'?"_

_"We got rid of it... but we... we didn't kill it, per se."_ Soren looked over his shoulder at Jesse, _"In fact... we didn't even fight it."_ He turned away again, closing his eyes. _"We didn't even try."  
_

"That makes no sense!" exclaimed Aiden.

"Just spit it out already!" Petra snapped.

 _"So what did you do to it?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"We didn't do anything!"_ Soren turned around, _"We used that damned Command Block!"_

"You did what?!" shouted Lukas.

 _"You used the Command Block to defeat the Ender Dragon?!"_ Jesse yelled. Soren moved around to stand next to the enchanting book, the angry look his face had obtained melting into one of shame and guilt.

_"I'm afraid so."_

"How- How could you _do_ this?!" exclaimed Jesse, climbing to his feet and turning to face the Order. "You've been lying all this time?!"

"Did you even _go_ on any of those adventures?" asked Maya, her voice cold.

"Of course we did!" said Soren, "You heard all that stuff I said about Magnus slipping in the Ice Spikes biome and Ellegaard using a spare bucket while we were getting the Prismarine Crystals! We didn't _always_ use the Command Block, but we... we still used it often."

"How could you do this?" asked Jesse, much quieter this time.

Gabriel sighed. "I am sure Onscreen Soren is about to explain."

 _"Understand,"_ said Soren, _"When I found that blasted block, we were nobodies. But with it's help, we became stronger."_ The screen gave a close up on Soren's face, _"Faster. We could do so much more."_ It moved away and suddenly they were back in the End, the Ender Dragon flying about.

Just like last time, Soren, Magnus, Gabriel, Ellegaard and Ivor dropped out of nowhere and ran into the field, the dragon roaring. _"The others had no idea what I was doing. But the more I used it,"_ the dragon flew over Soren's head, as the Order's leader pulled out the Command Block, _"The more we came to depend on it. I knew it was only so long before someone found out."_ He put the Command Block away.

The screen switched to show Gabriel, Ellegaard, Magnus and Ivor standing together, just as the Ender Dragon flew up at high speed, circling them. Their eyes widened as the beast came down, it's mouth sparking with purple flames almost as though it were foam, prepared for the killing blow.

Soren ran up with the Command Block in hand, his eyes wide. He held it up, just as his friends ducked down, the dragon that was moments away from ending them vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"I can't believe it." muttered Lukas, "You... you're not heroes."

 _"So, I concocted a plan."_ continued Soren's voice, as the four turned around to face their leader. _"I would use the Command Block to blink the Ender Dragon out of_ _existence..."_ Soren stood before them with his head bowed, the Command Block glowing brightly in his hand.

The screen changed to show them standing before a cheering crowd, moving along to reveal Magnus grinning and fist pumping the air, Gabriel smiling, Ellegaard waving, Ivor clapping his hands slowly as he glared at Soren, while Soren himself stood with no smile, no wave to give the crowd, just a look of shame and guilt. _"Securing our status as legends..."_

Again, the screen changed, this time back to Ivor's lab, Soren mirroring his past-selves expression. _"Forever."_

Jesse was silent, even Reuben looking none too happy.

 _"We told the world we defeated a dragon."_ continued Soren, _"And the rest... is history."_

 _"Soren... I looked up to you."_ said Jesse finally, _"The whole world did."_

Soren closed his eyes. _"No one is more ashamed than me."_

No one seemed to know what to say. There was no shouting. No disappointed words. Just disappointed faces.

_"So you finally admit it."_

Jesse's head snapped around, revealing that behind him was Ivor, Olivia, Lukas and Gabriel.

"When'd he get here?" asked Petra.

"He must have showed up while Jesse was solving those puzzles." Lukas said.

 _"Soren..."_ said Olivia, _"How could you?"_

But Soren payed her no heed, his attention solely on the man who started this all. _"Ivor."_

 _"How long have you guys been standing there?"_ asked Jesse.

Ivor walked forwards a little, _"Long enough that they heard the whole thing."_

 _"So we're liars?"_ asked Gabriel, _"All of us?"_

"That must be horrible." said Olivia quietly. They all knew what she was talking about.

 _"Yeah."_ said Lukas quietly, _"I think you are."_

 _"You didn't think you'd keep it secret forever, did you, Soren?"_ said Ivor, marching passed Jesse to stand in front of his old friend. _"The truth hurts, doesn't it?"_

 _"But Ivor... why?"_ Soren asked.

 _"Is this why you left the Order?"_ asked Jesse, _"Because Soren lied?"_

 _"Because they all did!"_ Ivor exclaimed, _"Soren, Gabriel, Magnus, Ellegaard..."_ Soren put a hand to his head, moving to stand next to the enchanting book, _"They all agreed to keep this a secret."_

"So you decided to destroy the world to expose them?" asked Real-Jesse, glaring at the bearded man. "You decided that when everyone looks to the Order of the Stone to save them, it would be just grand for any hope they had left to die when they realized that there was _no one_ there to save them?"

"I didn't plan for it to go like that!" snapped Ivor, "In case you've forgotten, I was supposed to be able to control that Wither! And I had a back-up potion in case something went wrong. But, as you already know, that plan backfired."

 _"How conniving of us."_ said Gabriel.

 _"And you!"_ Soren said, pointing at Ivor and moving to stand in front of him, _"You agreed to stay quite too! In exchange for all our treasures."_

"Of course." muttered Petra.

Onscreen, Olivia gasped.

 _"I've technically never told anybody."_ said Ivor, _"Jesse discovered the truth on his own."_

 _"So this whole thing,"_ Lukas said, _"This Wither you unleashed, has all been to teach the Order a lesson?"_

Ivor spun around to face him. _"To teach the world a lesson!"_ he pointed to Soren, _"To show you who the Order really are! Liars. Cowards. And now, they know."_

 _"Yes,"_ sighed Soren, _"I suppose they do."_

 _"And how is that any better?"_ asked Jesse, _"You reveal their lies, at the expense of the world itself?"_

"I just said that." said the real Jesse, in a weak attempt at lightening the mood. It didn't work.

Ivor put his hands on his hips. _"Look, my Wither plan obviously backfired."_ Olivia threw her hands into the air.

_"Ya think?"  
_

_"I didn't think we'd end up with_ three _of those things tearing the world apart!"_ Ivor exclaimed, marching passed Jesse and crossing his arms. Gabriel sighed.

_"For a moment, I nearly forgot."_

"How ironic." muttered Magnus.

 _"Which brings us back to why we're here."_ Jesse said, looking about at everyone, _"We need to destroy that Command Block. Like, now!"_

 _"Jesse's right."_ said Soren, _"Destroying the Command Block is all that matters anymore."_

Everyone was silent for a long moment. Finally, Ivor made his way over to the enchanting book. _"How ironic that the best thing that the Command Block gave us,"_ he closed the book, cutting off the purple numerals and runes, before picking it up _"Was the very means to destroy it."_

 _"Spare us the poetry."_ Soren said, coming up to stand beside him, _"It's not your strong suit."_

 _"I've had this book for years."_ Ivor continued, ignoring Soren for now, _"Never thought I'd actually have to use it."_

"I guess that's why you stored it away in your lab." said Olivia, "Not only to stop anyone else from using it, but also because you thought it would never be needed in the first place."

 _"So the enchanting book... what do we do with it?"_ asked Jesse.

"Don't worry, Jesse." said Petra, "It's actually pretty simple."

 _"You craft a weapon,"_ explained Ivor, holding out the book, _"Then put it on an anvil._ _Follow me. I'll show you."_

Jesse took the book in hand, just as Soren spoke up.

_"Ivor... I'm sorry. About everything."_

"Yes." said the real Soren quietly, turning to Ivor, "I... I am sorry."

Ivor looked at him for a long moment, his face blank. "I'm sorry too."

 _"Yes, well... it doesn't matter now."_ said Ivor, his voice uncommonly soft. Soren looked down at the ground, giving a small little nod.

Then the screen changed to Ivor, Jesse and Reuben making their way through yet another set of double iron doors. _"Grab some ingredients and craft a weapon."_ Ivor said, as the screen switched around to reveal the room before them. Lava lamps were in the floor, and right ahead of them was a single chest, a crafting table and an avil. Just behind them was eight different sets of brightly colored armor. _"I'll show you how to enchant it."_

 _"Sweet."_ Jesse walked up to the chest, muttering to himself. _"Let's see what Ivor's got in here..."_

"Where... _is_ that room?" asked Olivia, "I didn't see any doors."

"My lab holds many secrets." said Ivor simply.

 _"Let's see."_ said Jesse, kneeling in front of the chest and opening it, rummaging through it, _"There's a bunch of crafting stuff, and..."_ he grinned, holding up some diamonds, _"Diamonds, score!"_

Jesse leaned over Lukas to nudge Petra. "I'll save some for you." Petra rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips.

 _"So I can craft whatever I want, huh?"_ Jesse asked, turning to the crafting table. He still had some sticks left over from crafting that lever.

 _"Anything at all."_ Ivor said from behind him, out of sight.

"Craft a sword!" said Petra.

"No way, dude." Axel protested, "Craft an axe! It'll be way cooler."

Olivia shook her head. "No, go with the pickax. It'll be more efficient when destroying the Command Block."

"Actually," Ivor cut in, "With the enchantment, it would be able to destroy literally anything, even if it were a hoe."

"Oh, please don't go with the hoe." groaned Lukas, "Or a shovel, for that matter. Just go with one of the first three."

"You guys _do_ know that I can't hear you, right?" asked Jesse.

Onscreen, Jesse did nothing for a moment, probably thinking about which tool he should make. Then he took out the diamonds and placed two of them down, one in the top slot and one in the middle slot, before placing a stick in the last slot. The ingredients shook and merged, forming a diamond sword.

Petra fist pumped the air. "Yes!"

 _"Awesome!"_ exclaimed Jesse, waving the sword about, _"I've never owned a diamond weapon!"_

 _"Just wait 'til you enchant it!"_ said Ivor, gesturing to the anvil.

Jesse turned to it. _"Let's see what this enchanting book is made of."_ Taking his new sword, Jesse placed it on the left side of the anvil, before he took out the enchanting book and placed it right beside it. Much like on a crafting table, the sword and book merged together, and in a puff of smoke, the sword turned sideways, the handle glowing.

 _"Behold!"_ exclaimed Jesse, holding his sword up, _"My enchanted diamond sword!"_ Just behind him, Reuben began squealing in excitement, jumping up and down.

"This is so awesome!" Axel exclaimed, "Look at that thing!"

"That is literally the coolest thing I have ever seen." Petra declared.

 _"Yes,"_ said Ivor, walking up to him, _"That should do the job nicely. But if you're fighting those Witherstorm's head on... you'll want better armor too."_ he turned to the eight sets of armor, gesturing to them, _"I enchanted these for the Order. They're about as strong as it comes. Even able to withstand TNT!"_ he looked at Jesse, who's eyes widened at what he said next. _"Any preference?"_

"And you get new armor too?!" gasped Maya.

The screen moved along the armor sets, giving them a pretty good view of each one. _"I have eight different sets to choose from. And believe me, they're all excellent. You won't go wrong, whatever you choose."_

"Take the first one!" said Olivia, "You know, with the black and gold?"

"I like the yellow one." Gill said, "Go with that!"

"No, no, the purple!" Petra insisted. Axel shook his head.

"The red one! It's got spikes on the shoulders."

"Spikes that could poke your eyes out." said Maya, "Go with the one with the blue top and white pants."

"How about one of the middle ones?" suggested Lukas, "I like the one on the left. You know, dark blue?"

Onscreen, however, Jesse rubbed the back of his head, looking unsure. _"I kind of want to keep the armor I'm already wearing."_

Axel gave a disappointed groan.

Ivor looked at him in surprise. _"Really?"_

 _"I mean,"_ Jesse gave a small shrug, _"Ellegaard died so I could have it, you know?"_

Ellegaard gave a small smile. "Thank you, Jesse."

Jesse shrugged. "You guys may have been frauds, but... you're not bad people. And you _do_ try to help us, despite not being real heroes."

"Let's just hope that this time around," said Gabriel, turning back to the screen, "You will be able to return that armor."

"Well," said Ellegaard, shifting a little to get in a more comfortable position against Magnus' chest, "It does suit him, though."

 _"Come to think of it,"_ said Ivor, looking away sadly, _"She would've liked that. Very well."_ He turned back to Jesse, _"But at least take some for your friends."_

Axel threw his hands into the air. "YES!" Petra, Lukas and Olivia shared large grins.

_"Sounds good to me."_

The screen cut to Jesse's feet, showing him walking towards the iron doors. They opened, revealing Gabriel, Olivia and Lukas waiting for him, the former two sitting next to the quartz block the enchanting book had rested on. They turned to him as the doors opened, their eyes widening.

 _"Nice weapon, Jesse!"_ said Olivia, she and Gabriel climbing to their feet.

 _"Thanks."_ Jesse grinned, his sword in hand, as Ivor and Reuben came out the room behind him. He turned and began making his way to the other set of iron doors, leading to the puzzles he'd completed earlier. _"Let's get back to Soren's fortress and see how the Witherstorms are doing against those Endermen."_

With that, he led the others through the doors and back towards the surface, where a battle of a century awaited. The screen blacked out.

"So this is it." said Soren, "The final battle."

"You don't think anyone else is going to die, do you?" asked Lukas, "I mean... there's three of those things now. And Ellegaard died when we were only going up against one."

"Even if one of us does die," said Jesse, not tearing his eyes from the screen, "The reason we're here is to change it."

"Still." Petra said, her voice quite, "I'd rather not watch any of my friends get killed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you choose to get new armor or keep the armor you were wearing? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Oh my god, guys. Oh my god. This has got to be the longest chapter I have ever written. EVER. I almost got it up to 10,000 words!


	25. Ender-Hoard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! Guys! Guys! It's the next chapter! We're on chapter twenty-five! THIS EPISODE IS ALMOST FINISHED HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Four: A Block And A Hard Place**

**Part Twenty-Five: Ender-Hoard**

* * *

They must've found the horses sometime after leaving the Far Lands, for when the screen came back on, it was to the group galloping passed trees and small fires. Lukas and Olivia were wearing armor now too. Lukas' was grey and looked a bit like a jacket, with a orange shirt under it and a belt, as well as grey goggles siting upon his forehead. Olivia's armor had a red gem on the chest, white sleeves and gold lining, with a brown helmet and golden goggles. It was safe to say that both them and Jesse looked pretty awesome.

"All right!" said Olivia, high fiving Lukas.

The group came to a stop on the edge of a cliff, Reuben hopping off the back of Jesse's horse. The screen switched around to show them just outside of Soren's mountain, the Witherstorms right in front of them, bigger than ever before. They've created a wide space in the grounds, and the top of Soren's mountain was gone.

 _"Wow."_ said Lukas.

"Where are the Endermen?" asked Petra, "I can't see any."

Gabriel jumped off the horse, looking around at the Witherstorms in confusion. _"Shouldn't the Endermen have dismantled those things by now?"_ he faltered, _"Or am I just confused?"_

"No, no." said Ellegaard, "He's right. From the time it took for you to go to the Far Lands and back, the Witherstorms should be half destroyed at _least."_

"Something's wrong." Jesse said, brow furrowing in concern, "Where's Axel and Magnus?"

 _"It's not just you."_ said Ivor, his eyes wide as he came to stand beside Gabriel, _"Something's wrong."_

 _"Jesse!"_ they turned to face the shout to find Axel standing atop a hill not far away, waving at them and grinning, _"Over here!"_

Gabriel frowned. "Where is Magnus?"

 _"Axel!"_ Jesse smiled, as the larger male made his way towards him.

 _"You guys made it!"_ he said, the others approaching him. Axel turned to Olivia. _"Nice freakin' armor, by the way."_ Olivia smiled.

_"Good to see you too, Axel."_

"What about Axel?" asked Maya, "Doesn't he get any armor?"

 _"Do you still have the amulet?"_ Jesse asked.

Axel pulled it out. _"Safe and sound. That's not the problem."_

Olivia raised an eyebrow. _"Then what is?"  
_

 _"The Endermen..."_ Axel gestured in the direction of the storms, _"They're not angry enough! I mean, some of them are,"_ The screen changed to show an some Endermen on the big Witherstorm, tearing blocks of it, _"But a lot of them are just standing around, moving blocks,"_ Sure enough, on the ground bellow the three monsters, a large portion of the Endermen were doing just that, _"You know, being Endermen."_

"You're kidding." muttered Petra. Reuben gave an agreeing oink from Jesse's lap.

Onscreen, Soren scowled. _"Blast!"_

 _"They've kept the main Witherstorm busy,"_ Axel continued, _"But one of the smaller ones started attacking us. And Magnus ran off to fight that thing, all by himself!"_

"You're doing _what_?!" gasped Ellegaard, shooting straight up and turning to her bald friend. "Why the frigging hell would you do _that_?!"

Magnus raised his hands in an 'I surrender' motion. "I don't know! Why don't you ask future me?"

"Magnus!"

"What?!"

Ellegaard shook her head, giving him an angry glare. "You've done some pretty stupid stuff in the time I've known you, but this has got to be one of the _dumbest_ things you-"

"Yeah, well, maybe I want to avenge you!" snapped Magnus, the engineer's eyes widening in shock. "Maybe I want to at least _try_ and kill that thing because it's the reason you're _dead!_ "

 _"He's fighting a Witherstorm?"_ asked Ivor, his eyes widening, _"Alone?"_

 _"Yup."_ said Axel, _"Kept saying something about paying for the mistakes of the past."_ he shrugged, _"Whatever that means."_

 _"If a fellow member of the Order of the..."_ Gabriel frowned, _"Of the... uh..."_

Jesse raised an eyebrow. _"Order of the Stone..."_

Gabriel nodded his thanks, moving to stand on the edge of the cliff. _"Is out there fighting... then I belong out there too."_

"Oh no." groaned Soren, "He isn't going to do what I think he's going to do, is he?"

 _"Gabriel, no!"_ exclaimed Soren, _"No, I've told you, you're not who you think you are!"_

 _"My name..."_ Gabriel put his hands on his hips, _"Is Gabriel the Warrior!"_ With that, he spun around and ran out of sight, yelling a battle cry. The others watched him go.

 _"And... he's running the wrong way."_ Axel deadpanned.

Soren face palmed, Ivor pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stop the forming headache he was experiencing. Ellegaard sighed, Magnus' shoulders shaking in laughtered. Gabriel gave them a sheepish smile.

 _"Oh, for goodness sake."_ groaned Ivor, _"I'm not letting that idiot get himself killed! Gabriel! Come back here!"_ He ran after the amnesiac warrior, out of sight Soren sighed.

 _"Without the Command Block, none of them stands a chance."_ Axel's head snapped towards him.

_"Say what now?"_

"Well," said Real-Axel, "That's gonna be confusing."

 _"Why do they need the Command Block?"_ Jesse, Olivia and Lukas looked at each other.

 _"They're frauds."_ Jesse finally explained, _"The whole Order!"_

Axel's eyes widened. _"What?"_

 _"It's kind of a long story."_ said Olivia, looking impatient. Jesse nodded.

_"One we don't have time for right now."_

Axel shrugged, although he looked reluctant to drop the subject. _"Fine."_

"We'll probably explain everything later." said Lukas.

 _"Hey, uh... you guys didn't check on Petra, did you?"_ asked Axel.

Olivia shook her head. _"No, we came straight here."_

 _"She's still in that cave."_ said Lukas, _"I hope she's all right."_

"I'm sure I'm fine, guys." Petra said, "Just hurry up and kill that thing, will you?"

 _"She will be,"_ said Jesse, _"As long as we destroy the Command Block."_

 _"So what's the plan?"_ Axel asked, _"I mean, I know we gotta go in there, but... do we just go for it or what?"_

"You guys spent days, maybe even weeks, going to the Far Lands and back." said Maya, "I'm sure you thought of _something_ along the way."

 _"We find a way for me to use this!"_ said Jesse, drawing his super sword. Axel's eyes widened, and he looked at the weapon in awe.

_"Whoa. That is, without question, the coolest thing I have ever, ever seen!"_

_"Oh,"_ Jesse sheathed the sword, this time pulling out some sort of dome or fishbowl. _"And I brought you some armor, Axel."_

Real-Axel fist pumped the air. "All right!"

He walked up to his large friend, holding out the dome. _"Here."_

 _"Nice!"_ grinned Axel, taking the helmet and slipping it over his head. It was incredibly similar to Magnus' helmet. _"I was feeling a little left out."_

"I'm pretty sure that's a fishbowl." said Petra.

"Hey, that is an incredibly useful piece of armor!" Magnus stated, "And is certainly _not_ a fishbowl."

Onscreen, Axel grinned and spread his arms out, as if silently asking how he looked. But his smile quickly fell when the Witherstorm gave a loud, booming roar that sounded almost like a clap of thunder. They looked at each other, any sense of happiness or excitement vanishing. Jesse was looking up a the sky. _"Guys..."_ he turned to his friends, _"Let's go kick some Command Block butt!"_

Faces setting in determination, Olivia and Lukas nodded at him. Jesse turned to the cliff, to the monsters that had caused them so much trouble, and walked to the edge. It cut to Jesse landing in the crater they'd created, which was reduced to bedrock and left over dirt and stone, and the screen moved up to give them a perfect view of all three Witherstorms. The screen blacked out.

"This is it." said Lukas quietly, "This is really it. We're literally walking right into danger."

"Question is," Petra said, her face grim, "Who gets to walk away?"

The screen came back on to show them running through the doors and into Soren's fortress, only a little bit of the previously spectacular hallway remaining before opening up into a land of stone, dirt, bedrock and Endermen. Far ahead of them, the statues of the amulet and the Order can be seen, having not yet been destroyed. Large parts of the walls were torn from the ground, flying over their heads towards the Witherstorms.

"Great." grumbled Soren, "Now I'll need a new fortress of solitude."

They came to a stop, looking up at the big one right in front of them. Jesse's looked from the bigger one to the smaller ones on either side of it. _"Does anyone see the Command Block?"_

 _"We need to get more Endermen focused on the Witherstorm!"_ Olivia yelled over the chaos. They got a close up on the main Witherstorm, where Endermen were teleporting here and there and tearing blocks off near its three heads, but not making much difference.

 _"How do you make Endermen focus?"_ asked Axel, _"I can't even make myself focus."_

"Maybe Soren'll know something." suggested Olivia.

 _"W-We shouldn't be here."_ stuttered Soren, starting to back away, his hands shaking. _"None of this is going according to plan!"_

 _"Soren? What are you doing?"_ asked Lukas, his voice hard.

"Don't you remember?" said Ivor, "They're not heroes."

Everyone was facing Soren now, watching with wide eyes. He came to a stop a little ways away. _"I, uh... you know, I've really enjoyed meeting you all, but..."_ He didn't seem to know how to finish that sentence. So, instead, he turned around and fled for the doors, leaving them to the battle.

Petra gave an enraged yell and twisted to her feet, lunging at the ginger. Soren screamed, scrambling over the armrest and hitting the floor painfully, Petra slamming into the spot he'd been sitting at moments before.

Before she could try and kill him again, Jesse scrambled to his feet, Reuben squealing when he fell out of his lap, and grabbed her, pulling her back. Soren was on his feet as well, looking as though he were ready to take off running at any given moment. The other three Order members stood in front of him.

"Let me go, Jesse!" demanded Petra, "I'm going to snap this cowards neck!"

"Petra, calm down!" said Jesse, grunting when she accidentally elbowed him in the stomach. "Killing him isn't going to solve anything. It hasn't even happened yet!"

"How can you defend him?!" Petra asked, twisting around to glare at him, "He _abandoned_ you!"

"I'm not defending him!" Jesse said, "But we can't kill him."

"Why not?"

"Because we'll need him when this is actually happening." Lukas said, moving to stand beside Jesse, "We won't remember anything, so we won't know the recipe for the Formidi-Bomb or how to do the puzzles in Ivor's lab. We don't know if another Order member will be able to go down there with Jesse. It's too risky."

Petra was silent for a long moment. Finally, she huffed, pulling herself out of Jesse's grasp. "Fine. But I'm beating him up later."

 _"Soren!"_ called Axel.

 _"Did Soren just run away?"_ asked Olivia, as though she couldn't believe her eyes.

 _"Soren, come back here!"_ yelled Jesse. But the builder was long gone.

 _"Dude, what a chicken."_ Axel said. Olivia sighed.

_"So much for the mighty Order of the Stone."_

_"It doesn't matter."_ said Jesse, turning to them, _"We have work to do."_

"Just so you know," Maya said, "I really hope none of you die." They gave her grateful smiles.

"Thanks, Maya." said Jesse, "I hope so too."

They turned to face the large group of Endermen standing about right under the big Witherstorm, not caring that the world was being torn apart block by block all around them. _"We need to get those Endermen to attack it!"_ said Jesse.

As if on cue, a tractor beam shifted and landed on an Enderman. It's head titled backwards so that it looked straight up, and it's mouth opened as it started to screech, shaking with rage. The tractor beam sent it flying up, but it teleported before it could be sucked up, the screen changing to show it starting to tear blocks off the Witherstorm.

Olivia gasped. _"The tractor beam!"_

Real-Olivia's eyes widened. "Of course!"

 _"Jesse, that's it!"_ Olivia, Jesse, Axel and Reuben ran towards the hoard, _"Make them chase you into the tractor beam!"_

Petra frowned. "Where'd Lukas go?"

"No idea." said Axel, "Maybe he went after Soren?" Lukas shook his head.

"No way. Maybe I'm doing something else?"

Onscreen, Jesse came to a stop in front of an Enderman and did something he's never dared to do before. He looked it right in the eye.

The Enderman started screeching, and then Jesse looked at another one and that one started screeching, and he turned in a full circle, looking each Enderman around him straight in the eye until he was surrounded by tall, enraged monsters.

Quick as ever, Jesse ran out of the circle, just as a tractor beam came down on where he'd down just moments before. The angry Endermen looked upwards, just as they were sucked up.

"Oh my god, this is terrifying." groaned Olivia, "Are we seriously gonna do this?"

Another tractor beam started chasing Jesse as he ran passed the many more Endermen, straight towards one holding a stone block. Skidding to a stop, Jesse snatched it. _"How do you like that, you purple-eyed freak?"_

"You don't have to be so mean to them." muttered Soren. Petra twisted around to glare at him.

"You don't get to talk."

As the Enderman opened it's mouth and started to screech, Jesse ran off to the right, just as the tractor beam that had been chasing him came to a stop on the Enderman and sucked it up.

Jesse continued to make his way through the hoard, some of the Endermen that had witnessed him messing with the others starting to screech. He looked over his shoulder, screaming as he realized there was a tractor beam right on his heels.

"Run, Jesse!" shouted Lukas.

The young hero skidded to the left, an Enderman that had been in front of him screeching as it tried to smack him with it's long arms, two more teleporting beside it. The beam landed on them.

Jesse ran and ran, Ednermen teleporting just behind him, screeching and getting caught in tractor beams. The screen changed to show them upon the Witherstorm, tearing it apart in anger.

"It's working!" cheered Gill.

 _"Yes! They're falling for it!"_ said Jesse, still running. He skidded to a stop and began running in another direction to avoid a tractor beam, which instead landed on another Enderman, causing it too to start screeching as it was sucked into the air.

Spotting an Enderman wandering about near a still tractor beam, it's back to him, Jesse made his way towards it and shoved it, causing it to stumble into the tractor beam, turning around and screeching at him in pure, bubbling _rage_. It looked up a second later, just before it went soaring into the air.

The audience gaped.

"You... _shoved_ an Enderman." whispered Petra, "An _Enderman._ "

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Jesse continued running through the hoard, coming to a stop when Axel ran up to him with something in his hands. _"Axel, are those snowballs?"_

 _"Yeah, I found them near the cave!"_ said Axel, holding out some, _"Here!"_

"And you're gonna have a snowball fight with them." Petra said. "Brilliant."

As Axel ran off to anger some Endermen of his own, Jesse turned to some standing a few feet away, minding their own business. _"All right, let's see how you like this."_ He took aim and threw a snowball at them, just as a tractor beam started closing in.

Without even turning around, the three Endermen teleported, reappearing right in front of Jesse, screeching and shaking. _"Uh oh!"_

"Note to self," Lukas said, "Don't have a snowball fight with an Enderman."

The tractor beam that had been closing in came to a stop on the Endermen, and Jesse, seizing his chance, made a run for it as the tall monsters were sucked up. He dodged another tractor beam with a yell, just a an Enderman that had been chasing him teleported on that spot, right into the beam.

Jesse glanced over his shoulder as it was sucked up, before turning forwards again, only to see yet another tractor beam heading towards him. _"Shoot!"_ He dodged to the left, and the tractor beam instead landed on another Endermen.

Passing a row of the monsters, Jesse looked up at them, causing them to start screeching, right before a tractor beam moved over them. _"That's right!"_ yelled Jesse, as more and more Endermen teleported closer to home, only to get caught in the tractor beams, _"Come and get me!"_ _  
_

"You know," said Real-Jesse, "If someone told me a few days ago that in the near future I'd be watching my future-self run through a hoard of Endermen purposefully getting them angry by throwing snowballs and shoving them, I'd say they needed be locked up in an asylum."

"Ditto." said Olivia.

Jesse spots Reuben, and moves to run alongside him. _"Reuben, can you give me a little help?"_ The little pig oinked in agreement.

The screen switched to show an Enderman standing in front of a tractor beam, Reuben moving to stand right behind it, unnoticed, as Jesse ran up to the monster.

"Hold up," said Magnus, eyes widening, "Is he- ?"

With a yell, Jesse shoved the Enderman right in the chest, causing it to trip over Reuben and land on it's back right in the tractor beam.

The audience gasped.

"He's dead." said Maya, "He's so, so dead."

The Enderman sat up and screeched at him, before looking up as the tractor beam shifted slightly to cover all of it, and it was sucked up. _"Nice one, Reuben!"_ said Jesse, and they both turned and ran off in opposite directions.

Two Endermen appeared dead ahead, but this time Jesse didn't swerve to the left or right. Instead, he ran straight towards them, before slipping down and sliding between the two monsters, narrowly avoiding their long, black arms. A tractor beam washed them in a purple glow, and they barely had time to look up before they were being pulled towards the sky.

"This is amazing!" exclaimed Axel.

Jesse ran, narrowly taking a turn in front of another one of the tall monsters, which got sucked up by another tractor beam that had been chasing him. He kept running, his eyes narrowing when he spotted anther tractor beam in front of him. Jesse dodged it, two Endermen accidentally teleporting into it and getting sucked up. The screen showed them appearing on the Witherstorm, starting to tear blocks of it.

Smiling, Jesse made his way out of the hoard and up the stairs to where the statues were, the others doing the same.

 _"Jesse, look!"_ shouted Olivia, as Jesse and Axel jumped down, landing beside her. _"It's working!"_

Jesse looked to where she was pointing, showing a large hole in the side of the main Witherstorm. _"That holes big enough to get inside of!"_

"Now all you have to do is find a way inside," said Lukas, sharing large grins with his friends, "Then you'll only need to find the Command Block and it'll be smooth sailing!"

 _"Now we just need to find you a way up."_ said Axel.

 _"Or_ build _you a way up."_ Olivia said, eyes lighting up as an idea struck her.

 _"That's it!"_ Jesse exclaimed, spinning around to face them, _"Everyone, empty your pockets! Let's see..."_

"This reminds me when you had to find a way to activate that pressure plate back in the Order's temple." said Petra, "And you told everyone to empty your pockets."

"Oh, yeah." Axel said, "Man, that seems ages ago."

Onscreen, Jesse pulled out a redstone block and some cobblestone. _"I've got redstone and cobblestone from Ivor's armory."_

 _"I have fireworks,"_ said Axel, _"And TNT from Boom Town."  
_

Olivia pulled out some repeaters and pistons. _"I've got pistons, repeaters."_ she replaced the pistons with a slime block, _"Some leftover slime from the maze."_

 _"I have some wool from Soren's place."_ said Lukas, taking out some pink wool.

 _"Oh, and I still have that minecart!"_ Axel said, a minecart now sitting behind him.

 _"That's gotta be enough to make something, right?"_ asked Olivia, rubbing the back of her head, _"I mean, if we use the TNT on, say..."_

 _"A minecart..."_ said Lukas. Olivia nodded.

_"Or those pistons..."_

_"And we do have all that cobblestone."_ said Axel.

 _"Maybe we could build a ramp?"_ Olivia suggested.

 _"Or even go straight up vertically."_ Lukas said.

 _"Or,_ " said Axel, _"Find a way to use redstone."_

"Oh my god." gaped Petra, "You guys are _good_ at this."

 _"We're close to an answer,"_ said Olivia, _"I can feel it!"_

"Build a TNT launcher!" Magnus exclaimed, "Or blast the minecart with some TNT!"

 _"Guys, check it out._ _"_ said Jesse, _"We use the pistons and some redstone to build a flying machine. It will be just like Ivor's barge, except vertical!"_

Magnus groaned in disappointment, causing Ellegaard to roll her eyes.

_"Then when I'm high enough, I ignite the TNT and blast myself into the Witherstorm!"_

"Yeah!" cheered Magnus. Ellegaard shook her head, resisting the urge to roll her eyes for the second time in the span of five seconds.

Axel laughed, _"Heck yeah! I love that idea!_

 _"So what are we waiting for?"_ asked Olivia, _"Let's hurry up and-"_ she gasped, cutting herself off, _"Look out!"_

"What? What's wrong?" asked Maya.

The Witherstorm had spotted them, and one of it's tractor beams was heading straight towards them. Olivia, Jesse, Reuben and Lukas jumped out of the way, but Axel wasn't quick enough and was lifted into the air with a startled scream.

"Axel!" half the audience yelled.

 _"Axel!"_ yelled Olivia. She grabbed a hold of his foot in an attempt to pull him out, but she was too far into the tractor beam and began to rise off the ground herself, _"Whooooa!"_ Jesse leaped forwards and grabbed onto Olivia's foot, struggling to stop himself from being lifted up as well. He tugged and pulled, using all his weight, but he couldn't get them out, and the tractor beam wasn't planning on budging anytime soon.

 _"Lukas!"_ Jesse said, _"I need a hand here!"_

 _"I can do better than that."_ said Lukas, giving him a small grin. Jesse gave him a confused look in return, still struggling to stop Olivia and Axel from becoming Wither-chow.

"What does that even mean?" asked Axel, "What ya gonna do?"

Lukas shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?"

Onscreen, Lukas turned to the Witherstorm. _"Hey, Witherstrom!"_ he yelled, _"Over here!"_

"What is he _doing?!_ " exclaimed Petra.

"I think," said Ivor, "He's trying to get himself killed."

Lukas took out some fireworks, and began blasting them into the sky, creating a rainbow of explosions.

"Where'd you get those fireworks?" asked Axel.

"Maybe he tried to save some of your build back at Endercon." Gill shrugged at the surprised looks he got. "What? Something he'd do."

The tractor beam moved away from the others to the fireworks, causing the three to fall to the ground roughly.

 _"Fireworks!"_ exclaimed Olivia, as Lukas continued to shoot more and more, _"Good thinking, Lukas!"_

"Wow." Jesse said, "And to think you froze back at Gabriel's temple." Lukas smiled at him widely.

Lukas gave Olivia a smile, as she and the other two climbed to their feet.

 _"Now let's hurry up and build this thing!"_ Axel urged.

 _"Eyes on me, you great big bully!"_ yelled Lukas, jumping up some stone so that he stood up on a little hill, raised above the others, and continued to shoot fireworks at the Witherstorm. Behind him, Axel, Jesse and Olivia ran to the center of the room, grinning at each other.

"High five, Lukas." grinned Petra, the blond happily doing so.

It sped up again as they started building, making a tall white structure surrounded by cobblestone and oak wood, which was decorated with redstone dust and blocks.

 _"You guys done yet?"_ called Lukas.

 _"Just need a few more seconds!"_ said Jesse. At the top of the structure, they built the barge. The screen showed Jesse putting down some cobblestone, before switching to him putting another bit down somewhere else, and then to the top as he placed the last bit of oak wood. He put his hands on his hips, looking about at their creation. _"Okay, it's finished!"_

The screen zoomed out to give the watchers a good view of it. It was incredibly impressive, since it was done under such little time and under so much pressure.

 _"Quick, climb on!"_ said Olivia, _"And Jesse... I know you can do this."_

On the cliff, Lukas twisted around to look at them. _"So do I."_

 _"We all do."_ said Axel.

Real-Jesse smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem, dude." said Axel, clapping him on the shoulder. Lukas nodded.

"Yeah. I'd sure need some sort of confidence boost if I was going to do what you're about to do."

 _"Thanks, guys."_ said Jesse from atop the build, _"It means a lot."_

Axel grinned. _"Now go demolish that Command Block!"_

"Huh." said Lukas, "I didn't even know 'demolish' was in your vocabulary, Axel." Axel scowled at him.

Olivia pressed a button, and the redstone block Jesse stood on started to rise up, revealing the slime blocks under it. Reuben squealed, leaping into Jesse's arms as the TNT began to flash. _"Reuben!"_ Jesse gasped, startled, _"This is no place for a-"_ The TNT exploded, sending both Jesse and Reuben flying into the air, _"-PIIIIIG!"_ Jesse screamed, Reuben squealing in his arms as they flew straight towards the Witherstorm, straight towards the hole in it's body, and straight towards the Command Block. The screen blacked out.

"Reuben!" scolded Jesse, the pig shrinking away at the tone, "You shouldn't do stuff like that, you could've knocked me off."

"At least you're not going in there alone." shrugged Petra. "And it's not like he'll be in much danger."

"Of course not," Ivor rolled his eyes, "It's not like the Witherstorm can attack you when you're _inside_ it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you build? A TNT launcher, a rocket minecart, a flying machine, Olivia's secret option or did you use a potion of leaping from the witch's hut? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Next chapter, guys.
> 
> Next. Chapter.


	26. In the Belly of the Beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. This is THE chapter. I hope you're not in a public place.

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Four: A Block And A Hard Place**

**Part Twenty-Six: In the Belly of the Beast**

* * *

Jesse's screams came back on first, before the screen lit up to show him and Reuben falling, surrounded by a pink hue. They bounced off of the Witherstorm's dark purple insides, landing painfully on the lowest point, which went out almost like a path, a gorge inside the monster. The faces of those who had been sucked up throughout the Witherstorm's journey around the world glowed a purple-white color, frozen in a look of horror and fear, sitting unnoticed by the boy and pig.

"That's so creepy." said Lukas. Maya grimaced.

"And disgusting."

Groaning, Jesse sat up, giving his pig a stern look but not seeming all that mad. _"Reuben, you shouldn't have surprised me like that."_

Reuben gave an apologizing oink, looking down. Jesse looked around, noticing their surroundings for the first time. _"On the other hand... I'm kinda glad not to be here alone."_

"See? said Petra, "Reuben coming s'not a bad thing."

Jesse climbed to his feet as the the whole place shook and trembled, Reuben sniffing at some sort of glowing mushroom. _"Just stay close, okay?"_

"I've got a bad feeling." said Olivia, "I mean, it can't be that easy, can it? The Command Block's not going to be out in the open. It's gotta at _least_ be hard to get to, right?"

"Besides a really rough climb? The Witherstorm can't do anything to him in there." Axel insisted, "Not like it's got an immune system or whatever."

Reuben ran ahead a little, sniffing about to try and catch the Command Block's sent. Jesse followed at a much slower pace, looking up at two of the bodies, one boy and one girl. _"Whoa... I recognize these people."_

"They must have been at Endercon." said Ellegaard, "Or maybe someone you saw at Boom Town?" Magnus shook his head.

"Nah, they don't look like Griefers. Although there's no doubt there's some of 'em in there."

Jesse passed them, coming to a stop a little ways from Reuben, who stood waiting for him. The young hero looked up at another withered citizen, this one looking almost as though he were sticking to cobblestone, his mouth open and glowing eyes wide. A shiver wracked Jesse's spine, and he quickly turned away from it.

"So that's what happened to all the people who got trapped inside the Witherstorm." Lukas muttered, looking over his shoulder at a certain warrior. "It's what happened to Gabriel."

"Please," Gabriel sighed, looking shaken, "Do not remind me."

Onscreen, Jesse had barely moved away from the withered man before the whole place gave a violent shake, as though sensing there was something there that shouldn't be.

"Whoa, what's happening?" asked Magnus.

The Witherstorm _turned_ , sending Jesse and Reuben falling and hitting the walls, before coming to a stop on another pathway.

"How did it _do_ that?" gaped Lukas.

"I wonder if it's going all crazy or something." said Petra, "But how does it know Jesse's there?"

His eyes wide, Jesse sat up, Reuben climbing to his feet. The little pig came face to face with a withered man, with a mustache and a blood stained apron, his mouth open and his purple eyes wide with frozen terror. It was the butcher.

Reuben gave a terrified squeal, spinning around and sprinting away.

"Oh no!" Maya gasped.

"Wait, was that the butcher?" asked Olivia, "The one from Endercon?"

Real-Reuben gave a whine, buying his face into Jesse's chest, who tightened his hold on the little pig.

 _"Reuben!"_ yelled Jesse, stumbling to his feet as the place continued to shake violently, _"Wait up!"_ He made his way after him, jumping up a block before the Witherstorm started shaking and turned again.

"Okay," said Axel, rubbing his neck, "Maybe it's not gonna be all that smooth sailing."

Jesse yelled as he hut the wall, causing him to hit the one right next to it, before slamming into the ground. He groaned, climbing to his feet, only for his eyes to widen a moment later. For right in front of him, just passed a withered girl, sat the Command Block, under some sort of archway.

"Oh, never mind." Axel grinned, "It's right there!"

But Jesse had barely taken a few steps before the place started shaking again, and he took off at a run towards the Command Block, not wanting to lose sight of it. As he reached the withered girl, however, he tripped, landing flat on his face. Thankfully, there was no more turning.

Real-Jesse winced.

Reuben came running up to him, making a concerned noise. Jesse looked up, still on the ground, and his eyes widened. _"Whoa."_ The Command Block sat on raised ground, and the archway looked a lot like the Witherstorm's tentacles. They appeared to be at the very heart of the monster, in a wide room, the ground littered with purple dust, almost looking like redstone dust, and the walls dotted with withered people.

"That's amazing." breathed Soren, "To think not that long ago it looked like any other Wither, just with the Command Block in its ribs."

Jesse got to his feet, still gaping, he and Reuben slowly making their way towards the structure. _"There it is."_ The place shook slightly, but not enough to cause them to fall or stumble. Jesse stopped at the bottom of the raised floor, his eyes solely on the machine that had changed his life for good. _"We meet again, Command Block."_

He drew his super sword, it's enchanted blade glowing dimly, Jesse's brow setting in determination. _"Now it's time to destroy you."_

"This just seems too easy." said Olivia, "Does no one else have a bad feeling about this?"

"Now that I think about it," Petra said, rubbing the back of her head, "This _does_ seem way to easy. I don't really know what I was expecting, but it can't just be in and out, can it?"

"Maybe the withered people will come to life and attack him?" suggested Maya, many faces paling at the thought, "Like a zombie hoard."

"Let's just watch and find out instead of theorizing about it, shall we?" said Ivor, looking annoyed.

Jesse jumped up onto the raised platform, leaving Reuben on the ground. He raised his sword as he approached it, and without a moments hesitation, Jesse slashed at the Command Block. White sparks ignited upon contact, the Command Block cracking but not breaking. The Witherstorm roared, Jesse stumbling as it started to shake. The archway broke apart into six tentacles, Reuben squealing in fright as the whole place kept shaking violently.

Ivor opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "Huh."

"I think you made it angry." muttered Axel.

"Mother of Notch." Lukas groaned.

 _"What the-"_ A tentacle gave flying towards him, and Jesse ducked in the nick of time. But with the constant shaking and the movement of the duck, Jesse stumbled backwards and fell off the platform, as it rose higher into the air. More tentacles appeared from the walls.

 _"Reuben,"_ said Jesse, _"I think we made it angry."_

"You think?" muttered Olivia.

"This is bad." said Jesse, "This is so, so bad."

From the wall, another tentacle appeared, slashing towards Jesse and Reuben. The two jumped out of the way just in time, running to the other side in an attempt to get away from it, only to skid to a stop a moment later as yet another tentacle appeared right in front of them.

It tried to whack at Jesse, but he slammed into the ground, narrowly avoiding it. The screen zoomed out to show the entire place crawling with tentacles, the Command Block in the very center. _"Aww, great..."_

"How many tentacles does this thing _have_?" asked Magnus.

"Quite a lot." Gabriel muttered.

 _"Reuben,"_ said Jesse, his sword drawn, as said pig whined in terror and moved closer to his human, _"Whatever happens, we have to destroy the Command Block! You understand?"_

At that, Reuben started squealing angrily, jumping on the spot as it turned to the tentacle from before, almost like a pigs version of a barking dog.

"Way to go, Reuben!" cheered Petra, some of the others cheering as well.

Jesse turned to the other tentacle, his back to Reuben, as it swished and slashed about blindly. Jesse slashed at it with his super sword, cutting it right in half and leaving the top bit to wiggle about on the ground like a giant, black worm.

"Oh my god, oh my god, that was _awesome!_ " exclaimed Axel.

 _"Whoa!"_ Jesse breathed, looking at his sword in newfound awe, _"Why didn't I always carry an enchanted weapon?"_

"Maybe because you couldn't even get an iron one, let alone an enchanted diamond one?" said Olivia. Jesse mock-pouted at her.

At Reuben's squealing, Jesse turned to the other tentacle. _"I'm coming, Reuben!"_

Much like the previous tentacle, this one swung and swished about, but Jesse was quick to chop off it's end, leaving a mere stump. _"It's doing everything it can to protect the Command Block."_ said Jesse, running around to the raised platform said block sat on, _"Which means I have to do everything I can do destroy it."_

"You can do it, Jesse!" said Lukas, as though Onscreen-Jesse could hear him.

 _"Awesome weapon, don't fail me now."_ Jesse jumped up onto the platform, turning to the tentacles on either side of the Command Block. One tentacle came flying towards him, and Jesse ducked to avoid it. A second tentacle took a swing not a second later, only to get slashed in half by the young hero's super sword, quickly followed by another tentacle as it tried to take a hit at him. Jesse chopped up another one before it could even get that close.

The audience cheered.

Jesse turned to the cracked Command Block and hit it again, sending more sparks flying and the force of the block causing Jesse to fall onto his back. The whole place shook again, the Command Block damaged but not destroyed, and Jesse screamed as the Witherstorm turned upside down. He smacked against the walls, rolling about, before landing on his back on the the once-ceiling, the Command Block above him and a gaping hole right bellow it.

"I can't look anymore!" Olivia said, burying her face into Axel's arm. Jesse reached over and gripped her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Everyone else was on the edge of their seats, their eyes wide and unable to be torn from the screen. Magnus and Ellegaard were holding hands without even realizing it.

 _"Holy moly!"_ gasped Jesse, getting to his feet as Reuben ran up to him, looking up at the upside down Command Block. _"This thing won't die!"_ He looked about, before looking down at Reuben. _"Okay, new plan."_

"Is it a good plan?" asked Lukas weakly.

 _"I'm gonna climb up there,"_ continued Jesse, turning to a wall, which he'd be able to climb the blocks to get up, _"And use one of those tentacles to swing towards the Command Block."_

"That is not a good plan!" exclaimed Lukas.

Jesse jumped up onto one of the blocks, before turning around to face Reuben. _"Stay here, Reuben."_ he said firmly, _"I mean it this time."_ That said, he started making his way up the walls, jumping from block to block and passing a few more withered people. Upon reaching a high place, he grunted as he leaped towards it, pulling himself up. The screen zoomed out to show the Command Block, the remaining tentacles swishing about, as Jesse continued his way up the walls just behind it.

"Oh, why did none of us go with him?" asked Olivia, still not pulling away from Axel's arm. Petra shook her head.

"If you did, you'd only get in the way. Without a super weapon, you wouldn't be able to fight those things."

Coming to another high ledge, this one completely black, Jesse leaped up towards it, grabbing onto the edge. He slipped slightly, but was able to pull himself up. However, not a moment later, the Witherstorm gave another roar, causing everything to start shaking again and for Jesse to spread his arms in an attempt to keep his balance.

The ledge he stood on came to life, blinking open a single purple eye and gnashing large teeth. Jesse screamed as he fell from the new Witherstorm head, hitting the ground bellow it.

"What- How- How is that possible?!" exclaimed Maya. Olivia looked up at the screen at her shout, gasping loudly when she realized what was wrong.

Onscreen, Jesse got to his feet, gaping as another Witherstorm head appeared on the other side of the room, two tractor beams igniting from their eyes and searching about for the intruders. _"Where did that come from?"_

"Things just keep getting worse and worse, don't they?" sighed Ellegaard. Magnus wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing in either reassurance or comfort.

Jesse leaped to the side to avoid a tractor beam, quickly running to get away from it. Reuben gave sprinting up to him, squealing. _"Reuben, I thought I told you to stay put!"_ Reuben gave a loud squeal, turning as both tractor beams made their way towards them.

"Watch out!" gasped Gabriel.

With as gasp, Jesse moved to avoid one, skidding to avoid running into the second before rolling just under it, reaching the edge of the large hole. He glanced over his shoulder at it, the screen going out to reveal that it opened up to the land bellow. It was a long, long way down.

A tractor beam landed on one of the tentacle halves, lifting it into the air and up towards the head. Jesse watched it for a moment, before his eyes turned to the Command Block, covered in large cracks. One more hit and that should be it gone for good. _"Wait a second."_ Jesse said, his eyes sparking as an idea formed in his head, _"I know exactly how to get up there."_

"I don't like the way this is going." said Lukas.

"Jesse," Olivia said slowly, peeking out from Axel's arm, "What are you going to do?"

"I think he's-" Soren gasped, "No, he- he can't!"

"What?" Petra's said, turning to him with wide eyes, having momentarily forgotten that she was supposed to be angry at him, "What can't he do? What's he gonna do, Soren?"

"He's- He's-"

Jesse looked up towards the closest Witherstorm head, _"The tractor beam!"_

"WHAT?!" yelled half the audience.

"Are you _insane_?!" exclaimed Maya.

At Jesse's declaration, Reuben gave a loud squeal, looking at him with wide eyes.

 _"Hey, you!"_ yelled Jesse. He look over at the pig. _"Just watch my back, Reuben. If anything goes wrong, I'll be counting on you."_

"Oh, yes, put the fate of the world in the hands of a pig!" said Ivor. Petra and Jesse gave him identical glares.

 _"Bet you can't catch me!"_ taunted Jesse, and the tractor beam landed right on him.

"He's actually gonna do it?" asked Luaks, "He's actually gonna do it!"

Petra leaped over Lukas, starting to smack Jesse on the head. "How-" Jesse covered his head, Petra hitting him with each word, "-could- you- be- so- _stupid?!"_

Jesse screamed as the tractor beam lifted him into the air, the sensation causing his stomach to drop, Reuben squealing in fright bellow him. He was lifted up and up and up, towards the Witherstorm's hungry mouth, but as Jesse reached it, he raised his sword and slashed at the monster, cracking it's eye and rendering it tractor beam-less, thus useless.

"He's alive!" Axel exclaimed. Lukas had pushed Petra away from Jesse, who was now sitting right up next to Olivia in an attempt to get further away from his fierce friend.

The head hissed in pain, slouching and barely moving for moment, allowing Jesse to be able to climb up onto it. Before him, the tentacles swished to and fro, the Command block just behind them. Jesse looked down, the head he was on continued to hiss and spit, moving side to side in a weak attempt to throw him off. The boy groaned. _"Why did I have to look down?"_

"Is he gonna jump?" asked Lukas. "Oh god, he's gonna jump, isn't he?"

Sure enough, Jesse did indeed leap off the head, grabbing onto one of the tentacles.

"Oh god." groaned Maya, covering her eyes and looking as though she were about to be sick, "Oh god, oh god, oh god."

Jesse looked towards the Command Block, but it was still too far away for him to reach. Before he could think of what to do next, however, another tentacle grabbed him, pulling him off the tentacle h'd been hanging onto and sending his sword flying from his hand.

It clattered onto the ground next to the gaping hole, Jesse hanging upside down from the tentacle.

"Oh no." groaned Soren, "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

 _"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"_ chanted Jesse. Down bellow, Reuben came up to the super sword, oinking. _"Reuben, I need your help! Remember how we used to play fetch?"_

Real-Reuben perked up at the word.

The little pig grinned, turning to the super sword. He bounded over to it, picking it up in his mouth. _"That's it, that's it!"_

"Come on, Reuben!" said Axel.

Reuben ran towards the walls with the sword in his mouth, Jesse watching from the tentacles. _"Come on, Reuben, I believe in you!"_

Half the audience began clapping and cheering, urging the little pig on. Although a lot of them would never admit it, they'd become rather attached to the little guy. What can they say? He's just that cute.

Jesse swung a little too close to the Witherstorm head with the cracked eye for comfort, yelling as the monster tried to bite him. The screen momentarily showed a view from inside it's mouth, Jesse swinging from the tentacle just in front of it.

"Hurry, Reuben!" Maya urged.

Reuben jumped up onto one of the higher tentacles on the wall, running along it towards Jesse just bellow him. _"Jump! I'll catch you!"_

He did so without a moments hesitation, going in slow motion as he neared his human. Jesse reached out and grabbed Reuben by the hoof, leaving them both dangling above a massive drop. _"You did it! I knew I could count on you!"_

Cheers erupted all around the room, Gabriel, Maya and Ellegaard getting up to pat Reuben on the head, along with everyone on the floor.

With his free hand, Jesse took the sword out of Reuben's mouth. _"All right. It's time to put an end to this thing once and for-"_ The Witherstorm head lashed out, it's massive teeth clamping down onto Reuben's legs, causing the pig to squeal loudly.

"Reuben!" gasped half the audience. Jesse tightened his hold on the pig, his heart pounding in his chest.

 _"Reuben!"_ The head pulled and shook, starting some sort of deadly game of tug of war, Reuben squealing in terror all the while. _"Hold on, buddy!"_ Reuben slipped from between the monsters teeth, Jesse lost his hold on his hoof, and the screen slowed down as the little pig was floated in the air for a split second, before he started to fall, the screen speeding up as Reuben gave a terrified squeal.

 _"REUBEN!"_ screamed Jesse, as the little pig fell down, down through the gaping hole and out of sight. _"NOOOO!"_

"No!" exclaimed Petra, even Ivor and Aiden's eyes wide and mouths open. An explosion of noise set off in the room, filled with gasps and shouts of 'no!' and 'not Reuben!' But Jesse was not apart of the noise. He was just sitting there, his eyes wide with shock and his mouth open just a little. Reuben whined, nudging at his shoulder in concern. He didn't seem to even notice, and when he spoke next his voice was a mere whisper, as though his vocal cords were being strangled.

"Reuben... ?"

With a scream of rage, Jesse twisted to face the Command Block, his face twisted into a look of hate and anger that none of his friends had ever even imagined he'd be capable of. He raised his sword, it's enchanted blade glinting in the light of the single tractor beam, and he hit the Command Block with a strength he didn't even know he possessed.

The block exploded in a flash of white light, the monster head that still had a working eye went limp, it's eye going dark and the tractor beam vanishing. The entire being shook and trembled, the tentacles going limp and Jesse let out a scream as he fell down the gaping hole, down to the ground far bellow him, down after Reuben. Blackness covered the screen.

The entire audience sat in shock. No one knew what to say, what to do to make things better, to lighten the mood.

After all they'd watch him go through, after watching him beat Magnus at his own game, fend of monsters, fall into a Grinder and survive, walk among Endermen, risk his life to blow up the Witherstorm when his heroes wouldn't, fight witches and skeletons to get his friends a proper meal, make his way through a death maze, reunite the Order of the Stone, become friends with an old rival... it was impossible to think that after all that, after all he's survived... he could be gone.

Just like that.

The screen came back on to the sound of explosions, and they watched as all three Witherstorm's blew up, piece by piece. Jesse is shown falling through the sky, screaming, before everything was cut off, muffled, as he landed in the water.

"HE'S ALIVE!" Axel yelled, jumping to his feet and pulling Jesse up into a bone-crushing hug. Olivia, Petra and Lukas jumped to their feet as well and joined them in squishing the poor boy to near death, Reuben running circles around them and squealing joyfully.

Gabriel, Soren, Ellegaard and Magnus were on their feet, clapping and whopping. Maya and Gill got up and hugged each other, giving off relieved laughs. Ivor let out a breath, leaning back in his armchair and clapping himself. Even Aiden didn't look angry, although his expression was hard to decipher, a mix of three things no one could place.

Jesse resurfaced with a gasp, bits of the Witherstorm falling into the lake all around him. He looked about with wide eyes as the sky cleared, returning to it's usual bright blue and exposing the sun. The Endermen started hissing at the light, and teleported away, one by one, until they were all gone.

 _"There you are!"_ Jesse turned to the relieved call, spotting Olivia and Axel jumping down towards the lake.

 _"Jesse, are you all right?"_ asked Axel, _"We thought you were..."_ his voice turned unnaturally quiet, _"I mean, I didn't think you'd made it."_

Real-Jesse pulled himself out of his friends death-hug. Unlike everyone else, he wasn't smiling, his eyes solely on the screen, searching. Seeing the look on his face, everyone else's smiles started to fall as well.

"Jesse?" said Axel, "Are you okay?"

Olivia gasped, turning to the screen. "Where... where'd Reuben go?" Everyone's eyes widened, heads snapping back to the screen.

 _"Reuben!"_ Jesse gasped, climbing out of the lake, _"Where's Reuben?!"_

 _"I thought he was with you."_ said Olivia, looking startled. Behind them, Lukas came running up, grinning widely.

_"You did it, Jesse! You actually did it!"_

Before anyone could answer to that, a small cry met their ears, Jesse's eyes widening. Axel frowned. _"Hey... do you guys hear something?"_

"Is that... ?" Maya trailed off. Petra shook her head slowly.

"Oh no."

Jesse looked about in search of the noise, and the screen landed on Reuben, lying on his side a little ways away, his bright pink skin turned horribly pale. _"Reuben!"_ Jesse ran towards him, the others watching with looks of shock. He came to a stop, looking down with wide, horrified eyes.

No one was smiling anymore. Real-Reuben had come to a stop at Jesse's feet, no one having sat back down yet.

Onscreen, Reuben gave a little cry, his small chest rising up and down as he struggled to breath properly. His bones were snapped, broken, some even reduced to nothing but sharp little fragments.

The others came up behind Jesse, their own eyes wide. _"Oh no..."_ muttered Olivia.

Reuben raised his head to look at them, his eyes locking with Jesse's. _"Reuben..."_ The little pig gave another whine, and Jesse knelt down beside him, speaking softly. _"You're a hero, you know that?"_

"I can't watch this." said Maya, turning away from the screen and burying her head in her hands, tears glistening in her eyes. Gill put an arm around her shoulders.

 _"You just helped save the world."_ Jesse waited for an answer, but his little pig didn't seem to have the energy to give one. _"Come on, Reuben. Say something."_

Ellegaard buried her face into Magnus' shoulder, who wrapped his arms around her comfortingly, blinking tears out of his own eyes.

Reuben tried to get to his feet, but he'd barely placed his hoof down before he fell back onto his side, letting out more little whines. He looked tiered, more than anything else, as though he'd just spent a long day running about the treehouse and playing fetch with Jesse while he, Axel and Olivia thought up what build would best the Ocelot's next Endercon.

 _"It's okay, boy."_ said Jesse, his voice but a whisper, thick with the tears he refused to let fall. He reached out, placing a gentle hand on his little pigs side. _"I'm here."_ Jesse clenched his eyes shut. _"I'm here."_

"No." whispered Jesse, shaking his head and backing away. Tears stung his eyes, his hands shaking. "No."

"Jesse?" said Petra softly, reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, it's okay-"

"No!" Jesse pushed her hand off his shoulder, shaking his head again, not seeing the hurt that briefly flashed through her eyes. The tears were blurring his vision, and he was finding it hard to breath. "No." That seemed to be the only word he could say.

Axel walked up to him slowly, his lips moving, but Jesse couldn't hear him. It almost as though his ears were ringing, blocking out any noise that could have snapped him out of it. Axel reached towards him, but Jesse stepped back, the tears finally slipping from his eyes and running down his cheeks, dripping off his chin.

Jesse spun on his heels and ran out of the room, his friends calls barely heard over the ringing in his ears. It was as if a fist was squeezing his throat, his lungs, fingers sticking in his ears. The tears left him near blind, staining his cheeks, some leaking into his mouth and leaving a salty taste on his lips. All he could do was run, because Reuben couldn't die, he can't, not after all that. He wasn't going to die because he was Reuben, _his_ little pig, _his_ little Reuben.

All he could do was run.

_No._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you tell Reuben that you'll be fine, to stay out of sight or to watch your back? Let me know in the reviews!


	27. The End of the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, guys. This is going to be an interesting chapter. Also, you should totally check out Hybrid, by Ariza Luca. It's pretty good, and it's the only story that I read with female Jesse, which is saying something.

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Four: A Block And A Hard Place**

**Part Twenty-Seven: The End of the Beginning**

* * *

The sun was shinning brightly above him, the sky a perfect baby blue, barely a cloud in sight. The tree's and flowers sat flushed upon the grass, the farm animals snorting and making their own little noises in the pens a little ways away. Birds twittered and sang to each other in the tree's, a few stray bunnies hopping about, trying to get passed to farm gates in hopes of snatching up a yummy carrot. It was so peaceful, so beautiful, almost unreal.

Jesse hated it.

It should be storming, rain pelting the ground and sliding off of walls and roofs. Hurricanes should be raging through the entire world, tearing it apart block by block. Mountains should be crumbling, people should be screaming, villages burning to ashes, monsters tearing everything they can get their hands on limb from limb. There should be chaos, there should be death, there should be fire and lava and monsters, the world itself should be ending.

Because that's what was happening to Jesse's.

His feet pounded against the grass, his eyes blurred with tears. He didn't even know where he was going, couldn't remember when he'd left the mansion, didn't know whether or not his friends were running after him. But in that moment, Jesse couldn't bring himself to care.

He'd just watched his little guy die.

Jesse's heart leaped into his already painfully clogged throat as if foot caught on a rock, sending him face planting the ground. Pain erupted in his ankle, and the boy gave a small, pained hiss at it, clenching his eyes shut and gritting his teeth, tears dripping into the grass.

He lay there for a long moment, the adrenaline fading away and leaving him sore and heart broken. A sob wracked Jesse's body, sending a fresh wave of tears down his cheeks, and then he couldn't seem to stop, his shoulders shaking and breath hitching.

Jesse didn't know how long he lay there in the grass. It could have been minutes or hours or seconds, it was hard to tell in a place where time never changed. Finally, he gave a little sniff, rolling onto his back and sitting up. His shirt and jeans had grass stains and dirt marks on them, his eyes puffy and bloodshot and his cheeks stained with the remains of tears. His ankle was still pretty sore too, the pain intensifying now that he'd stopped crying.

He let out a long, shaky breath, before raising his head and taking in his surroundings. He was at the back of the house, which wasn't really used much for anything, the wall only a few feet away. He sat in a tiny little clearing, tree's, flowers, and a few mushrooms surrounding him in a near perfect circle, but other than that, the place was bare. No wonder he hadn't been found yet; they'd all forgotten there even _was_ a back of the house.

Something glinted in the corner of Jesse's eye, and his head snapped towards it so fast that his neck cricked. On the base of one of the tree's was some sort of button, disguised to look perfectly like the wood it sat on. If it weren't for the faint bronze lining it's bottom, Jesse would have missed it entirely.

Momentarily forgetting his heartache, Jesse tried to climb to his feet, only for agony to flare up his ankle, and he fell back onto the grass with a grunt. Squeezing his eyes shut as more tears sprang to his eyes, Jesse took deep breaths, willing the cursed liquid away. Bracing himself, he pushed himself up again, carefully this time, making sure to not put any way on his hurt ankle.

Jesse half-hopped, half-crawled towards the button, falling over more times then he cared to admit and jarring his ankle. It was really starting to hurt now, so bad that tears were starting to leak from his eyes again, which he would have believed to be impossible if it wasn't happening.

He hit the ground hard, leaving him breathless for a few moments, struggling to gather his bearings. Gritting his teeth against the pain and nipping his tongue in the process, Jesse dragged himself to the button, not caring that he probably looked like a complete mess by now.

In the back of his head, he knew he should be calling for someone to help him back to the mansion to get his ankle looked at. He knew he should get his friends before finding out what the button did. He knew he shouldn't even risk pressing it, because for all he knew it could spawn monsters, or blown the place up, or shoot him full of arrows. In the back of his head, he also knew he was desperate for a distraction. Anything to take his mind of Reuben, lying pale on the ground, crying softly because Jesse took him into battle, because Jesse didn't find a way to get him off the Witherstorm, because Jesse didn't even _think_ to leave him with Petra or _something_ and it was _his_ fault, _all his fault-_

Jesse reached out and pushed the disguised button.

Immediately, the sound of pistons reached his ears, and not a moment later the ground bellow him opened him. Jesse barely had time to gasp before he was falling down, the hole closing behind him and shrouding him in darkness, his screams falling on deaf ears.

Then freezing cold water was pouring into his mouth, filling his ears and going up his nose, his limbs already starting to go numb. Everything was pitch black, he couldn't even see his hands in front of him, and the image of his future self landing in the lake after blowing up the Witherstorm flashed before his eyes. Jesse kicked his legs fiercely, pushing the pain in his ankle and the nip of the cold to the back of his mind, propelling himself in the direction he hoped was up with his arms.

Jesse gasped in a lung full of icy air as he resurfaced, his insides freezing from it. Shivering, his heart pounding wildly in his chest as he struggled to stop himself from going under again, Jesse looked about at the darkness frantically. Monsters quite liked darkness like this.

Then, as if sensing his presence, a redstone lamp flickered on right above him, causing Jesse to squint at the sudden light. More lamps flickered on, one by one, revealing a small room filled with icy water, a doorway to his left, the ceiling covered in frost and icicles, the corners of the pool iced over, which started melting a little now that the lamps were on.

His limbs feeling like lead and his head just above the water, Jesse kicked and splashed his way over to the doorway, pulling himself up onto the stone floor and rolling onto his back. He was shivering violently, his breaths coming out in puffs a white despite the low heat of the lamps. He needed to get out of here, to somewhere warm and dry. He needed Reuben to be in his arms, nuzzling into his chest, reassuring him that he wasn't dead.

Not yet, anyway.

Forcing himself away from his dark thoughts, Jesse rolled onto his stomach, getting to his knees. Splaying his palm on one of the walls, which was almost as cold, slippery and wet as the pool, Jesse slowly got to one foot, holding his hurt one up slightly to avoid putting weight on it.

Keeping his hand on the wall to stop himself from falling over, Jesse starting hopping down the long hallway, hoping it would lead back to the surface.

He hopped for ages, his hand soon slick with grim and dirty water, a long trail of single footprints behind him. He was going a lot slower since he couldn't use his right foot, and eventually Jesse found his mind wandering. He wondered how long it's been, whether or not the others had given up looking for him and continued watching the episode, if they'd even gone looking for him at all. He wondered if Aiden was laughing, be it openly or silently, calling him a big baby, crying over a 'dumb pig.'

Jesse had the sudden urge to punch that jerk in the face, as though he'd actually just said that.

That's when he reached a door.

Blinking out of his thoughts, Jesse could only stare at it for a moment, startled at it's sudden appearance. Regaining his composure, he raised his free hand and turned the handle, swinging the door open and hopping inside.

It was a large room, with tall bookshelves, paintings and a soft red carpet. The walls and ceiling were made of brick, the floor oak wood planks. Armor stands stood at the very end of the room, ranging from leather armor to full on enchanted diamond, weapons sitting in frames above them. To one side, there was crafting tables and furnaces, double chests lining the walls above them, a single enchanting table separating the crafting tables from the furnaces. To the other side, there was a double bed, a fireplace, and even more double chests and paintings covering every inch of the wall.

Eager to get closer to the fire and warm up, Jesse let go of the doorway, spreading his arms out to help keep his balance as he swayed, which was only made worse by the fact that he was still shivering madly and dripping wet, he started hopping towards it. Only to hop right onto a disguised pressure plate.

Jesse's eyes barely had time to widen before the dispenser right above him dropped a potion, causing it to smash right on his head. He gasped, hit with a sudden wave of dizziness, and stumbled blindly to the side. Jesse was quick to regret this as pain flared up his ankle, spreading to the tips of his toes and up his calf.

He gasped again, this time at the pain rather than surprise, just before his legs hit something and he tripped over it, falling onto his back on the other side. Groaning, Jesse struggled to open his eyes, his limbs feeling like they'd turned to lead, his eyelids like they weighed a thousands tons. He was able to open them in a squint, looking up at the painting of a spider and a cauldron that he'd just fallen through.

"Jesse?" someone gasped, "Jesse!"

Large hands grabbed him, lifting his head up and pressing two fingers to the side of his neck. Jesse groaned, trying to force his eyes open again as the person gave a relived sigh. When did he close them?

"What the hell happened to him?" someone else asked. The large hands wrapped around him in a sort of hug, pressing him again a broad chest covered in soft cotton. "He's soaking."

"Jesse?" the first person said, patting lightly at his cheek. It was rather annoying. "Jesse, can you hear me?"

He tried to answer, but all he could get out was an odd noise somewhere between a croak and a groan. The arms around him tightened. "He's freezing."

"I'm going to go get the others." the second person responded, "Find a way to keep him warm until I get back!" Running footsteps met his ears, slowly fading as they got further and further away. The first person let out a long breath.

"Okay." he muttered, "Okay, okay, I got this. I got this. You're gonna be okay, buddy."

Jesse tried to force his eyes open again as he was placed back onto the floor, the sound of a zipper filling the silence. He was able to open his eyes a squint again, taking a moment to let them adjust. Everything was pretty blurry. "Axel?"

Axel's head snapped towards him at the whisper, his shoulders slumping in relief. "Oh, thank Notch. What the hell happened, dude?" Before Jesse could process the question with his sluggish brain, Axel was lifting his upper body up again, wrapping him in something warm and green. His eyes slipped closed again as he buried his face into it, desperate for the warmth, his head resting on Axel's chest. He was practically in the larger boy's lap. "Jesse?"

"They're just over here!"

"Jesse? Axel?" That sounded like Olivia. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" said Axel, shifting a little, "We just found him on the floor like this!"

"Let me see him." The hoodie was pulled away a little, causing cold air to hit him and for him to start shivering again. A hand cupped his chin, lifting his head up while the second checked his pulse, then moving to rest on his forehead. After a moment, it lifted one of his eyelids, revealing that the hands belonged to Ivor. He pulled his hands away, leaving Axel to wrap him back up in his hoodie.

"He's been hit with a Splash Potion of Drowsiness." Ivor said. Jesse was starting to have trouble keeping up with all the talking. "He'll be fine in an hour or two."

"A splash potion?" He couldn't figure out who was saying what anymore. "How'd he get hit with a splash potion?"

"Maybe he went into the basement?" That was a boy talking, right? "Aren't there potions down there?"

"Yeah, but I already checked there twice." Olivia. That had to be Olivia. "The door hadn't even been unlocked."

"Well, you can-" the voice trailed off into a mumble. Someone answered it in a mumble of their own. Why was everyone mumbling? How could they even understand each other?

Someone tapped him on the forehead, and Jesse struggled to pry his eyes open. He was able to open them a little, before they fell back down, but he was able to keep them open on the fourth try. Petra knelt in front of him, her brow furrowed. Her lips moved as she spoke, but all Jesse heard was a weird half-rumble, half-mumble.

His eyes slipped closed and didn't open again.

* * *

If Jesse had still been awake, he would have been giving Axel quite the tongue lashing.

It was far from the first time he'd picked his smaller friend up right off the ground. He'd done it when helping him to high places, like when they were building the treehouse and sometimes during building competitions, and he's also carried both Jesse and Olivia to bed at least once. Olivia never minded all that much, but preferred to use an alternate motive if she could. Jesse, on the other hand, _hated_ being picked up. He'd go as far as to chop down a tree for sticks to build a ladder while they were on a time limit, even with a broken leg.

Naturally, Axel found that a little funny.

However, he was far from cracking a smile now. He was walking down the hall with an unconscious Jesse in his arms, Lukas, Olivia, Petra, Maya and Reuben with him. Ivor had left to get some supplies to give Jesse a proper check-up, just to make sure he wasn't hurt, and the Order had gone ahead of them to fix up one of the spare rooms, this one on ground level and much closer to the living room and kitchen.

"How do you think he got all wet?" asked Maya. Their unconscious friend was soaked to the bone and freezing, Axel's hoodie already pretty wet. It was soaking through to his green t-shirt.

"Maybe he fell into the lake?" suggested Petra. Lukas shook his head.

"But then how'd he got so cold? The lake's pretty warm. I think it might have some sort of heater under it."

"We'll just have to ask him when he wakes up." said Olivia. She kept glancing towards Jesse, her face twisted into a look of worry. Reuben was right on Axel's heels, barely ever taking his eyes off of Jesse.

They arrived at the spare room, slipping through the open door. Ellegaard was fumbling with some redstone near the double bed, her brow furrowed in concentration. The curtains over the windows had been drawn, a few chairs that hadn't been there before set up along the wall, the bed covers pulled back so they wouldn't have to pull them out from under Jesse.

Axel sat him on the bed, still wrapped in his hoodie and still shivering despite it. He looked over to Ellegaard as she stepped back, the redstone glowing. It was far too complicated for Axel to understand.

"What's that?" asked Lukas.

Ellegaard pointed to the door they'd just come through. "If he wakes up and none of us are here, that redstone lamp above the door will start flashing. Pretty cool, huh?"

Axel looked over at Olivia, expecting her to start freaking out and ask questions so fast that no one would be able to understand. So he was surprised to find that she wasn't even looking at the redstone, not even Ellegaard, just at their unconscious best friend. He looked away.

"We'll go find him some dry clothes." Ellegaard said, her voice softening. Olivia nodded, although she looked a little reluctant to leave.

"I think I saw some in the back room." she said, turning to Axel and Lukas, "You two get him dry while we go find something that fits him, okay?"

Axel nodded. "Of course."

Olivia returned the nod, giving Jesse one last long, sad look, before following everyone else out the room. The door closed behind them, leaving Axel, Lukas, Reuben and a knocked-out Jesse.

After a moment, Axel and Lukas got to work silently, Reuben sitting at the end of the bed. They unwrapped him from Axel's- now wet- hoodie, sitting on the floor, before taking off his suspenders, shoes and socks. They sat the wet clothes on the floor with the hoodie, Lukas politely turning his head when Axel took off the underwear, the larger boy having already seen Jesse naked on more than one occasion. Their treehouse only had one room after all, although Olivia would stand behind a banner they'd gotten at Endercon a few years back.

Axel pulled the blankets over Jesse, tucking him in almost automatically, although he still looked too cold for his liking. Reuben gave a small whine, crawling towards Jesse's head and lying down, resting his own head on his human's chest. Lukas sighed, looking at them sadly, before picking up the wet clothes and leaving the room in search of a place to hang them up to dry.

Giving a small sigh of his own, Axel sat down in a chair next to the bed, running his fingers through Jesse's hair. "It's gonna be okay, buddy." he whispered, even though he knew he couldn't hear him. "It's gonna be okay."

* * *

When Jesse came to, he was pleased to find that he was comfortably warm.

He was content to just lie there, maybe even go back to sleep. He was comfortable, warm, and, oh look, his ankle feels like it's on fire. Brilliant.

"Jesse?" Even more brilliant. "Hey, you awake?"

"Wh's ma an'le on fi'e?" Jesse tried to ask, his voice mostly muffled by the pillow. He _seriously_ didn't want to get up. Now that he thought about it, he didn't think he could get up even if he wanted to, what with his burning ankle.

A hand rested on the back of his head, it's owner leaning closer. "What?"

Groaning, Jesse shifted, forcing himself to sit up. The hand retracted, instead moving to help him lean against the headboard. Jesse rubbed at his eyes to get the crust out of them, blinking them open and squinting in the sudden light. The flashing lamp above the door wasn't helping, and he was quick to look away from it, instead taking in the rest of the room.

It was a bedroom, although not one he'd seen before. It was fairly simple, with a double bed, bookshelves, windows, the stuff you'd see in any other bedroom, really. Reuben was lying on the bed next to him, his head in Jesse's lap, and Lukas was sitting in a chair to his left. To his right was some redstone, which was far too complicated for him to understand. Lukas, Reuben and Jesse himself were the only ones in the room.

"What happened?" Jesse asked, turning to his blond friend.

"I was going to ask you the same question." said Lukas, "Axel and I found you in the hall a couple hours ago. Ivor said you'd been hit by a splash potion or something. Sleepy-ness, I think it was? I don't know."

"Oh." Jesse rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah. Sorry."

They sat in silence for a long moment.

"Are you going to tell me _how_ you got hit by a Splash Potion?" Lukas asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, right." Jesse blinked, shaking his head to clear to dizzying sensation that was descending upon him. "I kinda found a button on a tree out back, and when I pushed it, the ground opened up and I fell into this _really_ cold pool. I walked down this tunnel and found a room at the end of it, but then I stepped on a pressure plate and got hit by a potion. I think I fell through one of the paintings."

Lukas nodded, a small frown on his face. "Then how'd you hurt your ankle?"

"Tripped."

"Ah."

Jesse blinked, looking down at himself and realizing for the first time that his white shirt, jeans sand suspenders had been replaced with a white t-shirt with red sleeves and blue dungarees. "Where the hell'd these clothes come from?"

The door burst open, causing all three occupants to jump, and Jesse saw a flash of dark skin and curly hair before the air was forced out of his lungs as Olivia wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, practically suffocating him. "Jesse! You're okay!"

"Yeah." Jesse choked out, wincing when Olivia tightened her hold, "Yeah, I'm- I'm okay. But I c-can't breathe."

Olivia immediately pulled away, giving him a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

"Jesse was just telling me what happened." said Lukas, as Petra closed the door behind her and Axel, Olivia moving to the redstone circuit and doing something that caused the redstone lamp to stop flashing. Huh.

"Well, are you gonna tell us too?" asked Petra, sitting on the end of the bed. Axel moved to stand beside her, Jesse realizing he wasn't wearing his hoodie for the first time.

"Yeah, dude. You gave us a real bad scare back there."

"Sorry about that." Jesse winced, scratching at his ear. "The short version would be that I found a button, pressed it, fell down a hole into a freezing pool, found a secret room, stepped on a pressure plate which activated a dispenser and shot a potion at me, and then I fell through a portrait into the hall."

"So we were right?" said Olivia, sitting next to Jesse on the bed. Reuben scooted in his lap to make room for her. "There are secret rooms in the mansion?"

"And booby-traps, apparently." Lukas said, turning to Jesse, "You're lucky it was only a sleepy potion and not anything really bad." Petra raised her eyebrows at him.

"'Sleepy-Potion'?"

Lukas shrugged, his cheeks going red. "I forgot what it was called."

"Clearly."

"So, uh," Jesse cut in, gesturing to the dungaree's, "What happened to my clothes?"

"Well," said Axel, "You were kinda wet."

"Really?" Jesse rolled his eyes, "I didn't notice."

"We found them in the attic." Olivia explained, "Your clothes are hanging outside with Axel's hoodie."

"Why's Axel's hoodie out there?"

"You were shivering like mad." said Petra, "So Axel wrapped you up to try and keep you warm before we brought you here."

"Er, okay. Thanks, man."

Axel smiled. "No problem, buddy."

They descended into silence, the air suddenly becoming thick with tension, the unasked question in the air, on the tips of his friends tongues. Jesse knew what they wanted to ask, and he didn't want them to ask it, knew that if they did, his answer would be a lie. Whether or not they'd see through it was something he didn't know. He just didn't want them to ask it.

He knew they would anyway.

"Jesse-"

"I know what you're gonna say." Jesse cut Olivia off, "And I'd rather not talk about it."

"We're not going to leave you alone until you do." said Petra, stretching out on the bed, "I mean, no one's blaming you for running out of there, but..." her face softened, her voice quieting, "I've never seen you like that before, Jess. You're usually too optimistic to have a reaction like that."

Jesse shrugged, firmly keeping his eyes on the blankets. He wouldn't even look at Reuben.

He didn't want to have this conversation.

"We're not going to let him die." said Lukas, his voice soft. "We're not going to let Ellegaard die, we're not going to let Reuben die, we're not going to let _anyone_ die. You've been telling me that though out the entire time we've been here." Jesse saw him shrug out the corner of his eye. "Now it's my turn to say it to you, I guess."

"Guys-"

"No, Jesse." Axel cut him off, his brow furrowed and face set. "We're not letting you brush us off. Not this time."

"I'm fine."

"Are you?" asked Olivia. "You just watched one of your best friends _die_ , Jesse. You ran out of the room crying, somehow sprained your ankle and decided that pushing a random button without knowing what it did would be a good idea. Then you fell into a pool of freezing water, got hit with a Splash Potion of Drowsiness, and fell through a painting. And there's about a forty-something percent chance you'll be getting sick."

"You don't have to go through this alone, Jesse." Petra said, reaching forward and gripping his wrist. "You'd do the same for any of us."

"And you don't deserve to have to go through this alone." Lukas agreed, giving him a small smile, "We're here for you."

Jesse was embarrassed to admit that tears sprung to his eyes at that. He looked down at the blankets again, avoiding their eyes, just wanting all this to go away. Who knew that knowing the future could be such a burden?

Olivia put an arm around his shoulders and drew him into a hug, Reuben squished between them. Lukas slid out of his seat and onto the bed on Jesse's other side, putting his arms around both him and Olivia, resting his chin on Jesse's shoulder. Petra shifted, careful not to sit on Jesse's sprained ankle, and joined the group hug. Axel was last to join, uncrossing his arms and climbing onto the pillows, his arms just big enough to go around all of them. He sat his chin on top of Jesse's head, who had now buried his face into Olivia's shoulders.

Jesse's throat had closed painfully again, unwilling tears starting to leak out from under his closed eyelids. "I'm fine." His voice cracked. Dammit, his voice cracked.

"We know, Jess." muttered Lukas, his hold tightening. "We know."

Reuben gave a little oink, shifting so that he could nuzzle his human's wet cheeks. A sob forced it's way out of Jesse's throat, and after that there was no stopping it. His shoulders shook with each sob, the wave of tears slipping out from under his clenched eyes, his nose running. His friends whispered reassurance into his ears, but they were mostly silent.

They just held him and let him cry.

* * *

None of them had any idea how long they'd sat there, but eventually, they pulled apart. Olivia handed Jesse a box of tissues, and they didn't speak as he dried his tears, quietly apologizing for getting the girl's shirt wet, which she responded by telling him to never say sorry to something like that.

Jesse didn't seem to have an answer for that, so he said nothing.

"We're going to have to watch the rest of the episode." said Petra, looking at Jesse hesitantly. "You wanna sit this one out?" Jesse shook his head.

"No. I- I gotta see what the aftermath is."

"You sure?" When Jesse nodded again, Petra gave him a long look, before nodding herself and standing up. "Let's get this over with then."

At that, everyone got up as well, Reuben reluctantly hopping out of his humans lap and onto the floor. Jesse pulled the covers back, scooting to the side of the bed and setting his feet down, holding back a wince when he experimentally put down his hurt ankle.

Someone nudged his shoulder, and he looked up to come face to face with Axel. The larger boy glanced down at his ankle, before holding out his hand. Jesse looked from Axel, to his outstretched hand, to his ankle. It was rather obvious that he would not be able to walk on it anytime time.

So, with a defeated sigh, Jesse took the hand and let himself be pulled up off the bed. Axel pulled Jesse's arm over his shoulder, Petra coming over and pulling Jesse's other arm over her own shoulders.

They made their out of the room together, having a little bit of trouble squeezing through the door, but they were soon making their way down the halls in the direction of the living room, Olivia and Lukas going off to gather the others.

Maya was already there, sitting in her claimed armchair and reading a book. She looked up as they entered, smiling when she realized who they were supporting. "Hey, Jesse. I'm glad you're finally awake."

Jesse gave her a weak smile, as Axel and Petra lowered him down onto his usual spot in front of the coffee table. "Heya, Maya. What are you reading?"

Maya flipped the book around to look at the cover. "Something called _Hybrid._ It's pretty good, so far. And one of the main characters, who's a spider hybrid, is called Jesse, although she's a girl." She looked him up and down. "You look good in dungaree's."

"Thanks."

Everyone else trickled into the room in small groups, and Jesse forced himself to ignore the eyes he could feel lingering on him. The screen had a giant, grey play symbol on it, covering it nearly entirely, blocking the picture. Although Jesse didn't need it to know what it was of.

The image was burned into his brain, after all.

Axel, Petra, Lukas and Olivia sat down around him, a _lot_ closer than before. Reuben, as usual, hopped right back into Jesse's lap, burying his face into his chest and making little noises of content. The little pig didn't care that he supposedly dies, because he had his Jesse with him, and he knew that his Jesse would never let anything bad happen to him, especially after watching this. His Jesse would protect him, like always, and he'd always return the favor.

No one wanted to pick up the remote. No one wanted to be the one to press the play button.

Finally, with a small sigh, Gabriel reached over and picked it up, pressing the blasted button in one swift motion. The play symbol was replaced by a loading circle, since it had been paused for so long, before the screen returned to the sad scene.

_"I'm here."_

Reuben gave a small, weak whine at that, his eyes not straying from Jesse's. Then he laid down and went still.

Real-Jesse looked away from the screen, tightening his grip on Reuben, refusing to cry again. Olivia put an arm over his shoulders, Lukas giving his knee a reassuring squeeze, Petra reaching over the blond to grip Jesse's hand, and Axel putting an arm over both Olivia and Jesse, his hand coming to rest on the smaller boy's thigh. Jesse gave them a weak smile.

Onscreen, Jesse and the others stared with grim eyes, watching as the little pig puffed into smoke, leaving nothing but a raw pork chop.

Jesse looked down at the ground sadly, before taking the pork in hand and getting to his feet. He didn't say anything, just stared at it.

 _"Jesse, I am..."_ Lukas shook his head a little, _"I am so sorry."_ The young hero turned his head away from Lukas, closing his eyes in an attempt to keep the tears at bay.

The screen switched to show his head, his face hidden from view, as Olivia moved to stand in front of him. It started to zoom out slowly, Axel joining the scene, soon followed by Gabriel. Then came Lukas, then Magnus, then a girl with a pony tail, a man with an F t-shirt, a large guy with glasses, a guy with green hair and a lime bowler, someone with really pale skin, the women from Endercon, a redhead with a purple hat, the guy that had called them losers in the beginning, a blonde, and many, many more.

"Wow." muttered Maya, "They must be pretty confused."

Slowly, the screen went dark, and the words _One Week Later_ appeared. The black faded away and was replaced by a portrait of Reuben, the screen zooming out to reveal that it was on a monument, his name written under the portrait with flowers and saplings lining the bottom, Jesse, Ivor, Magnus, Gabriel, Axel, Lukas and Petra standing around it.

Reuben gave a little whine, rubbing his head against Jesse's shoulder, both in thanks and in seeking comfort. Jesse gave him a watery smile, hugging him close and burying his face into the little pigs neck.

Jesse is shown looking at the monument with sad eyes, before turning to Axel as he came up to him, although neither said anything. They all turned around as cheers erupted, revealing a massive crowd behind them, cheering and waving in celebration of their victory.

"Where is that?" asked Olivia.

"Hey, I've been there before." said Petra, "I sometimes do deals there."

"Oh, yeah." Lukas said, looking at the screen sadly, "I'd almost forgotten that our homes are gone."

Jesse, his friends, and the three Order members walked passed the crowd towards a stage, giving the clapping people smiles, although Jesse and Olivia's looked a bit shy. The crowd closed the pathway as the group got up onto the stage, the screen momentarily going out to show them at a distance, revealing a fire atop Reuben's monument in the process.

Maya frowned. "Wait, where's Lukas?"

Her question was answered a moment later when Jesse made eye contact with said blond, who stood in the crowd with the other Ocelots. Lukas smiled at him widely, giving him an encouraging nod.

"Found him." said Magnus.

"Why isn't he up there with us?" asked Jesse, "He helped defeat the Witherstorm too."

"I'm sure it'll be explained in a minute." Lukas shrugged.

"Yeah." cut in Petra, giving a small grin, "He probably got stage fright."

Onscreen, Jesse returned Lukas' smile, before turning back to the cheering crowd. Gabriel looked over at him, a sad smile on his face. _"People used to look at_ me _like that once, Jesse. Having my memory restored has been both a blessing and a curse."_ He covered his mouth, his voice going low so no one else could hear, _"Perhaps they deserve to know the truth about the Order. All those lies we told them..."_ he glanced at the crowd, _"Maybe I should finally come clean."_

"About time." grumbled Ivor. Soren rolled his eyes at him.

 _"You're right."_ said Jesse, putting his hands on his hips, _"They do deserve to know."_

Gabriel looked at him for a moment, before giving a single nod and walked to the edge of the stage, causing the cheers to intensify, and raised his hand to signal that he was about to speak. The crowd went quiet after some shushing, and they all waited expectantly, probably expecting some sort of grand speech about the battle.

 _"We all owe a great dept to Jesse and his friends."_ Gabriel began, _"But I owe a debt to you people as well."_ Ivor put his hands on his hips, watching the warrior intensely. _"Which is why... there's something I want to tell you. About the Order."_

"This should be interesting." muttered Olivia.

The crowd gave him looks of confusion. Gabriel looked over his shoulder at Jesse, who gave him a nod. _"The Order of the Stone... is not what you all believed."_ He said, turning back to the people, _"We were... frauds. We used the Command Block to falsify out legacy."_ Cries of shock and outrage erupted all throughout the plaza. Gabriel's eyes met Ivor's, who gave him a small nod. The warrior looked down at his feet, his shoulders slumped in shame. _"We were no heroes."_ _  
_

"I guess that's it." said Magnus, "No more Order of the Stone and everyone in the world will hate us for eternity."

"You still got rid of the Ender Dragon though, just not like you said." Jesse pointed out, "Besides, I don't hate you. Mad, yes, but hate? Nah."

Ellegaard gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Jesse."

 _"So it is time for the world to celebrate new heroes!"_ said Gabriel, looking over his shoulder at Jesse and his friends, _"Real heroes."_ The four grinned at him, before the screen switched to show the crowd. The butcher put his hands on his hips, a disco guy giving Gabriel a sour look. No one said anything, no one cheered or even shouted at him.

Jesse came forwards and patted Gabriel lightly on the back, the warrior looking a bit sad. Without a word, he, Magnus and Ivor got off the stage, and the crowd returned to their new heroes, starting to cheer again. Jesse gave them a small smile. _"Thank you! Thank you, everyone."_

"You know," said Soren, "That could have gone a lot worse."

"Yeah, they could'a started a riot or something." Magnus said.

Petra shushed them. "I think Jesse's about to give a speech!"

"What?" said Jesse, his eyes widening. "What do you mean I'm gonna have to give a speech?"

 _"I know you think I'm up here because I saved the world or something. But the truth is,"_ he looked towards Petra, Olivia and Axel, _"I didn't do it alone. Far from it. You see, I had my friends with me. There was Olivia..."_ the screen switched to show her face, _"Axel... Petra..."_ Jesse looked down at the crowd, _"Lukas..."_

"Aw, you mentioned us." Petra said, smiling jokingly. Jesse grinned at her.

 _"They stood by my side, right from the start. Well, they made fun of me, when I deserved it."_ he shrugged, _"But that's just how we are."_

 _"Dang right we are!"_ said Axel.

 _"It's crazy to think my friends and I started out in a treehouse..."_ Jesse continued, _"And now we've been to some of the weirdest places in the world!"_

"Boom Town." listed Axel.

"Redstonia." Olivia said.

"The End." said Lukas.

"The Nether." said Petra.

"And the Far Lands." Jesse finished the list.

 _"I mean, come on."_ Jesse laughed, _"We went to the Far Lands!"_ At that, the crowd started cheering again, whistling and clapping and throwing their hands above their heads. _"There was this gigantic wall, and a_ huge _maze, and a model of the Ender Dragon that... well,"_ he glanced over at his friends, _"You just had to be there."_

"Yeah," Lukas shook his head, "This is going to be some adventure, huh?"

"Shame is has to be so terrifying." said Olivia.

 _"But when all is said and done,"_ said Jesse, the crowd going quiet again, _"You know what_ really _mattered?"_

"Reuniting the Order?" guessed Magnus. Ellegaard shushed him.

 _"My hero,"_ Jesse pointed to the monument, _"Reuben the pig."_

Real-Reuben straightened at the sound of his name.

 _"He may have seemed like just a pig to most people,"_ Jesse continued, as the people looked over at the monument, _"But he was so much more."_ The screen gave a close up of the portrait. _"At the end of the day, he saved us all."_

Maya stood up from her armchair and started clapping, and one by one, almost everyone else joined in. The Order stood up as well, and Jesse stopped clapping only to pick Reuben up and raise him above his head. Some of the watchers started cheering.

Onscreen, Jesse fist pumped the air. _"For Reuben!"_

"FOR REUBEN!" screamed the audience.

The crowd started cheering and clapping again. Nohr, without her mask, and 3D Glasses from Boom Town could be seen near the front, and a little ways away from them was the slimeball lady Jesse had mistaken for Ivor back at Endercon, so long ago. There was a Disco Dude, a School Boy and an old man with a shock of white hair and goggles that screamed scientist, all of whom Olivia had met in Redstonia.

Jesse did another fist pump, as down in the crowd, Disco Dude started dancing. Gabriel and Magnus grinned at each other, and the former gave the latter a nod. Grinning widely, Magnus climbed back onto the stage, moving to stand in front of the young hero. _"Jesse, this is the Nether Star,"_ he pulled it out, handing it to him, _"That dropped when the Witherstorm was destroyed."_

Ellegaard snorted. "Nice narrator voice."

"Thank you."

Magnus pointed to a structure made out of iron, gold, obsidian and stained glass behind the stage. _"You wanna do the honors?"_

Lukas gasped. "Is that- ?"

"Is it!" exclaimed Maya.

Jesse made his way up the stairs to the top of the structure, the crowd cheering behind him. Lukas is shown grinning excitedly. _"This is gonna be so cool..."_

"Hold up," said Petra, "What is it?"

"Just look!" Lukas said, pointing at the screen.

They watched as Jesse reached the top of the structure, a blue block of stained glass in the very center. Taking out the Witherstorms Nether Star, he placed it on top of the glass, starting to back away with wide eyes as it started to spin faster.

Then all eight blocks of stained glass burst into colored beams of light, shooting up into the sky like beacons. There was white, blue, green, and in the very center, purple. Jesse looked up at it in amazement, the crowd cheering and hollering. _"Wow!"_

"That's amazing!" exclaimed Axel. Jesse nodded in agreement.

"I can't wait to see that in real life."

Onscreen, Gabriel climbed up onto the stage as well, Magnus going back into the crowd. He turned to them, holding the Order's amulet above his head. _"My friends!"_ Jesse turned towards him, his eyes widening when they settled on the amulet. _"I am now pleased to introduce to you..."_

"Is he gonna do what I think he's gonna do?" asked Gill, "He's gonna do what I think he's gonna do, isn't he?"

Gabriel turned around and walked to the bottom of the lit structure, handing Jesse the amulet, only the red and white gems dark. Jesse took it hesitantly after a moment, obviously having no idea what was happening. Gabriel turned back to the crowd. _"The new Order of the Stone!"_

The audience gasped.

"No way!" exclaimed Maya, grinning widely.

"We," said Olivia slowly, "Get to be in _the_ Order of the Stone?"

"This is _so cool!_ " yelled Axel, practically bouncing where he sat. He high fived Jesse.

"Congrats, guys." said Lukas, smiling at them. Petra frowned.

"I still don't get why you weren't up there with us."

Luaks shrugged. "Adventuring isn't really my strong suit. And Jesse mentioned me in his speech, didn't he? Everyone knows I helped out. Besides," he gestured to Maya, Aiden and Gill, "I'm already an Ocelot."

The screen showed Petra, Olivia and Axel, Jesse still standing on the structure behind them, all four of them grinning as the crowd started cheering once again. Jesse waved the amulet above his head, the screen going out to show them from the back of the crowd, Gabriel able to be seen getting off the stage.

Jesse lowered the amulet and hopped off the structure, the screen zooming out as he stood with his friends before the cheering crowd. _"And so it was,"_ said the narrator, as Jesse held up the amulet again, _"That a new Order of the Stone was born."_ The screen switched to show the four from the side, Axel with his arms crossed, Olivia with her hands on her hips, _"One whose adventures were only just beginning."_ it switched around to show them at the front, _"For though the world had been saved, and the Command Block destroyed..."_ Jesse lowered the amulet, _"There are many more worlds that just this one."_

With that, they jumped into the air and the screen froze, much like it had in in the first episode. The words _The Adventures of the NEW Order of the Stone continue in MINECRAFT: STORY MODE Episode 5!_ appeared, before the screen faded to black.

"There's _more_ _?!_ " exclaimed Petra. Ivor had a thoughtful look on his face. More worlds than just this one, you say?

Jesse sighed. "Of course there is. So we're not being sent home now?"

"This must have been a season one or something." said Olivia, "Like, the first adventure."

"Yeah, but do we _need_ to see 'season two,' as you put it?" asked Soren. Olivia shrugged.

"We must, if they're gonna show us it."

Maya shook her head, sighing. "Well, at least us temporarily losing our memories has been delay-" She was cut off by a knock, and fourteen heads snapped towards the living room archway.

There, looking about with wide, startled eyes, was a girl with glasses, a cat at her feet, and rose red hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you say you'd went to the Nether, Boom Town/Redstonia, the End or the Far Lands? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> And yes, Jesse's wearing his female-selves clothes. Honestly, I'd originally planned for him to sit at the back of the house and cry until Lukas and Axel found him, but then I thought, hey! Why don't I also have him get injured, fall into a pool of freezing water, get hit by a splash potion, fall through a painting and then be found by Lukas and Axel? Oh, and how 'bout I give him female-Jesse's clothes just because I can! Brilliance!
> 
> Also, I realized halfway through writing this that I am slowly having everyone change what they're wearing. Lukas and Axel taking off their jacket/hoodie and Jesse wearing dungaree's.


	28. Treasure Hunters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very special thanks to GirlOfMyOwnWorld, who's helped me out with what I've got planned so far for season two! I'd also like to thank Ariza Luca, who gave me a third opinion with a few certain scenes. Love you all!

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Twenty-Eight: Treasure Hunters**

* * *

Almost the entire audience shot to their feet instantly. The only thing that stopped Jesse from doing the same was his ankle, which flared up like it was on fire when he tried, causing him to fall back onto his knees with a grunt. Lukas reached down and put a hand on his shoulder, as if silently telling him to stay down.

The redhead's eyes widened, and she took a step backwards, looking frightened. "Uh, h-hey. How's it going?"

"Who are you?" asked Gabriel, his voice not as hard as it could have been. His eyes were narrowed into a look of suspicion, but his sword was lowered slightly. She seemed harmless, after all. She couldn't have been that much older than Jesse.

The girl was silent for a moment, her eyes darting around the room, from corner to corner, face to face, weapon to weapon. She swallowed. "I'm Cassie Rose." she gestured to the cat, rubbing its head against her legs, "This here is Winslow. Where- Where are we? One minute I was at home and the next, poof!" she gave a nervous laugh, "I'm- I'm here."

Jesse and his friends shared a look, before he took hold of Lukas' wrist and hauled himself to his feet, the blond immediately moving to support him. Jesse gave him a thankful smile, before turning to Cassie. "Um, hey. I'm Jesse, and this is Lukas, Petra," he gestured to each person, "Axel, Reuben, Olivia, Ivor, Gabriel, Soren, Magnus, Ellegaard, Maya, Aiden and Gill."

Cassie gave them a shy smile. "Nice to meet you all."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jesse saw Aiden turn his head slightly, an unreadable expression on his face. He shrugged it off, turning back to Cassie. "You said you'd suddenly appeared here?"

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, with a few other people, actually. I think they're still in the kitchen."

"There's _more_ people?" gaped Olivia.

"So you've got nothing to do with us being brought here?" asked Ellegaard, "You're not the one doing this?"

Cassie shook her head. "Uh, no, sorry. You're not the ones behind this either?"

"No," sighed Soren, as everyone finally sheathed whatever weapon they'd pulled out, "No, I'm afraid we're not."

"Alright, Cassie, show me these 'newcomers.'" Jesse said, straightening as best he could, although he dared not let go of Lukas' shoulder. Cassie nodded, turning on her heel and leading the way down the hall, Winslow following with a quiet meow.

Jesse, now being supported by both Lukas and Olivia, followed her, the others right behind them. As they got closer to the kitchen, multiple voices met their ears, becoming louder and louder. It was almost as though some were trying to drown out the others.

"-WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP-"

"-THIS IS OBVIOUSLY APART OF THE GAMES, SO I SAY LESS TALKING AND MORE KILLING-"

"-I assure you, this has nothing to do with the-"

"-ATTENTION! ATTENTION! YOUR FOUNDER HAS SOMETHING-"

"Oh, what did you do _this_ time, Dan?"

"But I didn't do anything!"

"WOULD EVERYONE _PLEASE_ -"

"Really? No buttons that you couldn't resist pushing?"

"FACEMEAT SEE'S A CHICKEN-"

Petra flung open the double doors, causing them to bang against the walls loudly, successfully silencing the rooms occupants. Seventeen heads snapped towards them, and the mansion was filled with a silence so thick you could have cut it with a knife. Jesse was starting to regret coming to see who else had appeared, seeing as some of these people didn't look all that friendly.

Like, at all.

"Well." said Ivor, after a long moment, "Who might you be?"

"We should be asking _you_ that." growled a girl even larger than Axel, wearing some sort of green and grey costume, "Why'd you bring us here?"

"We didn't bring you here." explained Jesse, "We were brought here the exact same way you were, only a couple days ago. None of us know who's behind this."

"How do we know you're not lying?" a boy with blue hair and goggles asked, crossing his arms. Another boy, this one in an orange cat hoodie, stood behind him, looking like he was about to be sick.

"I think they're telling the truth, Dan." said Cassie, "I found them in a living room down the hall, and they seemed pretty startled to see me."

"But who _are_ they?" asked a girl in a blue and white striped shirt.

"My name's Jesse." said boy introduced. He gestured to the others. "These are Olivia, Axel, Reuben, Petra, Lukas, Gabriel, Ivor, Soren, Ellegaard, Magnus, Aiden, Gill and Maya."

"Super sweet to meet you, brah." a blond with beads in her hair grinned, "Name's Nell." she pointed to the large girl next to her, "This is my teammate, Em."

"Yes, well," a women with black hair and a golden dress said, looking the two up and down, seemingly unimpressed, "Your attire is quite... something." she turned to the others, still standing in the doorway, "I'm Isa, the Founder of Sky City. And this is Benedict." she gestured to the little chicken at her feet, dressed up in a royal cape and a tiny crown.

"Aw, he's cute." said Jesse, as Reuben wandered up to the little chicken and started sniffing at it. Isa's smile widened at the sight.

"She's a girl, actually. And this little guy here's adorable as well."

"But Benedict's a boys name." said Magnus. Ellegaard shushed him.

"I'm Reginald." said the man standing next to Isa, his hand casually resting on the hilt of his sword, "Head Guard of Sky City."

"And I'm Captain Sparklez." another man said, giving them all a kind smile. He gestured to the people around him, "This is StacyPlays, StampyCat, Dan the Diamond Minecart, LDShadowLady, and you've already met Cassie Rose."

"My friends call me Lizzie, though." LDShadowLady cut in.

"Those are your real names?" asked Axel.

"I'm Milo." a blond man spoke up, before Ivor could snap at the bulky male, "I run the inn at Sky City."

"M'Name's Slab." said a rather terrifying looking man in a horn helmet, crossing arms as thick as tree trucks over a broad chest. He made Axel look like a small child. "This over here's Clutch and Facemeat."

"I am Otto." a bald man said, smiling politely. He gestured to a pale girl with blue hair and a man in a purple jacket, "These are my friends, Mevia and Hadrian."

"And I'm Harper." a women that had previously stood at the back of the room stepped forwards, albeit a bit reluctantly, looking each and every one of them in the eye, as if searching for something. "None of you are PAMA, are you?"

"PAMA?" Lukas frowned, "Who's PAMA?"

Harper shook her head. "Okay, okay, uh... never mind."

"Harper." breathed Otto, smiling widely and walking towards her, "I can't believe it's really you!"

"It's nice to see you too, Otto." said Harper, happily accepting her old friend's embrace. Mevia and Hadrian didn't look all that happy, however.

"Soren and I will explain the episodes to them." said Gabriel, moving to enter the kitchen, "Perhaps you could move the couches in the second living room into the watching room?"

"Sure." Ellegaard said, "We might have to move some stuff around. Magnus, Axel, Maya, Gill and Olivia, you five come help me. See what you can do about Jesse's ankle, Ivor."

That said, they all split up, Cassie closing the kitchen doors behind her as the new arrivals all took a seat at the table. Maybe it was Jesse's imagination, but the table looked as thought it had gotten _longer_ , somehow. And it had already been a rather long table before.

Petra swapped places with Olivia, and she, Jesse, Lukas and Reuben followed Ivor down into the basement, the staircase thankfully wide enough for the three to walk side by side.

The basement itself was rather impressive, and must have been the size of the mansions first floor. The place was _covered_ bookshelves, although it was far from as creepy as the villainy lair Ivor had built under the Hall. It was the most impressive potions lab Jesse had ever seen (which wasn't saying much, but still), the walls lined with portraits, potions and even more books. Some small windows sat near the ceiling, allowing light to show through and make everything a lot more homely.

"Sit him on the table over there." said Ivor, gesturing to a table made up of upside down stairs against the wall, "There should be a healing potion around here somewhere."

"You have a healing potion?" asked Jesse, as Lukas and Petra helped him up onto the table, "Why didn't we use that _before_?"

"Yeah, Ivor," Petra said, sending the man a glare over her shoulder, "What the hell?"

"I only have one that boots the healing process." Ivor explain, hidden from sight behind a bookshelf, sounding quite annoyed, "He needed to heal on his own for a bit before it could work properly. Otherwise he'd probably lose all use of his leg!"

Lukas winced. "Oh. That's a pretty good reason."

"You're sure I won't lose use of my leg _now_ , right?" asked Jesse, looking wearily at the yellow-green potion in Ivor's hand as he made his way over to him. "Like, positive?"

"Of course!" said Ivor, handing Jesse the potion as the boy let out a relieved sighed. He tilted his head back and downed it all in one, chocking slightly at what Ivor said next. "Well, sorta."

"Ivor!" snapped Petra, causing the man to hold up his hands and hurriedly back away from her. Lukas began hitting a coughing Jesse's back, taking the empty potion bottle and sitting it aside so no one knocked it over.

To Jesse's great relief, the pain in his ankle started to ebb away, and both of his legs remained in working order. Grinning, he hopped down from the table, feeling only a tiny prick of pain that was sure to be gone by tomorrow. "Wow!"

"Just try not to go tripping over things like that again." said Ivor, grabbing the potion bottle and sitting it in a chest, "I'd rather not be spending all my time brewing potions for your boo boos."

"We'll do our best." Petra said, lips twitching in amusement.

"Thanks, Ivor." Jesse called over his shoulder, as he followed Lukas and Petra back up the stairs.

"Just make sure you rest it!" Ivor called back, "It's still not in tip-top shape, and I'd rather not have to brew another one of these."

"Don't worry," said Lukas, sending Jesse a pointed look, "We'll make sure he's not running about too much."

Jesse gave him a sheepish grin.

* * *

Lukas and Petra set about helping the others move the couches and armchairs about, while Jesse was forced to sit down on the floor and watch, petting a sleeping Reuben. He'd tried multiple times to get up and help, but the last time he'd tried Axel had picked him right off the ground and threatened to tie him up.

There were now five couches and armchairs, and two smaller couches that would fit three people at the most. The watching room looked a lot smaller with them all than before, but it was large enough for the couches and chairs to be separated comfortably, none too close together and everyone should have a decent view of the screen.

"I could have helped." Jesse insisted, despite it being too late to convince them. This gained him many eye rolls and exasperated sighs.

"You heard what Ivor said, Jesse." shrugged Lukas, "You don't want to strain that ankle too much."

"There's not enough couches for everybody." Ellegaard cut in, frowning, "You shouldn't have to sit on the floor. There's no way it's comfy."

"Having a cushion or something _would_ be nice." said Olivia.

"Hey, wasn't there a bunch of pillows and sheets up where we found those dungaree's?" Petra asked. Olivia smiled.

"There was, wasn't there?" she turned to Lukas, "Come help us bring them down, will you? And Axel," she turned to her large friend, "Make sure Jesse doesn't do anything stupid."

"Loud and clear."

"Hey!"

Around fifteen or so minutes later, Gabriel, Soren, Aiden and the newcomers made their way into the living room and started grabbing seats. The Original Order claimed their usual couch, while Isa and Reginald took one of the smaller ones, Benedict squeezing in between the armrest and the Founder. Captain Sparklez and his weird-named friends sat down on one of the couches, Dan and Stampy to his right, and Lizzie and Stacy to his left. Cassie sat down in the armchair beside them, Winslow curling up in her lap and purring.

Hadrian, Mevia and Otto also claimed a couch, the first two stretching out and flinging their arms over the back as though they'd been living in the mansion for years. Otto, on the other hand, sat with his legs together and his hands in his lap. Aiden and Gill took a seat in the Ocelot's couch, although they both sat on either side, and it was obvious just by looking at them that there was tension.

Slab, Facemeat and Clutch- who seemed to be calling themselves the 'Gladiators'- claimed the last couch. What with their bulk, no one could have even hopped to fit a fourth person in there, not even Benedict. Milo took an armchair, while Nell and Em sat down in other small couch. Maya took the armchair she'd been sitting in for quite a while now.

Ivor came in with Olivia, Lukas and Petra, helping them carry the blankets and pillows, although he dumped them on the floor. He looked about, startled to find that there was no where for him to sit. Gabriel, Soren, Magnus and Ellegaard shared a look, before the warrior gestured for the potions master to join them.

Hesitantly, Ivor did so, his eyes widening when his old friends all shifted to make room for him to sit on the far left, next to Soren. When he hesitated again, Soren raised an eyebrow at him. "You want to sit on the floor?"

"Hey, our floor is _awesome_." declared Axel, swatting Jesse away when he'd crawled over to help them set up the blankets and pillows. The boy huffed.

With a small sigh (while secretly jumping for joy on the inside), Ivor took the offered seat, the couch becoming a bit squished with five people sitting on it. None of them seemed to mind, however.

The blankets and pillows all spread out, the gang crawled around on the floor a bit, getting into comfy positions. Jesse was once again in the middle, Reuben in his lap, while Olivia laid down on her stomach to his left and hugged a pillow, Axel leaning back and stretching out his legs, resting his hands behind him. To Jesse's right, Lukas sat with his legs crossed and a pillow in his lap, his arms crossed on top of it, while Petra had one knee up to her chest with her arm resting on it.

Ellegaard was the one to pick up the remote this time, pointing it at the screen and pressing a button. The screen, which had gone dark, immediately came back on, revealing this episodes cover. Jesse felt his blood run cold.

Ivor, Petra, Lukas and himself stood upon a tiny, floating island in the sky with nothing but a single tree. Ivor looked like he was about to fall over the edge, and Jesse was reaching forwards to catch him. Petra was looking over the edge and gaping with wide eyes, while Lukas shaded his eyes a little ways behind her, looking to have spotted something.

"That is _not_ comforting." Olivia declared. "How d'you even end up there?"

"Wow, brah," laughed Nell, "This is _wicked_."

"Oooh, I don't like the looks of that screen." muttered Harper, just loud enough to get a few odd looks from those sitting around her.

Ellegaard pressed another button, and the screen changed to show the night sky lit up by the full moon and speckled with stars, with what appeared to be tall jungle tree's underneath it, long vines dangling from their leaves. A flock of bats flew passed, squeaking to each other.

"Wait, you've only got _one_ moon?" asked Dan. Petra blinked at him.

"Uh... yes?"

"We're from different worlds." Otto explained, "Daniel over there is from a world exactly like yours, only with two moons. Those Sky City folk are from a world where they live in, well, the sky."

Lizzie and Dan gasped in unison. "The flint and steel!"

Otto smiled. "Exactly."

"This must be what the narrator was talking about at the end of the last episode." said Petra, "'More worlds than just this one,' remember?"

"Oh, yeah, you're right." Jesse said.

The screen rolled down to the ground, revealing three ocelots making their way through the jungle, looking about.

"Hey, look!" joked Axel, "It's Maya and Lukas!"

Lukas rolled his eyes, lips twitching in an unwillingly smile. "Oh, haha."

The ocelots looked to left, spotting something off screen, and quickly dashed forwards, the screen zooming around to show their retreating forms. And then an armored body appeared, most likely the thing the ocelots were running away from, and the screen went up to reveal Jesse, looking left and right to check the cost was clear.

"Isn't that you?" asked Stacy. Jesse nodded, smiling.

Onscreen, Jesse grinned, before turning around and creeping along. Just ahead of him, blocked by trees, leaves and vines, appeared to be some sort of light, illuminating a part of a building.

"I think that might be a temple." said Maya, "Looks like you guys get to do a bit of treasure hunting."

The screen switched around again to show Jesse's front, just as he came to a stop, his eyes widening. A creeper's short, four little green legs passed the screen (and causing a few watchers to jump) with a quiet little hissing noise, soon followed by the purple pants of a zombie. Jesse ducked behind a tree, pressing his back against it and peering around the corner, watching the monsters.

"This gunna be good." muttered Magnus, only loud enough for Ellegaard to hear, who was leaning against him again. The engineer made a small noise of agreement.

Jesse's face set in determination, and he reached over his shoulder and drew out his diamond sword, it's enchanted blade gleaming in the moonlight. He got into a fighting stance, moving around the edge of the thick tree, before suddenly running out of hiding and revealing that there was indeed a temple, and that the place was _swarming_ with monsters, mainly zombies. Right above the hoard were the words _MINECRAFT: STORY MODE._

"That is a _lot_ of monsters." gaped Olivia. Facemeat laughed.

"Those puny monsters will regret messing with Facemeat!"

Gabriel blinked at him. "What is that man talking about?"

"Huh." said Milo, blinking at the screen, "S-So _those_ are what monsters look like."

Jesse raised his sword as three zombies approached him, sending them all flying onto their backs and puffing into smoke with a single hit. Another group made its way towards him, and they were quick to meet the same fate. Jesse came up to two zombies and slashed his blade through their rotten flesh, and then to a group of floor, knocking even them down with a single blow.

"You're _good_ at this, brah." breathed Nell, "No, no, no, you're _radical_ at this!"

Real-Jesse gave her an odd look. "Erm, thank you?"

"No probs."

Jesse gave a grin, before turning around at the sound of bows being readied to come face to face with two skeletons.

_"Look out!"_

The two skeletons and Jesse looked up at the shout, showing Petra up in a tree and wearing blue and gold armor with some sort of diamond on the chest. She drew her own enchanted sword, which cast her face in an a dull glow, before she leaped off the tree with a battle cry.

"All right!" grinned Real-Petra.

"We must have gotten you some armor, too." said Lukas, grinning himself.

Petra landed behind the back skeleton, immediately killing it with a wide grin. Without missing a beat, she turned to the second skeleton and slashed at it, sending it flying towards Jesse. The screen momentarily slowed down, before Jesse slashed at it too with a yell of his own, although not as impressive as Petra's, and the bony monster burst into smoke, leaving only an arrow.

Jesse and Petra grinned at each other. _"Thanks."_

_"Hey, Jesse, check this out!"_

They turned to see Axel with a zombie under each arm, squeezing them and causing them to flash red. _"And three, two one... POP!"_ The zombies burst into smoke. _"Pretty cool, right?"_

"That was awesome!" cheered Slab, throwing his hands in the air. Axel grinned at him.

"I know, right?"

Axel raised his arms, flexing his muscles, as a zombie came up behind him. _"You can try it too if you-"_

"Behind you!" gasped Harper.

 _"Duck!"_ Jesse yelled, causing Axel to give him a confused look. Jesse ran forwards, Petra watching, just as Axel spotted the zombie coming up behind him. He ducked, and Jesse rolled over his back and slashed through the zombie, knocking it back into a crumbling wall. It fell to the ground, where it puffed into smoke.

"You guys get really good at this." said Lukas.

 _"Dude!"_ exclaimed Axel, grinning, _"You're getting pretty good at this."_ he raised his hand, high fiving his smaller friend. The screen switched to Olivia, leaning against something with her arms crossed and a grin on her lips.

 _"You guys are working way too hard."_ the screen zoomed out to reveal the thing she was leaning against. It was dispensers, sitting on some fences, four at the bottom with two at the top, a smaller version of the one Ellegaard had built in the fake Ender Dragon battle.

Olivia rammed her elbow into it, causing arrows to fire from the dispensers and kill half the monsters, none of which had any time to even try and fight back.

"See?" said Jesse, poking the real Olivia in the back, "Told ya Ellegaard didn't know what she was talking about." She gave him a wide grin.

 _"You're always looking to one-up us, aren't you?"_ said Jesse jokingly, as a zombie came up behind him.

"Look-"

Jesse turned his sword in his hand and stabbed the zombie in the stomach.

"Oh." Dan blinked. "Never mind."

The zombie puffed into smoke, and Jesse made his way forwards, sheathing his sword. He came to a stop a little ways in front of the temple, revealing it in all of its glory. _"That is one seriously cool temple."_

"Is that what I think it is?" Hadrian asked quietly, so only Mevia and Otto could hear him. The blue-haired girl nodded slowly.

"This will certainly be interesting."

 _"Yeah."_ said Petra, she, Axel and Olivia coming up behind him. _"Points to Ivor, I guess. This was a good tip."_

Olivia nodded. _"Well, Jesse?"_

 _"So,"_ said Axel, _"Are we doing this?"_

 _"Order of the Stone?"_ Jesse said, putting his hands on his hips, _"Time to get some treasure!"_

Petra, Olivia and Axel threw their hands into the air, _"Treasure!"_

"All right!" Axel cheered, reaching over Olivia to high five Jesse.

They ran into the temple, Jesse coming to a stop at the entrance as everyone else spread out. He looked to the left, revealing some sort of channel with lava at the top, blocked by sticky pistons. He made his way around the other side, showing there was another channel to the right as well, and another on the far wall. In the center of the room was a crater.

"I don't see any treasure." said Lukas.

"Temples are more complicated than that." Lizzie said, "There must be some sort of puzzle."

Onscreen, Petra came up to him. _"So much for treasure."_

 _"Come on, you know how these places work."_ said Jesse, _"The treasure's just never out in the open. Let's fan out and search the place."_

"See?" Lizzie said.

"Alright, alright."

Jesse made his way over to one of the blocked lava, looking down at the channel in the floor, then to the crater. _"These channels lead to the center of the room."_

 _"They look like they're designed to let lava flow from those channels in the wall."_ said Olivia, the screen giving a close-up of the blocked lava, which sat behind glass. It switched to show Axel, sitting on the ground (much like he was currently). _"Why would you want to do that?"_

"He must be the dumb one." whispered Mevia. Otto sent her a look.

Jesse walked passed to channel, coming to a stop in front of Petra, who was leaning against the wall next to the second channel, cleaning her sword. _"Hi, Petra."_

 _"This place is cool."_ she said, _"Knew you'd find it."_

 _"How do you think Ivor knew about this place?"_ asked Jesse, looking about at the temple. Petra shrugged.

_"Who knows? That guys read, like, a million books and traveled all over the world. You probably start to learn a thing or two about a thing or two."_

"That's one way to put it." muttered Ivor.

_"Thoughts on this place?"_

_"I think I'd rather be in a straight fight than doing all this switch-pulling stuff."_ Petra admitted, _"But I'm glad Ivor's detail about this place was good."_

"She must be the fighter." whispered Hadrian, "Irrational when angry, most likely easily frustrated, especially when it comes to puzzles."

"Hadrian, we are _not_ doing that!" Otto hissed.

Jesse was silent for a moment, looking at the three channels to the crater in the floor. He turned back to Petra, looking her up and down. _"So how are you feeling lately?"_

 _"Wither Sickness free."_ Petra's grin faltered, albeit for a second, _"I think. Now I'm just getting used to having 'teammates' and 'people who worry about me.' That's pretty new for me."_ she shrugged, _"It's nice though."_

This earned the redhead smiles from her friends, Jesse reaching over Lukas to squeeze her shoulder. Petra returned the smile, taking Jesse's hand in hers and giving it a squeeze of her own, before they retracted and turned back to the screen.

Onscreen, Jesse smiled at her. _"Okay, I'm going to keep trying to solve this."_ He walked passed the second channel, looking it over, his brow furrowed. Spotting his other female friend examining the third channel, Jesse made his way over to her. _"Hey, Olivia?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"So, have you been having a good time hunting for treasure?"_ Jesse asked.

 _"If you had asked me a couple of months ago,"_ said Olivia, _"I would have_ never _had thought I would like all this 'adventuring' and 'treasure hunting' stuff."_ she smiled at him, rubbing at her helmet, _"But this has actually been a really good time, and I've been getting lots of great stuff to build with."_

"Wow, really?" said real-Olivia, looking surprised, "Huh. Who knew?"

"Hey, never know what you might like until you try." Jesse said.

 _"So what kind of treasure do you hope we find in here?"_ asked Jesse. Olivia hummed thoughtfully.

_"Well, I've been working on a build that could use another couple dispensers... but some coco beans would be cool, too."_

"Good with redstone, I'm guessing." whispered Mevia, causing Otto to send her a glare, which she ignored. "The smart one. The most logical one, if you get what I mean." Hadrian brow furrowed, and he nodded his head slowly.

"Logical. But that usually means almost never optimistic."

Otto looked at his two friends for a long moment, before switching his gaze to the group on the floor, worry creasing his brow. They were only children.

But that had never stopped his friends before.

_"Any ideas for how to fix this?"_

_"Well, these channels of lava are block in strategic locations by those sticky pistons."_ she looked up at one of the channels, the screen once again givin ga close up of the blocked lava. It switched back to Olivia. _"Unblock them, and I'm guessing something cool will happen."_

"Just break the blocks or something." muttered Em. Nell nudged her.

"Oh, come on! Where's the fun in that?"

Jesse nodded. _"Okay, I'm going to figure this out."_

_"Never doubted you for a minute."_

"He's the leader." muttered Hadrian, looking from the Jesse onscreen- clad in Ellegaard's armor, an enchanted diamond sword just a movement away- to the real Jesse, sitting next to his friends on pillows and blankets, wearing dungarees and cuddling a pig. "And yet he appears to be the most innocent."

"Innocence is not ignorance, Hadrian." whispered Otto, "And I believe it is more of him being optimistic, rather than innocence."

"Optimism," said Hadrian, "Is just another word for innocence."

"And yet you'll still hurt him." It wasn't a question. "If you have to."

Hadrian didn't answer. He didn't need to.

Onscreen, Jesse studied the third channel for a moment, before turning to Axel, who was sitting next to it. _"Hey, Axel?"_

The large male smiled up at him. _"What'cha need, buddy?"_

_"So, what kind of loot you think we're going to find in here?"_

_"Oh, man."_ said Axel, _"Well, I want to make a room with an emerald floor, right?"_

"Hey, I have multiple of them!" Magnus said, sharing a grin with the real Axel.

 _"Who doesn't?"_ chuckled Jesse.

_"I'm, like, four emeralds away, so getting some emeralds would be pretty sweet."_

"I only ever use my emeralds to trade with villagers." shrugged Stacy, "Although a an emerald floor does sound pretty cool."

 _"Man,"_ said Jesse, _"We have the best adventures, don't we?"_

 _"Yeah, it's pretty sweet."_ Axel scratched at his neck, _"I was worried I wouldn't be cool enough, or smart enough, or whatever enough to to be in the Order of the Stone..."_ he gave Jesse a large smile, _"Thanks for always believing in me, buddy."_

"I'm certainly not stopping anytime soon." declared Jesse, causing Axel to give him a smile identical to his onscreen counterparts.

 _"Psh, you know it."_ Jesse said. He glanced around the chamber. _"Axel, what do you think of the situation?"_

 _"Um, I dunno about the 'situation.' I kinda do more 'blowing stuff up.' So..."_ he shrugged, _"If you need someone to do stuff like that, I'm_ totally _your guy."_

Ellegaard rolled her eyes. "Reminds me of someone else I know."

_"Okay, I'm gonna keep working on this."_

Axel nodded. _"Sounds good, dude."_

Jesse turned back to the third channel, making his way over to the lever right next to it. _"Ah, my old friend, the lever."_ He flipped it, Olivia coming up behind him, and lava starting to flow down from the channels. However, it had barely gotten halfway to the floor before the pistons shot back into their previous positions, stopping the flow.

 _"Blocked again."_ sighed Olivia.

Frowning, Jesse made his way over to the other side of the room to the first channel, flipping that ones lever. The pistons retracted, and the lava fell down the channels and right into the one into the floor. Unlike the other one, it didn't block again.

"Hmm." hummed Milo, "Curious."

Jesse nodded, looking over towards the second channel. He passed Petra, flipping the lever not that far from her. Just like the first one, the pistons retracted, but Jesse looked over his shoulder at the first to see that ones pistons blocking the lava again, stopping its flow.

"Well," said Em, "This is boring."

"It's, uh," Stampy rubbed the back of his head, "It's not all that exciting, is it?"

Jesse made his way back over to the third channel, flipping it's lever again. But, once again, the pistons blocked the lava duct only moments later, the second one doing the same seconds after.

"Aaaaand we're back to square one." said Petra.

Brow furrowed, Jesse made his way back over to the second one, once again flipping the switch. The ducts opened, lava flowing through, _"Hey!"_ exclaimed Axel, _"It's worki-"_ The pistons shot back into place. _"Oh wait. No, it's not. Never mind."_

With a sigh, Jesse walked over to the first channel, turning its lever and allowing the lava to flow through to the floor. He went to the second channel, flipped that lever, and the first one closed as the second ones lava flowed down instead.

"I don't think that's getting you anywhere." said Cassie.

"Such a complex puzzle." Ivor muttered, more to himself than the others, "I wonder how they built it."

Jesse came up to the first one again, flicking the switch. This time, both the first and second channels allowed their lava to flow freely. Grinning, Jesse put his hands on his hips. _"Ah, now we're getting somewhere."_

"It must be some sort of pattern." said Sparklez, "You have to flip one switch, which will close one and open another, and then you have to flip that switch, and then that other switch-"

"Sparklez." Dan cut him off, "Stop."

Looking towards the last channel, Jesse walked around the crater towards it, flicking its lever and causing lava to flow down and into the floor.

"You did it!" cheered Olivia, gaining relieved sighs throughout the room. A few of the watchers had begun to stare off into space.

The screen showed the carter in the middle of the room, as it opened up bit by bit, causing the floor to shake and dust to fall from the ceiling, and revealing three lava falls going down into a deep hole. Jesse is soon looking about in confusion, before spotting the opening crater, his eyes widening.

It switched back to the crater, this time from another angle, revealing a wooden, spiral staircase going around the lava fall, vines littering the walls. Jesse and Axel are seen looking down, as the crater opened fully.

 _"I think I actually would've been disappointed,"_ said Axel, as Petra and Olivia followed Jesse down the stairs, _"If the floor_ didn't _open up into a dark, creepy passageway."_

"He's certainly got a point." Lukas said.

It changed to show them all making their way down the stairs, which were broken and uneven, briefly giving way to platforms before turning into more stairs. The glow of the lava fall illuminated their forms, causing their armor to gleam, casting their faces in shadows when they turned a certain way.

 _"This kinda reminds me of when we first found the Order's temple."_ said Petra.

Gabriel frowned. "I don't recall you being there."

Petra shrugged. "I'm probably talking about when I showed up. We only know what happened when Jesse and Axel were in Boom Town, not what happened with me, Lukas or Olivia while they were gone."

"Fair enough."

She chuckled. _"We were such a scared bunch of noobs back then."_

"Hey." said Axel playfully, giving her a mock glare.

 _"Hey, I wasn't scared."_ Axel declared.

 _"No?"_ Petra grinned, _"Then who was it that was yelling,"_ she threw her hands into the air, deepening her voice to sound more like her larger friend, _"'Help me! Help me! The dispensers are trying to kill me!'"_

"You weren't even there!" exclaimed Axel, although he couldn't help the wide grin on his face, "And I sound _nothing_ like that." Olivia stuffed her face into her pillow in an attempt to muffle her laughter.

 _"Wow."_ said Jesse, _"Yeah, that feels like it was, I dunno, a million years ago. We've packed a lot in since then."_

 _"And to think,"_ Olivia said, _"That was just the beginning."_

 _"Yeah."_ Axel agreed, _"That was before we'd fought Witherstorms, hung out with Endermen, reunited the Order... so crazy."_

"I wonder if I'm still having nightmares about, ah, 'hanging out with Endermen.'" Lukas said. Soren snorted.

They'd reached the bottom of the stairs, the lava fall going into a big hole. The room was incredibly large, the light of the lava slowly dying away until there was nothing but blackness all around them. A little ways from the stairs sat four chest in a neat little circle, appearing as ancient as the temple itself.

Jesse looked around, a grin splitting his face when his eyes landed upon the chests. _"Bingo!"_

"Treasure ho!" said Maya.

Onscreen, Jesse stopped in front of the chests. _"All right, let's so what we've got."_ He turned to the closest one, kneeling in front of it and opening the top, the hinges creaking loudly from disuse. Petra opened the one to his left, while Axel took the one across and Olivia knelt before the one on the right.

 _"Hey, it's a cake!"_ said Jesse, pulling out said treat.

 _"Aw, man, you got cake?!"_ exclaimed Axel, _"It's just... I really love cake. My mouth is practically watering just looking at it."_

"Hmm..." hummed Fishface, who's mouth was _actually_ watering, "Caaaaaaake."

Jesse shrugged, _"Hey, if you want it, it's all you!"_

 _"Oh man. Oh_ man _!"_ Axel laughed, happily accepting the sugary treat, _"Oh man, thank you!"_

Real-Axel threw his hands into the air. "YES!"

Jesse returned to his chest, continuing to rummage through it. This time, he pulled out a pumpkin. _"Huh. A pumpkin. Not bad."_ he pocketed it, _"Suppose that could be useful if we run into Endermen."_

"In the jungle? Not likely." said Soren.

"Maybe they had to go through some mountains to get there." Lizzie suggested.

 _"Aaaaand looks we've got one more thing in here. It's..."_ he pulled out a flint and steel, glowing a blue as bright as a Sea Lantern. Jesse's eyes widened, not finishing his sentence, mostly because he wasn't entirely sure what it was he was holding.

Cassie's eyes widened. The key.

The screen switched to show Olivia closing her chest, looking over in Jesse's direction with a raised eyebrow, wondering why he'd trailed off. Upon spotting the flint and steel, her own eyes widened, and she came up behind him as Jesse moved away from the chests. _"What did you find?"_

Ivor abruptly gasped, causing quite a few heads to snap towards him. He covered his mouth with his hands, his eyes dancing with excitement, and he was almost bouncing where he sat. "Is that? It is!"

"Okaaaay." said Ellegaard, looking at him weirdly and shifting closer to Magnus. The king's expression was a mix of concern and bemusement.

"You all right, man?"

Ivor waved his hand at him as if to tell him to be quiet, not taking his eyes off the screen. Gabriel and Soren looked at each other, the former giving a shrug.

 _"What are you guys talking abou- whoa."_ breathed Axel, coming up on Jesse's other side, the blue glow reflecting off his helmet. Petra appeared over Jesse's shoulder. _"That's super cool."_

 _"I've never seen a flint and steel like that before."_ said Petra.

 _"That glow... is it some sort of enchantment?"_ asked Jesse. Olivia shook her head, frowning.

_"I don't know. I've seen people put an Unbreaking enchantment on flint and steel before... but that's not Unbreaking."_

Petra shrugged. _"You could give it a shot and find out."_

 _"Okay, flint and steel,"_ said Jesse, getting down onto one knee and holding the item had arms length, _"Do your thing."_ He clicked the two pieces together and, instead of flames, came out a strange, bright light that revealed the millions and millions of zombies behind them.

"Oh no." groaned Olivia. The Gladiators exchanged excited grins.

 _"Well,"_ said Jesse, climbing to his feet, _"I have never seen flint and steel do_ that _before."_

Petra turned around, spotting the monsters making their way towards them. _"Uh oh."_

"Googlies!" squeaked Stampy, clutching onto Dan's arm.

The new Order turned to face the zombies, only to quickly discover that they were surrounded. They ran towards the stairs, but skidded to a stop when they realized it was surrounded by monsters.

"That is a _lot_ of monsters." muttered Isa, a shiver running up her spine. Reginald gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

The group stood in a circle, back to back, Petra drawing her sword and Olivia an enchanted bow. _"Order of the Stone?"_ said Jesse, pocketing the flint and steel and pulling out his own sword, _"Looks like some monsters have a death wish."_

 _"So what's the plan?"_ asked Axel, the camera starting to circle them, _"If you ask me, it seems like a good time a secret handshake."_

Lukas blinked. "What?"

 _"Yeah!"_ said Olivia, eagerly, an arrow aimed at the monsters. _"So let's use the Redstone Rap. Obviously!"_

"The Redstone what-now?" said Stacy.

 _"Uh, I think you mean the Warrior Whip."_ Petra said, _"Obviously."_

"Do that one! That one sounds cool!" said Gill.

 _"Oh, come on!"_ Axel protested, _"It was my idea. Let's do the Griefer Grab!"_

"No, no, no!" Gill exclaimed hastily, "Do that one, do that one!"

 _"Warrior Whip!"_ Jesse decided, sheathing his sword, _"Go!"_

Magnus, Gill and Axel groaned in disappointment.

Onscreen, Jesse and Petra stood in front of each other, grabbing a hold of each others arms, Petra still with her sword in hand. She gave him a grin. _"Come on, Jesse, make it good. Just like he practiced."_

He started spinning her around, so fast that her entire body lifted into the air. _"Whooooaaaa!"_ And then Jesse let go, sending Petra flying towards the zombies by the stairs. She spun in the air, slashing at the monsters with her blade and causing them to puff into smoke, before she knocked the last one to the ground and landed on one knee, killing it with a single swipe. The screen zoomed in on her, a satisfied smirk on her lips, as Jesse ran forwards and onto the first couple stairs, hands on his hips and grinning.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" exclaimed Nell, "You guys could even be as good as Tim!"

"I can't _wait_ to try that." said Petra, high fiving Jesse.

 _"You guys, that was amazing!"_ Olivia exclaimed, as she and Axel ran forwards.

 _"Okay, okay,"_ said Axel, walking up the first couple steps, _"It wasn't bad."_

"Oh, your just bummed we didn't use Griefer Grip or whatever it was called." Petra said.

They ran up the stairs, but hadn't even gotten to the first landing before a hidden door in the wall opened, zombies groaning and moaning as they stumbled through.

"Wow," said Sparklez, "This has got to be one of the most well-guarded and complicated temples I've ever seen."

Jesse drew his sword, as another door opened near the bottom of the stairs, zombies walking into thin air and falling down onto them. Olivia groaned, pulling out her bow and notching an arrow. _"All these mobs. Where does it end?"_ Petra pulled out her sword.

Turning to the zombies blocking their path, Jesse swiped through the first one, and then jumped to the side as the second lunged at him, kicking it over the edge and down into the small lava pool bellow.

They ran up the stairs, only to come to a sudden stop as an arrow lodged itself into the wood in front of them. They looked up to see two skeletons on the stairs above them, only for a lava fall to come down and sizzle their bones to ash, setting the stairs on fire.

 _"Ha! The lava took them out."_ grinned Axel, as more skeletons rained from above, and the lava fall passed where they'd been moments before.

 _"Aaaaand there goes the stairs."_ said Olivia, as the lava hit more stairs and set them alight.

 _"We need to get out of here!"_ yelled Jesse, _"Now!"_

"I'm all for that plan." muttered Lukas. At the back of his mind, he wondered where he was. He wasn't all that surprised he hadn't joined them on adventuring, seeing as how he was more of a builder than a treasure hunter, but he still wondered.

Axel, Olivia and Petra ran ahead, Jesse coming right behind them. Petra gasped, _"Look out!"_

Another lava fall leaked from the walls, and Jesse slid under it to avoid colliding with it, not stopping for a second as he ran after his friends. The lava set the platform on fire, as well as the one under it. If any of them were to fall, they wouldn't be getting back up.

The fire and lava had already burned away some of the stairs, leaving a gap at a corner. His friends already on the other side, Jesse leaped over the gap and onto the stairs, just as the ones behind him burned away and vanished. He ran off screen momentarily, the stairs he'd been on not seconds before catching fire.

"Ooooh, boy." groaned Stampy, clutching his stomach and looking a little pale, "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy."

Jesse came to a stop with a gasp as the stairs in front of him vanished, and he looked over to just a little ways ahead of him to see his friends trapped as well, a lava fall preventing them from jumping back, as though it would help even if they could.

 _"We're trapped!"_ said Axel, as Jesse looked down far, far bellow him, _"Now what?"_

Then he turned to the vines, tangled and twisted all over the walls. _"Quick! Jump!"_

"Yes!" exclaimed Soren, "You can climb the vines all the way to the top!"

Onscreen, Jesse leaped towards the vines just as the stairs he'd been standing on caught fire, vanishing only moments after he'd latched onto the greenery. _"Okay, let's get out of here."_

The screen switched to show his friends climbing the vines as well, the small platform they'd been on long gone. They started climbing, the open crater just above them, but they hadn't even made it halfway before a group of spiders crawled out of another secret door.

 _"Cave Spiders."_ groaned Petra, _"Why'd it have to be Cave Spiders?"_

"I _hate_ those things." agreed Dan, face twisted into a look of disgust.

 _"The only way out of here is through them,"_ said Jesse, drawing his sword, _"So get ready!"_

A spider came up towards him, clicking its pincers, red eyes blazing angrily. Jesse batted it away with his sword, quickly doing the same to another when it turned towards him. Another one leaped towards him, but Jesse slashed through its hide like a hot knife through butter, and it joined its friends bellow.

"Awesome!" cheered Nell. Em rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh.

A gasp tore from Jesse's lips as, above them, the crater began to close piston by piston. _"The tunnel! It's closing!"_

"Not so awesome!"

Jesse looked at his sword, then back at the exit, before holding his arm back and launching his sword towards it, and the enchanted blade lodged itself between the two parts, stopping it from closing them in.

"THAT WAS SO AWESOME!" screamed Nell, jumping to her feet.

"I know!" exclaimed Axel, "I know!"

"Great job, Jesse!" grinned Lukas.

Hadrian and Mevia looked at each other, although they said nothing. Harper shot them a weary look.

 _"I can't believe I just saw that!"_ gasped Axel, as they all climbed up to the crater, _"That was amazing! Why is no one freaking out?"_

 _"Freak out on the inside, Axel!"_ said Petra, as said boy climbed through the gap, _"We gotta move!"_

The screen switched to the room with the channels, as Jesse climbed out through the gap after Petra. _"Man,"_ he said, grinning as he turned to get his sword, _"This is becoming, like, my lucky swor- oh no."_ More cave spiders had crawled through the secret door, and where making their way right towards them.

Jesse tugged and tugged at the sword, the spiders coming closer with every passing second. The blade scraped against the stone, leaving small indents, and Jesse yanked it out with one last mighty pull, just as a cave spider reached the opening. The crater slammed shut, squished the spider and reducing it to dust.

"Oh, that was a close one." muttered Maya, wringing her hands in her shirt.

Onscreen, Jesse let out a shaky breath, looking up at Axel as he came towards him, holding out his hand. _"Come on, dude, let's get you out of here!"  
_

Jesse took the offered hand, and all four of them ran towards the exit and out into the night. The screen blacked out.

"Okay," said Nell, "That was _so_ cool, brah. Like, _so_ cool. I-I don't even know where to start!"

Em shot her a look. "Then don't."

"It's nice how you guys work together like that." said Sparklez, "Teamwork makes the dream work, after all!"

"You got it." Ivor laughed, almost in disbelief, "You actually got it!"

"Okay," said Petra, turning back to the screen, "I'm officially freaked out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What secret handshake did you choose? Redstone Rap, Warrior Whip, Griefer Grab or Builder Bump? Let me know in the reviews!


	29. Blaze Rods

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Twenty-Nine: Blaze Rods**

* * *

The screen came back on to the group outside the temple, sheathing their weapons, panting and grinning at each other. Axel panted, resting his hands on his knees. _"I'll tell ya guys, doing that never gets old. Woo!"_

Jesse sheathed his own sword, instead pulling out the flint and steel again, looking it over curiously.

"Okay, is someone going to explain what that thing is?" asked Magnus, "'Cause, I'm not sure if it's only me, but I'm am _completely_ lost right now."

"Let's just watch and find out." said Cassie, scratching Winslow behind the ear. Aiden's eyes lingered on her, taking in the curve of her lips and the shine of her skin, her blue beanie sitting neatly atop her bright red hair, the shade of a rose. He wondered if it smelt liked roses too.

 _"Yeah, not bad."_ said Petra, _"Killing a bunch of monsters, getting sweet treasure..."_

 _"Like that flint and steel thing!"_ Axel grinned, Jesse turning to face them, _"You gotta try it again!_ _"_

"Yeah, burn something!" said Clutch.

 _"I'd be curious to see it again too!"_ said Olivia, _"I'm dying to know how it works!"_

 _"Okay,"_ Jesse said, looking around, _"What should I burn first?"_

 _"The grass!"_ said Axel immediately, jumping up and down in excitement. _"No, that stump!"_

Half the watchers leaned forwards eagerly, wanting to see what would happen when you actually set something on fire with it.

Jesse walked over to the stump and held out the flint and steel, clinking the trinket together. Immediately, the stump burst into a four-block tall blue flame, casting the gaping group in it's bright glow.

_"Whoa!"_

The flame vanished, and Jesse's excited grin vanished as he spotted the figure leaning against the stairs, an enchanted diamond sword at his side. _"Well, well."_ the screen zoomed in on the sword, its blade gleaming from the enchantment, going up its length and to the armored hand resting on its hilt. _"Where'd you get the new toy?"_

Maya's awed smile vanished, replaced by a look of dread. Gill had stopped smiling as well, his mouth curving down grimly. More than a few looks were shot in Aiden's direction, who was staring down at his clenched fist, resting in his lap. His expression was unreadable. It could even be called blank.

The person jumped down, the screen going up his body as he walked towards him, revealing it to be Aiden. _"Huh. Looks a little sophisticated for you, Jesse."_ he sheathed his sword, the screen switching to the new Order as Maya and Gill came up behind them, grinning.

 _"Order of the Losers."_ said Maya. Gill laughed, Aiden coming around towards them.

_"Yeah. Losers."_

Real-Maya sighed, closing her eyes, shoulders slumped in shame. "Sorry, guys."

"It's okay, Maya." Jesse said, without a moments hesitation, "We aren't friends in this version."

The girl gave him a small, grateful smile, which Jesse returned with a large one. They returned to the episode.

The three came to a stop in front of the new Order, Aiden placing his hands on his hips and smirking at them, seemingly unfazed by the heated glares he was receiving.

 _"Ugh."_ Olivia said, her usually warm eyes hard, _"Who let you guys out of your cave?"_

 _"Jokes on you,"_ said Maya, _"We don't live in a cave."_

Aiden put his head in his hand, raising it to glare at her, _"Shut up, you idiot."_

"Wow," muttered Nell, frowning, "Not cool, dude."

 _"Ugh,"_ groaned Jesse, _"What grief are you here to give us now?"_ Aiden's eyes hardened, face twisting into a sneer.

_"Look. Who's. Talking."_

"But _you're_ the one that showed up uninvited." Ellegaard frowned, shooting the real Aiden a glare.

 _"So what are you 'Ocelots' doing here, anyway?"_ asked Olivia, saying the team name in a mocking tone.

Lukas frowned. "I like ocelots."

 _"The Ocelots were Lukas' gang."_ Aiden laughed, _"We ditched that name just like we ditched him."_

Lukas' eyes widened, hurt flashing across his face. Maya put her hands to her mouth, tears sprouting in her eyes. Gill crossed his arms, watching Aiden out of the corner of his eye. The other boy was staring at the screen now, an expression he couldn't quite place on his features. Sadness? Regret?

"You... you guys kick me out." the blonds voice was barely above a whisper, and he felt as though he'd just been stabbed in the heart with a pickax. Sure, he and Aiden weren't really getting along lately, but in this version of events, they hadn't even watched the episodes. And yet... he'd still been kicked out.

He'd still lost his friends.

"Don't worry, Lukas." Petra spoke up, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close in an almost hug, "You still got us."

"Yeah," agreed Axel, "And we're not leaving you behind anytime soon." Jesse and Olivia nodded in agreement, Reuben giving the blond his special piggy grin. Lukas gave them a weak smile.

"Thanks, guys."

 _"Yeah, we rebranded!"_ said Maya, turning around to reveal the crossed blaze rods on the back of her jacket, putting her hands on her hips, _"We're the Blaze Rods now."_

"I like Ocelots better." muttered Gill.

Onscreen, Gill threw his hands into the air. _"Blaze Rods!"_

 _"Shut up, Gill."_ hissed Aiden. Gill's grin fell, his arms dropping back to his sides.

_"Sorry, boss."_

_"Don't do it again."_

_"Oh, uh, that's too bad."_ said Jesse, _"I thought 'Ocelots' was_ way _cooler."_ Gill nodded.

_"That's what I said."_

Aiden glared at him again. _"Shut up, Gill."_

"Blaze Rods is actually a pretty cool name." Dan whispered, only loud enough for Stampy to hear, who snorted.

Onscreen, Aiden walked a little ways away, looking out into the greenery. _"So where's Lukas, huh?"_ he turned back around to face them, Maya and Gill moving to stand on either side of him again, _"The minute the Order decided you were cool-"_

 _"For whatever reason."_ Maya added in, as Aiden stepped forwards to get in Jesse's face.

_"-He wouldn't stop sniffing around you like a tamed dog."_

"I am going to _punch_ this guy!" snapped Petra, hands clenched into fists and jaw locked, brow creased in anger. Lukas reached out and grabbed her shoulder, shaking his head and speaking quietly.

"He's not worth it, Petra."

"Maybe not," said Jesse, glancing over at the real Aiden before turning to his blond friend, "But you certainly are."

Lukas blinked, surprised dancing across his face. "Thanks, Jess."

 _"You take that back!"_ Petra demanded, coming up behind Jesse and giving Aiden a death glare.

_"Mmm, no."_

_"Hey, Lukas is ten times the guy you are."_ the redhead growled, Axel and Olivia nodding in agreement.

"Thank you, too, Petra." said Lukas. He nodded towards Olivia and Axel. "And you guys."

"Just like I said before," Jesse smiled, giving Lukas a smile nudge, " _No one_ messes with my friends."

 _"Orrr,"_ ground out Maya, _"He's a whiny dingus."_

Real-Maya groaned, burying her head in her hands. "I am so, _so_ sorry."

 _"Lukas is a hero."_ said Jesse, his usually kind eyes narrowed into a glare of hot knives, _"Which is more than I can say for any of you creeps."_

Aiden was silent for a moment, glancing down at the enchanted flint and steel, the two pieces still separated in Jesse's hands. _"You probably think that thing makes you_ so _special. Classic Jesse."_

"'Classic Jesse'? How the hell is that even _close_ to 'Classic Jesse'?" Petra growled through clenched teeth.

Hadrian was looking at Aiden in interest. It was rather obvious from the other two's reactions that they weren't all that happy about what their onscreen counterparts were saying, especially the girl. But Aiden... well. Maybe Hadrian could make him useful, if the need arose.

 _"You take all the best stuff and never give anyone else a chance."_ accused Aiden. He pointed his thumb at his chest, _"That should've been_ ours _."_

"He's not very pleasant, is he?" muttered Stampy, Dan and Cassie nodding in agreement.

 _"Oh, yeah?"_ glared Axel, as Jesse pocketed the flint and steel, seeming to have forgotten he was even holding it. Maya pursed her lips.

_"Yeah!"_

Gill threw his hands into the air again, whispering, _"Blaze Rods!"_ Aiden sent him a look.

 _"Hey, we earned this, all right?"_ said Jesse, hands on his hips, _"Fair and square."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Axel said, _"We fought monsters, lava and levers to get this thing,"_ the screen momentarily switched to Aiden's face, who's pale green eyes narrowed, _"And we ain't giving it up!"_

 _"Ha."_ Aiden laughed humorlessly, _"Nothing you have ever done has been 'fair and square,' Jesse."_

"Says the guy who burned down their Endercon build." said Soren, crossing his arms. Magnus shook his head.

"Yeah, that wasn't cool, man."

Onscreen, Aiden clenched his fists, almost appearing to be shaking in rage. He reached over his shoulder and drew his sword, the point aimed right at Jesse, who's eyes widened. There was the sound of two other blades coming free of their scabbards, indicating that Maya and Gill had done the same.

 _"Hand over the flint and steel, Jesse."_ said Aiden, _"Don't make me ask again."_

"Wow." said Stacy, her eyes wide.

 _"You don't get that one."_ Aiden continued, _"It's supposed to be mine."_

"What happened to it being ours?" Gill asked, although he said it so quietly that not even Aiden heard him. He didn't repeat himself, raising his head and locking eyes with Maya, on the other side of the room.

They both knew the answer.

_"Haven't you taken enough?"_

Jesse shook his head. _"Go find your own stuff, Aiden."_

 _"It's not enough that you got to save the world,"_ Aiden growled, sword still raised, _"You had to go and take all the world's best stuff, too."_

"Did he just say that?" asked Ellegaard, "I can't believe he just said that."

 _"So, if I want my own stuff,"_ he shrugged, _"That means I need to take it. From you."_

"That guy wouldn't last a second in that temple." said Em, only loud enough for Nell to hear, "Let alone the Games."

 _"I'm tired of listening to your jaw flap."_ said Axel, before letting out a yell and running towards Aiden like a charging bull. The bully raised his leg and kicked the larger male right in the stomach, sending him onto his back.

_"You don't touch me."_

"Axel!" gasped Olivia. Real-Axel winced, rubbing at his stomach. That was going to hurt.

Jesse looked down at his fallen friend with wide eyes, before he turned back to Aiden and they hardened into a glare, and in one swift motion he reached over his shoulder and drew his own sword, the two enchanted diamond blades almost crossing.

Besides him, Petra drew her own golden blade, and next to her Olivia notched an arrow onto her bow, Maya gasping when the other girl aimed it at her. On Jesse's other side, Axel got to his feet, grinning and raising his fists.

"Yeah!" cheered Slab, "Beat the crap out of them punks!"

Sparklez winced. "Uh... h-how about we _don't_ do that?"

Aiden sneered, _"Some hero you are, Jesse."_

 _"Let's just go home, you guys."_ Jesse sighed, _"These 'Blaze Rods' aren't worth it."_

They were all silent for a long moment, Aiden looking from the new Order, with their enchanted weapons and endurable armor, to his own group, with their straps and shoulder pads, a single diamond sword each. He growled, sheathing his sword.

_"Fine."  
_

"Good choice." muttered Gabriel.

Maya and Gill did the same, and so did Jesse and his own friends. Aiden backed away a little.

 _"What hope do we have when 'heroes' like you are throwing your weight around like this?"_ the screen momentarily switched to Jesse, his eyes narrowing, _"It's not always going to be this way, though."_ Aiden grinned, a grin that promised something no one could place, pale green eyes glinting. He turned around. _"Come on, you guys. Let's get out of here."_

He and Maya started walking away, but Gill turned to the new Order one more time and threw his hands into the air again, shouting, _"Blaze Rods!"_ Aiden shoved him, almost knocking him to the ground, his face twisted into a look of annoyance.

_"I told you to_ _shut up_ _!"_

Real-Aiden closed his eyes, feeling as though there was an anvil on his chest. He could feel Gill and Maya's eyes boring into his skull, but he didn't turn to face him. Couldn't, really.

Was he really that big of a jerk?

Gill hastily followed after Maya, rubbing at his chest, where Aiden had shoved him. The bully looked over his shoulder as he walked after them, where Jesse and his friends stood, watching. _"Look out, Jesse."_

Once the Blaze Rods were out of earshot, Olivia shook her head, she and the others still watching their retreating forms. _"I don't remember him being_ that _angry before."_

 _"Wow."_ said Jesse, _"Us being the new Order of the Stone is really getting to that guy. He's gone crazy."_

"That's putting it lightly." muttered Lizzie.

 _"We should be careful."_ Petra agreed, Jesse turning around to face her, _"He seems... different. Scarier."_

 _"Man."_ Axel raised a side of his brow, _"And all because he wanted that flint and steel. What are you gonna do with it?"_

"Take it to me, take it to me, take it to me." Ivor chanted under his breath, earning even more odd and concerned looks from his old friends.

 _"Ivor's the one that told us about this temple."_ Petra shrugged, as Jesse tapped his chin thoughtfully, _"He might know something about it."  
_

Jesse shrugged. _"Hopefully Ivor can tell us more about it, then."_

Ivor threw his hands into the air, grinning widely. "Yes!"

"Okay, what is up with you?" asked Magnus, "You're starting to freak me out."

With that, Jesse turned around and led them back into the jungle, in what was most likely the direction of home, the screen going up to give them one last view of the temple, the second channel able to be seen with it's glowing lava through the doorway. The screen blacked out.

"So how does this thing even work?" asked Harper, gaining a few startled looks. Ellegaard shrugged.

"We've got no idea. I don't want to mess around with it in case I break it, but it got everything right down to the last detail when it showed us things that have already happened."

The screen flickered back to life to show the gates leading into a town, the very same one that the previous episode had ended at. The screen goes down to the path leading up to it, revealing the new Order making their way along it.

 _"Finally starting to recognize stuff again."_ said Axel, _"Feels good to almost be home."_

Jesse, Lukas, Olivia, Petra, Axel and Maya shared sad looks.

"Oh, yeah." sighed Olivia, "I'd forgotten. Again."

 _"Cheers to that, friend."_ Petra said. Olivia sighed.

 _"I just can't shake what Aiden was saying about us back there. We_ do _get a lot of treasure."_ Jesse rubbed the back of his head, as Olivia continued, _"And I guess sometimes we might throw our weight around..."_

"Ah, the 'heroes get arrogant' thing." Sparklez shrugged, "That's a classic. Although I can't really see any of you doing that." he faltered, his eyes briefly landing on Axel, "Well, most of you, anyway."

 _"What?"_ Axel shook his head, _"No. Aiden's got a bad case of treasure-envy, pure and simple."  
_

Olivia shook her head, looking at the ground, _"I dunno..."_

 _"C'mon, Aiden's just jealous. Isn't that obvious?"_ Jesse assured her, as the gates opened at their approach and they walked through them, _"He see's us with our fancy armor, cool treasure, and he wishes he had it too."_

"Can't deny that." Dan admitted.

The screen moved above the town, revealing Reuben's monument not that far from the gate, passed a small pool, the rainbow beacon that had lit the sky in the Witherstorm's defeat, and some sort of Hall with something that looked like a lightning bolt made out of gold above the door.

At the sight of Reuben's monument, Real-Jesse looked down at the little piggy in his lap, who was nuzzling into his stomach contently, without a care in the world. He sighed, giving Reuben a little squeeze.

He was going to save him.

 _"I guess so."_ Olivia said, although she still sounded a bit unsure.

It switched back to them, walking a little ways from Reuben's monument. _"Well,"_ said Petra, taking off her helmet and seeming to be bracing herself, _"No matter what Aiden thinks, there's one thing I know."_ Jesse raised an eyebrow at her as they came to a stop.

_"What's that?"_

Petra pointed, _"_ They _think we're awesome."_

The screen switched around to show a man and a women turning to face them, their faces lighting up in excitement, and the man started jumping up and down. _"They're back! You guys, they're back!"_

Real-Jesse blinked, sharing startled looks with his friends.

Abruptly, the screen zoomed in on the women's face, as a face-splitting grin appeared on her face. She twisted around to look at her friend, practically bouncing where she stood, _"Run! Tell everyone that our heroes have returned!"_

"Well," Jesse said slowly, wide eyed, "This is... new."

"It's awesome, that's what it is!" Axel grinned.

Onscreen, Jesse looked to the side with an almost uncomfortable expression, seemingly still new to the attention. The man is seen running through the streets, his feet pounding against stone, and thousands and thousands of people stuck their heads out of the windows of buildings. Within moments, the man had an entire crowd behind him, all cheering and screaming in excitement. One man appeared up close, waving his hands above his head and yelling.

"They're, ah," Sparklez fixed his sunglasses, "They're _really_ happy to see you."

The people skidded to a stop around the new Order, leaving nothing but a small circle. The ones in front of Jesse looked at him almost expectantly, but he didn't seem to know what to do. Not a moment later, Axel shoved him out of the way, grinning as he removed his helmet, _"Yup! New Order of the Stone is back in town!"_

"Rude." muttered Otto.

The crowd started cheering and screaming again at that, as Jesse straightened and dusted himself off, rolling his eyes. He led them through the crowd, which started to part to let them through, and it was almost exactly like the end of the previous episode, when they were making their way towards the stage.

 _"Ahh!"_ a girl screamed, _"There they are!"_

 _"I like Olivia's armor the best!"_ a boy declared, _"No, wait, no, no, Axel's!"_

_"Jesse, you're the coolest!"_

Real-Jesse was starting to turn red, Lukas nudging him in the ribs and giving him a grin.

Jesse gave the crowd an awkward smile, _"And it's good to be back! We've been on this wild, epic adventure full of monsters, hidden temples, treasures..."_ A girl in the crowd started jumping so high that they actually got a good view of her, screeching.

_"I can't take it anymore! You guys are awesome!"_

The girl that had spotted them upon entering town suddenly appeared in front of Jesse, raising her hand and saying in a sing-song voice, _"Welcome baaack!"_

After a moments hesitation, Jesse high fived the raised hand, giving the fangirl an awkward smile. The girl turned around to someone they couldn't see properly, grinning ear to ear, _"See that? Jesse high-fived me!_ ME! _"_ Jesse and his friends walked passed, the young leader giving the fangirl a little, incredibly awkward wave. She returned the wave enthusiastically, before turning back to her friend, _"It actually hurt a little bit. Wow."_ And, with that, she fell down in a dead faint.

"Wow, brah." laughed Nell, "You are, like, tots famous where you come from."

"Ah, yes," Petra chuckled, gesturing to Jesse's bright red face, "Jesse the Tomato-Head and his mighty group, the new Order of the Stone!"

Jesse threw a pillow at her.

Suddenly, a terrified scream pierced the air, drowning out all the cheering from the crowd and causing the group to come to an abrupt halt. The screen zoomed round to reveal some sort of giant skull, tentacles keeping it in the air, vines dangling from its surface and lava pouring out of its mouth.

"That," said Slab, "Has got to be the coolest thing I have ever seen."

Milo was gaping in astonishment, at a lost for words. Isa and Reginald glanced at each other.

Jesse, Olivia, Petra and Axel walked forwards, looking up at the build. Olivia winced, _"That wasn't a 'happy to see us' scream."_

 _"Wow. That's new."_ said Petra, cocking her head to the side, _"It_ somehow _manages to evoke skulls_ and _tentacles..."_

 _"While still doing the whole 'barfing lava' thing."_ Olivia shook her head, _"Yeesh."_

"It's magnificent!" protested Ivor, momentarily forgetting his excitement over the flint and steel.

"Yeah! That's got to be one of the coolest builds I've ever seen!" Magnus agreed, Axel, Slab, Facemeat, Clutch, Nell, Soren, Dan, Gill and Milo nodding in agreement.

Ellegaard and Gabriel shared a look, the former of who rolled their eyes, while Gabriel just looked amused.

 _"I dunno."_ said Axel, _"I think it's kinda cool looking."_

 _"Wow, that is one epic build!"_ agreed Jesse, _"With the lava?"_

 _"Yeah! Yeah!"_ Axel grinned, _"And the skull motif?"_

 _"Awesome."_ they said in unison.

Real-Jesse and Axel high-fived, Olivia, Petra and Maya rolling their eyes at them. Lukas was just trying not to laugh.

 _"I will never understand your taste."_ Olivia stated.

_"NOT MY FAULT!"_

"Hold on," Ellegaard said, "Was that Ivor?"

"That explains it." Gabriel muttered.

 _"Look out!"_ someone shouted.

_"Help!"_

The groups eyes widened, and they ran towards the skull build, coming to a stop at the bottom.

 _"Oh, stop your whining! What are your pathetic injuries in comparison to my majestic tower?"_ the screen zoomed out a little, showing the back of Ivor's head, as he looked down at the people bellow.

Jesse blinked. _"Ivor?"_

"Called it!" Magnus exclaimed, fist-pumping the air. Ellegaard raised an eyebrow at him.

"What are you talking about? _I'm_ the one who said it was Ivor."

"Yes, well," the king shrugged, rubbing at his bald head. He wrapped an arm around Ellegaard's shoulders, pulling her close, "My Ellie called it, which is basically the same thing."

Ellegaard went bright red, ducking her head to hide the wide smile that forced its way onto her lips. Gabriel and Soren were trying- and failing, mostly- to cover up their laughter, while Ivor grinned openly. Magnus gave them a confused look and, upon realizing what he'd called her, went a little pink around the ears.

Petra sighed. _"Of course."  
_

 _"Oh, Jesse, you're back!"_ said Ivor, _"Don't listen to a word these fools tell you."_

A women standing a little ways from Jesse turned to face him, putting her hands on her hips, _"It's a fire hazard!"_

 _"Your face,"_ Ivor called down, _"Is an ugly hazard! So I suppose we're even."_

"Ivor, come now." said Gabriel, giving his friend a look, although there was an amused glint in his eye, "Is that really necessary?"

 _"Man, Ivor,"_ said Jesse, looking the build up and down, _"This is really cool."_

 _"Why, thank you, Jesse."_ Ivor said, actually sounding sincere, _"So good to finally see someone with some_ vision _."_

"So that's what we're calling it." muttered Lizzie.

 _"Jesse, seriously?"_ said Petra, moving to stand besides him, _"You can't let him keep this up."  
_

The crowd that had gathered around the bottom of Ivor's 'majestic tower' were looking at the young leader expectantly, some with their hands on their hips, brows furrowed.

 _"Jesse, all I wanted was what any man wants."_ said Ivor, _"A little house of my own. With loads of lava pouring off it."_

"Ah, yes," Petra rolled her eyes, "A killer house. _Literally_."

"It's so awesome." Magnus whispered loudly.

Onscreen, Petra shook her head, Axel and Olivia moving closer to get a better look at the build. _"Ivor, I know you mean well, but your 'house' wants to kill people!"_

 _"Dude,"_ said Axel, kneeling in front of some of the lava, _"You made a killer house!"_

 _"Exactly!"_ snapped the women, _"'Killer'!"_

Petra blinked, shrugging when some of the other watchers turned to look at her.

Ivor glared at the women. _"Shut up."_

 _"What about just moving it someplace else?"_ Jesse suggested weakly, _"I'm sure-"_

 _"Move it?"_ Ivor cut him off, _"Way more lava is going to spill out if we do that!"_

Jesse winced, the crowd once again turning to face him expectantly. The women still had her hands on her hips. _"Well? We have to tear it down!"  
_

"No, don't do that!" groaned Clutch. Stampy tugged at his sleeve.

"Can't you just, I don't know, get rid of the lava?"

_"We can't let that monstrosity stand!"_

Ivor jumped down from his tower, the women looking startled, and ran right up towards Jesse, who backed away a little with wide eyes. _"It's my house, Jesse. I have just the right to build something as all these people, don't I?"_

"Um, yeah, I'm sure you do," Dan ran his fingers through his purple hair, "But, uh, there's usually some sort of... restriction?"

Em blinked at him. "When'd your hair change color?"

"This is why we have a law against building." muttered Isa, Reginald, the only that heard her, nodding in agreement.

 _"They're just jealous that I've got_ vision, _will they've got, they've got..."_ Ivor shook his head, face twisting in disgust, _"'Community planning.' Bleh!"_

Soren rolled his eyes, "Not this again."

"What's wrong with community planning?" asked Isa, frowning. Milo shook his head.

"Oh, nothing."

Jesse was silent for a long moment, looking from Ivor, to the women, to the lava house, to Petra and back again. Finally, he gave a reluctant sigh, _"I'm sorry, Ivor, but your house is way too much of a hazard to the community."_ he turned to the crowd, _"Tear it down, everyone."_

"NOOO!" yelled Facemeat, falling out of his seat and onto his knees, "FACEMEAT SAD!"

Axel groaned, looking heartbroken, "Right back at'cha."

"But, but," Magnus said, "But it was _majestic_."

The crowd burst into cheers, Ivor looking heartbroken. Petra nodded in her friends direction, _"Good call."  
_

Still cheering, the crowd ran towards Ivor's build, starting to destroy the netherbrick tentacles. Axel fell to his knees, shaking his fists at the sky with a yell of despair, Olivia looking incredibly unimpressed.

 _"Bah!"_ said Ivor, turning back to the young leader, _"It's a slippery slope, Jesse. Today the lava house, tomorrow..."_ he turned around, glaring at the people tearing down his tower, _"Who knows what kind of rules you'll be imposing!"_

"Why did everyone turn to you in the first place?" asked Harper, causing Jesse to blink at her in surprise, "I mean, sure, you're the leader of this 'New Order of the Stone' and you saved the world and all, but it's not like you're mayor or something. They should have gone to the city council." she faltered, "You have those, right?"

"Uh, yeah?" said Lukas. He shook his head, turning to his pig-loving friend, "She's got a point, though."

 _"Don't be a sore loser, Ivor."_ Petra said. Ivor only crossed his arms, huffing.

After a moment, he turned back around to face them, although he still looked far from happy, and his next words were snappish, almost mocking. _"Haven't seen you around in a while. So what can I do for you?"_

"Is he going to be like that all episode?" asked Olivia.

Jesse winced, rubbing the back of his head, _"Hey, um, sorry about your house."_

 _"Oh, now you're sorry?"_ Ivor's glare intensified, _"I'm sorry that I live in a time where people don't appreciate true genius!"  
_

Petra rolled her eyes. _"Ugh, would you get over yourself already so Jesse can show you what we found in the jungle?"_

 _"What?"_ Ivor gasped, stepping closer to Jesse and lowering his voice, _"You did?"_

"Oh, finally!" Nell grinned, "We can find out what this glow-y thing is!"

Onscreen, Ivor gave an obviously fake laugh, nudging a very creeped-out Jesse, _"Yes, great to see you again! Let's do lunch."_ the bearded man was looking over his shoulder at the crowd still tearing apart his house, as if making sure no one was watching them, _"I'll bring the carrots."_

"Getting freaked out again." muttered Petra, Lukas nodding in agreement and sending the real Jesse a sympathetic look.

Then Ivor grabbed the young leaders shoulders, getting right in his face and lowering his voice to a hiss, _"There's no telling who's listening! Meet me in the Treasure Room. Ten minutes."_ his grip on Jesse's shoulders tightened, and he started to shake the boy, his voice going louder, _"And bring the thing you found!"_

Ivor let go, marching away and out of sight, leaving Jesse staring after him with wide eyes, visibly shaken. Petra came up and patted him on the back.

Soren, Gabriel, Magnus and Ellegaard sent Jesse sympathetic looks. Otto glanced at Ivor, shaking his head a little upon seeing that he was muttering to himself excitedly. He made eye contact with Harper, who looked amused more than anything else. Otto raised an eyebrow at her, but the girl only shrugged, smiling.

The screen switched over to Axel and Olivia, still standing by the lava fall. _"If we're going to start tearing this down,"_ said Olivia, _"We better start getting buckets together to scoop up all the lava."_ she looked around at Axel, Jesse and Petra, _"You got any iron?"_

 _"Oh, man, no."_ Axel shook his head, _"I'm all out."_

Olivia sighed, starting to walk away. _"Okay, we better go mine some more."_ She and Axel passed Jesse and Petra, Olivia giving the latter a small wave, _"We'll catch up with you later."_

 _"Yeah,"_ said Axel, _"Once we give this majestic house the funeral it deserves."  
_

This gained quite a few eye rolls from the audience.

Olivia rolled her eyes, although no one could see it, _"Right. What he said."_

Jesse smiled at them, _"Nice work today, guys."_

 _"Yeah, not bad, right?"_ Axel said. Olivia hummed.

_"It's like we should do this more often or something."_

Petra waved at their retreating backs, _"Later, guys!"  
_

 _"C'mon,"_ said Jesse, gesturing with his head in the direction of what was presumably the Treasure Room, _"Let's go find, Ivor."_ With that, he and Petra went one way, while Axel and Olivia left towards the gates. The screen was doused in blackness.

"Aw, man," groaned Axel, "I hope we catch up soon."

"I'm sure nothing _that_ interesting will happen will you're gone." said Lukas. Petra grinned.

"Yeah, what could happen? It's not like we'll be running into fire squids or something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you tear down Ivor's house or leave it alone? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> I was originally planning on stopping this chapter after the Treasure Room scene, but meh. It was taking too long.


	30. The Secret Portal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE HAVE HIT CHAPTER THIRTY! THIS HAS GOT TO BE ONE OF THE LONGEST STORIES I'VE EVER WRITTEN (AND STUCK WITH)!

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Thirty: The Secret Portal**

* * *

They're shown a large hall, with a statue of the amulet on the ceiling, one even more impressive than the one at Soren's mountain fortress. Jesse and Petra walked along a red carpet, passing gold pedestals with items they'd gotten from their adventures, posters lining the walls. At the very end of the hall, up a short staircase, were their most valued treasures. The Original Order's amulet, the Witherstorm's Nether Star, the armor from Ivor's lab, and a few empty pedestals.

"Wow!" exclaimed Olivia, "We've certainly been busy."

"Incredible." Soren chuckled, "That's even more impressive than the original Order's treasure room."

The screen closed in on Petra and Jesse, looking about at the treasures with pride and satisfaction. _"Wow."_ breathed Petra, _"This place is really shaping up."_

It zoomed out a bit, revealing that they weren't alone. Standing in front of the line of the most valuable treasures was someone else, although it certainly wasn't Ivor, considering this person had blond hair.

The screen moved along the valuable treasures, showing a Golden Apple, the Wither Star, an empty pedestal, before coming to a stop at the someone's back.

Jesse grinned. "Hold up, is that Lukas?"

Olivia blinked, before breaking out into a grin herself. "Holy cow, it is!"

 _"Whoa!"_ gasped Petra, causing the blond to jump and spin around to face them, _"Lukas! I don't believe it!"_

Lukas' broke out into a wide smile, laughing as he made his way down the stairs towards them _"Oh, hey, guys! You have some pretty cool stuff in here."_ he glanced about at the treasures, _"Crazy stuff."_

"Wonder where you've been all this time." mused Axel, "Didn't we say it had been months or something since the Witherstorm was defeated?"

"The Witherstorm?" Lizzie piped up, "Isn't that the monster Gabriel told us about?"

"Yeah, it is." said Jesse, before turning to Lukas, "So where _do_ you think you've been all this time?"

Lukas shrugged. "No idea. I mean, it must have took a while for the Ocelots to have actually kicked me out, seeing as how we were together during your speech-thing. I could have been anywhere since then."

Petra laughed, sounding almost breathless with excitement at the return of one of her best friends, _"Heh, yeah! No doubt!"_

 _"Hey, Lukas!"_ Jesse grinned, _"Great to see you!"_ Lukas returned the smile.

_"It's been a while. I really missed you guys."_

_"We missed you too."_ said Petra.

"Awwww." said Maya, propping her head up with one hand and smiling widely at the group on the floor, "Have I told you how cute you guys are?"

"What?" Axel blinked, almost sounding offended, "We're not _cute_."

Lukas looked about the room again, his eyes wide with awe. _"You have so many other treasures... boy, you've sure been busy."_ Something off to the side caught his eye, and he moved closer to it, his voice becoming softer, _"Oh, wow. You framed it. Er... him."_ Sure enough, there sat a banner of Reuben, two potted daisies on either side of the floor, the pork he'd dropped framed above the banner.

Isa's eyes widened, a hand moving up to her mouth in horror. Reginald gripped her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. Before she'd become the Founder, quite a few people had made fun of her for having a chicken for a best friend. It made sense that the only other person she knew who was best friends with an animal, despite having just met him, would make her take a liking towards them.

Jesse closed his eyes, hugging Reuben close to his chest, who buried his face in his shirt while making quiet little oinking noises. Lukas abandoned his pillow and scooted closer, wrapping an arm around the boys waist and pulling him close, Petra moving to join them, reaching over the blond to rub Reuben's head. Olivia got up from her position on the floor and cuddle up next to Jesse, resting her head on his shoulder and worming her arm around his. Axel scooted to sit next to her, reaching out and gripping Jesse's knee.

They knew this was going to be hard on him.

Onscreen, Jesse's face fell, and he turned to face the banner too. His shoulders slumped, his usually bright eyes turning sad. _"Yeah..."_

 _"How are you doing?"_ asked Lukas, his voice quiet.

Jesse was silent for a long moment, just staring at the picture, before he bowed his head and closed his eyes. Slowly, he turned around to face his two friends, although he kept his eyes on the floor. _"I really, really miss him._

Real-Jesse felt as though there was something sharp digging into his heart. He knew that his future-self was about to spill his guts out for everyone to see, and he would have been fine with it, really, if it _had_ actually been just his friends listening. But he didn't know half the people in the room, had trouble remembering what some of them were even called, he hasn't even had a proper conversation with any of them.

And he didn't want to remember this. He didn't want to think about his little buddy dying. He didn't want this.

But all he could do was sit there.

Jesse hugged himself, still not meeting either Lukas' or Petra's eyes. _"Every morning I wake up and, just for a minute, I can pretend that he's just in another room, or rooting outside looking for carrots."_ He glanced up, briefly meeting Lukas' sad blue eyes, before he looked back at the ground, _"And then every morning I get to remember all over again that he's gone."_

Clutch blew into a handkerchief, Facemeat sniffling and covering his face with his hands, while Slab whipped at the tears sprouting from his eyes. Sparklez took off his glasses, whipping at his own eyes, while Stampy buried his face into Dan's shoulder, the other boy rubbing his back soothingly. Cassie held Winslow closer to her chest, causing the calico to meow, burying her face into his furry neck.

Reginald rubbed at his red eyes, Isa picking up Benedict and wrapping her arms around her in a hug. Milo took off his hat in respect, while Harper and Otto shared a sad look. Maya whipped her nose, Gill burying his face into his arms and curling up into an almost-ball, Aiden staring at his lap with glazed eyes. Ellegaard snuggled closer to Magnus, who buried his face in her hair, his mask slightly wet around the eye holes.

Jesse still hadn't opened his eyes, although he could feel his friends shifting closer to him, squishing him between them. Reuben gave a little oink, and Jesse finally opened his eyes to look down at him, the little pig giving him his very special piggy smile, which he returned with a watery one.

Hadrian and Mevia looked at each other, the latter raising an eyebrow, the former shaking his head with a small smirk, which he was quick to conceal. This was turning out to be quite the amusing story.

 _"I'm so sorry."_ said Lukas, his voice a mere whisper. After a moment, he sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. _"Okay, guys, I promise I wasn't just here to bum everybody out. I actually came back because I need to tell you something. It's about this weird run-in I had... with Aiden."_

"Oh, here we go." muttered Petra, earning a tiny chuckle from Jesse, who still hadn't looked back up at the screen.

Jesse's eyes widened, Petra groaning besides him.

_"Ugh. Hate that guy."_

_"Whatever you said or did..."_ Lukas shook his head, _"It_ really _got to him."_

"We hadn't said anything!" exclaimed Axel.

 _"Uh huh, yeah, we saw him too."_ Jesse sighed, _"The Order of the Stone and the Blaze Rods are just as friendly as ever."_

Maya sighed, her eyes still a bit red. She had a terrible feeling in her stomach.

 _"That's an understatement."_ said Petra.

 _"He's just been so jealous of you and the rest of the Order ever since you saved the world from the Witherstorm."_ Lukas said, Jesse listening with wide eyes, _"He's convinced that_ he _was supposed to be a hero."_

"You're kidding me." Ellegaard muttered, shaking her head. "I wouldn't be surprised if they've got PTSD. I mean, Jesse watched his best friend _die,_ and Petra was damn close to meeting the safe fate."

"Ellegaard has a point." said Gabriel, only loud enough for the other members of the Original Order to hear, "Anyone would start having nightmares, at the very least. They were chased by griefers, that storm, monsters, they had to deal with the Order's... personal problems. And let's not forget the terrifying 'Walking Among the Endermen' thing they did."

"Yes, yes, yes," Ivor said, although it was not as impatient sounding as it could have been, "They're bound to have some sort of baggage after that, Jesse and Petra most of all. But there's not much we can do about it at the moment, now is there?"

Gabriel was silent for a moment, sharing looks with Magnus and Ellegaard. He sighed. "I suppose that is true."

 _"Ever since he took over the Ocel-"_ Lukas clenched his eyes shut for a moment, before correcting himself, _"The 'Blaze Rods,' it just seems like he's gotten... meaner. He's pushing Maya and Gill around."_

"Yeah," muttered Maya, crossing her arms, "We noticed."

Jesse shook his head, walking up the steps, _"Jealous? Why?"_

 _"He thinks you're a big bully, Jesse."_ Lukas explained, shaking his head at the mere thought, _"Looting and keeping all the good stuff for yourself."_

"Of course he does." said the real Lukas, rolling his eyes. He, Petra, Olivia and Axel were still huddled up next to Jesse. None of them seemed to want to move, and it wasn't like any of them really minded.

 _"So what'd you find that got Aiden so excited, anyway?"_ asked Luaks, placing his hands on his hips. Jesse turned around to face them, still on the top steps, and, grinning, he took out the enchanted flint and steel.

_"Check it out."_

Raising an eyebrow, Lukas made his way up the stairs with Petra right behind him, his eyes widening when he got a good look at the item. _"Wow. What a weird glow."_

"Hey, where _is_ Ivor?" asked Stacy, "Seeing how excited he was, you'd think he'd be there by-"

 _"Yeah, I know."_ said Jesse, _"I'm supposed to show it to-"_

Ivor abruptly appeared right next to them, as though he'd just appeared out of thin air, a massive grin on his face as his eyes rested on the object his Jesse's hands. _"YOU FOUND IT!"_

Half the audience gasped, while the other half jumped out of their skin. Reuben squealed in fright, scrambling in Jesse's arms in an attempt to get away from the screen. Dan and Stampy had accidentally bumped heads, Benedict let out a loud cluck and flapped her wings furiously, hitting Isa and Reginald and sending feathers everywhere. Winslow hissed, his fur standing on end and his claws extending as he shot out of Cassie's lap, the red haired girl wincing when he landed on her and dug his claws into her hoodie.

"Ivor!" exclaimed Soren, placing a hand over his heart, "How- Why- _What?_ "

Jesse, Lukas and Petra yelled, jumping nearly a foot in the air. _"Dude!"_ gasped Jesse, _"What's wrong with you?!"_

 _"This,"_ Ivor breathed, as though he hadn't even heard them, his eyes focused solely on the flint and steel, _"Is the greatest find of out time!"_

"I've still got _no_ idea what that thing is." said Nell, "I mean, it's, like, _super_ cool and all, but it's got to do _something_ otherwise beard-brah wouldn't be all this excited over it."

Ivor spluttered, looking at her with wide eyes. "Did you just- I'm not- _Beard-Bra?_ "

 _"I can't believe you've actually..."_ Ivor started jumping up and down on the spot, holding his hands to his mouth and not taking his eyes off the flint and steel, _"That you're actually holding this!"_

"Oh, we've got ourselves a fanboy." Em declared, causing quite a few people to burst into fits of laughter, Magnus especially.

 _"Okay, spill."_ said Jesse, _"What's it do?"_

 _"It proves what I've always suspected!"_ Ivor leaned down, the enchantment's light illuminating his pale features, _"That glow... that enchantment is the work of a very old group of builders, a group so old that they existed even before the Order of the Stone!"_

Harper sighed. "He's gonna say it, ain't he?"

At that, Otto, Hadrian and Mevia groaned, gaining confused looks from most of the rooms occupants.

The three friends looked at him with wide eyes. _"Whoa."_ said Petra.

 _"Yeah."_ Lukas muttered, _"Dramatic."_

Ivor grinned at them. _"Right?"_

Jesse shook his head, brow furrowing. _"So what's the flint and steel do, then?"_

Ivor rubbed at his neck, _"Uh, not a hundred percent sure, actually. But I suspect it's related to the exciting part!"_

Isa blinked. "There's more?"

"You don't even know what that thing does?" Lizzie asked, shaking her head. Ivor sent her a glare.

"Oh, and _you_ do?"

"Well, yeah!" said Lizzie, sending him a glare of her own, "The enchanted flint and steel opens portals to other worlds, more than just the Nether and the End. World's like ours," she gestured to herself and the people sitting on the couch with her, "And their's." She pointed to the Nell, Em, Otto, Harper, Mevia and Hadrian.

"Ohhhh," Nell said, nodding, "That makes _total_ sense."

 _"You see, if these builders truly existed,"_ Ivor continued, _"And if you found their temple... that means we're one step closer to finding,"_ he dramatically threw one hand in the air, placing the other on his hip, _"The Eversource!"_

Isa, Milo and Reginald blinked at the screen, before they glanced over at the little crowned chicken in the Founder's lap. Isa sighed, shaking her head. "Of course."

 _"What a beautiful sight."_ Ivor sighed, returning his gaze to the flint and steel. Petra grinned, nudging her blond friend in the ribs.

_"Looks like you came back just in time, Lukas!"_

Lukas winced, rubbing where she'd elbowed him. _"More 'powerful artifacts,' huh?"  
_

Jesse, however, was looking at Ivor with a raised eyebrow. _"Did you just make that up?"_

Olivia snorted into Jesse's shoulder, shaking with suppressed laughter. Jesse sent her a sheepish smile, the Original Order grinning at a huffing Ivor.

 _"No!"_ Ivor insisted, _"I found books, mysterious tomes, referencing it on my travels."_ Now it was Petra's turn to raise an eyebrow at him, an amused look in her eyes.

_"'Mysterious tomes,' huh?"_

Ivor shook his head, walking away slightly as Jesse pocketed the flint and steel. _"The Eversource is said to be an object of incredible power possessed by the Old Builders."_

"Aaaaand there it is." Harper sighed, the other three wincing at the name.

Onscreen, Ivor turned back around to face them, _"It was some sort of treasure, or artifact, that gave them an endless supply of precious materials! Think about it, Jesse. That temple must have been it's hiding place!"  
_

Milo glanced at Benedict. "Or not."

 _"Wow."_ hummed Petra, rubbing her chin with her thumb, _"'Old Builders.' You learn something new everyday."_

 _"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the 'Eversource.'"_ said Lukas

"They're going to be saying 'Old Builders' in this a lot, aren't they?" grumbled Hadrian, earning a wince from Otto and a scowl from Mevia. Harper was too far to hear him.

 _"Well, what are we waiting for, then?"_ asked Jesse, causing Petra to start grinning at the prospect of a new adventure, _"We've already been to that temple once, find it again will be a snap!"_

Petra nodded, _"Old Builders,"_

Four identical groans, and quite a few more odd looks.

_"'Eversources,' ancient mysteries... you know I'm in."_

_"Excellent!"_ exclaimed Ivor, jumping up and down again (and earning a snicker from Magnus, although the real Ivor was too excited himself to care), _"I'll pack my adventuring things immediately!"_ And then he ran off before they could even think to object.

Real-Petra groaned. "Oh _no_."

Petra watched him go with wide eyes, before turning to Jesse and pointing after him, the excitement gone from her face. _"Wait._ He's _coming?"_

 _"Wow,"_ said Lukas, looking unsure, _"Sounds like you guys have a lot to get to. I, uh, I guess I'll take off?"_ he moved to follow after Ivor, but Petra's arm shot out, grabbing his upper arm.

 _"Nope. You're coming with."_ she declared, causing Lukas to start grinning, _"I need a buffer between me and Ivor."_

Jesse started grinning himself, and he pointed towards the exit, _"Let's get moving!"_ He, Petra and Lukas ran across the carpet in the direction of the doors, Ivor able to be seen coming back and impatiently jumping up and down. As they reached the doorway, he turned around, and all four of them ran out of sight, the screen going up and briefly showing the statue of the ceiling amulet before going dark.

"They're going after the Eversource." Reginald whispered into Isa's ear, "What do we do?"

"We make sure they don't find out that she's here for as long as possible." Isa whispered back, after a moment of thought, "But other than that... I don't know."

The screen came back on to three ocelots, back in the jungle.

"Hey, it's Lukas and Maya again!" Axel grinned, waving at the screen, "Hey, guys!"

The two mentioned rolled their eyes, Maya shaking her head in amusement and Lukas sending the larger one a mock-glare, which Axel simply grinned at.

 _"This is so exciting!"_ came Ivor's voice, and then he laughed, jumping over a small hill a little way's away and causing the ocelot's to scatter, _"Adventure!"_

"I can't believe he just said that." Magnus said, shaking his head while Ellegaard snorted into his armor, "Did I hear that right? I couldn't have heard that right."

"Oh, shut up." grumbled Ivor, causing Soren to let out a bark of laughter.

 _"Lukas,"_ said Petra, as Ivor ran ahead again, _"I know it's daytime, but watch our backs, okay?"_ Lukas nodded at her, walking just behind the two. Petra turned to Jesse, lowering her voice to a whisper, _"I can't believe we're bringing Ivor with us."_

The screen zoomed out a little, showing Ivor walking a little ways ahead with a wide grin, doing a sort of march-dance.

Ellegaard let out a loud snort, burying her face into Magnus' neck, her shoulders shaking. Magnus let out a loud, not so quiet snicker, Gabriel and Soren gasping for breath next to them. Ivor shoved the architect into the warrior, causing them both to sprawl over the engineer and self-proclaimed boom master, although this did very little to stop their laughter.

_"I mean, it's nice he's so excited, but he's not my top choice for adventuring companion."_

_"Aw, come on,"_ said Jesse, grinning, _"He's super funny and he makes me laugh."_ Ahead of them, Ivor was continuing his little march-dance thing.

Honestly, Jesse probably deserved to get that pillow thrown at his head for some reason or another.

 _"I guess."_ Petra said, Jesse still grinning.

 _"These tree's are enormous!"_ Ivor suddenly exclaimed, spreading his arms wide, _"I love it so much!"  
_

Magnus, Ellegaard, Gabriel and Soren dissolved into another fit of giggles, Ivor's glare far from phasing them.

 _"He just..."_ Petra huffed, _"Really gets on my nerves sometimes."_

They'd reached the temple, which looked incredibly different in the day time, Ivor running ahead and staring at it in awe.

"Wow," breathed Lukas, "That's even more impressive than I'd originally thought."

 _"Remarkable."_ Ivor muttered, as Jesse and the other two came up behind him, _"Look at this architecture. So old! So exquisite! Oh, this is just how I dreamed it would be!"_ he was silent for a moment, giving a thoughtful hum, _"Except for less cake. My dreams usually involve cake."_

Axel gasped. "Mine too!"

 _"Ivor,"_ said Jesse, giving the older man a beaming grin, _"Nice to see you smiling."_

Ivor's eyes widened, and his head snapped to face the temple again. _"I'm not smiling."_

This gained quite a few snorts from the Original Order.

"Yeah." Magnus said, "'Course yer not."

Ivor reached over Soren, Gabriel and Ellegaard to whack him over the head.

They made their way into the temple, the screen cutting to show them entering, giving them a good view of the entrance for the first time. Light fluttered in through the holes in the walls.

 _"Wow."_ muttered Jesse, looking about, _"Looks so different during the day."_

 _"Okay, be careful what you touch."_ said Ivor, looking about the room with narrowed eyes, _"There could be traps everywhere."_ The group split off, Jesse looking about at the room for anything off, be it trap or hidden room.

 _"Petra! Blond guy! Are you as excited as I am?"_ Ivor asked.

 _"I'm not sure that's possible."_ said Petra, kneeling to examine the crater that they'd almost been trapped in just the night before. Ivor blinked.

_"What?"_

_"She means that you just seem super excited, Ivor."_ Lukas said, although there was something in his voice that suggested something else.

"I don't understand how he didn't get that." muttered Gabriel, causing Soren to snort. Ivor shushed them.

Onscreen, Jesse walked around the crater, coming to a stop in front of Ivor, who was standing near a hole in the ceiling, looking about with an excited grin. His excitement seemed to be slightly contagious, because a small grin was spreading across Jesse's own lips.

_"You look excited, Ivor."_

_"Excited? I'm ecstatic! Thrilled! Overjoyed!"_ his grin suddenly became a lot darker, _"The Eversource could finally be within my grasp!"_ Jesse's smile faded, looking at the bearded man with wide eyes. Ivor faltered at his look. _"Once, uh, once we find it, that is."_

Isa shook her head, clutching Benedict protectively. "Whatever happens," she whispered to Reginald, "Don't let him _anywhere_ near Ben, understand?"

Reginald gave her a curt nod. "Yes, ma'am."

Jesse made his way over to Petra, who was still kneeling next to the crater. He shook his head, thinking aloud, _"I can't believe we missed some sort of secret area here last night."_

Petra shrugged, standing up and turning to face him, _"We were kinda fighting, oh, a ton of monsters. It's not surprising that we didn't hit_ every _single nook and cranny."_ She returned to examining the crater, while Jesse turned to the third lava channel.

 _"Huh."_ he muttered, glancing over at the first one, which Lukas was inspecting, _"Doesn't look like those lava channel's work anymore."_ He made his way around the crater again, coming to a stop behind Lukas, who turned as he spoke.

_"Pretty cool temple, right?"_

_"Yeah, it's amazing."_ Lukas grinned, _"Not gonna lie to you, Jesse, I'm pretty excited to be along for the ride on this one."_

Real-Lukas gave a sad little smile, looking around at his new friends, sitting around him on the floor, and to his old friends, sitting away from each other on the chairs behind him. It was amazing to think that when they'd first arrived here only a few days ago, they'd all been sharing that one couch, sitting next to each other and joking about. And now, here they were, hardly talking to each other more often than not.

He must have been pretty lonely, after getting kicked out of the Ocelots. Maybe he stayed away from his new friends, the ones sitting around him in an almost cuddle pile, because he was scared that they weren't actually friends. That it had only been a phase, temporary, only working together in a desperate attempt to save the world. Maybe he'd been scared that they'd forgotten about him.

Lukas wondered if they actually had.

Jesse made his way over to the lava channel's lever, as Lukas returned to inspecting it. The young leader flipped it, but nothing happened. Raising an eyebrow, he flipped it again, but the channel remained the same. He must have been right about it no longer working.

Sighing, he turned to the crater, putting his hands on his hips. _"Barely got out of there last night. Doesn't look like it's opening up again anytime soon."_

 _"That's all right."_ Petra said, still kneeling in front of it, _"I've had enough of the spiders and lava and everything_ that _had to offer already."_

 _"Wait, look!"_ Ivor abruptly exclaimed, pointing up to a hole in the ceiling, vines clinging to the wall around it, _"There's some sort of room up there!"_

"Oh, thank Notch!" Em sighed, slouching in her seat, "This has been so _boring_."

They all made their way over to the vines, Jesse grinning up at it. He glanced over his shoulder at them. _"That looks promising, I'm heading up."_

 _"Fantastic."_ Ivor grinned, _"We'll follow right behind you!"_

Petra rolled her eyes, although she actually looked a bit amused. _"Uh, yeah. What he said."_

Jesse climbed up the vines, crawling up onto the top, the others watching from bellow. _"So,"_ he said, straightening and looking around. He was outside the temple, on the roof. _"You think this Eversource thing is up here?"_ Spotting a doorway, he made his way towards it, entering a small, partly destroyed room. Ivor's muffled voice floated up from bellow.

_"Hard to say, Jesse! As the story goes, the Old Builders feared is potential,"_

"For good reasons!" huffed Harper.

_"So they hid it away in a place it could never be found. And ha! It never has been!"_

Spotting an odd pattern on the wall, Jesse made his way over to it, looking it over curiously.

 _"What is Jesse doing up there?"_ Ivor huffed, becoming impatient.

"I thought you were right behind him." said Dan.

Jesse looked out of the massive hole in the wall, looking out towards the tree's. The screen zoomed out a little to give them a descent view of the temple, Jesse clearly visible at the top, while an ocelot on the ground let out a small hiss and ran off.

Axel waved his hand furiously, "Bye, Lukas!"

The young leader looked down at a pressure plate, a couple blocks in front of the wall pattern. _"Well, this seems promising."_ he muttered, before stepping onto the plate. The sound of shifting pistons met their ears, and the wall pattern stuck out, the middle part going in two blocks to create some sort of archway.

 _"Jesse!"_ gasped Ivor, his voice becoming less muffles, _"What do you see?"_ He came to a stop right next to the boy, gaping at the 'pattern' in amazement. Lukas trailed in behind him, cocking his head to the side and scratching at his hair.

_"Some kind of... portal?"_

"Oh boy." muttered Otto.

 _"It's just as I'd imagined."_ breathed Ivor, as Petra came through the doorway last. _"Spectacular."_

 _"Ivor, I was just thinking."_ said Jesse, stepping off the pressure plate, _"Maybe that treasure-"_

 _"The Eversource."_ Ivor flatly corrected, giving him a hard look. Jesse nodded.

 _"Yeah, that. Maybe those old dudes hid it_ in _a_ _portal?"_

Mevia spluttered. " _Old dudes_?! That's worse than Old Builder!"

Ivor turned back to the portal, nodding, his wide, creepy grin back in place. _"Ha! Hiding something_ in _a portal... I like it. That makes a lot of sense."_

Jesse's eyes lit up as an idea came to mind, and he took out the enchanted flint and steel. He made his way towards the portal frame, taking each of the two pieces in hand and glancing over at his friends. _"Here goes nothing."_

"This," said Axel, "Is gonna be interesting."

The young leader clicked the flint and steel together, creating a large flash of pale blue light that blinded the watchers, sending the group that had gathered around to flame flying onto their backs. The portal was no longer an empty frame, for it now had azure swirl's in it's previously empty middle.

The enchanted flint and steel clattered on the ground, rolling to the massive hole in the wall and coming to a stop at a pair of feet.

Maya groaned. "Oh no."

Aiden bent down, picking up the two pieces. _"Oh. Thanks for bringing this back to me, Jesse."_

Jesse, who had sat up after being blasted away, twisted around to look at him with wide eyes. They hardened into a glare, and he climbed to his feet, the screen switching around to show Maya and Gill climbing through the hole on either side of their bully of a leader. Ivor, Lukas and Petra got to their feet as well, glaring at the green-eyed boy.

 _"I knew you were good for_ something _."_ Aiden glanced at Gill and Maya, a cocky smirk on his lips, _"You're pretty easy to follow, you know that?"_

"Really starting to hate this guy." grumbled Stacy.

 _"Dude, why are you being such a tool?"_ Jesse glared, making Aiden's eyes widened. They hardened again a moment later.

 _"Your little adventure is over, Jesse. Time to go home."_ when Jesse's glare only hardened, Aiden shook his head, _"Step aside, Jesse._ We're _heading through that portal now."_

"To heck you are!" Petra exclaimed, Axel nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, _we_ found the flint and steel, _we_ get to go through the portal!"

 _"Oh,_ no way _!"_ exclaimed Petra.

 _"Aiden, you're done."_ Lukas said. He gestured to the room. _"This is where it ends."_

Aiden, however, looked unafraid. _"Fine."_ he pocketed the flint and steel, _"Blaze Rods? Clear me a path."_

Immediately, Maya and Gill drew their swords, the enchanted blades glowing brightly.

"Oh, you have got to be joking." muttered Milo, "What a coward!"

Petra, Jesse and Lukas pulled out their own blades, although the blond simply had a plain iron one. Gill charged towards Jesse, swinging his blade at his head, but the young hero dodged it, albeit narrowly.

"All right!" exclaimed Nell, "More action!"

Gill swung again, and Jesse blocked, the two swords clanging together and locking in place. They struggled for a moment, enchanted diamond scraping against enchanted diamond, the two boys pushing each other back and forth. After a moment, Jesse knocked Gill onto his back and charged towards him, but the Blaze Rod kicked him in the chest, sending him to the ground.

"What is it with them and kicking us?" muttered Axel, igniting a quite little laugh from Olivia, although her brow was still furrowed.

The screen cut to Aiden, half his body already in the azure swirls. _"Let's go!"_ Then he was gone.

Jesse climbed to his feet, but Gill was already running through the portal, Maya dodging under Petra's sword and sliding through after them.

"Aaaand they're gone." deadpanned Magnus.

 _"We've got to follow them."_ said Ivor, _"If they get the Eversource, who knows what trouble they'll cause!"_

 _"Should we go back for Axel and Olivia?"_ asked Jesse. Ivor shook his head.

 _"There's no time, Jesse! We can't let_ Aiden _get the Eversource first!"_

Axel gave a disappointed groan, Jesse, Petra and Lukas giving him and Olivia apologetic looks.

"Wait," Lukas said, frowning at the screen, " _He's_ Aiden, but _I'm_ blond guy? Seriously?"

 _"I don't usually like agreeing with Ivor,"_ said Petra, _"But he's got a point. Who knows what kind of trouble Aiden could be causing in there?"_

Real-Aiden sighed, clenching his eyes shut. He was wondering the same thing.

Jesse looked towards the portal the Blaze Rods had vanished through, shaking his head sadly. _"Yeah, I guess you're right."_

With that, Lukas and Petra ran through, Ivor right on their tails. Jesse sheathed his sword, took one last reluctant glance over his shoulder at the hole in the wall, before his brow furrowed in determination and he ran after the others, vanishing into the azure swirls. Everything went black.

"This," said Petra, wrapping an arm over both Lukas' and Jesse's shoulders, "Is going to be interesting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you say when Lukas asked how Jesse was doing? I don't think about it, I really miss him or I still feel guilty? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Alright, chapter thirty! Yaaay! I'm thinking of having them take a lunch break sometime during this episode, maybe after the Founder declares them criminals, but I'm not entirely sure, so we'll see.


	31. A City Among Clouds

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Thirty-One: A City Among Clouds**

* * *

The screen came back on the Jesse screaming, as he reappeared into thin air. Ivor is seen standing on the edge of some sort of cliff, looking around, before the screaming boy rammed right into him.

 _"Whoa!"_ Ivor gasped, half his body going over the edge before Jesse grabbed his hand, digging his boots into the dirt to stop the bearded man from going over, the wind howling in their ears and blowing at their hair.

 _"Don't worry!"_ grunted Jesse, as Ivor gaped bellow him, the screen zooming out slightly to show he was dangling over a bottomless drop. _"I've got you!"_

"Holy crap!" gasped Axel.

"That was _way_ too close." said Lukas, the real Ivor nodding in agreement. Gabriel reached over Soren to pat his shoulder sympathetically.

Grunting, Jesse pulled Ivor up onto the land, the two leaning on their knees and panting. _"You are surprisingly heavy."_ the young leader said. Ivor sent him a glare.

 _"I am,"_ he panted, his sentences coming out in short gasps, _"The proportionate weight for my height,"_ another pant, his glare hardening, _"Thank you very much!"_

Magnus snorted, muttering something under his breath that caused Ellegaard to whack his arm, trying very hard to stop the smile from spreading on her lips.

 _"There ya go."_ said Lukas, resting a hand on Ivor's shoulder as he and Jesse straightened, _"Easy now."_

 _"Yes, thank you, thank you!"_ Ivor snapped, not sounding very thankful.

Stacy huffed. "Rude."

Jesse turned to the edge, kneeling in front of it and looking down, down into the nothing. Ivor glanced over at it.

_"Yes, definitely don't want to fall down there."_

_"There's nothing but sky down there!"_ gasped Jesse, the screen switching to show the top of his head that there was, indeed, nothing but sky, _"There's just empty... sky!"_

"Welcome," said Milo, holding his arms wide, "To _our_ world!"

The others gaped at him.

"You _live_ there?" exclaimed Olivia.

 _"I've traveled all over the world,"_ breathed Ivor, carefully peering over the edge, _"Nearly to every corner, and there has always been land or water beneath me._ _You could just fall forever. And ever. And ever._ _And_ ever _."_

"Not very comforting." muttered Sparklez.

They split off, looking about the tiny sky island they'd landed on, peering over the edge for something- _anything_ , really. Jesse made his way over to the other side, his eyes widening as something _did_ come into view, a little ways bellow them, floating upon nothing.

"I don't believe it." muttered Reginald, shaking his head in astonishment, "It's... it's exactly the same as the real version. Almost like a... a window, of sorts."

"That's one thing to call it." Isa said.

Dan shook his head in astonishment. "That's- _wow_. What is that?"

 _"Hey, uh, you guys see that?"_ asked Jesse, glancing over his shoulder at the other three. Lukas turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

_"What?"_

The screen zoomed out again, showing the structures beneath them, Ivor moving to stand next to Jesse. _"So very strange..."_ Lukas and Petra came up on either side of them, peering down at the much larger island. Ivor was starting to jump up and down again.

 _"Wow."_ breathed Jesse's, his eyes widening in wonder, _"It looks like some kind of city. That's incredible!"_

"I think Beard-Brah's fanboying again." Nell mock-whispered to Em, who laughed. Ivor's excited grin vanished into a scowl.

"Stop calling me that!"

 _"That's it!"_ exclaimed Ivor, _"That's where it must be! The Eversource."_

"And we're here." sighed Isa.

 _"A city in the clouds."_ Petra shook her head, _"It almost sounds impossible."_

 _"I just don't know how we're gonna reach it."_ Lukas pointed out.

"Oh, yeah." Real-Jesse winced, "I forgot about that."

 _"Yeah,"_ Petra rubbed the back of her head, the four moving to stand in a sort of circle, _"That's definitely going to be a problem."_

 _"I can't believe this."_ said Lukas, putting his hands on his hips, _"We fall through a portal to another world, and then we can't even go anyway!"_

 _"Can't we just, like, build our way over?"_ Jesse suggested.

Isa, Milo and Reginald gasped.

"Oh, you don't wanna do that." said Milo, frantically shaking his head, the other watchers looking at him oddly, "You do _not_ wanna do that!"

"What?" Jesse blinked, "Why not? How else are we supposed to get there?"

 _"Uh, how?"_ asked Lukas.

 _"Oh, please!"_ Ivor rolled his eyes, _"You've heard of a bridge, haven't you?"_

Petra sent him a glare. "You know, I'm pretty sure he meant what _with_."

 _"I don't know."_ Lukas frowned, unfazed by Ivor's snappish tone, _"Seems like a long way. Do we have enough blocks?"_ Jesse knelt by the edge again, peering down into the bottomless void. It was a very, very long drop. _"I mean, it's really, really far."_

Jesse's eyes trailed to the island they'd landed on, the bottom level with the city. Ivor's head appeared next to him, looking down as well.

_"Yes. Very astute, Lukas."_

_"Ivor the Grump strikes again, I see."_ said off-screen Petra.

Magnus laughed, bending over slightly and forcing Ellegaard to have to shift to avoid falling off the couch. "Oh Notch, that's _gold_! Whoo!" he straightened, shoulders still shaking a little, his grin not faltering despite the glare Ivor sent him and the rather annoyed look creasing Ellegaard's brow. Another chuckle rumbled through his chest. "Grump."

 _"Elementary, my dear Lukas."_ Jesse said, standing up and turning to face them again, _"The underside of this island is much, much bigger than it appears."_

"Oh, of course!" gasped Stampy, his back straightening, "You can use the islands dirt to build yourselves a bridge!"

"Yeah, but where are the Blaze Rods?" asked Lizzie, frowning at the screen, "Surely they would have appeared there too?"

"Maybe they had something to get over to the city." suggested Cassie thoughtfully, "Like Ender Pearls, or some sort of potion."

Onscreen, Lukas raised an eyebrow. _"Really?"_

 _"Jesse's right."_ said Ivor, said boy giving a proud grin, _"If we strip this whole island down to nothing... it might just be enough."_

That said, they spread out, standing on separate sides of the island. The screen sped up, as it always did during scenes like this, as they dug the island down with their bare hands. As they reached the bottom, it changed to a close-up of Ivor, looking over his shoulder and glaring at the redhead in his personal space. _"Stop pushing!"_

 _"I'm not pushing!"_ Petra said, the four of them shifting and fidgeting in an attempt to stay on land, _"Lukas is pushing!"_

 _"I'm just trying to keep away from the edge!"_ said Lukas.

 _"It's_ all _edge!"_ the screen zoomed out, showing their tiny, four block island from a distance, the group barely visible among the fluffy white clouds.

"Wow." Petra winced, rubbing at her neck, "No offense, Axel, but I'm kinda glad you didn't come along."

 _"Okay, gang, I think that should do it."_ said Jesse, looking towards the distant city, which they were now level with. _"Let's make ourselves a bridge."_

Ivor nodded, grinning, _"Excellent!"_

They started building, the scene once again speeding up. After a moment, Ivor stopped, moving to build something else off to the side, leaving the other three to continue on. Within moments, he was out of sigh, and the bridge turned to one block wide as Petra and Lukas ran out, Ivor catching up with them.

Jesse sat the final block down, right in front of the floating island, connecting their bridge. _"Okay, this is our stop."_ he said, leading the other three off the bridge, _"Eeeeeverybody off."_

Maya giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "You sound like a bus driver."

Jesse grinned at her.

They made their way onto the little platform in front of what appeared to be the gates, Petra turning around with a deadpanned look on her face. _"Ivor. Seriously?"_

The screen swapped around to show the thing he'd split off from the other to build. It was a skull, made entirely out of dirt, with lava pouring out of the eye holes.

Ellegaard rolled her eyes, "It's Soren all over again."

"He," said Ivor, pointing to said redhead, "Built an archway while being chased by three giant, flying, incredibly hungry, world devouring _monsters._ "

Soren opened his mouth, faltered, and turned back to face the screen. "Shut up."

"Oh boy." Isa winced, "That's not going to send a good message."

Lukas frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

 _"This is in memory of my lava house."_ Ivor said, as they all turned to face the build. He threw his hands into the air, _"Long live lava!"_

"You must _love_ the Nether." muttered Harper, eyes glinting in amusement. Ivor was silent, gaining rather surprised looks from the other members of the Original Order. They'd expected him to snap at her or something.

_"You're building."_

They turned at the sound of the voice, coming face to face with a man, who was looking at them with wide, frightened eyes, backing away slowly. _"I... you... I-I don't..."_

"What's up with him?" asked Olivia, frowning. Milo scratched at his ear.

"I'm, ah, sure you'll find out in a moment."

 _"Hey, there!"_ Jesse smiled brightly, _"Love what you did with your town!"_

 _"Yeah, it's very flashy."_ Lukas agreed, giving a kind smile of his own, _"You help build it?"_

"I don't think he's going to like that." muttered Reginald.

 _"Y-Y-You were building."_ the man said, his face paling at the blonds question, _"U-Unauthorized building is against the law!"_

Half the audience gaped at the screen in shock.

"You're not allowed to _build_?" gasped Gill.

"But why?" asked Jesse, twisting a little in his friends cuddle pile to look at the Sky Citizens, "How come no one's allowed to build without authorization?"

"Sky City," began Isa, Milo crossing his arms and scowling at the armrest, "May have unlimited resources, but we must use them wisely. It's rather... difficult, to obtain them."

Olivia cocked her head to the side. "'Difficult'? How?"

 _"Wait,"_ Petra frowned, stepping forward, _"There's a law saying people can't build?"_

 _"Yes! It's forbidden!"_ the man exclaimed.

"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Stampy, "Absoloutly ridiculous!"

 _"This... this makes no sense."_ said Ivor, shaking his head, _"No sense at all."_

 _"I-I-I, well..."_ the man stuttered, _"That's the law?"_

 _"Okay, I'll bite. Why's building against the law?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"Uh, oh, uh, t-this is making terribly nervous."_ he glanced over his shoulder, starting to slowly back away again, _"U-Uh, f-first those other outsiders, now you-"_

 _"_ Other _outsiders?"_ Lukas repeated, stepping forwards, his brow furrowing. He placed his hands on his hips. _"Where are they?"_

"Probably not the right approach there." said Lizzie, the 'Blaze Rods' wincing. He must have felt pretty betrayed to them kicking him out.

 _"Uh, um, they went to the inn."_ the man stuttered, looking from them to over his shoulder, _"I-I'm sorry, but that's all I know!"_ With that, he turned on his heels and sprinted through the doorway, Jesse running and coming to a stop in said doorway.

_"Wait, wait, wait, come back!"_

_"I'm super busy, sorry!"_ the man said hurriedly, running out of sight.

 _"Aaand he's gone."_ Petra deadpanned. Lukas sighed.

_"Darn."_

"That was certainly something." muttered Gabriel, "How do you suppose everyone else will react to the bridge?"

"Hopefully," said Ellegaard, "Jesse'll be able to talk his way out of it again."

Onscreen, Jesse led the others through the doorway the nervous guy had ran off through, looking about curiously.

 _"I wonder if everyone here is that..."_ Ivor trailed off, both his and Jesse's eyes widening as they entered the sky city. They came to a stop on a little wooden bridge going over a small stream, the screen slowly turning around. _"... Nervous."_

Before them was an incredibly impressive building, made up of gold and iron blocks with purple wool flags hanging on the spiral towers, almost appearing like an egg. There were smaller huts piled about, people roaming and guards positioned almost everywhere.

"That's amazing." breathed Lukas, "That's a _lot_ of precious materials."

The screen switched back to Jesse and Lukas, staring at the Egg Castle with wide eyes.

 _"Wow."_ breathed Lukas, Jesse slowly nodding in silent agreement. _"Incredible."_

 _"Wow."_ Jesse echoed, starting to lead his friends into the city, unable to tear his eyes off the Egg Castle, _"That is absoloutly beautiful."_

"It is, isn't it?" hummed Milo, "A shame no one _else_ is allowed to do things such as that."

Isa sent him a hard look. "Just what is _that_ suppose to mean?"

 _"Yes."_ muttered Ivor, _"Clearly the Eversource is capable of miraculous things."_ That wide, creepy smile he'd given Jesse back at the temple was back, _"And when I get my hands on it-"_

 _"Hey."_ Petra cut him off, the group coming to a stop as she put her hands on her hips, sending the bearded man an annoyed look, _"How about you take a massive chill pill and we find it first."_

 _"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes."_ Ivor said in one breath, _"I'm just getting excited."_

"Clearly." drawled Ellegaard.

 _"As crazy as Aiden's been lately,"_ said Lukas, getting back to the matter at hand, _"If he gets that thing... it would be bad."_

The real Aiden winced, scowling at his lap. Cassie sent him a curious look, but didn't say anything.

 _"Well, if we beat him to it, he won't be able to get his slimy little hands on the thing."_ Petra said.

 _"We need to find Aiden."_ Jesse agreed, _"He's got our flint and steel and he's up to no good, but we're gonna stop him."_

 _"He mentioned an inn, right?"_ asked Petra, referring to the nervous man that had 'greeted' them at the gates, _"That seems like our best lead to finding Aiden so far."_

Milo blinked, abruptly realizing what that meant. He glanced over at the Founder and her Head Guard, sweat starting to bead the back of his neck. Oh joy.

Lukas gave a curt nod. _"Agreed."_

 _"The Blaze Rods already have a head start, so we need to get moving."_ said Jesse, _"We don't have any time to lose."_

That said, they split up, Jesse looking left and right for where to start searching. A little ways to the left, Ivor walked up to a villager, drawing out his words as though said villager had trouble understanding him. _"Hel-lo. It is ni-ce to me-et yo-u."_

Gabriel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Soren and Ellegaard looked at Ivor with raised eyebrows, who only shrugged at them.

Onscreen, Jesse rolled his eyes, deciding to cut in before his bearded companion could freak out the villager anymore. _"Doing okay, Ivor?"_

 _"Better than okay!"_ Ivor grinned, now ignoring the villager entirely, who looked rather relived at that, _"This city is magnificent! You should really take notes for that town of yours."_

"Oh, yes," Petra rolled her eyes, "Because we have an ancient artifact that gives us rare and precious materials as well. _Brilliant_ thinking, Ivor."

Ivor merely grinned at her. "We _will_ have said ancient artifact."

Isa sent him a weary look, hugging Benedict closer. Reginald casually sat his hand on his swords hilt, tapping at it with his index finger. He watched the potions master out of the corner of his eye.

Jesse made his way over to a small hut with a crafting table under it, a long line of people waiting to use it. _"Boy, these are some popular crafting tables."_

 _"Don't worry, everyone,"_ the guard standing the hut said, _"Your turn will come in time. Please have your materials ready when he approach the crafting table."_

 _"Argh."_ groaned a man in a maroon apron, standing at the very back of the line and fidgeting uncomfortably, _"I knew I shouldn't have waited so long to eat."_

"Well, that's gotta suck." muttered Dan. Stampy nodded in agreement.

"Shame there's no cake about for him."

Jesse made his way over to the man, raising his eyebrow at the line, _"This is a long line just to use a crafting table."_

 _"You're telling me."_ the man sighed, _"I'm so hungry I could practically eat my wheat right here. But I won't. I'll be patient and turn it into delicious bread instead."_

"Why can't he just make his own crafting table?" asked Petra. Olivia shook her head.

"There's a law against building, remember? He probably doesn't even have the wood to make one."

_"What, um, what can I do for you?"_

_"I heard you guys have an inn somewhere around here."_ said Jesse, _"Where is it?"_

 _"Oh, uh, Milo's place?"_ he gave a weak chuckle, _"That guys hilarious. He's over that way."_ he pointed over Jesse's shoulder, to the other side of the plaza. Jesse nodded.

 _"'Milo,' huh?"_ he gave the hungry man a smile, _"Thanks."_

_"No problem."_

Looking over towards the hut next door, Jesse moved to stand in front of it, revealing that it was for a furnace. Another guard stood at it's entrance, bars surrounding everywhere else. Jesse walked up to the guard.

_"Hey, there."_

"Do you talk to _everyone_ you come across?" asked Em.

 _"Are you on the schedule for the furnace this afternoon?"_ asked the guard, _"Didn't think there were anymore appointments today. Hang on, let me see here."_ he whipped out a sign, looking it over with a raised eyebrow and muttering to himself, _"'Dale: ten stone blocks.' Oh, yes, that went very well... 'Melissa: three cooked pork chops.' She reschedule. Classic Mel."_

Lizzie shook her head. "I can't believe you have to make an appointment to use a _furnace_."

"We have our reasons." Isa said calmly, "If we don't keep everything organized, who knows what'll happen."

Milo rolled his eyes. "A whole lot of good, that's for sure."

Isa's head snapped towards him, her green eyes becoming as hard as ice, " _Excuse_ me? And what, pray tell, would _you_ know about _that_?"

"Guys, calm down," Jesse said, raising his hands in a (hopefully) calming gesture, "We might miss something."

 _"You keep the furnace locked up?"_ asked Jesse, a grin tugging at his lips, _"Did it do something wrong?"_

"Jesse." Olivia scolded lightly, eyes glinting in amusement.

"What? It might've!"

The guard gave him a flat look. _"If you wish to make an appointment, speak to the Founder."_ he put the sign away, _"Good day."_

"I don't think he likes you." said Axel.

Giving a sheepish shrug, Jesse left the guard to his duties, looking over at a sign near the bottom of one of the spiral towers. He moved to stand in front of it, his eyebrows raising as he read what it said aloud, _"No building, no crafting, no brewing, no forging, unless with express permission from the Founder. All complaints must be registered in person. That's it, you can stop writing now."_

Isa sighed, rubbing at her forehead tiredly. Of course they put that at the end.

 _"Intense."_ Jesse muttered.

"Eh, that ending kind of ruined it." Harper said.

Jesse left the sign, making his way passed the entrance to the Egg Castle over to the other side of the plaza, only to come to a stop as he spotted Petra looking up at it. _"Hey, Petra. What'cha looking at?"_

 _"Just admiring the sights, actually."_ the redhead admitted, _"This place is so cool."_ the screen momentarily zoomed out, showing the two looking up at the impressive structure that was the Egg Castle, _"I'm not usually one for, like, 'checking out people's builds' or whatever, but even I have to admit this is really impressive."  
_

"How come you weren't impressed with _my_ builds?" grumbled Soren, crossing his arms. Petra rose an eyebrow at him.

"You mean that staircase of death by exhaustion and the artificial Happy Land that screamed 'mental patient'? Yeah, I was _super_ impressed."

Luaks snorted into his elbow.

Jesse left Petra to her sight seeing, coming to a stop at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Egg Castle, another guard standing halfway up them. _"The Founder,"_ he said in a snobbish voice, _"Isn't accepting visitors right now."_

Deciding not to push his luck, Jesse made his way over to the other side, where a women was carefully, _delicately_ placing down oak wood. CAPTAIN REGINALD stood beside her, and gave the approaching boy a kind smile.

_"Captain Reginald, at your service."_

Real-Reginald gaped in astonishment. "That- That's me!" he pointed at the screen, looking down at Isa, "That's _me_!"

"Weird, isn't it?" said Ellegaard.

 _"Hey, so what are you guys up to?"_ Jesse asked.

 _"Ah, just supervising this citizen while she does her build."_ explained Reginald. The women nodded, grinning up at Jesse.

_"The Founder finally approved my petition."_

Jesse blinked, looking back at Reginald with a furrowed brow. _"'The Founder'?"_

Reginald nodded, pointing to the Egg Castle, _"That's her palace, up there. She is the Keeper of the Eversource."_ he gave Jesse a smile, _"Builds everything you see. Some days I can't even fathom how she keeps everything all straight. She's incredible. I'm, eh,"_ he gave a small laugh, _"I'm a fan."_

Isa shook her head, giving Reginald a small, amused smile that he simply grinned at.

 _"And so this Founder makes all the rules?"_ asked Jesse. Reginald nodded.

_"You got it. She's the one that protects us from the Eversource, so it seems only right. That's why she gets to make the calls about what does or doesn't get built."_

_"Like my build."_ the women cut in.

"Wait," Lukas blinked, "'Protect'? Why does she have to protect them from it?"

 _"It's no easy feat to get all these oak blocks."_ said Reginald, looking down at the kneeling women, _"Your petition was very well handled."_

 _"Aw, gosh, that's nice of you."_ the women said, smiling gratefully.

 _"I just don't understand why everyone shouldn't be allowed to build."_ said Jesse. Reginald shook his head, giving a small laugh.

 _"Ha! What a sentiment. I mean, it is a good thought, but..."_ he shrugged, _"It's crazy."_

"Exactly." muttered Isa.

Milo shook his head again, his scowl seeming to be permanently in place.

Jesse looked around, before turning back to Reginald. _"So I'm curious. What kind of stuff do you guys do for fun around here?"_

"Yeah, I was wondering that too." said Sparklez.

 _"Oh, all sorts of things."_ Reginald said, _"Make wishlists of resources, practice low-inventory builds, some people do poetry."_ he chuckled, _"It's a pretty great place to live."_

Most the audience gave the screen rather blank looks.

 _"Fancy duds you're wearing, Reginald."_ Jesse said, after taking a moment to process what the Sky Citizens considered 'fun,' _"Is that a uniform?"_

 _"I try not to brag about it, but I'm actually the Captain of the Guard."_ he explained, _"One of the reasons I'm allowed to supervise a build like this one."_

"Yeah, pretty spectacular." muttered Dan, causing Stampy to let out an unwilling snort, which he quickly attempted to muffle.

 _"So, 'Reginald,' huh? Can I call you Reggie?"_ asked Jesse.

"I can't believe you just asked the Captain of the Guard that." said Lukas, shaking his head. Jesse gave him a small grin.

_"No, I'd really rather you didn't. It's, uh, 'Reginald.'"_

"Can _I_ call you Reggie?" asked Isa, quiet enough so that only her Head Guard could hear, a teasing tone in her voice. Reginald sent her a mock-glare, lips twitching.

Jesse shrugged, _"Don't let me interrupt you guys. Good luck."_

Reginald gave him a nod. _"Much obliged."_

That said, the young hero left them to their build, walking around a small pond over to Lukas, who stood just outside the entrance the hungry guy from before had directed him to. A man spotted him, and ran off in fright.

"Wow." said Lizzie, "What's up with him?"

 _"How's it going, Lukas?"_ Jesse asked, not having noticed the nervous guy running off. His blond friend turned to face him.

 _"I'm okay, just watching these guards."_ he glanced over his shoulder at Reginald, still supervising the women's build. _"They really mean business."_

_"Yeah, I wouldn't mess with them if I were you."_

Lukas nodded at that, before turning back around.

"Where _is_ Aiden?" asked Maya, frowning, "You'd think you would've at least heard more of him around now."

"Maybe he's having a drink at the inn?" Jesse suggested, "I'm sure we'll hear from him soon."

Onscreen, Jesse made his way back around to where they'd entered, the same man that had run off before running to the other side of the plaza. He watched him go in confusion, before turning to the opening leading down into some sort of garden.

 _"Don't step on the grass, please."_ a guard standing near a small waterfall said sharply. Jesse blinked at him, looking into the little garden, before facing the guard again.

_"Okay."_

_"Sorry."_ the guard apologized, most likely from the younger one's tone, _"I just take my job very seriously because it is, in fact, serious business."_ He smiled proudly, _"Not many people get the honor of watching the tree, but..."_ he shrugged, giving a small laugh.

"'The honor of watching the tree'?" repeated Axel, "What kind of honor's in that?"

_"I'm pretty good at my job."_

"Well, yes," said Gabriel, "You're, as you stated, watching a tree."

Magnus burst into a small fit of giggles.

 _"So what do you think about working for the Founder?"_ asked Jesse, seeming genuinely curious.

 _"Oh, she's the absolute best."_ the guard said, _"Very honored to be a part of helping keep the order. Very honored and proud."_

Isa beamed.

 _"Sorry, I'd explain more, but I actually have to get back to my work. Sorry."_ He turned back to the garden.

Jesse spotted the nervous guy they'd talked to at the entrance, talking with a women. He made his way over to them, catching their hushed conversation.

 _"-Can't believe they just built their right into town."_ the women was saying. The nervous guy nodded, neither of them having spotted Jesse.

_"I know! I've never seen anything like it-"  
_

_"Uh, hello?"_

"Busted!" Gill grinned.

 _"Oh!"_ the nervous guy gasped, he and his friend jumping back, _"Oh my! Hello again."_

 _"Can we, uh, do anything for you?"_ the women asked, giving a nervous smile of her own.

Jesse was silent for a moment, looking at them strangely. He gave a small shrug. _"You guys seem like you might have the scoop. What's up with the Eversource?"  
_

The guy and the gal looked at each other frantically, before the guy stuttered out an answer. _"Well, um, uh, it's in the palace."_ He didn't say anything else.

Jesse blinked. _"Were you two talking about me just now?"_

Olivia shook her head. "That is kinda rude."

"Yes, but they _did_ build their way into town." Milo shrugged, "There's bound to be _some_ sort of gossip."

Frantically, they both shook their heads. _"No, no, of course not."_

_"Uh huh."_

Nervous Guys smile faltered, face fearful. _"Please don't hurt us."_

"Oh, _please_." said Axel, rolling his eyes. He reached over Olivia and squished Jesse's cheeks together, "Does he look like he could hurt a living person?"

"Get off!" Jesse said, swatting the other boys hand away. Axel laughed.

Jesse looked at them for a long moment, not seeming sure what to do. He cleared his throat awkwardly. _"Can you two point me in the direction of the inn?"_

 _"They must be looking for Milo."_ Nervous Guy whispered to his friend, who hurriedly shushed him, not taking her eyes off Jesse. His head snapped back towards him. _"Uh, uh, I mean, no, no! We don't know any Milo!"_ He not so subtly glanced over at the pathway next to them, leading out of the plaza. Jesse put his hands on his hips.

 _"Really. Because it sure_ sounds _like you know him."_

 _"Uh, okay, okay."_ the guy stuttered, _"We know_ of _him."_ he covered his mouth, leaning in and whispering, _"If you really wanna find him-"_

 _"He's the kinda messy looking guy."_ the gal cut in. Nervous Guy nodded.

_"Suspenders always falling down."_

_"So messy!"_

Milo blinked, his hand subconsciously going to his falling suspenders. "That's just rude."

Jesse gave them a weak smile. _"Thanks... I guess. I'll just leave you guys alone then. Have a nice day."_

 _"Please stop building, it scares me."_ the nervous guy said in one breath, Jesse pausing mid-wave and looking over his shoulder a him with a confused look.

_"What?"_

_"Nothing!"_

Jesse gave him an odd look, before walking off, the Nervous Guy whispering loudly to his friend. _"We could have almost_ died _just then!"_

_"Oh, shush."_

"You know, Axel's right." said Lukas, looking his startled friend up and down, "You really _do_ look like you couldn't hurt a living person."

Jesse elbowed him.

Onscreen, the young hero made his way down the pathway, spotting a guard near some sort of cobblestone and oak wood staircase, leading out of sight.

 _"Sorry, stranger."_ the guard said as he approached, not unkindly, _"Can't come up here."_

Jesse shrugged before looking over at two people, one of which was in fact MILO, in a small alleyway, out of the guards line of sight. _"All signs point to that being the innkeeper."_ he glanced up at a sign almost right above the two people's heads, which read INN. _"Like that sign."_

"Wow." breathed Milo, looking his onscreen self up and down, "That is... _astonishing."_

 _"And where should I put them?"_ asked the other man quietly, pulling out a bundle of sticks.

 _"Yes, just give them here."_ Milo whispered urgently, taking the sticks, _"I'll deal with them."_

Isa's eyes widened. "Where- I don't remember authorizing any sticks..."

"He's a criminal!" Reginald exclaimed, leaping to his feet and drawing his sword, Benedict flapping her wings in fright. "An illegal dealer!"

"Wow, wow, wow!" said Jesse, leaping to his feet and standing in front of Milo, who let out a relieved breath, "How can you know that for _sure_?"

"The Founder never authorized any sticks." growled the Captain, "And it was rather obvious that they were trying not to be seen or heard."

"What are you even going to do with him?" asked Lukas, he and the other three on their feet as well, "It's not like there's a jail you can throw him into."

"Exactly!" said Milo, pointing at the other blond. Reginald looked over his shoulder at Isa, who's eyes had narrowed on the innkeeper. She gave a reluctant nod.

Reginald grumbled, sheathing his sword. He jabbed a finger at Milo, "You're not off the hook. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"Yes, yes." Milo said, nodding frantically as everyone re-took their seats, "Of course."

Milo and the man spotted Jesse, who looked from them up to the Inn's sign.

 _"Get out of here."_ Milo hissed, _"Go, go!"_ The man turned tail and ran off, out of sight.

Isa's scowl deepened, her eyes hardening into a stone cold glare. How dare that man do something as foolish as this.

 _"Why, hello there."_ said Milo casually, leaning against the wall, _"What can I do for you?"_

Jesse was silent, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. The blond chuckled nervously. _"I'm not sure what the custom is where you come from, but here, it is considered impolite to stare."_

"Yeah, Jesse," Maya joked, "Where's your manners?"

_"Especially when people are doing boring things not worth staring at. Like simply minding their own business next to a wall."_

"Yup," said Stacy, "Not suspicious at _all_."

 _"What, ah, what was that all about?"_ asked Jesse, _"With the whispering and the sticks?"_ Behind him, a guard was making his way passed.

Milo gave another nervous chuckle, pushing himself off the wall and making a quite little sound that might have been shushing. _"I don't know what you're talking about. None of that here. It's, aha, not Stick Allowance Day, after all."_

The guard looked at him weirdly, but didn't stop, Milo watching him go as he continued to stutter, _"So why would I, ah, a humble innkeeper, have sticks?"_ As the guard went out of ear shot, Milo's head snapped back towards Jesse, _"Seriously, just put all of that out of your mind. I-It's not important."_

"A lot of people like to stutter here." said Petra.

_"It was just friends exchanging pleasantries. Nothing more to see there. Ha."_

_"Hey, I've already forgotten all about it."_ said Jesse, _"No problemo."_

Olivia blinked. "You know, I can't tell if you're being serious or not."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

 _"Fantastic."_ Milo sighed, backing away a little, _"Much appreciated. Now, what can I do for you, friend?"_

"Keep an eye on that one as well." whispered Isa, gesturing with her head to the dungarees-wearing boy on the floor, "Just in case."

 _"I'm busy, but I can spare a moment, for a friendly stranger. But, ah,"_ he coughed into his elbow, _"Not too many moments. What did you need?"_

 _"Some punks are trying to steal the Eversource."_ Jesse explained, _"You know anything about it?"_

 _"Stealing the Eversource?"_ Milo repeated, voice laced with disbelief, _"How outlandish. Sounds like dangerous business to get mixed up in, if you ask me."_ he moved away, backing up towards the entrance to his inn, _"I'm sorry, but it's like I told those other outsiders, I can't help you. Now, please-"_ He moved to enter the inn, but then someone appeared next to Jesse, and Petra's voice floated over.

 _"Hey, this our guy?"_ She and Ivor were making their way towards them, Lukas already standing just behind Jesse, giving Milo a sketchy look.

"Oh, of course." groaned the real Milo.

 _"He tell you where to find the Blaze Rods?"_ asked Ivor.

 _"How many of you are there?"_ exclaimed Milo, _"I told you, I don't know anything!"_

"I almost feel sorry for him." Ellegaard said. Magnus gave a small giggle.

"I don't."

 _"He hasn't told you_ anything _yet?"_ Ivor snapped. Petra moved forwards, eyes hard.

_"Is he hiding them somewhere?"_

_"I am uncomfortable with this line of questioning."_ said Milo.

"Wait, _is_ he hiding them?" asked Dan.

 _"Come on, you can trust me."_ Jesse said, taking a small step closer, _"Nothing bad is going to happen. Just help us."_

 _"Fine! If it will make you leave me alone..."_ Milo sighed, _"That 'Aiden' fellow_ did _come talk to me earlier. Wanted to know where the Eversource was."_

Ivor put a hand in the air, _"Called it!"_

 _"I just told them what everyone else already knows."_ Milo continued, _"The Eversource is in the palace with the Founder. That's all that happened, I swear."_

"Not much to go on." muttered Olivia, "They've got to have some kind of plan for how to get it."

 _"What a bunch of creeps."_ growled Petra.

 _"Yes,"_ said Milo, _"I wasn't terribly fond of them."_

 _"So where is Aiden now?"_ asked Jesse.

Milo shrugged. _"The group left for the palace and I haven't seen them since."_

"I've got a bad feeling about this." muttered Maya, curling up into a little ball on the armchair.

 _"Attention!"_ came Captain Reginald's voice, _"Attention, everyone! Just a moment of your time, please!"_ They turned to look at the plaza, as said Captain of the Guard passed by, _"Emergency meeting in the Founders Garden! Attendance is mandatory!"_

"Aaaaand there it is." Lukas sighed. Harper shook her head slowly.

"What could they have done to cause an emergency meeting?"

 _"Oh, slime blocks!"_ groaned Milo, reluctantly following everyone else to the front of the Egg Castle.

 _"Curious."_ said Ivor, _"I wonder what that's all about."_

Jesse led them after everyone else, standing near the back of the crowd in front of the Palace, where much more guards were stationed on the stairs.

 _"Oh!"_ gasped the Nervous Guys friend, _"It's the Founder!"_

Sure enough, ISA appeared at the entrance to the palace. Jesse's eyes widened not a moment later, as Aiden, Maya and Gill appeared right behind her, the bully giving the Founder a smile.

"Oh, you have got to be joking." muttered Isa, shaking her head. Aiden was staring at the screen with wide eyes, Maya and Gill sharing a startled look.

 _"I wonder what this is all about."_ said Petra, she and the other two having not noticed the Blaze Rods.

 _"Yes, I'm nervous being surrounded by so many people."_ Ivor grumbled, looking at the crowd in disgust. Petra rolled her eyes.

_"You'll be fine, Ivor."_

_"Hey, guys,"_ said Jesse, _"I found the Blaze Rods."_

 _"What are you- Oh crap."_ Petra said.

 _"People of Sky City!"_ Isa began, _"I'm sorry to pull you from-"_

The screen blacked out.

"Wow!" said Lukas, he and the other watchers jumping in surprise. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know." Ellegaard frowned, pressing the buttons on the remote, "It's not working anymore."

"Here, let me try." Soren said, taking the remote and jabbing it at the screen. Nothing happened. "That's... odd."

"Hey, where'd Aiden go?" asked Axel. Jesse blinked, looking to where the boy had been sitting before, only to find that, sure enough, he was gone. He looked towards the door just in time to see someone vanishing into the hall, out of sight.

"Where's he going?" asked Cassie, more to herself than anyone else. No one answered her.

"Welp." said Magnus, popping the 'p' and clapping his hands together, "Lunch break!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When meeting Milo, what did you say? I was told you could help me, what was that all about, or are you Milo? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> And we have ended on a slightly different note than usual. How Aiden got the screen to switch off will, of course, be revealed within the next chapter or so, and they'll be getting it back on in no time, what with Ellegaard, Olivia, Harper and Stampy working together. There's gonna be a lunch break, some chores and complaining will fly about, and the first actual Aidassie.


	32. Criminals

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Thirty-Two: Criminals**

* * *

The wooden stairs creaked and groaned under her weight, filling the silence and drowning out the muffle chatter in the kitchen a little ways from the stairs. Cassie wasn't entirely sure what to make of the mansion; it was even more impressive then her own, despite being made mostly out of oak and spruce planks, with it's multiple halls and unused rooms.

Let's not forget the secret passages. She hadn't found any herself, as of yet, but that Gabe guy has certainly mentioned one of the 'watchers' disappearing for almost an hour and reappearing through a portrait. She would have to check them out.

Maybe they could be of use to her.

Cassie shook herself out of her thoughts as she reached the birch wood door a little ways from the top of the stairs, Winslow giving a soft little meow. She smiled down at her little kitty, moving the baked potatoes and steak to one hand so she could reach down and give his head a rub.

Turning back to the door, Cassie turned the handle, opening it a little and poking her head through. Her eyes widened behind her glasses, and she stepped into the library, looking around at the destruction. Chairs and tables were tipped over, books thrown across the floor with their pages torn and ripped, the golden banners that had decorated the walls slashed and hanging sideways, pillows shredded with chicken feathers scattered about, and one of the bookshelves was even on its side.

Cassie stepped over a pile of destroyed books, her eyes landing on the boy sitting on the window seat, which had been robbed of its cushions (thus explaining the pillows), leaving nothing but an uncomfortably hard surface. A black jacket lay on the floor a little ways from the window seat, a giant tear going right over the ocelot on the back.

The redhead bent down, picking up the jacket and straightening, fingering the tear with her thumb. She looked up at Aiden, staring out the window and not seeming to have noticed her yet, his arms crossed and eyes glazed over. "You seem upset."

Aiden jumped, twisting around to face her. He looked from her to Winslow, sitting in the doorway and licking his paw, before back to her. His green eyes hardened, brow furrowing into a glower. "Here to yell at me or something?"

"If I were here to do that," said the redhead, "I would already be yelling."

Aiden sighed, turning back to the window. "What do you want?"

Cassie shrugged, picking up one of the tipped over chairs and plopping down in it, the torn jacket held loosely in her hand. She held out the steak and potatoes with her other. "I came to give you lunch. Figures you didn't want to join us."

The boy was silent for a long moment, before he turned to face her again, raising an eyebrow at the food. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept for weeks. "Why would you care if I ate or not?"

"There are worse people than you." said Cassie, her voice quiet. Aiden shook his head.

"There's no one worse than me."

Cassie laughed. "Don't flatter yourself." She got up from her seat and walked towards him, pushing the food into his hands, an odd sort of smile on her beautiful lips. "Now eat."

Aiden opened his mouth to say something- what, he wasn't really sure- but the redhead was already out the door, her calico cat trailing behind her, his torn jacket slung over her shoulder. He closed his mouth, looking down at the steak and baked potatoes in his hands. He would never admit it, but a smile curled on his lips then, and he would later tell himself that there had simply been something in his eyes.

Winslow gave a soft meow, and Aiden looked back at the door to find him still there, watching him with intelligent eyes. The little kitty cocked his head to the side, and the green eyed boy raised his hand in a small wave. Winslow blinked, before trotting after his owner, and Aiden looked back down at the food in his hands.

Yeah. Later, he'd tell himself that. But now, all he cared about was the warm feeling spreading through his chest.

* * *

Magnus groaned, slumping against the wall and sliding down to the floor. Ellegaard rolled her eyes at him, continuing to scrub at the floor with the wet sponge, her front already soaked. Jesse and Nell were doing the same not to far from her, the blond girl chatting away so fast that Ellegaard had trouble understanding her, and that would be without her slang.

"Magnus," Ellegaard huffed, once it became clear the masked man wasn't planning on getting back to it anytime soon, "Instead of watching us, why don't you actually help us?"

"But this is _boring_."

"Are you _whining_?" asked Nell, stopping her non-stop blabbering to turn an amused grin onto Magnus, who gave a glare in return.

"No. I'm stating facts."

"I dunno." said Jesse, "Pretty sure that's called whining."

"Look, Magnus, the sooner you start helping us, the sooner we can all return to the episodes." Ellegaard said, starting to scrub at the floor again. Magnus tilted his head back, banging it lightly against the wall with another groan.

"Can't we just do something else?" Magnus asked, after a moment. Ellegaard made an annoyed noise at the back of her throat, but he hastily continued before she could say anything. "I mean, didn't you want a rematch when I beat you at Release?"

Ellegaard paused, brow furrowing in confusion. After a moment, she shook her head. "Magnus, that was over ten _years_ ago. Besides," she scrubbed harder at a stubborn stain, " _You're_ the one that lost and wanted a rematch."

Magnus blinked, pushing himself up properly. "Oh, no, no, no. I remember quite clearly-"

"You're _terrible_ at Release." the engineer said, abandoning her sponge to face him properly, Jesse and Nell sharing a be amused look behind her, "You could never even find our Belgium!"

"What are you talking about? _You're_ terrible at Release. I can't even remember the amount of times you threw a tantrum-"

"Most likely because I never did-"

"Of course you did, I wouldn't mention it otherwise-"

"Magnus-"

"Ellie-"

"What's Release?" Jesse cut in. The two had gotten right into each others faces, their noses almost brushing, brows furrowed into glares. Three heads snapped towards the pig owner, gaping at him. Jesse blinked.

"What?"

"How can't you know what Release is?" asked Ellegaard. Magnus coughed something into his elbow that sounded suspiciously like 'noob.'

"Alright, Release, or also called, uh, Cops and Robbers," Nell began, "Is where there's two teams, one Hiders and one Taggers slash Seekers. The Hiders have to, well, hide while the Seekers slash Taggers-"

"Just call them Seekers." said Magnus, slightly annoyed. Nell nodded.

"-The Seekers have to count to, like, a hundred or something, a bit like Hide of Seek, yeah? And when a Seeker tags a Hider, they have to go to the Belgium, where they have to stay until one of their teammates shows up, gets in and shouts 'Release!' while the Seekers Guard is distracted. There's usually a time limit or something, and basically the Hiders have to stay, er..."

Jesse raised an eyebrow. "Hidden?"

"Yeah, hidden! At least one of them has to not be captured by the end of the time limit, or else the Seekers win."

"Huh." said Jesse, taking a moment to process this, "Sounds fun."

Nell nodded, a wide grin on her face, "Yeah, we've played it a couple times in the Games, and the Seekers Guard has to kill one of the prisoners every twenty minutes."

Jesse's eyes widened. "Wait, what do you mean by-"

Magnus shot to his feet, gaining surprised looks from the other three. He put his hands on his hips, a cocky grin on his face, "What d'ya say, Ellie? Ready for that rematch you wanted?"

Ellegaard huffed, climbing to her feet as well. " _You_ wanted the rematch. Heck, you want one _now_."

"So we're playing?" asked Nell, jumping to her feet and bouncing on her toes, "That's awesome, dudes! I'll go get everyone together!" Ellegaard blinked.

"Wait, I never said-"

But Nell had already bolted away, shouting at the top of her lungs for everyone to get together because they were going to play Release. Ellegaard sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, while Magnus crossed his arms, still grinning at her.

"How 'bout this," he said, "The loser has to do _all_ the chores for the rest of our stay here."

Ellegaard glared at him. "Who knows how long we'll be here-"

"What?" Magnus cut her off, leaning in, "Ya scared?"

The engineer's glare hardened, and she crossed her arms as well. They were nose to nose again.

"Alright," she said, after a moment, "You got yourself a deal."

* * *

"I can't believe we're doing this." said Maya, as she placed her piece of paper into the leather helmet Otto was holding out to her. She glanced around at the other occupants of the second living room, "Are we really doing this?"

Jesse shrugged, placing his own piece of paper into the helmet, "It'll lighten the tension?"

"Either that," said Olivia, "Or create _more_ tension." Axel grinned.

"So, win win."

Lukas sent him an odd look. "How is that a win win?"

"Okay, everyone," said Otto, turning to face everyone, "Since the numbers are uneven, I'll act as referee. There are six games, but I won't be telling you them until it's time to do them."

"Wait," Ellegaard cut in, "I thought we were only playing Release?"

"Emily and the Gladiators were complaining about how things were boring here," Otto explained, "So I decided to put together a little competition, simply for fun. Three of the games will be mostly physical, while the other three will be mostly mental."

"Aw, man." groaned Axel, Facemeat and Clutch grimacing.

"What I'm going to do," continued Otto, setting the hat on the table against the wall. The second living room was a lot more spacious without the couches. "Is pull out a name one by one. The first name will be on Team A, while the second name will be on Team B, then Team A again, then Team B, and so on, so forth. Once the teams are chosen, you'll have the rest of the day to vote for a Team Captain."

"Wow." said Dan, cocking his head to the side, "You came up with all _that_ in under twenty minutes?"

Otto smiled. "I've been doing this for quite some time."

"Well, let's get on with it, then." said Gabriel, putting his arms behind his back, "It has been quite some time since I have played games such as these."

"Do I _have_ to play?" grumbled Ivor, scowling, "I'd much rather we watch those episodes so we can get home and be on with our lives!"

Harper shrugged. "He's kinda got a point. But, well... this sounds fun."

Ivor faltered, not seeming to know what to say. He crossed his arms, scowling at the floor. "Fine. But this better not take long."

"We could watch the episodes while I sort out the teams." Otto suggested, shrugging, "I'm rather good a multi-tasking."

"There you go, Ivor," said Jesse, "We can watch a little more of this episode and then start playing Release."

Petra nodded. "It's settled then. You got the screen working?"

"Yeah, it was surprisingly simple." Stampy said, stuffing his hands in his hoodie pocket, "Just this plug-thing that goes into the wall."

Aiden looked down at the floor, his mouth twisting downwards. He'd replaced his jacket with a brown flannel shirt that he'd found in the attic (that place was _full_ of clothes). He'd probably have to get to cleaning the rest of the library soon.

The group wandered back into the watching room, taking their usual seats as the screen had, in fact, turned back on, and seemed to have paused when it had been switched off. Ivor picked up the remote and jabbed it at the screen, the play sign momentarily replaced by a loading circle before the scene continued.

 _"People of Sky City,"_ said Isa, stepping forwards and silencing the crowd, _"I'm sorry to pull you from your duties, but something urgent has come to my attention. A crime has been committed."_

The crowd gasped. _"A crime?" "What kind of crime?"_

"Well, uh," Spraklez adjusted his sunglasses, "That's not good."

 _"Please, please, remain calm."_ Isa continued, _"Earlier today, outsiders built a bridge into our fair city from a distant island."_ On the other side of the Founders garden, the gates were opening, revealing the dirt bridge and, more importantly, Ivor's lava skull.

Multiple heads snapped towards the real Ivor, who blinked at the sudden looks he was getting. The potions master cleared his throat awkwardly, rubbing his neck and giving a rather nervous chuckle. "Long live lava?"

 _"Now,"_ said Isa, as the screen showed Lukas rubbing his head, Petra sending Ivor a death glare and Jesse wincing, _"Whether these outsiders know it or not, this is a violation of Sky City's most sacred law."_ her eyes hardened, _"No unauthorized building."_

The crowd burst into sound, Milo peeking around to look at the group with wide eyes. _"Wait. Was that you? Are you the bridge builders?"_

 _"I didn't know it was against the law!"_ said Jesse, as the crowd continued to shout and Isa tried to calm them down, _"It was just a bridge!"_

 _"This is nuts!"_ Petra agreed.

"I knew you'd become a criminal one day, Jesse." grinned Axel, earning a flat look from said boy, "But I kinda thought I'd have to drag you down with me."

Onscreen, Aiden leaned in and whispered something into the Founders ear. She turned back to the crowd. _"Jesse, wherever you are, step forward now."_

"Oh, crap, she knows your name!" gasped Nell.

"I kind of feel like Aiden's singling Jesse out here." said Stacy, "I mean, I know he's the leader and all, but still."

"Hey, yeah," said Petra, crossing her arms, "Where's my criminal poster?"

"Petra!" Jesse said.

 _"I have already been informed of your identity. I appreciate that you may be ignorant of our laws, but I will warn you: Sky City is small, and I promise that if you try to hide, I will find you."_ Isa's eyes narrowed onto the crowd, promising that he words spoke truth.

"She's so scary." Lukas whispered, earning a loud snort from Jesse.

The guards began making their way into the crowd to search for the outsiders, and the screen switched over to Jesse and the others, as Ivor pushed his way passed them to stand in front of Jesse. _"We need to get to that Eversource at whatever cost."_ he gestured to the guards, as they reached the bottom of the stairs, _"This is clearly our fastest way into the castle!"_

 _"By getting arrested?!"_ Petra hissed.

"Yeah, I'm siding with Petra on this one." said Olivia, "Who know's what'll happen if they get their hands on you. And if this 'no unauthorized building' is really their most sacred law..." Olivia suddenly went incredibly pale, a shiver wracking her spine. Jesse frowned, pulling her closer, which earned him a grateful smile.

 _"Wait!"_ Milo cut in, (and earning another scowl form Real-Isa) before lowering his voice as to not be overheard, _"Don't be fooled by the Founders lies. I can help you to come up with a plan to get into the palace."_

Isa gaped at the screen, her voice going up a few volumes, " _Lies?!_ What _lies?!_ "

 _"Here I am!"_ Ivor shouted, turning around and waving his arms wildly, jumping up and down, _"I built the bridge!"_

"Ivor." groaned Petra.

Gasps erupted throughout the crowd. Jesse looked over at Petra, standing by Milo near an alleyway, and then over to Ivor, as guards quickly made their way towards them.

 _"Are you crazy?"_ hissed Petra, _"Does she look like she's going to help us?"_

 _"Hey!"_ yelled Ivor, as one of the guards grabbed his arm, _"Unhand me!"_

"What did you _expect_ would happen?" asked Ellegaard, sending Ivor an exasperated look, "You broke their most _sacred law._ "

"Yes, well," Ivor rubbed at his neck, "Eversource?"

"This is why we shouldn't have brought him along." whispered Petra.

 _"Come with me!"_ Milo insisted.

_"This is completely unnecessary!"_

_"Jesse!"_ exclaimed Petra, _"We need to get out of here!"_

 _"I'm sorry, Ivor,"_ said Jesse, backing up towards Petra, _"But I'm going with Milo."_

Petra nodded. _"Me too."_

"This is going _way_ too fast." groaned Dan.

 _"Quick then, follow me!"_ said Milo, and he sprinted off into the alleyway, Petra hot on his heels.

_"Wait, wait, I'm coming peacefully!"_

_"Hey, that's them!" Aiden_ exclaimed, as Jesse hesitated at the entrance to the alley, Lukas running towards him, _"They're getting away!"_

"Things just took a turn for the worse." muttered Cassie. Stacy shook her head.

"Thought that'd happened when that Aiden guy had shown up."

"Good point."

 _"After them!"_ shouted Reginald, darting towards Jesse, who still stood at the alleyway entrance.

 _"Jesse, run!"_ shouted Lukas, _"Run!"_ And then Reginald tackled him, instead of Jesse, and the young hero turned on his heels and did as his friend had demanded, bolting after Petra and Milo, the guards right on his tail.

"Run, run, run!" chanted Maya, on the edge of her seat, biting at her nails.

Onscreen, Jesse glanced over his shoulder at the guards behind him, before skidding around the corner after Petra and Milo, hitting the wall with a yelp before he started running after them again. The first guard skidded to a stop, but the second was going too fast and rammed into him, sending the first guard slamming into the wall while the second guard tripped and face planted the ground. The first guard fell off the wall and did the same.

The audience winced.

"Yikes." muttered Ellegaard.

Petra and Milo had already gone into another alley, but two guards appeared at the entrance before Jesse could as well, one on either side, shouting. Petra stopped at the end of the alley, looking as though she was about to step in and help, but then Jesse hit the ground and slide between the guards, who bumped into each other and fell onto their backs when they attempted to catch him.

Jesse jumped back to his feet and followed Petra through a small archway, spotting her and Milo leaning against the wall, the redhead gesturing for him to get over there. Jesse did so immediately, and the screen went out to show a guard running passed their hiding place, before going back in show Jesse, Petra and Milo against the wall, multiple guards running passed the archway and yelling.

"They don't appear to be the best at fighting." hummed Otto, the names and hat sitting in his lap, only Mevia and Hadrian able to hear him.

"I'm not all that surprised." Mevia said, not even bothering to keep her voice low, "They don't appear to have much trouble in this 'Sky City' place."

After a moment, Milo peeked out, looking left and right to make sure there weren't any guards in their immediate area. He looked back inside the building and gestured for Jesse and Petra to follow him.

They ran, the blond innkeeper leading them passed a series of buildings and right into the pathway leading off from the plaza, where his inn was. They took a sharp turn and ran inside, the screen going up to show the INN sign before turning dark.

"Well," said Axel, looking slightly disappointed, "And you said nothing exciting was happening."

Lukas sighed. "I stand corrected."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you go with Ivor or Milo? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Kinda short chapter, guys, but whatever. You got an update, stop complaining.
> 
> I'd like to thank GirlOfMyOwnWorld for helping me set up the games that they'll be playing, and for sorting out the teams for me (which will be revealed next chapter). I'll be using the games for fun, to hint pairings, explore the mansion more, to add a bit more stuff in, and whatnot.
> 
> I myself don't know who'll win, but we'll get to that when we get to that. And next chapter, after who's on who's team is revealed, you guys can vote for who becomes the Team Captain on each team. The games will last sometime up to ep seven, and a hell of a lot more of the mansions secrets will be revealed.


	33. Build Club

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Thirty-Three: Build Club**

* * *

The screen turned back on, showing a panting Jesse, Petra and Milo as they entered the main area of the inn. _"Just in here, yes."_

Jesse and Petra looked around, at the silent man standing by the counter to the flickering fire in the fireplace. There were no doors, no stairs, and not even a chest to hide in. The redhead shook her head. _"There's no where to hide in here! I-It's a dead end!"_ Outside the inn, the guards shouting could be heard.

"Oh crap." said Magnus, "That's not good."

"Oh, they're dead, they're dead," chanted Olivia, unable to tear her wide eyes from the screen, "They are _so_ dead."

Petra and Jesse sent her a deadpanned look.

Milo turned to face them, still panting slightly from the run, _"Before I take you two any further, you must take an oath."_

"What? Why?" asked Axel.

 _"I think they went this way!"_ came a muffled cry, Petra and Jesse looking over their shoulders at the staircase leading to the entrance behind them.

 _"You must swear,"_ continued Milo, the two turning back to him, _"To never reveal what I am about to show you."_

Isa turned hard eyes to the real Milo, who was fidgeting in his seat, very obviously avoiding looking at her and Reginald. "What do you mean by _that_ , exactly?" she hissed.

"Well, um, you see..." Milo cleared his throat, looking around the room frantically, his eyes landing on the door multiple times. He looked like he was ready to bolt.

 _"What?"_ exclaimed Petra, looking from Milo to the stairs.

 _"Do you swear that?"_ Milo pressed.

 _"Uh, yeah, sure, whatever."_ said Jesse impatiently, _"Can we please get on with it?"_

 _"Not_ quite _an oath."_ grumbled Milo, _"But it'll have to do."_

"They're kind of being chased by guards," Lukas said, "Can't blame them for being a little impatient."

Milo looked over at the man standing behind the counter, _"Phillipe."_

The man, Philliipe, gave the blond a single nod, before stepping on some sort of pressure plate hidden behind the counter. The cobblestone wall in front of them shifted, breaking down to reveal a secret room. Milo gestured to it with a smirk, _"Right this way."_

"Wait, how- where did-" Isa put her head in her hands, squeezing the bridge of her nose with both hands and clenching her eyes shut, jaw clenched. Reginald, who had previously been quite friendly, was now giving Milo, Jesse, Petra and their friends glares, clenching his sword hilt in a white-knuckled grip.

Milo swallowed, sinking in his chair as though wishing he could vanish into it.

Jesse's and Petra's eyes widened, and they quickly made their way through the secret doorway after Milo, stopping at some sort of balcony as the doorway closed behind them. _"This,"_ said Milo, gesturing the room bellow, _"Is Build Club."_

The screen swapped around to show the room, revealing tables made out of pistons, furnaces, crafting tables, red and grey carpet, paintings, frames with tools and materials in them, jukeboxes, and a small group of people spread out bellow.

Isa made a sort of chocking sound, looking at the screen with wide eyes, her mouth partly open in shock. Reginald shot to his feet, causing multiple people to jump, and marched straight towards Milo, drawing his sword. "That is _it-_ "

"Wait, wait, wait!" exclaimed Milo, scrambling over the head of the armchair and causing it to tip backwards, just as Reginald swung his sword, the sharp blade slashing the cushions and causing feathers to go flying. Milo let out a rather high-pitched squeak, as almost everyone else jumped to their feet as well, Gabriel, Petra and Em moving to restrain the enraged Captain of the Guard.

"That man is a criminal!" Reginald exclaimed, struggling in Em and Gabriel's grip as Petra disarmed him with her pickax, "He's broken Sky City's most-"

"Sacred law, we know, we know." Maya sighed, shaking her head as she put the armchair back in it's right position, "You can punish him afterwards."

"That man is a _fool._ " spat Isa, getting to her own feet and pointing a finger at Milo, "He has _no idea_ what he's-"

"Oh, spare us the lies, will you?" Milo snapped, crossing his arms and scowling at her, "Just because buildings risky doesn't mean no one should do it, and there is no way that _you-_ "

"How _dare you._ " Isa hissed, marching forwards and getting right in the innkeepers face, "How _dare_ _you_."

"Everybody calm down!" said Jesse, pushing the two apart and standing between them, keeping a hand held up in both their directions, "Fighting isn't going to solve anything-"

"It will if I win!" Milo butted in, causing Isa to roll her eyes at him.

"Of _course_ you'd think that."

"Can we please just _watch this_?" said Ivor, looking rather annoyed, "You can solve your petty arguments later."

Milo and Isa sent each other one last heated glare, before they turned around and stomped back to their seats, the Founder huffing and grumbling to herself. Gabriel and Em released Reginald hesitantly, but as soon as he was free enough to move, he shoved passed them, sheathing his sword and following after Isa with a scowl of his own. Jesse let out a relieved breath, and returned to his seat on the floor.

 _"Wow."_ breathed Petra, as the screen went down to show two people placing what appeared to be cobblestone on a crafting table.

 _"Everything you see before you,"_ Milo continued, the screen moving passed the furnace to the other side of the room, where two more people were standing before a crafting table, _"Was built from resources my people have saved or, er..."_ the screen turned around to show the three on the balcony, revealing a little stage next to the stairs with two iron blocks and a crafting table on it, _"Obtained."_

Isa's scowl deepened, Reginald sending Milo a death glare.

 _"Man,"_ said Petra, sounding impressed, as they continued to watch the people bellow, _"Can't be easy to come by some of this stuff. Nice work"_

 _"Wow."_ Jesse agreed, grinning and rubbing at his hair, _"This is quite the secret hideout, Milo! Very nice."_

Real-Milo sent the real Jesse a look, "It is _not_ a secret hideout."

"Really?" frowned Axel, "Seems rather secret-y and hideout-y enough to me."

Milo cleared his throat, sending Jesse a look, _"It is not a 'hideout.'"_ he put his hands on his hips, _"It is a_ Build Club _."_

"He seems a bit touchy about what it's called, doesn't he?" whispered Ellegaard, so only the Original Order to hear. Magnus snorted, not bothering to keep his voice down.

"That's a friggin' hideout, man."

"It's. A. _Build Club_." growled Milo. Isa's lips gave an unwilling twitch.

 _"You see,"_ Milo continued, _"One day, a long time ago, I was just a citizen of Sky City, like any other. I wanted to make a community garden, so I put in a petition for a dirt block."_ Jesse rose an eyebrow, listening curiously. Petra was still looking down at the not-hideout behind him. _"And, mercy me, it was granted!"_

Reginald and Isa shared a look.

Onscreen, Milo turned around, walking away a little, _"But in my excitement and haste to build my garden, I accidentally dropped my new block and it fell... right over the edge."_ his face twisted into a sour look, _"For my crime, I was tossed into the Founder's dungeons."_ At that, Petra finally turned to look at him too, both hers and Jesse's eyes widen.

"Wow." said Lukas, "Harsh."

_"And I was in there for a very, very long time."_

"Over a block of _dirt_?" gaped Dan, "I mean, if it were a diamond minecart, sure, okay, but _dirt_?"

 _"Wait, you just dropped some dirt."_ said Jesse, frowning, _"What was the crime?"_

 _"The crime, Jesse,"_ Milo said, turning to face them again, _"Was the 'Egregious Wasting of Resources.'"_

Axel blinked. "What does 'egregious' mean?"

"Outstanding bad or shocking." answered Ellegaard. Magnus blinked.

"Huh."

 _"You see, in our world,"_ Milo turned to look down at his not-hideout, _"When something falls over the edge, it is gone. Forever. But I have always believed in my heart that just because building is risky, doesn't mean no one should do it!"_

"Don't you have unlimited resources?" asked Gill. Isa shook her head, sighing.

"No, you don't understand, to _get_ the resources you- you have to..." she sighed again, turning back to the screen, "Just... never mind."

Milo began to lead them down the stairs into his not-hideout. _"If only I had known you were builders sooner. I would have helped you_ all _escape when I first met you, rather then let your friends be taken."_ he reached the bottom, turning around to grin up at Jesse and Petra as they made their way down as well, _"But at least_ you _are here, yes?"_

Reginald clenched his jaw, his still gripping his sword. Benedict gave a little cluck.

 _"I_ would _like to save Lukas."_ said Petra, and then, as an afterthought, _"And Ivor, I guess."_

Ivor rolled his eyes. "Flattering."

 _"Milo, our friends are in trouble."_ said Jesse, as he and Petra reached the bottom of the stairs, _"We have to help them."_ Milo nodded.

_"Yes, I know, I-"_

_"Hey! Milo!"_

They turned to see the entire club start making their way over to them, turning hard eyes onto their leader, who gave them a nervous grin. _"Ah! Hello, my friends!_

"Whoo, boy." muttered Maya.

 _"Bringing in outsiders?"_ said one of the club members, causing Milo's grin to fall, _"Seriously?"_

 _"Pretty hard to keep this a_ secret _club if you just bring people in."_

_"We have it hard enough as it is."_

_"Everyone, please."_ Milo tried, but they were already talking again.

_"Yeah, it's hard enough without you bringing in a couple of randos!"_

"'Randos'?" Nell hummed. She gave a grin. "I'm gunna start saying that!" Em groaned.

 _"Guys, don't worry!"_ said Jesse, _"We're builders, just like you!"_

 _"Yeah, Jesse's right, just chill out."_ Petra said, giving them a small grin, _"We're the ones that built that bridge into town today."_

Horrified gasps immediately erupted, the club members turning furious eyes onto their leader. _"Milo! Jeez!"_

 _"Milo, are you kidding me?"_ gasped a girl in some sort of odd hat, _"The most wanted criminals in the whole city? We gotta turn them before the guards break our door down!"_

Real-Petra winced. "Shouldn't have said that."

Magnus shook his head, squinting at the women on screen, "What's that on her head?"

 _"Well, no."_ Petra winced, _"Let's not do that."_

 _"I assure you,"_ said Milo, _"Harboring them is worth the risk."_ he moved to stand next to Jesse, patting the younger boy on the shoulder, _"They are the epitome of Build Club material!"_

The Build Club members were silent for a long moment, before they huddled up into a circle, whispering to each other. After about a minute, a man turned around to face them, _"Alright, then. If Milo say's you're these 'amazing builders,'"_ he stood in front of Jesse, who leveled him with a weary glare, _"Prove it."_

"Oh, come on," groaned Lizzie, "They don't have time for this!"

 _"Yeah,"_ one of the girls said, _"Build something."_

 _"Now, see here,"_ said Milo, standing between Jesse and the man, _"This is all highly disrespectful to my guests. I'm the leader here!"_

 _"Oh, come on, we don't have time for this."_ Jesse said.

 _"It'll be fine."_ Petra reassured, rubbing under her helmet, _"You're one of the best builders I know."_

Jesse turned to her with a raised eyebrow. _"'One of'?"_

Real-Jesse raised an eyebrow at the real Petra, who simply shot him an amused look.

 _"We don't know many recipes,"_ Milo cut in, leading Jesse towards the stage, _"So if you just show us something that they build where you come from..."_ he trailed off with a shrug, Petra and the Build Club member's gathering at the foot of the stage.

_"You're gonna be just fine, Jesse!"_

"You don't sound all that sure." said Lukas, sounding more amused than anything else. Petra rolled her eyes.

"He'll be _fine_." she faltered, "Probably." Jesse sent her a disbelieving look.

"Really?"

 _"Jesse,"_ Milo pulled out some iron bars and two iron blocks, handing it to the young leader, _"It took us many weeks to scrap together this inventory. Please, use them for your build."_

Jesse sent him a grateful smile. _"Oh, thanks."_

Milo got off the stage and joined the small crowd, who started chanting _"Build, build, build,"_ excitedly. Jesse looked from the crafting table to the two iron blocks, before making his way over to the latter. _"Let's see here..."_

Jesse took out one of the iron blocks Milo had given him, placing it to the right of the top iron block. A girl in the crowd spoke up, _"Anyone got something to take notes with?"_

_"No."_

_"Darn, I guess I'll just have to try and remember all this."_

Sparklez blinked. "He's... he's only placed _one_ block down."

Jesse took out the pumpkin he'd got back at the Old Builder's temple, placing it on top of the stack.

"Are you sure that's what you should be building?" asked Harper hesitantly, "I mean, they're probably going to get a mighty fright."

Petra gave a small chuckle. _"Getting nervous yet, Milo?"_

Milo gave a rather nervous-sounding laugh, _"What? No, of course not-"_

Jesse placed down the last iron block before he could finish, and the statue burst into an Iron Golem, which stomped its feet and spread it's long arms, the crowd gasping and starting to back away. _"Sweet mercy!"_

"What did I tell ya?" muttered Harper.

 _"Jesse,"_ gasped Milo, his face terribly pale. One of the members fainted a little ways behind him. _"What is that thing?!"_ The Iron Golem stood still, towering over them, the light of the glowstone above casting it in shadows, _"I-Is- Is it safe?"_

Jesse moved the stand beside the Iron Golem, a rather evil-looking grin crossing his face, _"Oh no, everyone! It's an Iron Golem and it's out of control! Run for your lives!"_

"Seriously, Jesse?" said Olivia, trying- and failing- to put on a scolding tone. Jesse sent her a sheepish grin.

Build Club started screaming, too scared to even consider running for it. _"We're doomed!"_

_"Remember me as I was!"_

Axel, Nell, the Gladiators and Magnus were doubling over in laughter, clutching their sides and close to tears. Dan was making a rather odd face in an attempt to stop himself from grinning, while Stampy hid his face into the orange-haired boys shoulder, shoulders shaking as he tried not to laugh. Sparklez was covering his own grin with his hands, while Stacy was failing terribly, and Lizzie had tears rolling down her face.

Lukas and Petra shared an amused look, Gabriel shook his head with a grin of his own, Ellegaard was watching Magnus rolling about, a smile tugging furiously at her lips. Harper and Maya were desperately trying to stifle their giggles, to no avail, Gill was grinning at the screen widley, Cassie was biting her lip in an attempt not to laugh, Otto just looked amused, and even Aiden and Isa were having a hard time not laughing. Hadrian and Mevia were openly laughing, the former slapping his knee and the latter whipping tears from her eyes.

Milo blinked at them slowly, before crossing his arms and grumbling to himself.

 _"Jesse."_ said Petra over the Build Club's screaming, sounding more amused than she cared to admit. Jesse laughed, looking over at her with a slightly sheepish expression, although he was still grinning.

_"What?"_

Petra couldn't help but return the grin with a shake of her head, before turning to the still screaming Builders, _"Hey, everyone! Calm down. There's nothing to worry about."_

Lukas shook his head, giving a soft laugh, "Good thing you're there, Petra. Who knows what Jesse would've done if you hadn't said that."

"I wouldn't have done _anything_." said Jesse, giving him a mock-glare. Lukas sighed.

"Exactly."

The screaming slowly died down, the Iron Golem making a rumbling sound in the back of it's throat, before turning and making it's way off the stage, Build Club watching it go with fearful eyes. Jesse got off the stairs as well, Petra moving to stand beside him as one of the members began to speak.

 _"I can understand why the guards are after you."_ she breathed, _"I mean, that was awesome!"_

 _"Right?"_ said Milo, placing a hand on his hip, _"I told you!"_

 _"Yeah, we're really sorry."_ said a guy with an eye patch, _"Wowzers."_

"I'm gonna start saying that." Magnus declared. Ellegaard lightly slapped his chest.

"You are not."

Jesse and Petra smiled, looking relieved to finally have that out of the way.

_"So sorry."_

_"Yeah, we're sorry."_

_"Sorry."_

Jesse shrugged, _"Hey, these things happen. Apology totally accepted, dudes."_ The club grinned at him, _"Now, uh, how about that whole 'getting us into the palace' thing?"_

"Oh, yeah." said Olivia, "I'd almost forgotten. Hope Lukas and Ivor are okay in there."

 _"Yeah,"_ Petra nodded, _"That would be great."_

 _"Ah, yes,"_ said Milo, _"Of course, of course, that is, after all, why you are here. I must say though, after seeing you in action,"_ he shook his head, voice laced with awe, _"Your skills are even more impressive than I could have imagined."_

"Where's this going?" asked Maya, sending Milo a suspicious look out of the corner of her eye.

 _"So impressive,"_ Milo continued, walking forwards a little so his back was facing Jesse and Petra, _"That I wonder if I could implore you for a tiny favor."_ he said the last part rather fast.

"Whoop, there it is." muttered Dan.

 _"What kind of favor?"_ Petra asked slowly, eyes narrowing.

 _"I help you get into the palace,"_ said Milo, moving to stand on the other side of Jesse and Petra again, _"You help me steal the Eversource for my people."_

Isa groaned, bending forwards and resting her head in her hands, Benedict cuddling up against her in an attempt to comfort her. Ivor had a scowl on his face.

"Absoloutly not! That Eversource is _m-_ " Petra sent him a glare, "- _ours."_

Magnus raised an eyebrow at him. "'Mours'?"

Milo grinned at his club members, raising a fist into the air, _"Unlimited resources for everyone!"_

The club members started cheering and clapping excitedly. _"I'm overwhelmed at the thought."_ Jesse sighed.

_"Okay, but my friends are in trouble in there, so if we're breaking into the palace, we're going to save them."_

"Don't tell them that!" Ivor exclaimed, frantically shaking his head.

Milo nodded, _"This is an acceptable, and noble, arrangement."_

Petra made a small noise in the back of her throat. _"Good."_

 _"Now,_ " Milo continued, _"As for how to get_ into _the palace..."_ he cleared his throat, _"According to my informants, the Founder keeps the Eversource behind a secret door located in her throne room."_

Isa's scowl deepened, her grip on Benedict tightening. How had they found _that_ out?

 _"Dramatic."_ Petra said.

 _"Every night, the Founder leaves guards at every door. But there's a single window at the back of the palace that is left unguarded. It's an almost perfect point of entry, but..."_ Milo rubbed at his chin, _"It is far too high."_

Cassie blinked at the screen slowly, unimpressed. "Really?"

Onscreen, Petra gave a quiet chuckle, sharing a grin with Jesse. Milo, not seeming to have noticed, continued. _"If we can find a way through that window, the Eversource would be practically within our grasp!"_

"I can't believe I'm hearing this." muttered Lukas.

 _"Guys, how high it is doesn't matter."_ said Jesse, turning around and climbing back onto the stage. Milo's eyes widened.

_"What?"_

_"You just have to start thinking like real builders,"_ Jesse continued, turning to face them, _"And craft a solution!"_

 _"Yeah."_ said Petra, looking up at Jesse, _"Like a ladder."_

"O-Of course!" gasped Real-Milo, "It's so simple!"

 _"Building ladders?"_ the Build Club whispered loudly, _"Crafting a way in?"_

Milo, once again grinning, climbed up onto the stage after Jesse. _"If you could show us how to craft something that would reach that window,"_ he pulled out a bundle of sticks, the same bundle they'd watched him 'obtain' outside the inn, _"We could get this heist underway!"_

Reginald clenched his jaw, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest, fuming silently and glaring holes in the the blond innkeepers head.

Jesse went over to the crafting table, taking Milo's sticks and placing them into the slots, one by one, to form the letter 'H.' The sticks merged together, forming a single ladder. Jesse picked it up, walking to the edge of the stage and holding up the craft, the Build Club gasping in amazement.

 _"Yes."_ breathed Milo, _"Of course. It seems so simple now."_

_"You did it!"_

_"Hooray!"_

_"Amazing!"_

"You better not be getting an ego there, Jesse." said Petra jokingly, reaching over Lukas to nudge him. Jesse sent her a playful glare, rubbing where she'd nudged him.

 _"You are one of us, Jesse."_ said Milo, as Jesse walked off the stage and the Build Club members moves to stand in front of him and Petra, still cheering, _"We will never forget this day."_ With that, the screen went dark.

Gabriel picked up the remote, pointing it at the screen and pressing the pause button.

Otto stood up, holding a leather bound book in his hands, a quill tucked behind his beard and the tips of his fingers stained with black ink. Isa and Reginald were still sending Milo death glares, who was starting to shift uncomfortably, his forehead beading with sweat.

"Alright, then," said Otto, moving to stand in the center of the room and opening the book, "On Team A: Captain Sparklez, Petra, Olivia, Magnus, Ivor, Gabriel, Aiden, Maya, Milo, Cassie and Winslow, Dan the Diamond Minecart, Mevia, Nell," the girl cheered, "Slab and Clutch."

Nell groaned in disappointment, the two Gladiators grinning at each other. "Em's not on my team?"

Otto ignored her, turning to the next page, "On Team B: StacyPlays, Harper, Axel, Gill, Ellegaard, Soren, Lukas, Jesse and Reuben," Lukas, Jesse and Axel high fived, "Isa and Benedict, Reginald the Captain of the Guard, LDShadowLady, StampyCat, Hadrian, Em and Facemeat." He closed the book with a muffled _snap_ , looking around the room with a wide smile, "And Otto as referee."

"Okay, so," said Olivia, "We've got until dinner to figure out who's Team Captain, and then we play the first game, yeah?" Otto nodded at her.

"That's right."

The audience was silent for a long moment, no one sure what to do next. Otto threw his hands into the air. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go into your teams and decide on Team Captain!"

They all scrambled to their feet, the ones in Team A going to one side of the room while Team B went to the other, forming a sort of huddle slash circle upon the floors and couches.

"Right," said Soren, leaning in slightly, looking around at his temporary team, "So how are we going to do this?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you went with Milo, did you choose to build an Iron Golem or something on the crafting table? Let me know in the reviews!


	34. Let's Take Thirty

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Thirty-Four: let's Take Thirty**

* * *

"I should be leader." said Ellegaard, jabbing a thumb at her chest, "Magnus and I are the ones that got this going, after all." Hadrian shook his head.

"No, no, no, _I_ should be-"

"I say we do a vote." Lizzie cut in. "Just, uh..." she pulled out a small journal and a quill, tearing out a piece of paper and ripping it into fifteen pieces. She sucked on her quill thoughtfully for a moment, glancing about at them, before writing something down and folding it up before anyone could see what it said.

They passed the quill around, placing the bits of paper in the middle of their little circle. Once everyone had put their vote in, Harper counted them out, placing each vote into a pile based on which person was being voted for.

"Okay," she said, sitting back on her haunches, "That's two votes for StampyCat, two votes for Ellegaard, one vote for Lukas, one vote for Hadrian," the purple-suited man scowled, "Three votes for me, two votes for Benedict, one vote for the Founder, two votes for Reuben-"

"Who the hell keeps voting for the animals?" muttered Em.

"-And five votes for Jesse." Harper shrugged, sending the startled looking boy a smile, "Suppose that makes you leader."

"M-Me?" Jesse stuttered, "But- Why _me_?"

"Dude," said Axel, "Have you _seen_ yourself in these episode-things? You're an awesome leader!"

Jesse felt himself go rather hot, and he ducked his head, quite of few of the others exchanging amused looks. Hadrian seemed to have a scowl permanently engraved onto his face.

"I-I think someone else-"

"You're leader." Harper cut him off, "I'm not doing another vote, so get over it."

Jesse opened his mouth to further protest, but Axel slung an arm over his shoulders before he could, pulling him against the larger boy's side. "You'll be fine, Jesse! Leading's, like, in your blood or something!"

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Lukas agreed, sending his new friend an encouraging smile. Jesse returned it with a rather weak one.

"Hey!" Team B looked to the other side of the room, where their new opponents were looking at them. Magnus had been the one to speak. "You chosen a captain yet?"

"Yeah." said Stacy, "Have you?"

Magnus nodded, gesturing towards a grinning Petra. Jesse felt his heart plummet. He didn't like that glint in her eyes.

"So much for having a whole day to decide." Axel muttered beside him. Otto, who had taken a seat on the couch with a book, blinked in surprise.

"It appears so." the dark skinned man tucked his book away, standing from the couch. "I suppose we can start now, then. I'm not entirely sure if I've said this before, so I'll say it again. Each game will have three rounds, and there are six games in total: three mental, three physical. After each round, we'll watch some more of the episodes, and then go on to the next round." he ran a hand over his clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles, almost absentmindedly, "The losers have to do _all_ of the housework until we finish the last episode. We'll, of course, take some breaks between the episodes and the games, and I want a nice, friendly round, understand?"

At their nods (although Jesse could see Magnus and Ellegaard glaring at each other out the corner of his eye), Otto smiled. "Great! The rules are simple." he started pacing back and forth, hands tucked behind his back, as though he were a commander standing before his troops. "No injuries are to come to your opponents, although small bruises and scrapes are acceptable, as long as they were not purposefully inflicted."

Slab, Facemeat, Clutch, Em and Magnus looked rather disappointed at that.

"Rule number two," Otto continued, "Is that if a Seeker catches you, you _must_ go to the Belgium. Resisting is unacceptable, and you're not allowed to try to alert your teammates of your location. You have to do what the Seekers Guard tells you to do unless it is deemed inappropriate until you are freed."

"Oh, joy." muttered Olivia.

"Rule number three," said Otto, giving her a look that obviously said to let him finish, "No sabotage or cheating is acceptable. Anyone who breaks any of the rules will be disqualified, but will be let back in during the next game. However, there is a three strike limit, and if they get three strikes, they're out for good. New rules will possibly appear as time goes on."

At this, the two teams gave nods of acceptance, causing Otto to beam happily. Jesse felt rather amused at that.

"For this round, Team A will be the Seekers." Otto said, "And Team B will be the Hiders. During the next round, it'll be switched. Seekers, you have two hours to find your Belgium and form a plan if you so wish. Hiders, you can look around for descent hiding spots, and form a plan of your own." he clapped his hands together, "Off you go!"

With that said, the two teams immediately split off to find the best spots to either hide or make a base. A hand tapped on Jesse's shoulder, and he turned, almost jumping out of his skin when he came face to face with a smirking Petra.

"Please don't kill me." he blurted, making the redhead blink in surprise. Then she laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and giving his hair a small ruffle, like one would to a younger sibling.

"Don't worry, Jess, I'm not going to run you through." she paused, "Well, I don't plan to, anyway."

Jesse swallowed, wincing. Petra shook her head, still smiling.

"It's cool, Jesse, really. I actually came over to say that no matter who wins, no hard feelings, yeah?"

Jesse sent her a weak smile. "Let the best team win?"

Petra's grin widened. "I think we both know who that'll be."

Then, giving her shorter friend's hair another ruffle and effectively making it look like he'd just gotten out of bed, Petra made her way after her team, swinging her pickaxe up onto her shoulder.

Jesse watched her go, a half-annoyed, half-relieved look on his face as he attempted to righten his hair. Absentmindedly fiddling with one of the buckles on his dungarees, Jesse wondered around the mansion, taking mental notes on places that could be good hiding spots, poking his head into rooms every now and then.

Finding nothing of real interest, Jesse made his way upstairs, trailing a hand along the banister. The wood was smooth, barely any marks and not a single bump. Everything in the mansion looked brand new, from the walls to the carpets, as though they'd all been newly made.

Or perhaps just unused.

It was a question that was always there, nagging at the back of his mind, pulling at his thoughts and leaving his head a pounding mess. He'd mostly been occupied with thoughts on the episodes, if they're real, if they're fake, if they're all going to die anyway.

He wonders about who brought them here. Who they are. If they're even human. He wonders why they're even helping them in the first. A part of him wanted to believe that it's just because they're nice.

Another part of him knew the mere thought was childish.

But what of the mansion itself? Had it been built for the very purpose of showing them the episodes? Had it just been a project, something to use up spare time, built to complete perfection and then left to gather dust until needed?

Then there was the wall. Towering over the mansion and vanishing into the clouds, white as freshly fallen snow and stronger than bedrock. Magnus and Axel had thrown TNT at it for hours, but the wall had barely been blackened. Last he'd heard, they'd taken out a good part of the garden getting wood for ladders, but were yet to get anywhere near the top of the wall, despite already being dangerously high.

Jesse turned the corner, only to collide with someone, making them drop the things they were carrying.

"Sorry." he said, almost automatically. The person he'd bumped into, the white-haired man with the purple suit, waved him off, kneeling down and picking up his things- which, to Jesse's surprise, appeared to be various potion ingredients.

"It's fine, uh..." the man, who's name Jesse was sure began with an H, snapped his fingers, as though trying to remember something, "Jase, right?"

"Jesse." the younger male corrected, kneeling down to help him pick up the dropped objects. Thankfully, none of them were any of the harmful potion ingredients that Ivor had told him about. "You're Hadron or something?"

"It's Hadrian, actually." They straightened, Jesse handing him the potion ingredients. "So," said Hadrian, a sly sort of smirk on his lips, shifting so he put more of his weight on one foot, "Team Captain, huh? They must respect you quite a bit."

Jesse shrugged sheepishly, heat rising to his face as he rubbed at the back of his head, "Well, they're my friends, so... yeah."

Hadrian hummed, looking at him with an odd sort of glint in his eye. After a moment, Jesse started to shift uncomfortably, not sure what to say. Finally, Hadrian broke the silence.

"Well," he clapped a hand on Jesse's shoulder, "I better get going. See you around, sport."

Jesse watched him go, until he vanished around the corner and down the stairs. He shook his head, deciding to brush the encounter off, and continued his aimless wandering around the mansion.

It was about five minutes later, fifteen since Otto had dismissed them, that Jesse came to the kitchen. He wasn't incredibly surprised to discover Lukas there, scribbling furiously in a notebook, a forgotten glass of orange juice next to his arm.

"Hey, Lukas." he greeted, sitting in the chair across from him. Lukas jumped, head snapping up to look at him. Upon realizing who it was, he gave a sheepish smile.

"Oh, hey, Jesse."

"What're you doing?" Jesse asked. Lukas shrugged.

"Just planning for Release, really. We may not be the Seekers, but it would be good to have some sort of base. You know, a place to meet up with other Hiders, maybe exchange information." Lukas gave him a smile, shrugging again, "Or something like that, anyway."

"That's actually a pretty good idea." Jesse admitted, leaning back in his seat. Lukas looked a bit surprised at that.

"You think so?"

Jesse nodded. "Yeah. But where would be best to have our own Belgium? The Seekers can't know about it, so it can't be in the living room or anywhere obvious."

"Yeah, yeah," said Lukas, nodding enthusiastically, "I was thinking in the upstairs kitchen. It's smaller than this one, and doesn't have a dining table, but it's got two doors, so we'd be able to escape if someone was coming."

"Not bad." Jesse hummed, brow slightly furrowed in thought, "And aren't there a bunch of secret passageways? Like the one I found? Maybe we can use them."

Lukas shifted in his seat, almost as though he were uncomfortable. "Um, yeah, I guess..."

"Are there any paintings in the kitchen?" asked Jesse, more to himself than Lukas, standing up, "I'm going to go see-"

"No!" Lukas exclaimed, abruptly standing up, his chair scraping loudly against the floorboards. Jesse jumped, looking at him with wide, startled eyes.

"What?" he asked, "Why?"

"Just..." Lukas faltered, a faint blush raising up his neck, "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, if that potion could have been a lot worse than drowsiness..."

Jesse blinked at him slowly, before glancing down at the tabletop. "Oh." After a moment, he shrugged, "Maybe there's a helmet or something in the attic."

"Jesse-" the blond rubbed at his neck, not seeming to know what to say. Finally, he sighed. "Please don't."

Jesse frowned, confusion written across his face. "But why not? I'm sure a helmet would-"

"Jesse-"

"Lukas-"

"What's going on in here?"

They turned to find Olivia nudging the door shut behind her, raising an eyebrow at them. Jesse opened his mouth to speak, but Lukas bet him to it.

"Jesse wants to go check out the secret passageways." he blurted, as though revealing as big secret. Olivia blinked, surprised, before looking towards Jesse.

"Why?"

"You know," Jesse shrugged, gesturing weakly at the walls, "For Release."

"Sorry, Jesse, but I don't think that's such a great idea." Olivia admitted. Jesse's frown returned.

"But how come?"

"You got lucky this time." Lukas said, "You were gone for ages, Jesse, and that potion could have been, I don't know, permanent blindness or something."

"But I'll be prepared this time." Jesse insisted, "And I'll have Reuben with me!"

"Where is Reuben, anyway?" asked Olivia.

"We'll talk about it later, okay?" said Lukas, "Just not right now."

Jesse frowned at him, but he gave a defeated sigh. "Fine."

Lukas' shoulders slumped, face morphing into a look of relief. "Thank you."

They stood in an almost awkward silence for a moment, no one knowing what to say. Finally, Jesse gave another sigh, making his way towards the door. "I'm going to go find Reuben. The game should be starting soon."

He was gone before either Lukas or Olivia could answer.

* * *

Jesse found Reuben playing some sort of game with Benedict in the second living room. It might have been tag, since they were chasing each other a lot, but it could have also been lava floor.

They still had five minutes until they were to gather in the watching room for Release, so Jesse decided to take a seat on the floor, next to the door, watching the two animals play.

If he was being honest, he was a bit bummed that Lukas and Olivia didn't trust him enough to check out the passageways. He knew they were just worried, and he had been lucky that the potion had only been drowsiness and not some deadly poison, but he still wasn't very happy about it.

He sighed, shaking his head and fiddling with his dungaree's buckle again. Maybe he was being a bit dramatic. They'd have to explore those passageways eventually, though.

He glanced at the clock on the wall, climbing to his feet upon realizing it was around time the game was supposed to start. He stepped into the hall, whistling over his shoulder. Reuben was quick to trot after him, Benedict happily nestled on his back.

Some of the others were already in the living room when he arrived, waiting for the others. Benedict hopped off Reuben's back when she spotted Isa, jumping into the Founders lap, who absentmindedly started petting her, her conversation with Reginald not even faltering.

"There you are, Jesse." said Petra, looking up from where she'd been talking with Gabriel and Otto, "I was starting to think you'd chickened out."

Jesse sent her a grin. "You wish."

He took a seat between Stampy and Axel on a random couch, and it wasn't long before the others started trickling in, some alone and some in small groups. Lukas came in with Maya and Olivia, and briefly made eye contact with Jesse before casting his gaze downwards, taking a seat next to Nell.

Once everyone had arrived, Otto got to his feet, a clipboard in hand (Jesse briefly wondered where he'd gotten that from). He looked it's contents over for a second, before giving a single nod, turning to look at the small, expectant crowd gathered in front of him.

"Before we begin," Otto said, "I'm going to go through the rules just one more-"

Groans erupted across the room before the sentence was even finished, Magnus making dual thumbs-down motions with his hands and shouting "Boooo!"

Otto scowled, raising his voice above the noise quite stubornly. "Rule number one-"

"You can't purposefully injure your opponents." Lizzie cut in, leaving Otto blinking at her in surprise.

"You have to do what the Seeker's Guard tells you to if you're captured," said Lukas, "And you can't try to yell for help or escape on your own or anything."

"No cheating, no maiming, yeah, yeah, yeah." Magnus said, rolling his eyes, "Can we just get on with it?"

Otto's lips thinned in distaste, but he reluctantly continued, "Hiders will be let out first and given a four minute start to spread out, hide or put any plan they may have into action. Then the Seekers will be let out, and their Guard has to go to the Belgium. When a non-captured Hider gets into said Belgium, they have to shout 'release' to set any prisoner that may be there free. All weapons used for battle must be solely wooden to avoid critical injuries. The game ends when all the Hiders are captured or when the one hour time limit is up. Everyone got that?"

At the many nods, Otto grinned, tucking his clipboard under his arm and clapping his hands together, "Alright, let round one begin! Team B, off. You. Go!"

Pulling a silver whistle out from under his collar, Otto put it to his lips and blew, letting out a loud, sharp sound.

Immediately, Jesse and the rest of Team B shot to their feet, dashing out the door and into the hallway.

The game had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nnnnnnnnnhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggghhhhhhh, this is awwwwwwwwwfuuuuuuuuul. It's so short and I haven't even updated since early November and just, ugh, it's so bad. Really sorry for the long wait, guys, and for how short it is. Barely three thousands words, god.


	35. Release, Part One

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Release, Part One**

* * *

Jesse's feet pounded and slammed against the wooden floors. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lukas, Lizzie and Stampy dashing down the other hall, towards the front doors, and he spotted Axel going towards the stairs after Isa and Reginald. In his head, he began counting the seconds, then the minutes, only to lose track and give up.

Reuben, ever loyal, trotted behind him. Jesse slowed down to a jog as, quite a few confusing turns and interlocking hallways away, Otto blew the whistle again. He came to a complete stop, a brief panic rising in his chest as his head snapped left and right, wondering where to go. He shouldn't head to the upstairs kitchen, it was too soon, but perhaps he could go somewhere that gave him easy or quick access to it.

But then he realised that the only staircase was right next to the front door, which was just around the corner from the watching room, where Team A was spilling out and starting to hunt them. To his right were the double doors leading to the kitchen and, a little furthers down, one of the bathrooms. To his left, far off to the other end of the hall, was the door leading into what Magnus and Axel had dubbed the 'Boom Room,' which was right next to the doors leading to the armoury, two bedrooms and the redstone lab. All of these rooms only had one exit.

Reuben snorted, nudging Jesse towards the hall he'd just come from. The boy looked down at his little pink friend, then back to the hall. If he backtracked and took the first right, he'd come to the basement door. While the basement also only had one exit, it was bigger, more complicated, with its maze of bookshelves and chests and perfect hiding places. "Reuben, you're a-"

Running footsteps cut him off, coming from the other end of the hall. Jesse's heart jumped into his throat as Slab turned the corner, his wide shoulders brushing against the walls, a wooden sword already in his hand, and locked eyes with the boy on the other end, his face breaking out into an evil grin.

Jesse squeaked, spun on his heel and dashed down the other hallway.

"Come on, shortie!" Slab laughed. Jesse skidded around the corner, Reuben almost hitting the wall, and threw open the heavy spruce door leading to the basement. It swung shut behind him as he dashed down the stairs, and he came dangerously close to tripping and falling flat on his face.

He came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, Reuben ramming head first into the back of his legs and forcing him to the ground. At the top of the stairs, the door began to creak open.

Jesse lunged to his feet, scooping Reuben up in one swift motion, and ran towards the bookshelves, ducking into a small alcove opposite the counter he'd been sitting on when Ivor was fixing his ankle earlier.

He held his breath, heart thudding as he hugged Reuben to his chest. On the other side of the bookshelf, he heard the stairs creaking, the thud of heavy footfalls slowly descending.

"You know," Slab said naturally, the _tap-tapping_ of his sword on the shelves slowly starting to drive Jesse mad, "From what everyone's been going on about you, I'm quite surprised you're the one I found first. What surprises me more is that you're _hiding_ instead of _fighting._ I suppose our little hero isn't as tough as we all thought, eh?"

Jesse's face burned, and he tightened his hold on Reuben, jaw clenching. Slab continued, still tapping his sword against the bookshelves as he turned the corner into the area Jesse was hiding.

"But don't worry," he chuckled, "Since there's no respawn in this place, it's not like I'm allowed to pummel you. Although you might end up with a few bruises..."

The Gladiator came to a stop almost directly in front of Jesse's hiding place, placing a hand the size of the boy's head on his massive hip. His armour clatter and scrapped together slightly as he turned, looking left and right in search of his target.

A sense of deja vu curled around Jesse's brain and smacked him in the face, as a scene that has yet to happen flashed across his mind's eye, where he found himself in a similar position, in a similar basement, with a hulking figure searching for him and his friends amongst the shelves of Ivor's basement...

Jesse took a deep, steadying breath and poked his head out from his hiding place, surveying the area in search of something he might be able to defend himself with. Almost directly above him, a line of bottled potions gleamed in the torchlight.

He ducked back into his hiding spot as Slab turned around, his small eyes scanning the shelves and passing over Jesse's alcove entirely.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are!" he sang, starting to make his way down another row of bookshelves.

Seizing his chance, Jesse shot out from his hiding place and grabbed the nearest potion, before squeezing back into his hiding spot and accidentally banging his head against the top bookshelf.

Slab spun around at the sound, eyes fixed on the corner where Jesse's alcove was. His grip on his wooden sword tightened, loosened, and then tightened again. Jesse swallowed, the top of his head throbbing as he clutched the potion to his chest.

After a long moment of tense silence and baited breath, Slab slowly took a step closer, his narrowed eyes trailing to the other shelves. "I know you're in here." he said, "And you can hide for as long as you want, shortie, but I _will_ find you. I've been doing this a lot longer than you have!"

Slab looked back at the shelves, his brow furrowing upon realising one of the potions had gone missing. He looked down, down to the very bottom, and his eyes met Jesse's.

Immediately, Jesse lunged from his alcove, Reuben squealing loudly as he charged towards Slab and leapt at his chest. The Gladiator's eyes widened and he took a startled step back, wooden sword raising and knocking Reuben to the ground.

A hot, bubbling substance rose inside Jesse's belly, going up to his chest and reaching the tips of his hair like a volcano about to explode. He raised his arm, the potion's neck clutched in his white-knuckled grip. Slab looked up at him, mouth opening in shock, just as Jesse threw the potion at him with all his might.

It soared through the air, glinting in the light, and Slab began to raise his sword to smack it away, but he was too slow, and it hit him right in the face.

Slab yelled, dropping his sword to instinctively clutch at his eyes. Jesse didn't see what the potion did to him, because he was already halfway up the stairs.

* * *

Lizzie liked Stampy. Really, she did. But she had never quite liked Hide and Seek, let alone Release, and the orange-hooded boy trailing behind her like a lost puppy was really starting to irritate her.

"Please, please, please?"

"Stampy, no." Lizzie hissed, turning down yet another twisted hallway, "Go find your own place to hide!"

"But I don't want to be alone!"

"Stampy, I swear to Notch-"

"Hey! Will you two keep it down?"

Lizzie jumped, her head snapping in the direction of the closet. A pair of eyes glared at them through the cracked open door. "Some of us are at least _attempting_ to win this."

"Can I hide with you?" Stampy asked. Lizzie sighed, rubbing her forehead. The person's glare hardened.

"What? No! Go find your own hiding spot."

Stampy gave a loud groan, jumping on his toes like a child that had just been told he couldn't have a cookie. Lizzie shook her head, starting to make her way to one of the doors leading into the second kitchen.

"Maybe we can-"

"Hey, did you hear that? I think it sounded like Lizzie."

"The creepy redhead with the cat?"

"What? No, that's Cassie."

Lizzie swore under her breath, grabbed Stampy by his sleeve and forced open the cupboard door, revealing a very annoyed Ellegaard. The Redstone Expert opened her mouth to protest, but Lizzie didn't give her enough time, for she was already forcing herself and Stampy inside and closing the door behind them.

Two people walked into Lizzie's view. It was the bearded man in the green robe, Ivy or something, and Dan in all his orange haired glory. They came to a stop where she and Stampy had been standing not moments before, looking around in search of the maker of the noise.

Beardy raised an eyebrow. "I don't see anyone."

"Maybe they went through one of these doors."

"Oh, no way," the bearded man said sarcastically, "I thought they were invisible."

Dan sent him an annoyed look, but didn't retaliate. He turned to one of the birch wood doors, walking out of their sight. The bearded man rolled his eyes, and went through a different door, this one right in front of the closet.

Lizzie let out a shaky breath, heart still in her throat. Ellegaard, squished against the back of the closet, hissed at them. "I swear, if you two get me caught-"

A piston shifted. Lizzie barely had time for her eyes to widen before Ellegaard was gone, vanished through the floor with a loud gasp of shock. Stampy yelled, hastily stepping away from the hole and right into Lizzie, sending them both tumbling out of the closet in a painful heap of tangled limbs.

Dan and the bearded guy appeared, wide eyed and mouths open. Lizzie scrambled to her feet and dashed down a random hallway, Dan yelling something that she didn't catch. However, she did hear Stampy screaming something too fast to understand as he ran in the opposite direction.

Lizzie _hated_ Release.

* * *

Ellegaard groaned. She sat up, wincing as the back of her head spiked, and glared at the hole she'd fallen through. Thankfully, it had not been a far fall, but from the way she landed, it was still rather painful.

She looked around and froze. She'd fallen into the living room and, just four blocks in front of her, was Gabriel.

He gaped at her for a long moment. Then Ellegaard scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain in her head and knee, and he seemed to snap out of his state of shock.

The warrior lunged at her, but Ellegaard dodged, slamming her shoulder into one of the couches and causing it to shift a couple inches. Gabriel stopped mid-lunge, feet skidding across the wooden floor, and spun on his heels to face her.

Ellegaard ran, her shoulder skimming the watching room's archway as she passed it into the hall. Gabriel was hot on her heels, his armoured feet stomping loudly against the dark floors.

The inventor turned the corner, only to run right into somebody. They tumbled to the floor with surprised yelps, Ellegaard wincing as he sore knee connected with the wood. Groaning, the two separated, just as Gabriel rounded the corner and skidded to a stop.

"You!" he yelled, pointing to the person she'd ran into, "Olivia! Grab her!"

Olivia blinked, her brain momentarily freezing as her eyes locked with Ellegaard's. Seeing this, the inventor took advantage and scrambled to her feet, only for Olivia to cling onto her legs and cause her to fall again.

"S-Sorry!" Olivia gasped, holding on for dear life as her role model struggled in her grip, pushing and prying at her arms, "Sorry!"

Gabriel grabbed his friends arms, sitting on top of her and holding her down. Ellegaard sent him a deadly glare, but Gabriel just smiled.

"I do believe," he said, "That you have been caught."

* * *

Isa had squeezed herself and Benedict into a large double chest. It was _incredibly_ uncomfortable, and she was starting to wish that she'd brought a book or something with her. Reginald was hiding behind an armour stand that looked like a zombie, although even he had admitted that it wasn't exactly the best hiding spot.

Axel, the large boy in green, had followed them but, after finding no place he could hide or even fit in, he'd eventually left. Isa hadn't truly minded him following, as long as he didn't give them away, although when it became clear that he obviously would, she did not protest in him leaving.

Footsteps, pounding in the form of a run, reached her ears. Isa tensed, unconsciously holding her breath, tightening her grip on her beloved Eversource. Her heart jumped as someone threw open the chest, and her eyes locked with a girl in a white and blue stripped shirt.

Stacy groaned, sweat dotting her brow, and her head snapped left and right in search of another place to hide. Isa watched as she ran over to one of the library's tables and ducked underneath it, out of the Founders sight.

Another pair of footsteps, and Isa hastily grabbed the chest's lid, closing it with a sharp _snap!_ The library door opened, and Stacy's chaser came to a stop. Isa heard them start walking around, taking in the library, the floorboards creaking loudly in the tense silence.

Then the creaking stopped. Isa waited with baited breath, heart pounding in her ears so loud that she was certain they'd hear it. An eternity seemed to pass, but for all she knew it could have been mere seconds.

She heard Reginald yell, the armour stand banging against the bookshelves, and the person they were hiding from gasped. Sharpened wood connected with sharpened wood, and there was struggling and grunting, feet skidding and muscles tensing.

One of them were thrown to the ground. Almost immediately, Isa shot up, the chest's lid slamming against the wall. Benedict gave a startled squawk, flapping her wings in agitation.

Aiden lay on the floor, a wooden sword in his hand, Reginald standing over him with his own sword. The boy leapt to his feet, charging at her, sword raised above his head.

Isa's eyes widened. She planted one foot on the edge of the chest and jumped, causing the chest to fall onto it's front, doing a front-flip over Aiden's head and landing behind him, Benedict safely nestled in her arms.

Aiden came to an abrupt stop, his feet hitting the chest's lid. He spun to face them, eyes wide, but he hardly had time to react before Isa was moving again. She leapt at him, her foot connecting with his chest, and Aiden tripped over the chest and banged his head against the wall.

Before he could recover, Isa and Reginald sprinted towards the door, Stacy hastily scrambling out of her hiding spot to follow them. Aiden winced, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up.

Isa could feel his glare burning into the back of her head, but she could have honestly cared less as Stacy slammed the door behind them.

* * *

A permanent scowl was etched onto Ellegaard's face as Gabriel led her to their Belgium. Olivia wouldn't stop saying sorry, and Gabriel had been quick to show her away to find another member of Team B to throw into their Belgium.

Two more horrors dawned on her when they arrived at the Belgium, which was placed behind the mansion in a small alcove of trees. The first horror was the embarrassment of realising she was the _first_ person to be caught. The second horror was the wide smirk that appeared on the Guard's face once he spotted them.

They'd made Magnus the Guard.

"Oh, no." Ellegaard groaned. Gabriel sent her a sympathetic look.

Magnus cackled. "Oh, _yes_."

"Magnus," said Gabriel, his dark eyes narrowed in warning, "Be nice."

The self-proclaimed 'boom master' gave another devious cackle. Ellegaard scowled at him, teeth clenching and hands curling into fists at her side.

Gabriel looked between them, obviously hesitant to leave them alone. Finally, he sighed, clapped Ellegaard on the shoulder, gave Magnus one last warning look, and then left.

Ellegaard watched him go, dread settling in her stomach. She crossed her arm, glaring at one of the tree's, ignoring the way Magnus' was grinning at her.

"So," he said, much to the inventor's dismay, "Best one at Release, huh?"

"Shut up." she hissed, still not looking at him.

"Aww, what's w'ong?" asked Magnus, in an irritating baby voice that made Ellegaard's glare on the tree harden, "Is wittle Ellie angwy?"

"Magnus, I swear to Notch-"

"Wow, wow, wow!" Magnus cut her off, laughing, "No need to get aggressive!"

Ellegaard was starting to suspect that her teeth were going to break. "I'm not being-"

A gloved hand covered her mouth and Ellegaard jumped in surprise, taking a startled step back as Magnus abruptly appeared in front of her. She grabbed his wrist to smack his hand away, but Magnus just grabbed her hands with his other one, pulling her closer and holding her arms in a way that she couldn't escape from without either hurting him or herself.

"Stop snapping at me," he said. Ellegaard glared at him and, when his grip loosened (most likely on purpose), she wrenched herself away.

"Don't _grab me_ -"

"Ah!" Magnus cut her off, holding up a finger. A smirk played on his lips. "I told you to stop snapping at me. And you've got to do whatever I say?"

Ellegaard blanched. _"What?!"_

"It's the rules," stated Magnus. He took a step closer. "Anyone who's captured, as you are right now, has to listen to the Guard. And I, Magnus the Boom Master, am Guard. That means you have to do _whatever_ I say."

He was so close now that their nose's were inches apart. Ellegaard's hands once again clenched into fists, and she had to resist the urge to punch him in the mouth. Besides, she told herself, if she _did_ punch him in the mouth, not only would she probably cut her knuckles on his teeth, she'd more than likely be suspended from the games.

And if she got suspended from the games, then she wouldn't be able to beat Magnus and rub it in his face.

"Yeah," she said through clenched teeth, "Unless it's deemed inappropriate."

Magnus was still smirking, He inched a little closer, so close that Ellegaard could only look him in the eye. "Maybe. But what if you _don't_ deem it inappropriate?"

She was ashamed to admit that heat rose to her face. Magnus' smirk grew. There was something dancing in his eyes, something that she wasn't sure whether or not she liked.

He glanced down at her lips, then back into her eyes. Leant closer. If Ellegaard were to simply shift forwards ever so slightly, their lips would connect.

"Can I kiss you?" Magnus asked

Ellegaard's chest fluttered. Slowly, finding that she was unable to speak, she nodded.

Magnus' lips twitched, as though he was about to smile. Abruptly, Ellegaard realised that his smirk had vanished, although she could not recall when. Then a gloved hand cradled the back of her head, gently pushing her forwards, and they stopped just a single inch apart, lips brushing.

Ellegaard closed the gap.

* * *

Cassie liked to think of herself as a curious person. She would prob at the unknown cautiously, slowly allowing herself to gather the needed information, before diving in with a rush of excitement and thrill that would sometimes cause her head to spin and her heart to pound.

The subject of her current curiosity was one that had been on her mind for the past few days. After much probing and gentle pushing, she had gathered that the boy with the pig- Jesse, she believed he was called- had previously found a secret passageway, and had injured his ankle in the process, as well as getting hit by a drowsiness potion that knocked him out for quite a few hours.

However, no one was willing to tell her _where_ he'd found the passageway, not even where he'd come out of. She'd even tried asking Jesse himself, but every time she was able to actually _find_ him, he had one of his little friends with him. She was sure that, if she were to get him alone, she'd be able to pry the information she was seeking out of his tiny little skull.

But not only was Cassie curious, she was also patient. However, such a curiosity as the one that had been laid before her had left her slightly less so than usual. What with the episodes (which was yet another curiosity that has been tugging at the corners of her mind) and a number of people about, she found little time to actually study these curiosities in detail.

This was the main and only reason she had agreed to play these idiotic games. They were the perfect distraction, the perfect cover, to explore the inner workings of the Mansion.

Constructed mostly out of all different types of woods, it was far from as impressive as her own mansion. But there was something about it, something that her mansion lacked, something that danced in the shadows of the corners, something that dashed out of sight just before you could properly register that you'd seen it.

The Mansion made Cassie uneasy, it made her tense and left her glancing over her shoulder in paranoia. It had been a long time since she had felt such nerves, for she had built a castle in her mind with a surrounding wall that touched the clouds and halls that twisted and turned and rooms that were laden and decorated with hidden death traps. Inside the walls of her mental castle, she was the queen and a queen had no need to feel unease in her own castle.

But something was seeping through the walls, slipping through the hidden cracks within her perfectly constructed barriers, something that made her heart pound and caused her palms to sweat.

It was with this curiosity, mixed with intense paranoia, that Cassie made her way around the upstairs, her fingers trailing along the walls, the floorboards quietly creaking in protest beneath her trainers.

The Mansion was indeed a curiosity. She could feel it in the wood, the structure itself, in the silent whispers coming from nowhere and everywhere. She could taste it in the air with every inhale, she could see it in the shadows, in the thing that wandered the halls. She could sense it as her hand vanished into a portrait, quickly followed by the rest of her body, into the darkness of the Mansion's secrets.

Secrets that she would not allow to stay secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as long as I wanted it to be, but oh well.


	36. Release, Part Two

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Release, Part Two**

* * *

Lukas trod the halls carefully. His palms were clammy with a nervous sweat, his hip practically glued to the walls, and he had taken up the habit of poking his head around every corner and constantly looking over his shoulder.

He was sort of regretting agreeing to play this game. The sensation of being chased throughout a big, confusing house, even if most of the said chasers were people he'd come to consider as friends, was slowly frying away at his nerves like a blow torch.

Worst yet, he couldn't find _a decent place to hide._

Voices.

Lukas' heart leapt into his throat. His head snapped left and right in a desperate search for a hiding place, and he practically barrelled through the first door he saw. He pressed his back against its birch wood surface, sliding down to the floor and holding his breath.

Footsteps met his ears, the floorboards creaking beneath their weight. The voices became louder, and was able to figure out what they were saying. With a start, he realised it was Captain Sparklez and that excited blond girl (who he was quite certain was a hippy).

"-So, are you, like, a pirate?"

"Uh... sometimes?"

"Really? That's, like, so awesome, brah!"

Sparklez gave a small chuckle, "Thanks."

"Should we check the rooms?"

Lukas was almost certain his heart had stopped. The two came to a stop just outside his doors.

"Yeah, okay," said Sparklez, "Let's try that one over there."

He heard their footsteps coming closer. Lukas's heart began to beat again, faster and faster until it was a steady pound against his ribs. The footsteps stopped, immediately followed by the creak of an opening door a little further down the hall.

Sweat beading his forehead, Lukas looked left and right in search of a hiding spot, realising for the first time that he was in one of the bathrooms. There was a chest, but only a singular one so he wouldn't be able to fit in it, a toilet, a sink, a closet and an empty bathtub.

Logically, he dashed towards the closet.

To his relief, it wasn't shelved like many bathroom closets, and he had more than enough room to stand comfortable. Upon closing the door, he was doused in darkness, save for the crack of light from the gap between the bottom of the door and floor.

Lukas held his breath, nervously fiddling with the bottom of his shirt. Forever seemed to pass, an agonizing slowness that left him debating whether or not they'd moved on. Then he heard the bathroom door opening, and his heart jumped into his throat.

"Just the bathroom," said Sparklez, sounding almost bored, "Not many places to hide."

"Hey, what floor are we even, like, on?"

There was a short beat of silence.

"I have no idea."

 _Second,_ supplied Lukas's brain, _No, wait, wasn't it third? There'd definitely been a staircase at some point._

"There's not a lot of places to hide in here," Sparklez hummed, "Should we just go somewhere else?"

"But someone might be hiding in the, like, bath!" There was another pause as they checked inside the bath, "... Nevermind."

"There's no place to hide in here," said Sparklez, "No decent places, anyway."

"But what if that's, like, their plan?" asked the girl. What was her name? Lukas was sure it began with an N. "Hide in the crappy places and people will think its such a bad place to hide, they won't even, like, look there!"

"Uh... okay," Sparklez said, still seemingly unsure, "I can see _some_ logic to that. But the only place any one could really fit would be the bath or the closet; not even Jesse or Stampy would fit in that chest, and they're pretty darn small."

Lukas cracked a small smile at the thought of Jesse trying to squeeze into the chest, but it quickly fell when he heard footsteps beginning to approach the closet, the girl saying something he didn't hear. Panicking, he stumbled away from the door, only for his back to hit something slightly squishy.

For a moment, he froze. Then he spun around and came face to face with a zombie and a skeleton.

A scream tore from his throat. He scrambled away from the monsters, turning around just as the door opened, filling the closet with light, and he came face to face with a very startled Captain Sparklez. At the sight of the Seeker, Lukas screamed again, which caused Sparklez to scream, and he tripped over his own feet and fell backwards into the monsters-

He went right through them, knocking over the armour stands, and fell through a gaping hole at the very back of the closet.

Lukas's fall was broken by a pool of water, the cool liquid going up his nose and in his ears and down his throat, his mouth having been open in a scream. He stood up, the water thankfully only reaching his waist, coughing and spluttering, his soaked hair sticking to his forehead and his clothes clinging uncomfortably to his skin.

"Oh my god!" he heard the girl yell. He looked up, just as Sparklez poked his head over the hole, far above him.

"Are you okay?" the captain asked. Lukas looked down at himself, then at his surroundings. It was abnormally dark, despite the torches, and there were books everywhere. It reminded him of Ivor's basement.

He looked back up the hole, "I'm fine."

"Where are you?"

"Uh..." Lukas looked around again, noting the cobwebs strung between the shelves, "I think I'm in the basement."

"Dude!" Nell exclaimed, "You discovered a secret passage, brah!"

Lukas's mouth went dry. He looked around, suddenly anxious, casting weary eyes to the only opening in the shelves. "Uh, yeah," he said, "Looks like I did."

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Sparklez. Lukas nodded.

"Yeah, just... if I'm not back by the end of the game, come find me."

Sparklez and Nell looked at each other, before turning back to Lukas, nodding, "Not a problem."

"Thanks," said Lukas, then, taking a steadying breath, he pulled himself out of the pool, dripping water all over the floor and almost immediately feeling a chill go through him. He glanced at the hole, the two Seekers now out of sight, and considered saying something else. But, upon, thinking up nothing he could say, he shook his head.

Licking his lips nervously, Lukas began to make his way between the shelves, the only noise the squelch and squeak of his wet shoes.

* * *

Jesse peeked around the corner. The staircase was just a little ways away. If he could get up to the second floor and find his way to the second kitchen (wherever the heck it was), he would hopefully meet up with the others.

A plan is better than no plan.

At his feet, Reuben gave a small snort, grinning up at him with his piggy grin. Jesse smiled back and, coast clear, began to make his way towards the staircase. He came to a stop, however, just at its base, eyes widening as the boards creaked with heavy footsteps.

Muttering a swear word that would have earned him a smack on the head had Olivia been present, Jesse turned and dashed out the front door, Reuben dashing after him with a series of squeals.

He burst outside, quite dramatically if he was being honest, skidding to a stop on the porch. The sun caused him to squint, and he shielded his eyes with a hand. He couldn't see anyone and, glancing down to make sure Reuben was with him, Jesse ran down the stairs and down the path.

So much for the second kitchen.

* * *

Ivor grumbled to himself, a scowl on his face, half-heartedly poking his head through doors every now and again. They were in some mysterious, powerful mansion to watch the future, and they've all decided to play _games._

It was times like this that he realised just why he'd stopped being friends with those idiots. But... he wasn't sure he regretted meeting them.

Scowl deepening, he shook those thoughts from his head. No. Those four were complete morons at times. It was best he refrained from associating himself with them.

Well... that didn't mean he was going to stop sitting on their couch. He'd rather not join Jesse and his friends on the floor, after all. Gods knows it must be uncomfortable.

Deciding to just stop thinking about it entirely, Ivor opened the door to the library and walked inside, scanning the room with lazy eyes. Perhaps he could just spend his time in here reading until the- he glanced at the clock on the wall- remaining half hour was up.

Lord. He could have _sworn_ they'd been doing this for far longer.

Shaking his head again and muttering about the idiocy of all the people around him, Ivor shut the door behind him and made his way over to one of the shelves. This library was far from as grand as Soren's was, but it was decently sized. Then again, taking into consideration the amount of bookshelves he'd spotted about the house, in the basement and attic especially, there could possibly be even more.

Ivor ran his fingers along the spines of the books- only to jump back with a startled scream as a black, wispy hand reached for him, the tips of its fingers brushing against his beard- then it was gone.

He stood there, staring, mouth open in horror. His breaths came out in small pants, heart pounding against his chest. Ivor placed a trembling hand over it, blinking rapidly, taking a step further from the bookshelf.

A long moment passed, but the hand didn't reappear. Frantic eyes looking over the room with a sudden fright, he spun on his heels and ran as fast as he could out of the door, not even considering to close it behind him.

The library was still.

The eyes crinkled with amusement.

* * *

Jesse absent-mindedly kicked at a long patch of grass, his arms swinging at his sides. Having come across no one else, he'd soon found himself relaxing. It was quite lovely here, at the mansion. It would be a shame not to enjoy it.

Reuben leapt into a flowerbed, shooting up and shaking his head with a snort, sending red petals and leaves to the grassy floor. Jesse giggled at the sight, coming to a stop just so he could watch his pig play about.

Smiling, he leant against a tree, allowing himself to enjoy the moment. Upon the approach of a baby bunny, Reuben stopped what he was doing and began sniffing at her, his ears going up as their nose connected.

"Aw, how cute."

Jesse's smile fell, his heart plummeting to his stomach. His head snapped in the direction of the voice, wide eyes locking with a smirking Petra's. For a moment, he looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Then he darted in the opposite direction.

Behind him, he heard Petra laugh, beginning to give chase. Reuben gave a startled squeal, hurriedly running after them, the little bunny hopping forwards a little before stopping and cocking its head to the side in confusion.

Jesse's arms pumped at his sides, Reuben having been quick to catch up and now running alongside him. He was well aware that he would not be able to out run Petra, not even on a good day. He had to hide.

The farm loomed into view. Relief lifted Jesse's heart.

Perfect.

He hopped over the fence, almost falling flat on his face when he stumbled. Reuben put his front hooves on the fence, whining as he struggled to climb over. Casting his eyes among the trees to see if Petra was coming, Jesse quickly grabbed his pig and pulled him up and over the fence.

A cow mooed in its pen, a sheep baaing before returning to its yummy patch of grass. Jesse's head shot left, right and centre, chest heaving with small pants. Gritting his teeth, he ran over to the pig pen, hopping over the gate and making a face when he stepped in something brown, squelchy and downright stinky.

Setting Reuben down, he crouched among the hay, hoping Petra's eyes would pass over him. He tried to cover his ragged breathing by placing a hand over his mouth, heart thumping in his chest. After a moment, he spotted a flash of red hair by the fence.

Jesse watched, with Reuben at his side, as Petra climbed over the fence and looked around the farm with narrowed eyes. She twirled her pickax in her hand, the iron glinting in the sunlight. Jesse crouched even lower, his chest against the grass.

Petra walked out of his line of sight. After a long moment of tense breath-holding, Jesse allowed himself to breathe again, shoulders slumping in relief. She must have left.

Planting his hands in the grass, he pushed himself to his feet- and a pickax embedded itself into the pillar centimetres from his head.

Jesse yelped, jumping away, looking up just in time to see Petra sprinting towards him with a victorious grin. Ignoring the hay sticking to his dungarees, Jesse scrambled backwards and elegantly tripped over a pig.

This startled the poor thing, and with a squeal that caused him to wince, it went dashing towards the gate, just as Petra opened it. Her eyes hardly had time to widen, before it leapt up at her and knocked her to the ground, squealing all the way as it began to run in large circles around the farm.

At the sight, the other pigs began to panic as well, squealing and whining in fright. A pair of hooves rammed into Jesse's mid-section, winding him and leaving him curled up in a stack of hay, gasping and clutching at his stomach.

The pigs went racing out of the gate in a terrifying stampede of pink hides. Once the pain-inflicting hooves of doom had come to an end, Jesse tentatively peeked out from his curled up position, slowly sitting up when nothing happened, rubbing with a grimace at his newly bruised stomach.

A little ways from the gate, further than she had been before, Petra sat up as well, her hair a frizzy mess and her blue headscarf missing. With a groan, Jesse stumbled to his feet, very nearly falling over again.

He glanced about and his heart fell to his bruised stomach.

"Reuben?" he called, then, louder, "Reuben?!"

In almost perfect unison, Jesse and Petra turned to look at the crowd of pigs running about, trying to get over the fence separating the animal pens and the carrot farm, rolling about in the grass, running off into the woods.

Jesse jogged into the crowd, looking about in search for a familiar piggy with a brown spot on his back. Petra stood unsteadily behind him, joining him in calling out for Reuben. However, if he could hear them, he ignored them.

Worry gnawed at Jesse's stomach, and he bit down on his lip nervously. Petra wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into her side in a sort of half hug, causing him to jump. She sent him a sheepish smile.

"Don't worry," she said, planting her other hand on her hip, "I'm sure he'll turn up. He's Reuben, after all."

Jesse made a small noise, returning his eyes to the crowd of pigs. After a long moment, he shook his head, "We should probably get them back in."

Petra heaved a heavy sigh, "Yeah, you're probably right," she glanced at him, "Got any carrots?"

After a very long and frustrating fifteen minutes that included falling over, getting stood on by a thousand piggy hooves, cooing at the more uncaring animals as they attempted to herd them back into their pen, and almost getting their fingers taken off by a little _too_ eager pigs, Jesse found himself slumping against the fence with a few new bruises.

"Well," said Petra, sitting next to him and nursing a rather nasty looking bruise on her wrist, "That was... eventful."

"This is why I'm not a farmer," Jesse said, "People keep asking me if I'm a farmer, and we have considered building our own farm, but it's times like this that remind me why that's a bad idea."

Petra chuckled, slapping hay off her clothes. She stopped, spotting something just overhead, and grinned.

"Look's like Reuben's found himself a friend."

Jesse's head snapped to look in the direction she was facing, a relieved grin lifting his lips when he spotted Reuben lying in a patch of grass. The baby bunny from earlier was sitting on his back, fluffy ears twitching. He gave a small laugh.

"Well," said Petra, after a short moment of watching the two. She tapped him on the forehead. "You're off to the Belgium."

Jesse blinked, startled. Then, upon registering her words, groaned and slumped against the fence. Petra laughed.

* * *

Mevia pulled herself up the rest of the ladder, closing the trapdoor behind her and straightening. She looked around the cluttered attic and gave a disgusted snort, inching away from the cobwebs.

Bookshelves, chests and random junk was scattered about seemingly at random, cobwebs strung across any and all open spaces, the air thick with dust. Her nose itched, eyes watering with an incoming sneeze, but thankfully it was quick to pass.

"Hadrian?" she called, stepping between two bookshelves, "Where are you?"

"Over here, Mevia," came the man's voice, somewhere off to her left. Mevia clambered over a low bookshelf, grumbling to herself, and raised a narrow eyebrow at the sight before her.

Hadrian was lounged across a singular chest, using the two low bookshelves at his sides as armrests. One of his legs was up across his knee. He smiled at her approach.

"About time you got here," he said, "Which is ironic, seeing as you're a Seeker."

"I had a bit of trouble finding the ladder," she admitted grudgefully, moving to sit down on a low shelf but then reconsidering when she spotted the daddy long legs crawling along it. She opted for standing. "Why are we here, Hadrian?"

Her boss shrugged, gazing lazily at the ceiling, "Oh, I was just hoping to get a little alone time," he sent her a pointed look, "What do you think about the episodes?"

"They're..." she hesitated, struggling to find a word, "... Interesting."

"Indeed," Hadrian hummed. He sat up properly, dropping his foot back to the floor and sending dust into the air. "We could use them."

Mevia raised a curious eyebrow at him, "Oh?"

"Yes," he said, "Imagine what we could do with them, Mevia. If we knew the future."

"We do know what'll happen, though," Mevia pointed out. Hadrian waved a hand at her.

"But everyone else knows about that too," he leant forwards, an excited gleam in his eyes, "I'm talking about only us knowing what happens."

Mevia cocked her head to the side, considering this. She chose her next words with care. "Alright... and how exactly would we do that?"

Hadrian paused. He leant back in his makeshift seat, unawares of the little spider crawling onto his shoulder, humming thoughtfully.

"Well," he said, after a moment, "The... episodes must be on something, correct? A device?"

"You want to steal the episodes," Mevia clarified, not sure she was fully understanding, "How would we be able to watch it without the screen?"

Again, Hadrian paused. His lips pressed together. "Hm."

Something lightly tickled the front of his shoulder. Blinking, Hadrian looked down, his brain taking a moment to register the tiny black creature on his jacket. Once he realised what he was looking out, he let out a rather high-pitched shriek, reflectively swatted it away and leapt up from the chest, patting and slapping at his pants and jacket in an attempt to shake loose anymore that had decided to crawl onto him.

Mevia watched this with a blank face, forcing herself to stop the laugh that bubbled in her throat. Satisfied that there were no more spiders or any other unwanted creatures crawling about him, Hadrian cleared his throat awkwardly, scowling when he noticed the suppressed tilt in Mevia's lips.

"As I was saying," he continued, running a hand over his coat to ease out the creases, "We get those episodes, we stop everyone else from seeing them, and we'll be in control."

Mevia sucked at her bottom lip, giving him an 'eeeeeh' kinda look that told him plainly that this wasn't a very good plan. Hadrian made a noise that was somewhere between a groan and a sigh, moving to lean against a bookshelf but quickly deciding against it when he realised there might be more spiders on it.

"It's... something," said Mevia, stalking over to the chest her boss had been sitting on, "But it could use to work." She opened the chest, half expecting to find it full of spiders, and was relieved to find it only filled with junk.

Curious, Mevia began to ruffle through it, careful in case there were any spiders inside, which there most likely was. Behind her, Hadrian rolled his eyes, but inched closer to see what she was doing.

Mevia sat aside some old sticks and other useless crafting materials, the broken hilt of a wooden sword, a ball of string, among other things. She stopped, frowning, and pulled out the odd object.

It was small, fitting in her palm, and had three parts morphing out of the middle. Inside the middle circles of these parts were round, metallic objects with a hole in the middle, and at the very centre were two pads, one on the top and one of the bottom.

"What is that?" Hadrian asked.

Mevia shrugged, holding it by the pads between her fore and thumb finger, and poked at one of the sticky-out things. It spun slowly, and she blinked. She did it again, spinning it even faster, until it was a black blur making whizzing noises between her fingers.

"Oooh," she said.

"Let me try!" demanded Hadrian, grabbing the object from her hands, causing her to glare at him. He held it between his fingers, taking a moment to actually work out how he was supposed to hold it, and began to spin it. The whizzing noise came alive.

"Heh," Hadrian laughed, shaking his hand back and forth, "It feels funny!"

Mevia made a grab for it, but Hadrian moved it out of reach, holding it above his head and pushing at her when she tried to reach for it.

"Let," Mevia grunted, Hadrian's hand in her face, "Me. See. It!"

"No!"

"I found it!"

"I'm holding it!"

"That doesn't count!"

"Not unless I say it does!"

Abruptly, the spinner vanished from Hadrian's hand. Surprised, they looked at his empty hand dumbly, before turning to face the clearly amused Gabriel standing behind them, spinner in hand. He poked Hadrian in the shoulder.

"Belgium."

* * *

Lukas was almost certain by now that he had the most rotten luck in the entire universe.

Wandering through the halls of the mansion had been one thing, but being lost in a dark, creepy basement? _So_ much worse. That, and he was soaking wet.

With a sigh, Lukas rubbed at his eyes, turning the corner and nervously glancing over his shoulder. Upon spotting a rather menacing patch of blackness in the corner, he shivered, his pace quickening.

He kept his eyes sharp, looking out for any buttons or pressure plates that might lead him into a trap. He didn't really want to end up passed out in a creepy dark basement. Or worse.

Lukas shook his head, sighing. Maybe he shouldn't be thinking about stuff like that. His nerves were already fried as it was.

Still, he couldn't help fearing he wouldn't find a way out of this blasted maze of bookshelves.

He turned another corner- only to walk right into something. With a short exclamation, he stumbled back, rubbing his sore nose. He looked up, half expecting a monster.

It was, indeed, a monster.

Slab's eyes were swollen, red and shiny, like burns. His mouth was agape, his breathing heavy, and he squinted down at him with red-rimmed eyes that he could hardly see with. His face was clammy, sweat and dirt mingling on his forehead, and his hot breath stank something horrid.

Lukas gagged, backing away. He held his hands to his mouth. "Oh _God,_ " he said, breathing through his mouth, "Did you get in a trap?"

Slab didn't answer, simply staring at him dumbly, as though he was having trouble registering that he was there. Lukas frowned, unsure what to do.

"Uh... okay," he said, eventually, "Let's- Let's get you back upstairs-"

He moved to touch Slab's arm, but then a hand as big as his hand wrapped around his forearm, stopping him. Lukas froze, heart plummeting when Slab's grip tightened to bruise inflicting. Beginning to sweat, he tried to tug his arm free, to no avail.

"S-Slab?" he stuttered, "Uh... c-could you maybe l-let go of my arm?"

Slab didn't move, just stared at him with glazed, unfocused eyes. Lukas tried to tug away again, but Slab's grip only tightened.

Then, strings of saliva in his open mouth, Slab screamed right in his face.

Frightful, Lukas screamed too, and with a sudden burst of strength wrenched his arm out of Slab's grip. He spun around and ran as fast as he could, the half blind Gladiator barreling after him and knocking over chest and shelves, spraying the floor with old items and dusty books.

Lukas ran.

* * *

With what little dignity he had left, Jesse lay on the forest floor, only a few feet from where he'd fallen down a hole into a pond of freezing water, with Reuben laid across his stomach.

Ellegaard was sitting in the shade of a birch wood tree a little off to his left, while Magnus leant against a different tree, arms crossed over his chest. They were both avoiding eye contact with each other, but that didn't stop them from glancing over at the other every now and again, only quickly dart their eyes away when they caught the other staring.

It had been rather funny, for the first few minutes. However, things like that tended to get boring.

That didn't stop Jesse from wondering about why they were doing that though. But he'd rather keep all his limbs, so asking wasn't a very good idea. He wasn't even sure if he was afraid of Ellegaard or Magnus handicapping him. Maybe it was both...

Yeah.

Yeah, it was both.

Eventually, Stampy and Axel showed up, having been cornered by Maya and Clutch in the armoury. Jesse was relieved because of this, for he finally had someone to talk to that wouldn't kill him if he said the wrong thing.

Not that he _actually_ thought Magnus or Ellegaard would really kill him.

Okay, maybe a little.

"Oh, look who it is," said Magnus, cutting through the lazy conversation Jesse was having with Axel and Stampy, "Purple suit guy!"

They turned, Hadrian scowling at them as he came to a stop within the Belgium, moodily crossing his arms. Ellegaard sent Magnus a raised eyebrow.

"Purple suit guy? You can do better than that."

Magnus shrugged, "Meh, can't be bothered. Besides," he sent her a cheeky grin, "It looks like we're winning."

"But, uh, don't you have to catch all of us?" asked Stampy. When Magnus sent him a glare, he squeaked, "Sir."

The self-proclaimed Boom Master grinned at the formality, looking quite pleased with himself. Ellegaard rolled her eyes.

"So," said Jesse, conversationally, "How'd you get caught?"

"None of your business!" Hadrian snapped, causing Jesse to flinch away from him, more out of surprise than anything else. Axel, noticing the flinch, sent Hadrian a glare.

"Hey, watch it!" he said, "He was just asking, dude."

Hadrian snorted, turning away from them. Reuben gave a little oink, cuddling closer to Jesse, who smiled at him.

"Look who we've found!"

They turned, eyes meeting a grinning Dan and Nell, who were leading Lizzie, Reginald and Gill into the Belgium. Nell, the one who had spoken, bounded up to Magnus and raised her hand for a high five. He stared at the raised hand, then lowered his gaze to her face, not moving. When it became clear he wasn't going to cooperate, Nell raised her other hand and high-fived herself with a dramatic "Pow!"

"Hey, Lizzie," greeted Stampy, as his pink haired friend sat down next to him.

"Hello, Stampy."

"That's eight Hiders down," said Dan, "Only seven more to go."

"Oh, please," said Ellegaard, "There's no way you'll find them in-"

Her mouth popped open mid-sentence, watching with wide eyes as Stacy and Facemeat entered the Belgium, sending them sheepish grins. Stacy scratched at the back of her head.

"Hey, guys."

Magnus gave the engineer a gloating grin, "You were saying?"

"Five more," said Ellegaard, almost snappishly, "There's still five more left."

"Not for long," Magnus sang. Ellegaard scowled at him.

"You don't have to catch all of us," said Stacy, earning wide-eyed looks from everyone else, leaving her seemingly startled, "Uh... the more people who are caught, the higher your points. Catching us all would just be an ultimate win."

Magnus broke into another face-splitting grin, "So, you're saying," he said, "That as long as we have a decent number of Hiders captured, we win?"

Stacy shrugged, "Yeah, basically."

"How many?" asked Lizzie. Stacy tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm... I'd say more than half," she estimated, "There's fifteen of us, so about eight or ten and you'd win," Blinking, she looked about the Belgium. Ten Hiders. "... Oh."

Magnus cackled, "Oh, indeed."

Lizzie pulled out a clock, it's gold glinting in the sunlight. Time might 'hold still' in this place, but her clock seemed to be working as normal, which was as little odd.

"Three minutes," she sighed, "Then the hours up."

Ellegaard scowled, Magnus giving another joyous cackle. Jesse sighed, smiling sadly at Reuben.

"So much for winning, bud," he shrugged, "We might win next round."

Lizzie smiled at him, "You know what? I like you."

Jesse blinked at her, "Um... thanks," he glanced over at the end of the house, where it turned out into the woods, "What's that noise?"

The Belgium fell silent. Then, they heard it. A high, terrified scream. Bemused, they looked at each other, then back at the direction the scream was coming from.

Lukas appeared, running towards them with surprising speed, screaming at the top of his longs and looking as though he'd gone for a fully clothed swim. Jesse hardly had time to be startled, when a roaring Slab appeared behind him, barrelling after him like an enraged bull.

He dashed passed an open-mouthed Magnus and screamed, at the top of his lungs, "I HATE RELEASE!" before vanishing again into the trees, Slab only a few steps behind him, roaring like someone that belonged in a mental asylum.

The captured Hiders looked at each other, then to the Seekers, who were still staring after the two with open mouths. Then, realising that they were now free, Hadrian began to run in the opposite direction, quickly followed by Stampy and Lizzie.

Jesse scrambled to his feet, almost falling over Reuben, and dashed after them with a wide grin, Axel giving a taunting laugh. Ellegaard, grinning, even stuck her tongue out at Magnus before running after them.

The Seekers snapped out of their startlement, and began to run after them- but it was too late. Still in her hand, Lizzie's clock went off in a loud chorus of rings and dings, signalling the end of the hour.

Jesse gave a joyous whoop, jumping up and fist pumping the air even as he ran, his grin so big his cheeks were starting to ache. A little ways behind him, Axel laughed, throwing a victorious hand into the air.

"Team B wins!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's round one done guys! Next chapter, they'll be watching some more of the episode and having lunch (dinner? Nah, it's lunch). And yes, Lukas did just run all the way through the scary basement, into the halls, out the front door and all the way through the woods before making a full circle and passing- and accidentally freeing- his trapped friends.
> 
> And Ivor's found something... odd. And slightly terrifying. Imagination? Drugs? Tricks? Who knows?
> 
> Oh, wait, I do.


	37. Break In

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Thirty-Seven: Break In**

* * *

It was with wide grins that Team B returned to the mansion, laughing and sprinting in their victory. Magnus trailed behind them, grumbling to himself with a permanent scowl on his brow. There other members of Team A following at a more decent pace were certainly not overjoyed, but many were smiling at their friend's antics.

They found Otto already in the living room, having somehow uncovered a chalkboard and split it into two sections, one with Team A written at the top and the other with Team B. He'd already marked Team B as the winner. Jesse wondered how he'd known they'd won without being there.

They split up and left to find the others. Olivia found Lukas stuck up a tree with Slab struggling to climb after him, growling and shouting like a very large dog, much to her amusement. With help from Clutch, Facemeat, Em and Nell (who was surprisingly strong), they were able to drag Slab down to the basement for Ivor to give something for his eyes, while Axel helped Lukas down from the tree, grinning the entire time. Lukas merely scowled at him.

"Aw," said Petra as they walked back to the mansion, a mock pout on her face, "Did the wittle kitty get stuck up a tree?"

Lukas glared at her, cheeks turning red, "Shut up."

"But the way you just came _sprinting_ into the Belgium," Axel chuckled, giving Lukas a none too gentle slap on the back, "That was _awesome_ , dude."

Despite himself, Lukas's lips twitched into a grin.

The five friends (six, if you included Reuben) walked into the mansion, laughing. Jesse, still smiling, spotted Ivor just down the hall.

"Hey, Ivor!" he called.

The potionologist jumped, startled, and spun to face them. Something like relief crossed his face when he realised who it was. "Oh, uh, Jesse. It's only you."

Jesse's smile fell, a concerned frown creasing his brow, "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"What?" Ivor grimaced, "Uh, yes, I'm fine, thank you. Just, uh..." he looked over his shoulder, as though fearful someone was there. Jesse leant to see behind him; the hall was empty.

Shaking his head, Ivor turned back to Jesse, "I'm fine."

Jesse frowned at him, unconvinced, but decided not to push it, "Alright, if you say so."

Silently, Ivor nodded, more to himself than any of them. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, then turned around and quickly made his way into the living room. Jesse shared a confused look with his friends.

"What was that about?" asked Olivia.

"Just..." Petra shrugged, "Ivor being Ivor?"

"He's not usually like that," muttered Lukas.

"Yeah, but that guy's really weird," said Axel, "I'm sure it's nothing."

"Even if it is something," said Jesse, "He'd probably rather talk to the rest of the Order about it, instead of us."

Lukas shook his head, "I don't know, Jesse."

"Look, let's just go watch this episode so Olivia and I can kick your butts in the next round of Release," said Petra, making her way over to the living room. Olivia cracked a smile at them, then followed, the boys close behind.

They spent about ten minutes lying about, talking and throwing pillows at each other, laughing at the events of the games so far. Eventually, Slab returned with bandages soaked in a smelly potion around his eyes, guided by Clutch and Facemeat. He apologised to Lukas, who gave a forced smile and said it was okay, before he was guided to one of the couches.

Jesse bit his lip, wincing, "Hey, uh... sorry about doing that to your face."

In almost perfect unison, his friends- and many of the rooms other occupants- turned and gaped at him.

Slab cracked a crooked grin, "It was smart, throwing that potion at me," he leant back, shifting into a more comfortable position, "Doesn't mean I won't be getting you back for this, though."

Suddenly afraid, Jesse swallowed. Lukas inched closer to him.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and Jesse turned to meet Maya, who's blue eyes were wide in shock. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, as though she didn't want anyone else to hear. "You did that?"

Jesse winced, "Yeah. He'd cornered me in the basement, so I just grabbed a random potion, threw it at him and ran. I didn't know it was going to do that to his eyes."

Maya nodded in understanding, moving to sit back in her armchair. Axel clapped him on the back, almost sending him to kiss the floor.

"Good job, dude."

Cassie was the last to return, Winslow cradled in her arms, lead into the room by Dan. They sat down in their respective seats, and Ellegaard snatched the remote.

"Everyone here?" she asked. At their various nods, she pointed the remote at the screen and pressed play.

On screen, an open window rimmed with gold is shown, a guard watching with bored eyes. The screen zooms out and descends slowly, as the guard turns and begins to walk away.

Directly underneath the window, Jesse, Petra and Milo are shown sneaking passed.

Isa scowled, "You're _breaking_ and _entering_ my _palace_?"

Milo stiffened, then scowled, "As though you're giving us much choice!"

"You're _breaking the law_!" Isa snapped. Reginald placed a hand on her shoulder, sending Milo a glare that silenced any comeback he might have had in mind. Scowling, the innkeeper leant back in his seat, crossing his arms.

 _"Okay, my friends,"_ said Milo, as they came to a stop, " _This should take us right into the throne room."_ They all look up, at the open window high above them. Milo continued. _"Once inside, we'll just need to find the secret entrance that the Founder supposedly uses."_

Isa scowled, but didn't say anything.

Jesse and Petra turn to look at Milo, who continued, stepping closer to them, _"Isn't it exciting? On our way to changing everything! Freeing the Eversource for the people!"_

"Freeing?!" Isa spat, Benedict clucking in her lap. Milo wisely decided to ignore her.

 _"Hey, would you keep it down, Milo?"_ said Jesse, his voice a lot quieter than the blond's, _"We're sneaking in, remember? Snea-king."_

On the floor, Petra snorted.

 _"Right, right, right,"_ Milo said, nodding, as Jesse turned back around, _"My apologies. I'm just so excited..."_ he followed Jesse further, grinning as he gazed over the edge, the two newcomers turning to the wall, _"Actually out in the field, applying ladders to a wall!"_ He spun around, splaying his arms, the screen zooming out to show the high wall they were about to climb.

"Well, he's, uh..." Soren scratched at his beard, "Easily excited."

Magnus snorted, but didn't say anything, still sour from his defeat.

On screen, Jesse pulled out the ladders, the scene speeding up as he began to place them in rapid succession, climb them as he went. Within moments, he was on the edge of the window, kneeling on the block and looking down at Milo and Petra.

It briefly shows Petra beginning to climb, before Jesse straightens and turns around, revealing the dark throne room.

Dan let out a long whistle, "Fancy."

Jesse jumped down from the window, Petra landing behind him moments later. He crept further inside, passing a table decorated with twin potted roses, Petra following. The throne, a large seat of gold and iron, adorned with torches propped up by wooden fence posts and purple banners bearing the Sky City's egg-like symbol.

"That doesn't look very comfortable," said Lizzie. Isa shrugged, her fury momentarily forgotten.

"I only ever seat myself upon under certain circumstances," she explained.

Jesse, Petra and Milo continue to creep forwards, the screen giving the audience a frontwards view. Then a voice penetrated the silence, their heads snapping towards the doors, eyes widening.

 _"-Then what did_ she _say?"_

The door began to creak open.

Reginald grinned, glad that the intruders were about to be caught. Sure, they hadn't really done anything wrong at first, but associating themselves with an illegal building group put them high up on his list of people he didn't exactly like. Although, he supposed, his irritation was mostly directed towards the innkeeper. He couldn't really blame the outsiders, if he were being honest.

He shook his head. Best not to complicate things.

 _"Guards!"_ Petra gasped, dashing behind the wall, _"Everyone hide!"_

"I think they would have heard that..." muttered Sparklez, but he was quickly silenced when Petra sent him a blazing glare.

Milo quickly ducked after her, Jesse backing away. He glanced at them and followed.

Two pairs of feet are shown, a familiar voice speaking.

_"-Okay, the throne room was in here..."_

Jesse is shown, a frown creasing his brow, as Milo moved to peek over his shoulder.

 _"Yeah, I know, I know,"_ said yet another familiar voice, as the feet are shown again.

Olivia looked at Axel, "Is that... ?"

 _"Why are you saying things to me that I already-"_ they turn the corner, the screen revealing them to be none other than Lukas and Ivor, who come to a sudden stop with surprised gasps, having walking right into Jesse, Petra and Milo's hiding space.

"Oh, well," Ellegaard smiled, "That's fortunate."

 _"Jesse!"_ Lukas smiled, relief shining in his eyes, _"Petra! Boy am I glad to see you guys!"_

Petra returned the smile with a grin, planting a hand on her hip, _"Right back at 'cha."_

Ivor shook his head, _"What are the odds, am I right?"_

 _"Lukas! Ivor! We're here to rescue you!"_ said Jesse.

"A little late there," said Em, not unkindly.

On screen, Ivor rolled his eyes, _"I think you're a little late for that."_

 _"Ha, yeah, we broke out ourselves,"_ declared Lukas, quite proudly.

Her brain catching up with what was happening, Isa scowled. Beside her, Reginald winced.

 _"It's a good thing you guys are here,"_ Lukas continued, as Ivor turned around and wandered off, _"Aiden's going after the Eversource."_

Isa's scowl melted at that, her shoulders slumping with a sigh. She stroked Benedict's feathers, who clucked in content, a sad look gleaming in her eyes. Reginald frowned at her, rubbing his thumb against the hilt of his sword.

 _"Which we obviously can't abide!"_ yelled Ivor, stopping and looking over his shoulder to glare at them, as though it was their fault he didn't have unlimited resources. He stalked off to the left. _"We're here to get it first!"_

"How has no one _heard_ you?" asked Olivia.

Lukas watched him stalk off with wide eyes, which quickly turned into a frown, as he and the others began to spread out.

 _"Fantastic!"_ exclaimed Milo, following Jesse after Lukas and Ivor, who stopped in front of the uncomfortable appearing throne, _"That is what we are doing as well."_

Lukas looked over his shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow and turning to face them properly, as though noticing their guest for the first time, _"Who, uh, who's this guy, by the way?"_

Magnus made a noise that was somewhere between a snort and a giggle, earning a half-hearted scowl from Milo.

 _"I mean, I assume he's cool, right?"_ asked Lukas, Ivor turning to raise his own eyebrow at him.

_"Why would you assume that?"_

_"He's cool, Ivor,"_ said Petra, from where she was guarding the door across the room, _"Don't worry."_

 _"Lukas, Ivor, this is Milo,"_ Jesse introduced, _"He's the leader of an underground rebellion."_

Lukas blinked, reaching out to accept Milo's handshake, _"Wow. That's pretty cool."_

Isa rolled her eyes, "Of course it is."

 _"A pleasure,"_ Milo grinned, quite obviously enjoying the status.

 _"Yeah. Hi. Sure."_ said Ivor, clearly uninterested. Milo ignored him.

 _"The Founders secret entrance,"_ he said, _"Is supposed to be somewhere in this throne room."_

"How could you _possibly_ know that?" asked Isa, a scowl seeming to be permanently etched onto her face. Milo sent her a nasty look.

"Like I would tell _you_."

 _"It if's in here, we'll find it,"_ declared Jesse, turning around and casting his eyes along the room. Spotting a track leading to a wall, he walked over to it, raising an eyebrow at the redstone trail directly next to it.

"That's... odd," said Gabriel. Milo bounced in his seat excitedly.

"Oooo, that must be it!"

 _"I'm getting a very 'door' vibe from this,"_ said Jesse, as Lukas walked up behind him, frowning at the wall.

 _"Yeah,"_ the blond said, _"Where'd it go?"_

 _"Just need to make something to activate that_ r _Redstone circuit again,"_ Jesse pointed to the redstone trail, Lukas kneeling next to it for further inspection, _"There's gotta be something in here we could use."_

Isa made an irritated sort of hum, tapping her finger against the chair's armrest.

 _"Like a lever,"_ Ivor butted in from where he stood by the throne, tapping his bearded chin, _"If you can find one of those bad boys, we'll have that secret door open in a snap!"_

Ellegaard smirked, "Very observant, Ivor."

To her surprise, she received no retort from the potionologist, except for a small hum, like an uninterested parent would use when their child is trying to show them something. She shared a frown with Soren, but said nothing.

 _"What would Olivia say right now?"_ Jesse wondered aloud, Lukas raising his head to look at him, _"Probably something like 'Jesse, it looks like it doesn't have any power!'"_ The blond grinned at the terrible impression.

Olivia's head snapped towards Jesse, who shrunk away from her deadly glare, abruptly fearing for his life. She shoved him in the shoulder, "I don't sound like that!"

Jesse began to make his way around the throne room, looking about in search of anything useful. Spotting Milo standing in front of one of the archways leading out onto a balcony, he walked over to him.

 _"Can you believe it?"_ he asked, _"We got in!"_

Isa's mouth twisted downwards, as though she'd eaten something distasteful.

 _"Yes, I am very grateful to you for all of your help,"_ said Milo.

 _"Give yourself some credit, Milo,"_ said Jesse, _"You've done Build Club proud."_

Petra rolled her eyes, "Of course you'd say that." Lukas cracked a smile.

Leaving Milo to happily grin to himself, Jesse walked around the throne, making his way over to Ivor, _"So... how was prison life?"_

Hadrian snorted.

 _"Oh, it was wonderful,"_ said Ivor sarcastically, placing his hands on his hips and glaring, _"I've always wanted time behind bars to work on my poetry."_

Gabriel looked to his black-bearded friend, fully expecting him to comment. To his startlement, Ivor was silent. He frowned.

 _"That was sarcasm,"_ Ivor continued, when Jesse remained silent, _"In case you were curious."_ Shaking his head, he turned his back to the boy.

Wincing, Jesse wisely decided to leave him be, walking passed him towards a small library section. Spotting Petra over by the door, he stopped, then began making his way towards her.

 _"See anyone?"_ he asked.

 _"Not yet,"_ said Petra, not looking away from the doors, _"But the acoustics are funky in this place,"_ she looked over at Jesse, _"So it's hard to tell when people are coming."_ She looked back at the door, clenching and unclenching her hand almost nervously, _"We shouldn't hang around."_

Jesse gave a single nod, _"Got it."_

"I'm not liking this," muttered Olivia, "I feel like something's going to go wrong."

"Don't be such a worry, Olivia," Axel reassured, "I'm sure everything'll be alright. It's _Jesse,_ after all."

Olivia sent him a deadpanned look, "Exactly."

"Hey!"

On screen, Jesse left Petra by the door and walked over to where the bookshelves were, coming to a stop and running a finger along their spines.

 _"Habits of the Endermen, by..."_ his eyes widened, _"Soren? Wow, how'd that get here?"_

"Soren, what are your books doing in another dimension?" asked Ellegaard. Even Magnus had briefly come out of his mood at the revelation.

Soren gave a small laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced Isa, who was now outright staring at him as though she was just realising who he was, then returned his gaze to the rest of the Order. He shrugged.

"Haven't a clue."

Jesse bent a little, eyes skimming over the books, _"The rest are just inventory registries and legal information. Borning."_

He walked back over to the throne and passed it, out onto the balcony. A small pond branched off and fell off the edge in an endless waterfall, a single tree on a small patch of dirt directly next to it. On the other side of the pond was a small spot of lava and water, separated by a block of cobblestone. To Jesse's left was a crafting table and a withering shrub.

 _"This must be where the Founder crafts things for her people,"_ he hummed, running a gloved hand over the surface of the crafting table. He left it, moving to stand before the single tree.

_"Huh. I get the feeling this is a special tree."_

Milo walked into view, looking the tree up and down with an admiring eye, _"Yes, the ground you're standing on is actually the original island that all of Sky City started from."_ The screen zoomed out, showing off the gold and iron walls, Lukas able to be seen still investigating the closed off door inside. _"That tree dropped the saplings that grew into every tree on the island."_

Stacy raised her eyebrows, "Wow."

 _"I may not agree with the Founders methods,"_ Milo continued, _"But even I must admit that's an impressive feat."_ His part said, Milo wandered back inside.

 _"Wow,"_ Jesse muttered, raising an eyebrow at the tree, _"That_ is _pretty special."_

"You better not chop it down," Isa muttered, just loud enough for Reginald to hear. Benedict clucked in her lap.

Eyes turning to the lava, water and cobblestone on the other side of the pond, Jesse began to walk around it, his eyes flashing curiously as he stopped in front of the odd combination of materials. _"Huh."_

A gasp from behind him caused him to turn, just in time to see Ivor running up to him, eyes wide, _"A cobblestone generator! Amazing!"_ he looked at Jesse, grinning, _"Lava and water, placed exactly far enough that when they collide... it creates cobblestone! Genius!"_ he turned, throwing his arms in the air, and stalked back into the throne room.

"It _is_ quite amazing, isn't it?" hummed Gabriel, "The wonders these people have created in order to survive in such conditions is... extraordinary."

Jesse looked down at the cobblestone, then over his shoulder at the crafting table. Inspiration lighting his face, he bent down and began to punch, picking up the cobblestone. A moment later, there was the hiss of lava meeting water, then a new block appeared in its place.

 _"That is ingenious,"_ Ivor gushed from his place by the throne.

Pocketing the cobblestone, Jesse made his way back inside, passing Ivor and stopping to admire the throne. _"Definitely regal. Not bad."_

After a brief glance over his shoulder, Jesse walked up to the throne, looking it up and down, then took a seat. Ivor, spotting him, raised an eyebrow, planting his hands on his hips.

 _"Jesse... what_ are _you doing?"_

Olivia snorted into her hands, Jesse sending grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his hair.

This sheepish grin was mirrored by on screen Jesse. _"Heh. Sorry."_

He stood, descending the steps. He walked about, searching for any other useful materials, circling them table only to come back to the throne. He went back outside, looking around, and his eyes found the dead bush in the corner.

 _"Poor dead bush,"_ he muttered, _"Barely more than a bundle of sticks."_

Lukas patted him on the shoulder, causing Jesse to swat him away with a grin.

Jesse looked from the dead bush to the crafting table, then from the crafting table to the dead bush. _"Hopefully no one will miss one dead bush,"_ he said, then punched it, leaving it to crumble into a single stick.

Reginald sent him a stern look, "You do realise we could charge you for that?"

Jesse winced, "Uh... it hasn't happened yet?

 _"Perfect,"_ Jesse grinned, _"I think that should be everything I need to make a lever now."_

"Jesse _does_ have a point," said Sparklez, "You can't punish him for something he hasn't done yet."

Reginald gave a low hum, eyes narrowing on the boy on the floor, "I suppose. But I'll be watching you."

He moved to stand in front of the crafting table, pulling out the sticks and cobblestone, _"Okay, let's do this."_

Jesse placed the cobblestone in the middle bottom slot, then the stick directly above it. They moved into the middle, morphing together and poofing into a lever. Jesse grinned.

 _"Ah, my old friend, the lever,"_ he said, pocketing it and turning to head back to Lukas- only to run right into Milo.

 _"Fantastic!_ " the innkeeper explained, Jesse giving a short yell and jumping back in surprise.

Petra laughed, "You need to be more aware of your surroundings."

 _"Agh!"_ Jesse exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart, _"I didn't know you were watching!"_

 _"My apologies,"_ said Milo, sincerely, a sheepish smile on his lips, _"It is still just a thrill to see someone so confident and sure in their building abilities."_

Soren rolled his eyes, muttering to himself. Ellegaard grinned at him.

 _"You and your friend Petra,"_ Milo continued, _"Have been very inspiring to me and my people. With your help, we will finally liberate ourselves from the Founders clutches."_ He turned, walking back inside, Jesse smiling after him with a small shrug.

"'Liberate ourselves from the Founders clutches,'" Isa scowled, "What a _fool._ "

Milo glared at her, "I can hear you."

"You say that as though I hadn't meant you to."

The innkeeper went red, teeth grinding and hands clenching. Jesse shared a wide-eyed look with his friends.

On screen, Jesse followed Milo back inside, hurriedly making his way over to Lukas. Pulling out the lever, he placed it at the end of the redstone trail and flicked it, lighting it up.

The wall began to tremble with a volcanic rumble. Jesse stepped back, eyes wide, Lukas rising to his feet and moving to stand next to him. The wall shot up, block by block, with a metallic ring. It reached the top, revealing the rest of the tracks, as Ivor and Petra joined them.

Isa groaned, rubbing at her temples. Why couldn't they just leave them well alone?

A row of minecarts rolled out, going down the track and coming to a stop.

 _"Excellent!"_ exclaimed Ivor, walking up to one of the minecarts, _"This is it!"_

Jesse went up to the front cart, looking at Ivor with a grin, _"Eversource, here we come!"_ With that, he climbed in.

"You know," said Magnus, speaking up for the first time since the episode had been put in, "I wonder what's happening back in our world."

"Yeah, I was wondering that too," Axel said, "Olivia and I must be getting worried by now."

Ivor jumped into the cart behind Jesse with a massive grin, Petra behind him, then Lukas and finally Milo. The carts began to move, shifting down the track, and turned into the opened door.

They went down, briefly levelling out only to immediately go down again and turn. The screen showed a downwards track through a mess of wooden fences, a window on the wall revealing the blue-purple sky that told the sun would be rising soon.

The group shot passed, and Jesse gasped as he sat the abrupt turn just ahead. Shown from his eyes, they shot to the left at a terrifying speed, then they went down again, zipping towards a gaping hole in the wall.

Olivia squeaked, covering her eyes with her hands.

They turned sharply, shooting down another slope, levelling out, then going down again. They went down one last slope, took another sharp turn, and then slammed to a stop against a fence, dangerously close to open air.

Maya winced, looking slightly pale, "Couldn't you have... fenced those parts off or... or something?"

The screen zoomed out as Jesse climbed out of the cart, revealing that they'd rode them down to the very bottom of the island.

 _"Wow,"_ Jesse breathed, as the screen came back inside, revealing rows upon stacked rows of double chests, _"Look at all these chests."_

 _"Yeah,"_ said Petra, _"And they're all... labelled?"_

Sure enough, each stack of chests had a sign on the bottom. Milo frowned at them, tapping his chin as he read them aloud, Ivor moving to stand beside him. _"'Creeper,' 'Zombie,' 'Sheep, 'Pigman...' Curious."_

"Wait, what?" said Dan, brow furrowed, "What does _that_ mean?"

He received no answer. Isa clutched Benedict closer.

 _"But... what does it mean?"_ asked Ivor.

Jesse wandered deeper into the storage room, coming to a stop at a chest labelled 'Sheep.' He opened it, eyes widening as he took in the chests contents.

Unconsciously, most of the audience leant forwards in their seats.

Slowly, looking like the most confused person in the world, Jesse pulled out... an egg.

A white and pink spotted egg.

Em blinked, "What."

"That makes no sense," declared Stampy.

"Mental hospital," Mental stage-whispered loudly to Ellegaard, who very nearly failed at stifling her giggle.

On screen, Jesse blinked, _"Huh."_

Lukas and Petra came up to him, blinking dumbly at the egg.

 _"Eggs?"_ said Lukas, as Ivor and Milo joined them, _"The sign says 'sheep,' not 'eggs.'"_

"Maybe it was some kind of mistake?" Olivia suggested.

 _"Might as well throw it and give it a shot?"_ Petra shrugged.

Jesse seemed to contemplate this, then rose to his feet. The others backed out of his way, giving him a perfectly clear shot of a wall. He held the stone back and launched it at the stone, the egg shattering on impact.

Out popped a fluffy white sheep, which spun mid-air and landed on its feet with a _baa._

The audience blinked. Then, in almost perfect unison, all eyes turned to Isa.

The Founder straightened, but her face was stoic. Reginald glanced at her, then scanned the rest of the room with a warning gleam in his eyes, wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword.

"How... what?" said Lukas.

Instead of answering, Isa simply shook her head and gestured to the screen.

Petra blinked, _"A sheep?"_

Hesitantly, Milo stepped forwards, watching the sheep wearily, _"Is... is that a monster? That is not so bad,"_ he rubbed at his neck, looking back at the others, _"It is fluffy."_

Magnus snorted.

 _"So the eggs all have creatures inside them..."_ said Petra.

 _"And they're all different colours,"_ said Lukas, appearing from an aisle with two different eggs in hand, _"They must be, you know, colour coded to what's in them."_

"That makes sense," muttered Stacy, "But... how do they even _exist_?"

Petra turned around, bending and beginning to rummage through the chest Jesse had found the sheep-egg in, _"So she can just spawn things whenever she wants to..."_ She pulled out another sheep-egg, turning to look at Jesse.

 _"This must be where the resources come from,"_ Jesse concluded, looking up at the millions of stacked chests along the walls, _"Different monsters and creatures... different drops."_

 _"Stay on your toes!"_ said Ivor, startling them, " _We're close! Agh!"_ He held his hands up to his face again, jumping up and down in excitement, _"I can't wait!"_

With that, he darted out of sight.

"I'm never going to get used to seeing you like that," Magnus chortled, turning to grin at his bearded friend. That grin, however, faltered when he realised Ivor wasn't paying attention.

Annoyed, he shoved his elbow into his ribs, "Hey, beardy! Ya in there?"

Ivor seemed to snap out of whatever thoughts he'd been occupied with, rubbing at his now sore side and sending Magnus a scowl, "What is it?"

"Are you alright, Ivor?" asked Gabriel, frowning, "You've been unusually quiet."

For a moment, the potionologist paused, and he looked as though he were about to say something potentially important. But he seemed to decide against it, for he shook his head and scowled.

"Of course I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?"

Jesse stared after Ivor, then rolled his eyes and turned to look at each of the remaining group, gesturing, _"Let's take a look around."_

They split up, Jesse turning down a narrow aisle of chests, where Ivor stood near the end. He began to make his way down the aisle, Ivor moving on, signs displaying things like pigs, sheep, slimes, blazes, ghasts, the like.

Reaching the end of the aisle, Jesse turned to look at a small patch of grassy dirt, twin hills stacked on either side. Something poked it's crowned head over the top of a small mound, then quickly vanished.

Isa's eyes widened, and she looked down at the chicken in her lap, heart turning to stone and falling to her stomach. Taking a shaky breath, she curled her hands into protective fists, clutching Benedict closer to her chest.

Jesse started, freezing in place. His wide eyes narrowed and, slowly, he began to creep towards the mound of dirt.

"What was that?" asked Axel. Lukas shrugged.

There was a long beat of tense silence, Jesse staring suspiciously at the dirt. Then, with a flap of feathers, wearing a velvet red collar with a glinting jewel, a golden crown perched on its head, clucking joyfully as it tripped over its own feet and landed flat on its face, came a chicken.

To an outsider looking in, it would have been a funny sight, watching as more than half the room's occupants looked from the Benedict clutched in Isa's lap to the chicken on screen, then from the chicken on the screen to Benedict.

Jesse looked down at Reuben, then Benedict, then the screen.

"...Oh," his eyes widened, " _Oh_."

"The... the chicken," said Lizzie, slowly, "The Eversource... it's been here the whole time?"

Milo leant back in his seat, mouth open, his eyes the size of dinner plates. Ivor took a deep, steadying breath, massaged his eyelids, and tried to stop the grin from spreading on his face.

He failed quite spectacularly.

Jesse watched the chicken as it waddled around, raising an eyebrow at it. It came to a stop in front of him, ruffling its feathers.

Milo, gaping, came up behind him and throwing his hands in the air in pure astonishment, _"Incredible!"_

At the exclamation, the other three began to make their way over, their expressions just as confused as Jesse's. The boy blinked, placing a hand on his hip.

_"You guys... meet the Eversource."_

"Benedict..." said Olivia slowly, "Is... the Eversource?"

Isa's mouth twisted, but her reply wasn't harsh, "Yes."

"That... actually makes some sense," Lukas admitted, "I mean, not a lot, but... a little."

Petra blinked, _"What."_

 _"No. Way."_ said Lukas.

 _"Yes,"_ Ivor said, almost breathlessly, _"The spawn eggs. It's so simple!"_

 _"So... the chicken lays the eggs..."_ Jesse stepped forwards, moving to stand right in front of the clucking chicken, _"And the eggs make... monsters?"_ He put a hand to his hip again, _"And the loot from the monsters... made this place."_

"But where did the iron and the gold come from?" asked Em.

"Well," said Soren, "Pigmen sometimes drop gold... and I suppose an Iron Golem could drop iron..." he shook his head, "I'm probably missing some, but yeah."

Ivor's face abruptly appeared, causing Benedict to leap back with a startled cluck, some of the audience jumping in surprise as well. _"Well, throw it in the minecart and let's get out of here!"_ he glanced back at Jesse, but was quick to return his eager gaze to the chicken, _"We're still taking it, right?_ "

"You take her," growled Isa, "And I assure you, you will _regret_ it."

Jesse, Lukas and Ivor leant away from her.

 _"The chicken that the entire city depends on?"_ said Lukas, glaring, _"Are you sure that's a good idea?"_

Petra moved to stand behind Jesse, raising an eyebrow at the chicken. Besides Lukas, Milo spluttered.

 _"What are you talking about?"_ he pointed in the general direction of the minecarts, _"We need to take it to the people! With it, we'll finally be free of the Founder!"_

"You have _no idea_ what I have to do to get those resources!" snapped Isa, giving Milo a deadly glare that he returned, "You bring Benedict to the people and they hatch the eggs, the whole city could be in danger!"

"Oh, enough of your blatant lies!" Milo said, "You just want the Eversource all to yourself!"

Isa's teeth gritted, "How _dare_ you."

 _"But that clucking thing is what we came for!"_ exclaimed Ivor. Jesse was silent for a moment, looking from Ivor to Milo to the Eversource. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision.

 _"Milo's right,"_ he said, crouching and picking up Benedict, _"The Eversource belongs to the people."_

Isa groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. Jesse winced, wondering if he'd made the right choice.

 _"What?"_ Ivor scowled, _"I thought that was the whole point of this adventure!"_

Before Jesse could answer, there was the sound of something shifting, like the opening of a heavy door, and then Petra yelled and she went flying to the other side of the room. There was a flash of glimmering yellow, Jesse stumbling back with a surprised gasp, and then Ivor was sent soaring after her.

"Oh my god!" gasped Lizzie.

The flash of yellow darted behind Jesse and Lukas, grabbing the back of Milo's messy shirt and tossing him. Milo screamed, landing harshly and skidding, as the Blaze Rods calmly walked in, swords drawn.

"Oh no," groaned Olivia, "Oh no, oh no, oh _no._ "

Lukas sighed, "Of _course_." Maya grimaced, sharing a look with Gill. Aiden remained silent.

Jesse took another step back, as the yellow blur came to a stop to reveal none other than Isa. The Founder held a fighting stance, her eyes deadly, mouth pressed into an enraged line. Her glare sent daggers spiking into Jesse's eyeballs.

 _"I knew it,"_ she said, _"I knew you were here to steal from me."_

"Oooooh, this is bad," said Stampy, "This is so very, very, very bad."

Nell, however, was now looking at the Founder in wonder, "Wow! Sweet moves, brah!"

Gill grabbed Milo, hauling him over to where Ivor and Petra had been thrown. He and Maya stood around them in a semi-circle, enchanted swords raised.

Aiden stepped forwards, placing his hands on his hips, grinning viciously at Jesse. Behind him, the spawned sheep trotted passed, baaing.

 _"Agh. Pain."_ groaned Ivor, out of sight, as Jesse and Lukas stared wide eyed. Milo grunted, _"She's too fast!"_ Petra could be heard panting, _"Just... give me a second to catch my breath."_

"I can't look," moaned Olivia, burying her face into Axel's arm.

Jesse returned Isa's glare, _"Hey, get your hands off-"_

 _"Says the trespassing criminal,"_ Isa cut him off, still in her fighting stance.

 _"It's just like a told you, Founder!"_ Aiden butted in, pointing to the chicken, _"They're here to steal the Eversource!"_

"Oh, shut up, you dimwitted twit!" snapped Soren. Gabriel glanced to the side at him.

"They can't-"

"Hear me! I know!"

Jesse looked to the chicken in his arms, wincing, and gave Isa a sheepish smile. Aiden sneered, _"Classic Order of the Stone."_

Real-Aiden shifted in his seat, but didn't say anything, crossing his arms over his stomach. Maya stared at him for a long moment, but he didn't return her gaze, and she looked back to the screen.

Still grinning sheepishly, Jesse set Benedict down, and she wandered away. Straightening, he glared at Aiden but that glare quickly fell as Isa got up from her fighting stance, _"You don't say?"_

 _"What? No!"_ came Ivor's voice, as Jesse took a small step towards Lukas, _"Don't believe them!"_

 _"You have the wrong idea!"_ yelled Milo.

 _"Shut up, criminals,"_ snapped Aiden.

Jesse's head snapped back towards him, eyes hardening angrily, _"Are you kidding me? You just want it for yourself!"_

"You tell 'em, Jesse!" cheered Axel.

Aiden took a small step back, startled by the usually timid boys' aggression. His glare returned, but Isa spoke before he could say anything.

 _"You just expect me to believe a bunch of criminals?"_ she asked, Aiden's eyes narrowing on her as he silently stepped away. Jesse's eyes turned to him, but his attention was directed back to the Founder as she continued.

_"Aiden warned me that you were a pack of thieves, and here you are, prepared to make off with the one thing our city depends on to survive."_

"Okay, phrased like that, it _does_ sound kinda bad," said Magnus. Ellegaard shushed him.

 _"Boy,"_ came Aiden's voice, out of screen, _"When you put it like that, I almost feel bad."_

Real-Jesse's heart plummeted, "Oh no."

Isa blinked, looking to where Aiden had been standing not moments before, startled to find him gone. She turned slightly, and the screen switched to show Aiden standing before an open double chest, a sign blaring CREEPERS above it.

Aiden turned around, tossing a green and black spotted egg in his hand, _"Yup,"_ he said, _"'Fraid_ I'm _going to be taking the chicken. It's mine now."_

Real-Isa clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth. Benedict clucked in her lap.

 _"What?"_ said Isa, now backing away from Aiden in shock, shaking her head, _"This is outrageous!"_

Stacy sent Isa a sympathetic glance. She'd only been wanting to keep her people safe, after all. And Aiden played her like a toy.

Otto sighed, "Oh, Isa."

Real-Aiden bit the inside of his cheek, stomach churning. He didn't like the glint in his future selves eyes. He didn't like the smirk on his lips.

He didn't like this.

On screen, Aiden smirked wickedly at the creeper egg.

 _"Aiden,"_ said Isa, almost warningly, _"Don't do this."_

She took a small step forwards. Jesse looked from her to Aiden. The Blaze Rod's grin didn't falter.

_"Somebody order eggs?"_

"NO!" Olivia screamed.

The egg went soaring from Aiden's hand. Isa ducked and leapt to the left, while Lukas scrambled to the right, and the egg was inches from Jesse's face when he threw himself to the floor. It shattered against the wall, the very same one Jesse had thrown the sheep egg at, and out popped a creeper.

"Run!" shouted Gabriel.

 _"Creeper!"_ yelled Jesse, _"Look out!"_

The creeper, in a wild panic at the commotion, scuttled blindly towards the others. Isa shot to her feet, reaching for her swords, but too late. The creeper stopped just in front of her, flashing white, and exploded just as she drew the twin blades from her back.

Isa screamed, flashing red, as the wall behind her collapsing, revealing the pink-purple sky. She grabbed onto the edge, dangling above an endless fall. The sheep soared overhead, baaing loudly, and latched onto the fence hanging overhead.

"My Founder!" Reginald gasped, shooting to his feet as though to help her. Benedict, upon realising the Isa on screen was in danger, began to frantically flap her wings, clucking and cawing in agitation.

Jesse gasped, as Isa struggled to pull herself up. The sheep lost its grip on the fence, and fell, baaing, down into the endless sky.

Benedict clucked, flapping her wings, and Jesse's gaze turned to Aiden as Lukas ran at him. Their fists interlocked, but the blond shoved him away, only for him to charge right back in.

 _"I've got Aiden!"_ Lukas shouted to him, _"Save the Founder!"_

"Come on, Jesse!" said Nell, "Grab her!"

 _"Oh, you've 'got me,' Lukas?"_ grunted Aiden.

Jesse looked from Lukas and Aiden, shoving and hitting each other, to the Founder dangling above her doom. Within a moment, he'd made his choice, and dashed towards the Founder. He fell to his stomach, skidding terrifyingly close to the edge, and grabbed her hand just before she could fall.

_"Gotcha!"_

"Oh, thank Notch," sighed Reginald, collapsing back into his seat as though he'd had all of the energy sucked out of him. Isa sent him a small smile.

Jesse struggled, grunting, but was able to pull Isa back onto land. There stood there, panting, and Isa sent him a grateful look.

 _"Thank you..."_ she panted, _"Thank you..."_

"Way to go, Jesse!" cheered Petra, mussing his hair and earning a playful scowl for her efforts.

"Yes," said Isa, smiling gratefully at the boy on the floor, "I... thank you, Jesse."

Jesse simply smiled, "It's not a problem."

On screen, Jesse smiled, looking as though he were about to reply. And then there was a scream, and suddenly Lukas was there, and then Jesse was the one screaming, screaming his name-

Everything went in slow motion. Jesse's eyes locked with Lukas', both wide, shocked and horrified. The blond's mouth was open, arms spread, surrounded by the purple-pink of the sky.

"Lukas!" Jesse gasped.

Then the screen flashed, and Lukas was Reuben, and Jesse was dangling from black tentacles, reaching for him, but he was too far away and the purple was darker, the world shuddering and collapsing all around him, and his mouth was open in a silent scream because _no, no, not again, this can't be happening, not again, not again-_

Aiden raised his foot, kicking Jesse in the back. He rammed into Isa, and he twisted mid-air, the world slowing down as quickly as it had sped up again.

Benedict clucked, as Aiden smirked at them from the safety of the ledge. The little chicken cocked her head to the side, not fully understanding what was happening, her little crown glinting in the slow rise of the sun.

"No," Olivia's voice was a small whisper, unaware of the tears rolling down her cheeks.

Still in slow motion, Jesse's eyes hardened into the most hateful glare that had ever graced his face. And then everything sped up, and he and the Founder were screaming, falling down, down, down into the endless sky.

From the ledge, Aiden smiled, _"I'll take it from here."_

Then the screen darkened.

The audience sat there. Staring, mouths open, eyes large. Everything seemed to have stopped. Frozen as the endless days of the mansion.

It was shattered into a million tiny shards by a scream of pure _rage,_ and it took Jesse a moment to realise that was coming from _him_. Then he was on top of Aiden, his fist connecting with his jaw, pain flaring up his knuckles, bones cracking loudly.

But he didn't care. He was blind. His brain seemed incapable of thought, the rage and hatred and sorrow coursing through his veins with each beat of his hammering heart, and he hardly realised he was being dragged away until he was kicking and screaming widely in someone's arms.

There was a voice, in his ear. Multiple, all around him. But he didn't care, could barely register them, didn't know what they were saying. He thrashed, throat burning, digging his nails into the arms attempting to restrain him.

Then he was on the ground, the back of his head connecting with the wood and sending pain up his skull. But it was pushed away, and he was on his feet, fists trembling at his sides-

Arms wrapped around him, and his face has buried a neck. He was crying, chest heaving, and a different voice was whispering in his ear _calm down, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, we're okay, we're alright, I'm alright, Reuben's right here._

He recognised this voice. His brain struggled to assign it a name. The arms around him tightened, holding him so close it was almost painful.

"It's okay," the voice whispered, "Shh, it's okay, it's alright. We're right here. We'll- We'll fix this."

A forehead pressed against his hair, almost in a nuzzle. The voice trembled, as though they themselves were near tears.

"We'll fix this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you choose the save the Founder of help Lukas? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Just to be clear, Ariza Luca, GirlOfHerOwnWorld and I thought up the Lukas-flashing-to-Reuben scene together, so I'm not copying Ariza or anything. Just so you know and all that, I had a review asking about the similarities and whatnot.
> 
> Anyway, that was Lukas telling Jesse that they'll fix this, if you weren't sure. Because of the potential death of three people, they'll be putting off the next round of release, have some lunch, some hurt comfort and all that fluff, with a dash of angst (because why the frick not), and then they'll watch some more of episode five.
> 
> If I'm right (and I probably am), the next scene will end with Jesse and Isa climbing back up to Sky City. Then it'll be the last two parts of Release.


	38. It's Raining Monsters

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Thirty-Eight: It's Raining Monsters**

* * *

Even after nearly half an hour, Lukas hadn't let go of Jesse. Olivia found this fact to be quite cute, but that didn't stop her from gnawing worryingly at her lip. She couldn't get the image out of her head. Her friends falling to their deaths.

Well, that wasn't exactly correct, she supposed. There would be no ground to end their suffering. They'd starve, slowly and most likely painfully, and their dead bodies would fall forever.

She shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. The thought made her feel terribly sick, and for a moment she was near certain she was going to vomit. Her stomach was a churning mess of flops and messy summersaults, and there was the disgusting burn of bile at the back of her throat. Her eyes felt puffy from crying, but her eyes had long since dried.

Everyone had left the living room now. Some had lingered- the Order, Maya, Nell, Stampy and Dan, Gill and even Hadrian- but they too eventually left. Olivia wondered, briefly, what was going through their minds, but then decided she didn't care. Because she was feeling sick, the scene replaying through her brain again and again, and while she had never liked Aiden, never before had she despised him like she did in that moment.

They were seated among the blankets and pillows, forming an almost-circle around Lukas and Jesse. Reuben had crawled into their laps, and Jesse was clutching them both as though afraid they'd disappear. He was sitting half on and half off Lukas's lap, but the blond didn't seem to mind at all, and was holding onto him just as tightly.

Olivia wondered how this had happened. It had all been so fast. Her brain had been reduced to mush trying to keep up, and now all she could do was sit there and watch as the two people she'd come to think as some of her closest friends clung to each other, a potential death looming over their heads.

Aiden had left the room with a bloody face, but Olivia didn't know the extent of the damage, nor did she care to go find out. She wondered, at the back of her mind, if Ivor or even someone else was going to patch him up. She shook her head and told herself she didn't care.

Lukas raised his head from where it had been buried in Jesse's hair for the past half hour, immediately directing their attention to him. He seemed slightly surprised to discover they were the only ones left in the living room, but he didn't mention it.

"I think he's asleep," the blond whispered.

Sure enough, Jesse was out cold. But even in sleep, he seemed reluctant to release both Reuben and Lukas, and they were reluctant to move him because of it. In the end, they helped Lukas shift into a more comfortable position, lying down in a small pillow fort. Olivia grabbed a bit of blanket and pulled it over them, before settling down on Lukas's other side and resting her forehead against Jesse's shoulder.

She could hear his breathing, and it comforted her greatly. Reuben shifted a little, spreading out on Lukas's chest. After a moment, Axel and Petra joined them, Axel wrapped an arm around Olivia and placing his hand on the small of Jesse's back, Petra on their other side, and arm propping her head up, her other hand buried in Lukas's hair. He seemed to like that, and it reminded Olivia of a cat being petted. She grinned at the thought.

They lay there for a long moment. Olivia was almost asleep herself when Petra spoke.

"How are we gonna fix this?"

Lukas sighed, "I don't know."

"But we will," Axel's voice was surprisingly firm, a determination she'd heard every summer, when they would prepare for the Endercon Building Competitions.

 _Ah, yes,_ said an evil little voice at the back of her brain, _You mean the competitions you'd always lose anyway?_

She gritted her teeth, shoving that stupid little voice to the dark depths of her mind, locking it in a tiny cage suspended above a pit of bubbling, boiling lava and throwing the key into it. Because while they had always lost either way, it didn't change the fact that, even though Axel would feel like crap afterwards, by the time the next competition would roll around, that determined glint in his eye would be back, that assuring smirk would be on his face, and out of anything it was one of the things that would always convince Olivia to keep participating.

Because even when they're knocked down, even when she feels like just giving up, Axel will always get back up. Sometimes it will take longer than before, and Olivia wonders if he would still be able to without Jesse doing it first, but no matter what he gets back up.

And she loves them for that.

"Yeah," she said, "We will."

* * *

Magnus wasn't sure if he'd somehow unconsciously set out to find Ellegaard or if they'd just stumbled upon each other on accident, but for whatever reason, he was more than happy to stay.

They were in the second living room, which was mostly bare apart from a jukebox and a few other ornaments, like a vase and portraits. Magnus wasn't sure what had brought Ellegaard here- what had brought _him_ here. But neither of them moved to leave.

He'd forgotten, if only a little. He was almost certain she had as well. Or at least she'd ignored it. They'd both convinced themselves that it hadn't happened, that it wasn't going to happen, that neither of them had a chance of possibly dying in the future.

His fingers were trembling, he realised. He curled his hands into fists to try and get them to stop. It didn't work.

She hadn't noticed he was there. She was staring at one of the portraits- a big one, with two karate men fighting each other or something- with her arms crossed over her stomach. Her eyes (a beautiful brown) had a far away look to them.

Magnus wasn't sure how long he stood there, watching her. Hating the way his stomach was fluttering and twisting just by looking at her. He didn't want to look away, though.

Finally, he stepped forward. Ellegaard still didn't notice him, and soon he was standing right behind her, so close he would just have to tilt his head forwards to touch her. He raised his hand, hesitated, then placed it on her shoulder.

Ellegaard jumped with a startled gasp, spinning around so fast her hair hit him in the face. Her eyes locked with his and, once she'd realised it was only him, her shoulders lost their tension and she gave him a deadpan look.

"Really?" she said. Magnus's lips twitched.

"I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me!"

He snorted, rolling his eyes, "Yeah, sure." Ellegaard glared at him, but it was halfhearted, and her eyes had soon drifted away from him. His brow furrowed.

"Hey," he didn't continue, not until she was looking at him again, "What's wrong?"

She blinked, "Nothing."

"You're lying," She didn't respond. He inched closer. "What is it?"

Instead of answering, Ellegaard shrugged. Magnus's frown deepened.

"Is it about you..." the words caught in his throat. Magnus swallowed. "Y'know?"

Again, she didn't speak. He was just starting to consider kidnapping when she did.

"I'm trying not to think about it."

"But you are," he said, without missing a beat. Ellegaard sighed, averting her eyes to the floor.

"Yeah, just... Magnus, there's a very high chance we won't be able to change anything," she raised her head. Her eyes were glistening, and they were wide. They caused his heart to twist and turn painfully. "And if that happens... I just want you to know-"

"It won't happen," Magnus cut her off. He reached forwards without thinking, taking her hands in his, "It _won't_."

"But it _could,_ " she said. Her hands were trembling just as bad as his, although it could have just been him, "Magnus, it _could_."

He shook his head, jaw setting with determination, "I won't let it."

She laughed, a dull, humourless laugh. Her eyes were even shinier than before, tears pooling at the corners, but she didn't let the fall. "That's sweet. But you won't remember promising that."

Magnus shook his head, slowly. His own eyes felt oddly wet. "I'll feel it," he raised her hand, placing it on his chest, right above his heart, "I'll always feel it."

Ellegaard stared at her hand for a moment. Then she leant forwards, resting her forehead on his shoulder. He pulled her close, taking in the sweet scent of her hair. She smelt like redstone dust and oil.

"It won't happen, Ellie," he promised, "I won't _let_ it happen."

"At what cost?" she asked, " _Your_ life? The worlds?"

"If that's what it takes."

"You can't do that, Magnus," her voice was almost a groan, but not quite, "You _can't_."

He let go of her hand, tilting her chin so she was forced to look at him. " _Watch_ me."

She blinked at him, and a small tear escaped her eye, slipping down her cheek like a raindrop. He whipped it away with his thumb. Ellegaard leant into his touch, a small laugh passing her lips.

"You always were stubborn."

Magnus grinned, "Damn straight."

He pulled her into a kiss.

* * *

When Jesse woke up, he found himself uncomfortably hot. It was as though five comforters had been draped all around him in the middle of summer.

He shifted, cracking open his eyes, and was startled to realise the thing his face was pressed against was a chest. Jesse groaned, closing his eyes again and burying his face into the chest. He may be hot, but he had no desire to get up.

There was a brief exchange of whispers, but he didn't bother to listen to them. Then someone poked him in the side of the head. He made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat, shifting away from the where the poke had come from and curling into a tighter ball.

However, the poking persisted, and Jesse cracked open his eyes again to glare at whoever decided to wake him. It was Petra, who simply smiled at him, although he noticed it didn't reach her eyes.

"Lunch is ready," she said, "And Lukas has to pee."

Jesse blinked at her slowly, then sighed and got up. Reuben uncurled from where he'd been resting beneath his arm, blinking blearily, nose twitching cutely. Jesse picked him up, cradling him in his arms. Lukas smiled at him, climbing to his feet and quickly making his way out of the living room in search of a toilet. Jesse felt his face heat up. He'd fallen asleep on top of him.

"Hey, Jesse," he raised his head, looking at his other three friends, who were watching him expectantly by the door. Axel had spoken. "You coming?"

He blinked, then nodded, pushing himself to his feet with Reuben still in his arms. Silently, he followed them into the hall and towards the kitchen.

Maya, Gill and Stacy had been the ones to make lunch, despite it not being any of their turns to cook. But no one mentioned it, so Jesse fetched Reuben a carrot and sat him on the floor by his own seat, before sitting down. He noticed that Aiden wasn't anywhere in sight, but didn't point it out.

He looked about at the food- chicken, pork, bread and a cake that was already half eaten- but didn't reach for anything. He wasn't hungry.

Eyes bore into the side of his skull, and he glanced to the side. Hadrian was staring at him, lounge in his chair as though it were a throne, munching on a large piece of pork. Jesse's gaze became distasteful, and he quickly averted his eyes.

The table was mostly silent, apart from a few murmured conversations, and people kept glancing Jesse's way. He ignored them.

"Jess?" Olivia said. He had to lean forwards to see her, because she was on the other side of Petra. "Why aren't you eating?"

He glanced about at the food laid before him, then shrugged, absentmindedly fiddling with the buckle of his dungarees, "Just not hungry."

This earned him quite a few frowns.

"At least eat something small," said Petra, "Like..." she looked about the table and then, after a moment of consideration, grabbed a bit of bread, "Like some bread."

Jesse blinked at the offered loaf, but took it in hand, "Uh... okay."

"Are we going to be playing the next round of Release?" asked Em, directing attention to her. Slab, who was struggling to eat a sandwich without eyes and trying to not bite his own fingers off, snorted.

"Do I look like I'm ready for the next round? 'Sides, three people in this room could die in the potential future. I don't think anyone's up for any games right about now."

"Four," corrected Nell. They sent her confused looks. "The sheep fell too."

Jesse blinked at her, then smiled, although it fell quickly. Lukas returned not a moment later, seating himself next to Axel, who was sitting on Jesse's left. Gabriel took a bite out of his beef, swallowing.

"I suggest we watch some more of the episode," he said, "Before we do anything else."

This earned some nods, but a few people still looked hesitant. Jesse knew why. Watching the rest would confirm their deaths.

He sat the bread on his plate, standing up, "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Hurry back," said Lukas. Jesse nodded at him, stepping over Reuben and making his way out into the hall. The pig watched him leave, considered following, then returned to his carrot.

Jesse wasn't sure where he was going, but it wasn't the bathroom. There was one right down the hall from the kitchen. However, he walked in the opposite direction, passed the door leading to the 'Boom Room' and the armoury, making a half circle to the stairs.

He climbed them, in no hurry but not taking his time either. He reached the second floor and, for a moment, just stood there, looking left and right and wondering where he should go now.

Jesse decided to go left, turning an immediate corner, The hall narrowed a little down here, but not enough to feel claustrophobic. He came to the library door and raised his hand to open in, only to come to a stop when he heard voices.

Wondering who it could be, he wracked his brain for those that hadn't been at dinner. There was Aiden, of course, but there was more than one voice. Lizzie had been there, so had Clutch and Facemeat, as well as Magnus and Ellegaard. Hadrian, Mevia, Stacy, Sparklez, Otto, Soren... they'd all been there.

There was the low meow of a cat.

Ah. Cassie hadn't been there. He felt a little guilty for not noticing; the girl hardly talked.

Deciding not to intrude on whatever they were talking about (he doubted Aiden wanted to see him right now; hell, he didn't really want to see the other boy either), Jesse stepped away from the door, hand falling to his side. He shook his head, glaring at the floor.

What was he even doing up here? Avoiding eating? Avoiding his friends? Did he just want to be by himself? Why didn't he _know_? it was _his brain_.

Something cold brushed the back of his neck. Jesse jumped, but before he could spin around to see what it was, the cold thing had covered his mouth. He tried to scream, but couldn't, and suddenly his back was pressed against the wall. Cold fingers were digging into his clothes, chilling him to the bone, holding him in place.

Jesse struggled, heart hammering in his throat, trying to scream for help but unable to even open his mouth. He looked down, blood running cold. The cold fingers were black, wispy hands sticking out of the wall, clawing and clutching at him, as though trying to drag him through.

Panicking, he thrashed, but the hands held firm. He was so cold, his limbs and mouth were becoming numb, goosebumps darting up every bit of skin, hairs standing on end. It was a chill settling deep in his bones, turning his blood to ice, freezing his heart and leaving him unable to breathe-

-Then the hands were gone and Jesse was falling to the floor, gasping for breath, lips blue and shivering violently, frost on his clothes and crawling up his skin, face stark white and lungs struggling to inhale.

He lay there for a long time. He might have even fallen unconscious at some point. Eventually, he forced himself to his feet, arms and legs shaking like leaves in the wind.

He stayed away from the walls.

* * *

"There you are!" said Olivia, spotting him coming down the stairs, "Where have you been? I thought you were just going to the bathroom."

"Oh, uh..." Jesse scratched at his neck, glancing nervously up the stairs, "I couldn't find the one down here, so I went upstairs."

"Did you find it?" she asked. Then she frowned. "Are you alright? You look kinda pale."

 _Don't tell her_ , said the walls, _You don't want to tell her. It never happened._

"I..." he shook his head, more to himself than Olivia, "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked, looking genuinely concerned, "You're lips look kinda blue..."

"It's nothing," he insisted. Hesitantly, he gestured down the hall. "We watching the rest of the episode?"

Olivia stared at him for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded. "Yeah," she said, "Yeah, let's go."

They walked back to the living room together, where most of the others were watching. His friends smiled at them as they sat down, and Lukas immediately moved to sit next to Jesse as Reuben crawled into his lap.

"Where did you go?" Lukas asked, "You were away for ages."

_Don't tell them. It didn't happen._

"I got lost," Jesse lied, "I couldn't find the bathroom down here so I went upstairs to look."

"Oh," said Lukas. He seemed to contemplate something for a moment, then shrugged, "I'll go with you next time."

Jesse smiled, absentmindedly rubbing at the goosebumps still on his arms, "I'd appreciate it."

Soon, everyone else trickled into the living room. Jesse wasn't sure when, but at some point Olivia, Axel and Petra had formed a small half-circle thing around him and Lukas. Olivia was on Jesse' s left, Lukas on his right, then Petra was next to Lukas and Axel was sitting behind them. He was almost sure one of them would be sitting in front of them, had there not been a coffee table.

He spotted Aiden sitting in his usual seat by himself. Any blood that had been on his face was gone, but there was a nasty bruise on his jaw and one of his teeth had cracked. Experimentally, Jesse flexed his fingers, realising with a start that they were aching.

There was a tension in the room, and despite everyone being there and seated, no one made to get the remote. No one wanted to be the one to switch it back on.

After a long moment of awkwardly avoiding eye contact, there was an irritated huff and Hadrian got to his feet, snatching the remote off the coffee table and scowling at the closest person to him, who just so happened to be Petra.

"I'll do it myself," the man grumbled, jabbing the remote at the screen and pressing some random buttons, ignoring Petra's glare. The volume shot down, then he accidentally switched to the middle of episode three, where Soren is shown dancing about his lab, and then switched it to the bit where Jesse is being lifted into the air while trying to make the Formidi-Bomb, before the screen went off entirely.

Hadrian stood there for a moment, remote still pointed at the screen. Then his scowl returned and he threw the remote into Petra's hands, before storming off back to his seat. Petra glared after him, shaking her head, before beginning to fiddle with the remote.

She was able to get it back to where they were and, sharing a steadying look with Olivia, she pressed play.

For a moment, the screen remained dark. Then they heard the screaming, and Jesse and Isa appeared, falling through the endless sky. They continued to scream for a moment, then Jesse just trailed off and Isa's become less terrified and more 'oh... okay...'

"What do you think's worse?" asked Soren, not looking away, "Falling forever or eventually hitting the ground?"

"Falling forever would get boring," said Lizzie, off-handedly.

"Depends who you're falling with," muttered Magnus. He glanced at Ellegaard.

Isa glared at Jesse, _"This is all your fault!"_

Petra rolled her eyes, "Of course."

 _"Thanks to you,"_ she continued, _"We get to see what really happens when you fall off the islands!"_

 _"Where's Lukas?!"_ asked Jesse, ignoring her, looking bellow him in search of the blond, _"Do you see him anywhere bellow us? He should be down there!"_

 _"Oh, why, yes,"_ said the Founder, tongue dripping sarcasm, _"The first thing I did after we both got kicked over the edge was to look to see where your friend was."_

"Okay, she's mean," Axel muttered. Maya nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I mean, he's just been thrown off the edge of the world with someone that hates him," at their looks, she shrugged, cheeks tinting red, "I mean, if it had been me... I would have been looking for my friend too."

Isa sighed, stroking Benedict, "Yes... yes, I know."

The sky around them was beginning to lighten to a dull pink. Isa hummed. " _I can't decide whether I want our deaths to be painless for my sake,"_ Jesse was looking down at the clouds, and his eyes widened, as though he had spotted something. Isa, however, continued. _"Or excruciating for yours."_

"Why are you being so mean to him?" asked Dan, "He was trying to _help_ you."

"Now, now," said Soren, "Think about this. She's just been betrayed by someone she thought she could trust, and now she's falling to her death because of it. If I were in her situation, I'd be bitter as well."

Aiden looked down at his lap. He closed his eyes.

On screen, Jesse and Isa fell through a cloud- and then there was land, a giant lake directly beneath them, Ivor's twin lavafalls falling from the sky directly into it.

A chorus of gasps was executed by the audience. Isa, Milo and Reginald shared a wide, open-mouthed look of shock.

"Land!" exclaimed Lukas.

 _"Land!"_ exclaimed Jesse, grinning. Isa's eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates.

 _"Impossible,"_ she breathed. She looked to Jesse. _"That's impossible!"_

"Nothing's impossible," said Soren, grinning like a fool, "Only improbable."

Nell gazed at him with wide eyes, "Brah, that was, like, _so_ wise."

 _"Jesse?"_ she was looking at him now, eyes still wide, completely lost as to what to do. Jesse pointed- as best he could, anyway- to the lake.

_"There!"_

_"Can we get to it in time?"_

_"It's gonna be close!"_

"Oooooh, please, please, _please_ make it," Olivia groaned.

Jesse and Isa began to adjust and flay their limbs, doing anything they could to move closer to the lake. The lavafall loomed dangerously close, very nearly setting Jesse's armour on fire, and then with a scream, they both fell into the water.

"Oh my god!" Stacy gasped, "They made it!"

"What about Lukas?" asked Jesse, a concerned frown on his brow, "Did he make it?"

Gasping, Jesse and Isa resurfaced. The spawn-sheep bobbed in the water a little ways away.

Nell gasped, "The sheepy!"

Taking in his surroundings, Jesse gave a single laugh, grinning so wide his face looked in danger of splitting. He and Isa began to swim to shore, and Lukas came into view, hugging himself and dripping wet.

_"Jesse?"_

"There he is!" Gill cheered.

_"Holy crap, you're down here too?"_

_"Lukas!"_ Jesse exclaimed, clearly relieved, _"You made it!"_

 _"Oh, yeah,"_ Lukas grunted, helping Jesse out of the water, _"Only slightly worse for wear."_ He immediately went back to hugging himself, shoulders hunched and expression a grimace of pain. Despite this, there was a small smile on his lips.

"Wow," said Ellegaard, "He looks pretty banged up."

"Broken ribs?" suggested Gabriel.

 _"Gotta say,"_ said Lukas, _"Aiden's tougher than I remember,"_ he made a pained noise in the back of his throat, _"He got me pretty good."_

The glare that Maya, Petra, Olivia and Axel sent Aiden left him trying to vanish into his seat. Lukas didn't glare, just looked down at his lap, blinking rapidly to keep the wetness out of his eyes.

Aiden had made his choice a long time ago. No point in crying over it.

 _"Lukas, I'm really sorry I didn't try to help you there,_ " said Jesse, " _I only had a few seconds, everything was happening so fast..."_

Lukas shook his head, smiling, _"Nah, don't worry about it. Aiden was, ah..."_ he winced, rubbing at a tender spot on his arm, _"Stronger than I was expecting. It was good of you to try and save the Founder."_

"Yeah, Jesse," said Axel, ruffling his smaller friends hair, "It's not your fault for wanting to save someone from falling to their death."

Jesse swatted at his hand, scowling playfully, "Don't ruffle my hair!"

 _"Um... speaking of whom..."_ Lukas turned, directing their attention to Isa, who was taking in her surroundings with an oddly blank expression, _"Is she okay? She's just sort of... staring."_

"She's in shock," Gabriel said, sympathetically.

 _"Erm... lemme ask,"_ said Jesse. He turned to look at Isa, awkwardly clearing his throat. _"Founder?"_ Then, well aware of ridiculous it sounded, _"Miss Founder?"_

Real-Isa couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her, still struggling to wrap her head around what was happening.

 _"I, uh... I hope she's not in shock or something,"_ said Lukas. Isa walked up to a tree, slowly, reaching out and touching it, as though to confirm that she hadn't gone completely mad.

 _"Are you, uh, doing okay over there?"_ Jesse asked.

 _"I just... I can't believe it,"_ said Isa, still sounding a little breathless. She took another look around, then, at the approach of a cow, went over and hesitantly touched it, much like she'd done with the tree. _"This has been down here the whole time?"_

"All that land..." whispered Milo, "All those... materials. Right bellow us this entire time." He shook his head, astonished.

 _"I forbade anyone to look for land bellow us,"_ Isa continued, _"It was too dangerous. A-A lost cause..."_

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself," said Stacy gently. Isa didn't look at her.

 _"Well,"_ said Jesse, when it became clear she wasn't going to continue, _"'Land' is going to be a pretty big game-changer for you guys. I mean,"_ he shrugged, _"It's going to changed everything."_

Isa turned around, eyes remaining as wide as ever, _"Yes..."_

Lukas glanced around them, letting out an impressed whistle, _"Look at this place,"_ the screen spanned, showing off the desert, hills and trees surrounding them, a jungle in the distance, _"Totally untouched biomes, all around us."_

 _"Yes..."_ Isa repeated, _"It's all a little overwhelming."_

"This is unsurprising," said Gabriel, "Just take your time to take it in."

 _"What... what do I do now?"_ Isa asked.

 _"Well,"_ said Lukas, _"How about you start with a few deep breaths?"_

"Yes," Gabriel said, smiling and jabbing a finger at the screen, "Do that."

_"Seeing all this after you've been crammed up on that tiny island... that wold be overwhelming for anybody."_

Jesse nodded, " _You can bring all your people down here! Th-They won't have to... to petition for resources or any of that stuff anymore!"_

"Yes!" cheered Milo, throwing his hands in the air. Isa rolled her eyes at him, although Reginald's lips twitched in a smile. That sounded... quite fantastic.

 _"I... I suppose your right,"_ said Isa, as though realising this for the first time. Jesse gave another nod.

_"Yes, we have to get back up and tell them!"_

_"Getting back up. My word, you're right,"_ she walked forwards, moving to stand at the edge of the lake, looking up at the sky were, way, way above them, out of sight, was Sky City, _"I... I hadn't even thought that far ahead yet."_

She looked over her shoulder at Jesse, most likely for advice on what to do next. But before the boy could say anything, a blazing zombie fell from the sky, slamming into the ground where Isa had been standing not moments before and puffing into a cloud of smoke.

"Notch!" gasped Magnus.

Startled, Jesse and Isa jumped back, then looked back up at the sky. It was raining monsters, all encased in a ball of flame, groaning and moaning and screaming monstrous screams as they fell and burned, the smell of rotting flesh thick in the air.

 _"Look out!"_ exclaimed Jesse, grabbing Isa by the hand and pulling out back towards Lukas, just as another zombie fell where they'd been standing.

"Dear _Lord_ ," breathed Milo, "Where are they all coming from?"

Petra groaned, "It's those blasted eggs! The Blaze Rods must be unleashing them on Sky City!"

Jesse, Lukas and Isa stood beneath the relative safety of the trees, more and more monsters falling from the sky. Slowly, it began to lessen.

 _"What's- What's going on up there?"_ asked Isa, as though either of the two had an answer.

 _"Oh..."_ Lukas winced, _"That's not a good sign."_

"You know things are going to hell when it's raining monsters," muttered Axel. Jesse nodded in agreement.

 _"Aiden's made some big mistakes,"_ said Jesse, matter of factly, _"He's probably completely over his head by now."_

Maya sighed, "You don't say."

Lukas's eyes narrowed, and he looked down at the ground, _"I can't believe Aiden could be so... so_ stupid _."_

Aiden flinched, hunching in on himself. Cassie stared at him for a moment. She was the only one that noticed.

 _"I can't leave my subjects in whatever trouble they're in,"_ Isa declared, turning to Jesse, _"Jesse, will you please help me get back to Sky City? Stop Aiden? Help me protect my people?"_

 _"We_ did _kinda start this mess,"_ Lukas pointed out.

 _"Of course I'll help you,"_ said Jesse, _"You're the Founder."_

Milo didn't seem all that pleased with his wording, but thankfully said nothing.

On screen, Isa smiled in obvious relief, _"Thank you, Jesse."_ she hesitated, then seemed to come to a decision, _"But please, call me Isa."_

Jesse returned the smile, the place a hand to his mouth, brow furrowing in thought, _"Okay, getting back up... getting back up..."_ he moved to stand at the edge of the lake, looking about, _"Let's see what we've got to work with..."_

He spotted a high mound of dirt a little ways away. A random, blazing skeleton smashed into the ground next to it. Jesse grinned. _"Hm. That'll work."_

Real-Lukas blinked, then grinned as well, "Oh, I see!"

"What?" asked Milo, "What are they doing?"

Isa gave Jesse an odd look, _"What is it?"_

 _"Oh,"_ said Lukas, having quickly caught on, _"I see what you're getting at. Nice."_

 _"Well, would someone care to explain to me, please?"_ asked Isa, slightly irritated.

Still grinning, Jesse turned to face them, _"Get ready to build the tallest thing you've ever built."_

"Excuse me?" said real-Isa.

On screen, Isa's eyes widened, _"What?"_

Jesse began to run towards the hill, Isa and Lukas quickly following, _"We're going to build a tower of dirt all the way back up to Sky City."_

"Oh," said Reginald. Then, eyes widening, " _Oh_! That is _brilliance_!"

Jesse skidded to a stop at the hill, turning to face Lukas and Isa again as they ran up to him, Lukas lagging behind a little. _"Grab as much dirt as you can carry!"_

With that, the screen sped up, with Jesse and Isa digging while Lukas watched, once more hugging himself. The ground began to disappear the further they moved, the sky lightening and the monster rain coming to a stop.

"Lukas must be pretty banged up if he's not doing anything," said Petra, a little concerned.

It cut to Jesse digging up a single block of dirt, then putting it in his pocket, letting out a relieved sigh, _"Okay... that should do it."_

 _"Jesse,"_ said Isa, from where she stood with Lukas halfway up a hill of stone and gravel, pointing to something out of sight, _"What is that?"_

Jesse followed her hand- and his eyes landed on an unlit portal.

Olivia gasped, "It's another portal!"

"Alright!" cheered Sparklez, clapping, "You guys, they can get home now!"

Hadrian, Mevia and Otto looked at each other with raised eyebrows. They said nothing.

Jesse walked towards the portal slowly, eyes widening upon realising what it was. Lukas and Isa hopped down from the hill, the two boys obviously shocked at the sight of the golden gateway.

 _"What?"_ huffed Isa, _"What is it?"_

 _"Just... wow,"_ Lukas shook his head, _"What are the odds?"_

Jesse turned to look at Isa, grinning, _"It's the other half of the portal that brought us here."_

 _"Man, what a relief,"_ said Lukas, _"We just need to get that flint and steel back. It should be a straight shot home now."_

"Thankfully," Petra sighed, "This will all be over soon."

Jesse began to make his way up the hill, Lukas and Isa following. It had begun raining monsters again, but thankfully they seemed to be mostly falling closer to the lake, leaving their spot clear.

 _"Well, guys..."_ said Jesse, turning to face them, _"Ready?"_

Lukas grimaced, hunching in on himself. Isa nodded, almost absentmindedly.

_"Yes, I think so."_

_"I, uh..."_ Lukas winced, _"Think I've actually got to sit this one out, Jesse."_

Soren sighed, "Good. You would only make yourself worse off by going with them."

 _"Aiden got me pretty good,"_ the blond admitted, _"Just not sure if I'm up for towering all the way back up there."_

Frowning, Jesse began to walk towards him. Lukas rubbed at his arm again, _"I'm really sorry. I... I probably wouldn't be able to keep up anyway."_

 _"What? But it's dangerous alone,"_ Jesse pointed out, gesturing to the monsters falling monsters, _"Monsters, nightfall..."_

 _"I'll get some food,"_ Lukas assured, _"Put together a shelter if it gets dark."_ His eyes hardened, although not at Jesse, _"It's not my first rodeo."_

"I'll be fine, Jess," said Lukas, to on screen Jesse or real life Jesse, none of them were sure, "A lot safer down there than up there, anyway."

Jesse still didn't seem to like the idea, but didn't protest. He helped Lukas sit down beneath a tree, out of the way of the falling monsters, _"There you go, buddy."_

 _"Thank you for trying to help,"_ said Isa, _"It was very noble."_

Lukas gave them a weak smile, _"Hey, what's with the 'last goodbye' tone? I'll see you guys when you get back."_

"Hopefully," Jesse muttered. Petra squeezed his knee.

 _"Oh,"_ abruptly, Lukas's eyes were hard with a terrible hatred, leaving the audience leaning back in surprise, _"And give Aiden another punch for me."_

Aiden grimaced, sinking further into his seat.

Nodding, Jesse stood up from where he'd been kneeling, _"Will do."_

He turned, gesturing for Isa to follow, _"Come on, we've got an epic climb ahead of us."_

The two ran towards the tallest point of the hill, starting to climb it. Near the top, Jesse came to a stop, turning to look down at Isa, _"We've got a city to save. Ready?_ "

Isa turned to him, a determined glint in her eyes, _"I believe so. And when I get up there I'm going to tear those Blaze Rods limb from limb."_

In almost perfect unison, Aiden, Maya and Gill shrunk away from her, as though fearful she would hold up on her on screen selves promise. Isa's lips twitched at that.

Jesse blinked at her, then grinned. It was starting to rain, although thankfully it was proper rain and not monsters, and it was only in short dribbles that vanished and then reappeared.

Isa glanced to the side, then back up at Jesse, _"Oh... and Jesse? I appreciate what you did up there,"_ she fiddled with her hair, _"Trying to save me, I mean."_

Instead of answering, Jesse simply smiled. They climbed the rest of the hill, then Jesse jumped, placing a dirt block directly under him. Isa copied, and soon the screen was speeding up and they shooting towards the sky, passed the rain of flaming monsters and water droplets, the sky darkening with the setting of the moon.

Then they vanished into the clouds, and the screen darkened.

"Alright!" cheered Axel, "Let's save this city!"

"It is a relief," said Soren, smiling, "To know that there have thus far been little deaths."

"Yeah," Jesse muttered, hugging Reuben closer.

Hadrian watched the boy with a curious glint in his eyes, lounged across his seat like the king he knew he was. His glasses glinted almost menacingly in the light of the living room.

"Impressive," he muttered, Mevia and Otto glancing at him, but they were the only ones that heard. His lips lifted in a smirk.

"Very impressive."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Isa asked what she was to do now, what did you say to her? Bring everyone down here, first we kick Aiden's butt or take a minute to yourself? Let me know in the reviews!


	39. Release, Part Three

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Thirty-Nine: Release, Part Three**

* * *

Even though there was comfort in the confirmation that Jesse, Lukas nor Isa were going to be dying anytime soon, there was still a tension in the air. It was less noticeable, less thick, and didn't leave the entire audience's skins crawling as though a million tiny fire ants were running up and down their bodies.

But it was still there.

Aiden hadn't spoken a word for a very long time. Jesse couldn't remember the last time he'd talked during the episodes. Episode four? Three, even? He didn't know. Frankly, at this point, he didn't care all that much either.

Except... they'd survived. They were okay. All three of them. And Aiden hadn't said anything to him. Hadn't fought back when he'd attacked him, hadn't screamed that he was a maniac, although he hadn't exactly been all that aware of what was happening.

When was the last time Aiden had sent them a glare? Or a sneer? When was the last time he'd mocked them or snorted or laughed or even rolled his eyes? When was the last time _anyone_ had done something like that to them?

With a start, Jesse realised he couldn't remember. Now that he thought about it, the earliest he could remember Aiden being at all nasty to them was when he'd been doing farmwork with himself, Maya and Lukas. Jesse was almost certain he'd done something mean afterwards, but... that had been a while ago.

He shook his head, glancing about for the boy. It took him a moment, but he eventually spotted Aiden standing near the back of the room, arms crossed, staring at his shoes. The bruise Jesse had left on his jaw stuck out like a sore thumb, bright purple and turning yellow around the sides. He didn't look angry. He didn't look annoyed.

He looked sad.

Jesse tore his eyes away from him, pushing those thoughts out of his head with an almost unnecessary ferocity. He was too tired, too stressed, to be thinking of things like that. He knew that, at some point, he was going to have to talk with Aiden. Even though he wasn't sure what he was going to say. What _either_ of them were going to say.

But, for now, he didn't want to think about it.

"Alright," said Otto, raising his voice like a professor making sure he'll be heard all the way from the back of the lecture hall. The chattering that had started up after the episode had been paused subsided, every head turning to look at the robed referee. "Are we all agreed to play the next round of Release?"

At the various nods, Otto continued, "This round, the teams will be switching places: Team A, you will be the Hiders. Team B, you're the Seekers."

"This is going to be _easy_ ," muttered Magnus, leaning back in his seat and grinning. Ellegaard sent him a glare, but it didn't contain as much heat as it could have. It was more competitive than annoyed.

"As done before," said Otto, "The Hiders will be given a five minute head start. Seekers, you have those exact five minutes to figure out where to place your Belgium."

"That's not fair!" Maya protested, "Team A had half an hour!"

"Yes, well, that half hour proved to be unnecessary," Otto gave a small smile, "Besides, the winners always get difficulties, don't they?"

There were a few grumbles from Team B, but no one protested further. Otto nodded at this. "Split into your teams."

They did as he said, Team A sitting on the right side of the room, closest to the door, and Team B sitting on the left side of the room. Otto pulled a golden clock from his pocket, setting a timer, and held up a finger.

"One," his middle finger popped up, "Two," he held up another, "Three!"

Immediately, Team A scrambled to their feet, some tripping over each other, and dashed out of the watching room. As soon as they were gone, Jesse turned to his team.

"Okay, where are we putting the Belgium?"

"The kitchen?" Axel suggested, trying- and failing- to suppress a grin, "I can be the guard."

"How about the Guest House?" said Lizzie, 'Guest House' being the unofficial name of the left wing, which housed mainly bedrooms, "That place can just be downright _confusing_ at the best of times."

"Or the basement, perhaps?" suggested Soren. A shiver wracked Lukas's spine.

"I'd rather avoid going down there for the time being."

"Three minutes," called Otto. Jesse's heart gave a small leap. He _hated_ being timed.

"Okay, okay," he said, hastily, "Er... the back of the house?"

"But that's where they kept _their_ Belgium," Ellegaard pointed out, "We can't both have the same Belgium."

"I suggest the library," said Isa, "There's only one way in and out of that place."

"Except it's full of portraits," Harper pointed out, "Who knows how many of them can be secret passageways?"

"Look, we've only got a couple of minutes, could we _please_ hurry this along?" asked Lukas.

"How about the attic?"

Blinking, they turned to look at Gill, who's cheeks reddened at the sudden attention. Awkwardly, he cleared his throat, "It's, uh... confusing. Filled with bookshelves. And the only proper way up it is the ladder."

"Okay," said Jesse, nodding slowly, "Let's just go with that."

"But who's being the guard?" asked Em, her face set in all seriousness, "Facemeat?"

They looked at Facemeat. He wasn't paying attention, too busy chewing on his dirty finger nails. Sensing their eyes, he blinked at them, thumbnail still between his teeth. "What?"

"I... don't think that's a wise choice," said Soren.

"Well, what about Reginald?" suggested Stampy, "He's all guard-y like."

Reginald's lips twitched at that, "I thank you, but I'm afraid I must decline. I am needed to protect m'lady." This was an odd thing to say, especially after just watching said "m'lady" kick all their butts to hell and back. Isa rolled her eyes at the Head of Guard, but was smiling.

"One minute, Team B!" said Otto, "Just choose anyone!"

"Okay, okay," Axel said, jabbing a thumb at himself, " _I'll_ be the Guard, you guys just go and find those A-ers!"

Lukas raised an eyebrow at him, "Uh... 'a-ers'?"

Axel's cheeks tinted pink, "I'm not very good with names."

"He shouldn't be the guard!" protested Hadrian, turning to Jesse, "We, uh, need him in the field. I can be guard."

"Time's up!" exclaimed Otto, "Go, go, go!"

"Okay, Belgium's in the attic. Axel, you're the Guard," said Jesse, launching to his feet with surprising speed, "Go!"

With that, they all sprinted out of the watching room and into the hall. Hadrian scowled, but did so as well. Feet pounded against wooden floors, a small thrill shooting up Jesse's chest. He was excited, despite himself, and couldn't find much reason why he shouldn't be.

Eventually, the sound of the others quietened, and then vanished entirely. Jesse, with a stitch creeping up his side, came to a stop. The excitement dwindled, then went out completely, like blowing out a candle. From the back of his mind surfaced an image of cold, black hands, wrapping around him, strangling him, stealing away his breath.

He should have told someone. Anyone.

Why hadn't he?

 _Because it hadn't happened,_ said the walls, _oh, you silly little boy, the stress is getting to you._

He rubbed at his forehead. Of course it hadn't happened. Since when did black hands come from the walls?

Then again, since when do the days never end? Since when do you get videos that show you the future? Since when is he seen as a leader? Since when do you just get randomly plopped into a creepy as hell mansion with secret passageways and potential death traps for a movie night?

 _Silly little boy,_ the walls purred, _It didn't happen._

Didn't it?

He shook his head. Clenched his eyes shut. It happened. It _had_ happened. Right?

_Wrong._

He took a deep, shaky breath. Something nudged his leg and he jumped, nearly out of his skin, head snapping down and coming face to face with a concerned looking Reuben. His little pig oinked, snorting, little noise twitching cutely. Jesse took a few more steadying breaths, and abruptly realised he was trembling.

He fell to his knees, pulling Reuben tight against him in a hug. The pig whined, confused and concerned, but Jesse offered no explanation.

"It happened," he muttered, earning a confused snort from Reuben, "It _happened_. Right?"

_Wrong._

He opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) and glared at the walls. They remained still and silent.

"It happened, it happened," he whispered, holding Reuben tighter. He looked down at the floor, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "It- It happened..."

The walls seemed to shift. Was that a black finger, poking out of the wood? Was that an arm, appearing and then vanishing like a black fish leaping out of water? He clenched his eyes shut. He didn't want to look at the walls.

"It-" his voice caught in his throat, as though someone had punched him in the neck. He swallowed thickly. In his arms, Reuben gave a squeal, louder this time, concerned and confused and on the edge of terrified.

"It didn't happen," said Jesse. He held Reuben closer.

"It didn't happen."

* * *

Soren poked his head around the corner. Seeing no one, he continued down the hall, trying to keep his footsteps light encase a Hider was nearby. He raised a hand, absentmindedly, and trailed his fingers along the wall.

The mansion was extraordinary, even to him. It's architecture was plain and simple, made solely out of wooden blocks (a burning hazard, he noted), but it wasn't this that he found extraordinary. It was how it seemed so much bigger once you're inside it, how the corridors twisted and turned and left you bewildered and realising you were back where you started. It wasn't as massive as one might think, for once you knew where everything was, it almost homely.

But what impressed Soren the most wasn't the decoration, or the main build of the mansion. Rather, it was the passageways, hidden in plain sight, connecting and interlocking and, from what happened to both Jesse and Lukas, annoying. But, so far at least, not deadly.

After all, that potion could have easily been poison. And that fall could have easily been to stone rather than water.

"After all these years, you still have that ridiculous beard."

He jumped, spinning around. A smile graced his lips as the words registered. Harper slid her hands into the pockets of her coats, stopping just in front of him, regarding him with soft eyes.

"Harper," he said, surprised by how quickly he was slipping back into her company, "My beard, as it has always been, is _magnificent_."

She laughed, stepping forwards and hugging him. He immediately hugged back.

"Oh, it's so good to see you," she said, "I wasn't sure if you were PAMA or not," she gave a small sigh, "Still not, if I'm being honest."

"PAMA?" repeated Soren, as they separated, "Who's PAMA?"

Harper shook her head, still smiling, "It's not important. Who are... your new friends?"

Soren blinked, cracking another smile as he rubbed at the back of his neck, "Oh, uh, them? They're the rest of the Order of the Stone," he faltered, "Well, the _old_ one, anyway," he shook his head, smile returning, "The one in the blue armour is Gabriel, and the two dorks in the red and green are Magnus and Ellegaard."

"Ah," Harper's smile widened slightly, "They like each other?"

Soren laughed, "You have no idea."

"What about the, ah..." she wracked her brain for a way to describe him, "The beardy guy?"

"That's Ivor," said Soren, "He's, uh, kind of the reason all this happened, actually."

Harper's eyebrows rose to her hairline, "Really?"

Soren nodded, "Yeah. The five of us have been a little distant for the past few years, but, well..." he shrugged, smile suddenly turning bitter, "I suppose watching one of us die and the other getting amnesia brought us all back together."

Harper's eyes widened. She opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't get the chance, because at that very moment the door directly across from them opened and Milo froze in its frame.

For a moment, they stared at each other. Then the innkeeper dashed down the hall as fast as he could, skidding around the corner, Harper and Soren watching after him.

Harper blinked, slowly, "Is he on our team?"

"I don't think so," said Soren, "He did run."

They looked at each other. Then, with a competitive gleam in their eyes, they took off after the unfortunate innkeeper.

* * *

Maya pressed her back against the wall, heart thumping in her throat. She tightened her grip on the wooden pickax she'd been able to craft with some spare wood from chopping trees to pass the time during a break. When had that been? Certainly not anytime soon.

How long had they been here?

The floorboards creaked, and she took in a sharp hiss of breath, pressing herself further against the wall as though trying to vanish into it's surface. She clenched her eyes shut, holding the pickax to her chest. She decided, right then and there, that she preferred being a Seeker.

She heard the person- a large one, by the sound of it, but she could be wrong- on the other side of the pillar, closer to the stairs. To Maya's left was the door leading into the second living room, but she'd have to come into sight to get to it. If that happened, all they would have to do was follow her and she would be dragged off to the Belgium.

The person came to a stop. She held her breath, afraid that she'd made a noise. But then the footsteps continued, quietening and then vanishing entirely. Maya stayed where she was, then slowly released her breath, shoulders slumping in relief. She began to inch towards the door leading to the second living; maybe there was a chest or a closet she could hide in, although she couldn't remember seeing one in there. It wouldn't hurt to check, though.

However, she didn't get very far before a beefy hand curled around her arm.

Maya screamed, spinning around and stabbing them in the arm with her pickax. They flashed red with a yelp, automatically releasing her, and Maya ran as fast as she could around the thick pillar, feet pounding as she dashed up the stairs. Behind her, the person cursed loudly.

For a moment, she thought she'd got away- but then she ran smack dame into someone. They tumbled to the ground in a painful heap of limbs, Maya cracking her head against the floor. Groaning simultaneously, they looked at each other, struggling to register the other.

There was the pounding of footsteps up the stairs, soon followed by a pounding of two footsteps from the hall. Soren and Harper appeared around the corner, while Em emerged from the staircase, all three Seekers coming dead on either side of them.

"Ah," said Milo, resting his head back and grimacing at the ceiling, "Ow."

* * *

"Okay, okay, okay!" Olivia winced, pain flaring up her arm from it's twisted position it was being forced into, "Let me go, I'll go to the Belgium!"

Grinning, Facemeat let her up, and she quickly retracted her arm, rubbing her now sore shoulder. The scarred Gladiator pointed down the hall, "It's in the attic."

"Right," Olivia muttered, skirting around him and hastily making her way towards the direction of the ladder. Facemeat watched her go, as though to make sure she was actually going to the attic, until she was halfway up the ladder. Satisfied, he went off in search of anymore potential victim.

Sighing at being caught so early (and at how bad her shoulder was hurting), Olivia pushed open the trapdoor and clambered through. She wasn't the first time she'd been in the attic, since she'd been one of the first ones to come up here, but that didn't mean she was a big fan of it.

The attic was a place of bookshelves, cobwebs, randomly placed chests with just as random stuff in them, other seemingly random things like pumpkins and armour stands, and more cobwebs. It wasn't that bad when she had something with her, but now that she was alone, she felt as though she were being watched.

"Er, hello?" she called, tentatively taking steps deeper into the maze of bookshelves, "Guard guy? Gal? Guard gal?"

"Who are you calling a gal?"

Relief washed over her like a wave, and she let out a breath she hadn't been aware of holding, "Hey, Axel."

Her large best friend smiled, gesturing her into the little 'clearing' that he'd claimed as the official Belgium. He'd must have been busying himself by clearing cobwebs, for long trails dangled from his fingers, unnoticed, and torn webs swayed gently from where they were attached to shelves and ceilings in a nonexistent breeze.

"Hey, 'Livia," grinning, Axel gestured to the empty Belgium, "Looks like you're our first prisoner."

Olivia laughed. It was only a game, after all. Her smile faltered slightly when she realised that was what she would tell herself back when they first started entering the Endercon Building Competition. She quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Yeah," she said, "That Gladiator guy jumped on top of me."

Axel winced sympathetically, "Facemeat? The one with the blind eye?"

Olivia nodded, absentmindedly rubbing her shoulder. The pain was starting to fade now, thankfully.

"Yeah, I'm real glad I didn't run into any of them when I was a Hider," said Axel, "Although Jesse had a bit of trouble with the horned dude, didn't he?"

Olivia cracked a smile, "If anything, I would be more worried about running into Jesse."

At that, Axel gave a hearty laugh, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, "Yeah. Horn dude's learnt his lesson."

"Who is this 'Horn Dude'?"

They turned, just as Milo and Maya entered the Belgium, having caught the last part of their conversation. Olivia waved the question off.

"We're talking about the Gladiators."

"Oh, those guys?" said Maya, "I just got taken down by the one in green."

"She is not a Gladiator," Milo said, "I believe I have heard the purple suited man refer to her as a former one, though."

"Em doesn't sit with the Gladiators," Axel pointed out, "She sits with Nell, her teammate. Besides, she would be wearing something like them if she were a Gladiator, wouldn't she?"

Olivia nodded, "Yeah, she's in a team suit."

"How did you get captured, Milo?" asked Axel. Milo's mouth twisted in distaste.

"I was doing just fine," he announced, crossing his arms and sending Maya a scowl, "Until she ran into me."

"On accident!" said Maya, affronted.

Milo rolled his eyes, "Of course it was."

"What happened?" asked Olivia. Maya sighed.

"I was running from the girl- Em, did you call her?- and I ran right into Milo, who was running from Soren and the white-haired woman."

Axel winced, "Sounds painful."

"It was," said Milo, rubbing a new bruise on his elbow. Maya winced, brushing a finger at the lump forming beneath her hair.

The trapdoor creaked as it was opened once more. The four occupants of the Belgium turned, just in time to see Reginald leading a half-blind Slab towards them.

"That's not very fair," said Maya, frowning, "He can't see."

"It's alright, little miss," Slab assured, "I had insisted."

Reginald helped the Gladiator sit down against a shelf, then gave a nod in Axel's direction, before making his way back towards the ladder. Axel and Olivia looked at Slab for a moment, then at each other. Axel shrugged.

"How are your eyes?" asked Maya. Slab lifted his massive shoulders in a shrug.

"They're healing. The potion master said he'll be able to quicken it's process soon."

"Wow," said Axel, planting his hands on his hips and surveying the Belgium with a grin, "We're doing pretty good so far."

Milo hummed, "I suppose. You _do_ already have four of us."

"Yeah," said Olivia, "We'd only captured Ellegaard after almost twenty minutes. It's only been ten."

"But we could be freed," Slab pointed out.

"Yes," said Maya, "There is that."

Once more, there was the creak of the trapdoor, soon followed by footsteps. They turned expectantly to the path leading to the trapdoor, Axel bracing himself just encase it was someone trying to free the others.

Mevia emerged, muttering angrily to herself. Silently, she plopped herself down a little ways away, nodding in Axel's direction. He relaxed, and sent Olivia a grin. She simply rolled her eyes.

"Who is it?" asked Slab, squinting in Mevia's direction, "They look blue."

"It's Mevia," said Maya. Slab nodded, smiling in thanks, although it was in the direction of a shelf rather than Maya.

"How were you caught?" asked Milo.

"Hadrian," said Mevia, anger beginning to subside, "Caught me off guard."

Olivia nodded, stopping when she spotted a flash of yellow out of the corner of her eye. She looked in it's direction, frowning.

Then Nell's blond head appeared above a bookshelf, sending her a wide grin and two thumbs up. Olivia blinked at her dumbly; looked at Axel, who hadn't noticed; then blinked at Nell again.

With a heavy sigh, she put her head in her hands.

This wasn't going to end well.

* * *

Gabriel shifted, his bottom starting to go numb. The newly crafted wooden sword in his hand poked painfully at his side, and he was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic. He should have realised, he supposed, that Lukas was quite a bit smaller than him, and that just because the blond could fit in a double chest, that didn't mean Gabriel wouldn't find the encounter to be uncomfortable.

And that is exactly how he found it.

Uncomfortable.

Grumbling under his breath, he shifted again, trying to get into a better position. Perhaps he could get out and find a better hiding spot, a closet or something. It had been a while since he'd heard anyone.

Making up his mind, as well as deciding that getting caught would be a lot better than sitting in his current cramped position for an hour, Gabriel creaked open the led of the double chest, peeking out just encase his ears were deceiving him and there was someone out there.

Thankfully, the bedroom- he wasn't sure whose; a rose sat in a flower pot next to the bed- remained empty. He crawled out of the chest, a relieved sigh escaping his lips as he stretched out his aching muscles. He must be getting old.

There was no closet or any other form of hiding place in the bedroom, although he knew this already. He strode across the room, sheathing the wooden sword for later use, and poked his head out the door and into the hallways.

The closet that Ellegaard had told them was another trap (the same one that had led to her being thrown into the Belgium) was directly next to him, but, with recent events, he had decided to avoid it. The rest of the hall was empty, although with it's many twists, turns and unpredictable corridors that seemed to pop out of nowhere, it was hard to truly say. He _hoped_ it was empty would be better wording.

Gabriel inched into the hall, closing the door behind him. Listening carefully and watching where he put his feet less he walk right into a trap, he made his way down the hall. The portraits, big and small and everywhere, almost seemed to watch him, although he supposed this was his own paranoia. He rolled his eyes at himself. Leave it to him to become paranoid at a mere game.

Then again, they'd always been cowards, hadn't they? Nothing without their damned Command Block.

So where did that leave them, after the destruction of the Witherstorm? Ivor, as it was shown at the beginning of episode five, remains close to the New Order, giving them tips to where they could find treasure. But where did that leave Soren, Magnus, Ellegaard and himself?

No. Ellegaard had died.

Were they grieving for her? He probably was. Perhaps they had built a memorial. Or at least a grave. Magnus would probably have buried himself in rebuilding Boom Town, only to destroy it again. Or perhaps the death of Ellegaard would leave him a shell, and he'd no longer have the urge to blow things up. Magnus had always been an emotional one, although he hid it well. Only twice had Gabriel seen him cry, both times when he thought he wasn't being watched.

And Soren. He'd run off as soon as things started to go bad. Did he return to the End? Their old, demolished temple that the New Order had only partly rebuilt for shelter? Did he gather the things Ellegaard had dropped after she poofed, and bury them in a chest beneath a tree? Or did he simply stand, surveying the destruction, and wish for death?

Gabriel shook his head. No. _No_. He would not allow his thoughts to wander down such dark paths. He vowed, much like he was sure Magnus himself had, to not allow Ellegaard's life to end like it had on the screen. Nor would he allow Magnus to take her place, or Soren to run when faced with danger.

He didn't care if he still got amnesia. He didn't care if he wouldn't even remember taking this vow.

He would _not_ allow it to happen.

His thoughts were interrupted by the creaking of floorboards. Gabriel came to a stop, hand immediately finding the handle of his wooden blade. He listened, head cocked, limbs frozen and muscles tense in preparation for a fight or a flight.

Then, again, the creaking of floorboards, followed in near immediate succession by the snorting of a pig. Gabriel's grip on the sword's handle tightened. He slipped around the corner, to a dead end, pressing his back against the wood.

Footsteps met his ears next, the click of shoes on wood, the trotting of hooves. Reuben the pig passed the intersection that served as Gabriel's hiding spot, stopping to sniff at a patch of floor, but continuing upon finding nothing of interest to a pig.

Jesse followed him, muttering something to himself that the warrior didn't catch. He was still in those dungarees- not that they didn't suit him- but it left Gabriel wondering if everyone had simply forgotten about the clothes that they had hung out a little while ago. Surely they were dry by now.

Jesse came to a stop, and Gabriel stiffened. The boy seemed to pause for a moment. He tightened his grip on the sword. If he was spotted, he would aim for the knees, try and knock him over, then make a run for it. If his memory was correct, the second kitchen wasn't all that far from here, and there was a door leading into the Guest Wing from there. He hadn't already lost him by that time, he could lose him in the mess of bedrooms.

Then, arm automatically coming up to cover his mouth, Jesse sneezed.

"Bless you."

Nearly leaping out of his skin in shock, Jesse spun around, and Gabriel realised his mistake not a moment later. Cursing his own politeness and praying the rest of the Order never found out about what he'd just done, he pulled his wooden sword from his scabbard and lunged.

Jesse stumbled back, and the tip of the sword grazed his knees. But, being wood, it didn't even tear the clothing covering them. Within moments, Jesse had drawn his own wooden sword (the same one, Gabriel thought at the back of his mind, that must have broken in the woods, all those episodes ago), holding it in front of him defensively. Reuben, who had almost reached the end of the hall now, spun around with a startled squeal.

Gabriel parried, wooden sword smacking against wooden sword, and spun, sticking out his leg to trip the boy up. However, Jesse jumped, stumbled, and regained his balance, then moved to hit Gabriel over the head.

He ducked, watching Jesse's feet, and felt a smirk curl his lips. The boy may be impressive on screen, but none of it had played out yet; the only practice he'd had so far was on an armour stand with an angry- but defenceless- pumpkin on it.

Gabriel swung his sword at Jesse's head, making sure his movement was fast but not too fast, and Jesse ducked almost immediately. At the same time, Gabriel changed his attack, and kicked the boy in the chest.

Jesse grunted, landing on his back painfully, a hand coming up to clutch at his most probably aching chest. Gabriel made to run in the direction of the second kitchen, but he didn't expect a pink blob to start running circles around his feet.

With a gasp, he tripped, falling to the floor and biting his tongue. Grimacing, he pulled himself to his feet, leaning away when Reuben once more darted passed him in a final lap, before leaping onto Jesse's chest just as he was getting up.

The poor boy yelped, once more slamming into the floor. He groaned, Reuben licking at his face, unawares that he had just made him feel a hundred times worse.

Wincing sympathetically, although he no doubts that, had Reuben seen him as a threat, it was _Gabriel_ who would be groaning on the floor, the warrior took off running.

Behind him, he heard Jesse say "Love ya too, buddy" in a terribly pained voice, and laughed despite himself.

He was more than content to allow the boy to lead the New Order.


	40. Release, Part Four

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Forty: Release, Part Four**

* * *

"So, uh," said Olivia, turning Axel's attention towards her. Nell's head vanished behind a bookshelf. "What do you think's gonna happen to Jesse and Isa?"

"In the episode? I think they're gonna kick Aiden's butt," Axel grinned, "Then they'll bring everyone down to the ground and take the portal back home, where they will immediately find us and tell us all about their little adventure."

"But there's three more episodes," Maya pointed out, seating herself on the floor and crossing her legs, "If that happens, do you think those ones will be about learning more about the portal or something?"

Axel shrugged, "Probably. As long as me and Olivia get to join in, I'm happy."

"Yes, well," Slab pushed himself to his feet, facing the direction of Axel's voice, "Let us hope that nothing disastrous happens."

"Disastrous?" repeated Milo, "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"Death," answered Slab, "Or worse."

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him, "Worse? What could be worse than death?"

Slab smiled bitterly, "Being the only one left alive."

With an abrupt cry, Nell ran into the Belgium, smacking the top of her head on a low hanging bookshelf in the process with a _thud_. She cursed- well, her version of a curse, anyway- and rubbed her newly throbbing head with both hands.

They stared at her, gaping. Then, throwing a fist in the air, her other hand still atop her head, Nell sent Axel an evil grin, who realised what was happening a second too late. He made to run at her, to capture her before she could set the others free, but Slab gave a tremendous roar and _charged._

Startled, Axel skidded to a stop. However, he didn't have much time to do anything else other than scream before the half-blind Gladiator ran right into him, knocking them both to the ground.

Nell took a deep breath, before screaming, at the top of her lungs, "RELEASE!"

Immediately, they scattered, darting between the bookshelves. Mevia yelled, having ran right into a cobweb, then vanished around the corner. Slab scrambled off of Axel, accidentally standing on his stomach and forcing the wind out of him, before running in a random direction and slamming right into a bookshelf, causing a pumpkin that had been sitting on top of it to fall down and land on his head.

As Slab struggled to pull the pumpkin off his head and Axel lay curled on the ground, clutching his stomach, Nell, with an over-dramatic villainous cackle, began to run towards the trapdoor, passing a bewildered Gill and Dan on the way out.

Olivia, Maya, Milo and a scowling, cobweb-covered Mevia appeared from various bookshelf cluttered hallways, hastily making their way after Nell. Eyes widening as he realised what was happening, Gill lunged at Maya, but she ducked just in time and practically fell down the ladder.

There was a groan behind them, and they turned to find Axel in the archway of two shelves, a grimace of his face and shoulders hunched, a hand to his stomach. Spotting the open trapdoor, Axel winced.

"Aw, man," he said, "That didn't go down too well."

"How did she find the Belgium so quick?" asked Dan, grinning, "Looks like you guys have to start over."

"Nell, while of an, ah... _unique_ nature," said Slab, moving to stand behind Axel, who inched away from him. He was holding two halves of a split pumpkin. "Has proven herself in the Games."

"These games," Dan said, "You've mentioned them before. What are they?"

Slab shrugged, "It is a competition between teams, created by the Old Builders. It has been going on for many years now."

"A competition?" echoed Gill, "Those Old Builder guys? Does that mean Jesse's going to meet them?"

Something odd flashed across Slab's face, but it was gone so fast they questioned whether or not it had been there at all. Once more, he shrugged, but there was a stiffness that hadn't been there before. "I suppose."

Axel shook his head, "Well, best get back to it. Think you can catch them before they get too far?"

Gill looked down at the open trapdoor, mouth twisting, "I can try."

Dan gave a small huff of a laugh, "Good luck with that."

* * *

Ellegaard watched him with narrowed eyes. The wooden sword was lighter than she was used to, but that didn't mean she couldn't adjust. It wasn't the first time, of course, that she'd used one, but it had been a while since she had to. There was always plenty of stone to go around, after all.

Magnus came to a stop at the end of the hall to poke his head around the corner, looking left and right as though he were about to cross the street. Then, seeing no one, he continued on, in the direction of the watching room.

Ellegaard adjusted her grip on her sword, silking after him like a shadow on the wall. He turned another corner, leaving her sight. She turned it as well- only to come to an abrupt halt as the tip of a wooden blade nearly took out her eye.

"Hey-a, Ellie," Magnus grinned.

Spinning her sword in her hand, Ellegaard swiftly batted away Magnus' sword, nearly but not quite knocking it out of his hand. He held on to it, but she didn't give him time to raise it again, for she raised her leg and planted a solid kick to his gut.

Magnus stumbled, wheezing. Despite this, he retaliated quickly, swinging his sword in a wide arc. Ellegaard raised her own, and the wooden blades locked together with a _thunk_. They struggled for a moment, a battle of strength, and then Ellegaard twisted her blade downwards and up, throwing Magnus' sword into the air.

It spun, flying backwards. Magnus leapt after it, spinning, and caught it, stopping his spin and facing Ellegaard in a battle stance, lips twitching in a smirk.

He lunged at her, and Ellegaard automatically raised her sword to shield herself. But then a block in the floor shot out of the ground, causing Magnus to trip over it and go flying right into Ellegaard with a startled yell.

They collided, falling. Ellegaard brassed herself for the smack against the wall that had been directly behind her, but was startled to find herself slamming to the floor instead. The sun beamed down at them, and she squinted in its sudden light, bruises undoubtedly already forming on her body.

She gave a pained groan, raising her head- and coming nose to nose with Magnus, who lay right on top of her.

They stared at each other for a long moment, more startled than anything else. Then, somewhere near the fountain that was located just down the path from the Mansion's front staircase, Ivor called over to them.

"Get a room!"

They turned to look at him, just in time to see a certain black haired, golden-robed Founder with a chicken merrily following her tackle the potions master to the floor with a battle cry, Ivor giving a startled yelp at her sudden appearance, as well as his sudden meeting with the floor.

Ellegaard, deciding to take advantage of Magnus' startled state, pushed herself off the floor and flipped them over. Magnus landed on his back with a gasp, Ellegaard's hands on either side of his head. Their legs had, at some point, been hopelessly tangled.

Neither of them moved to get up. They were both panting from the exertion of the fight, wooden swords abandoned somewhere out of sight. They just stared at each other.

Then, as though finally realising their current position, Magnus' cheeks began to redden. Ellegaard's victorious grin fell as she, too, realised what he had. Her own face went red.

Isa, half-dragging Ivor with her, Benedict trailing behind them with a daisy clamped in her beak, passed them on her way into the Mansion and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, get a room."

* * *

Jesse poked his head through the door, before slipping inside. He was in the second kitchen without a doubt, from the furnace and crafting tables and chests labelled 'Food.' Like in the downstairs kitchen, this one had a long dining room table. What made this particular kitchen so unique, however, was the dragon head mounted on a wall.

"Hm," observed Jesse, placing a hand on his hip, "Wonder if I'll be able to sneak that back to our world."

Behind him, Reuben gave a snort. Jesse turned to face him, blinking upon finding his pig sniffing about an open chest. Curious, he walked over to it, startled to find nothing but crumbs at the bottom.

"That's... weird," he muttered. He cocked his head to the side, listening and- sure enough- there was the sound of munching.

Sharing a raised-eyebrowed look with Reuben, Jesse followed the munching noise, coming to a closet to the right side of one of the two kitchen doors. He put his hand on the handle, turned it and threw it open in quick succession.

Nell froze, face covered in crumbs, a half-eaten cookie partway to her mouth. She and Jesse stared at each other for a long moment.

Then an apple was in Nell's hand, and she lobbed it at his head. It hit him squarely on the forehead.

"Ow!" Jesse yelled, more out of surprise rather than pain. More food appeared in Nell's hands- another apple, a carrot, some raw fish, a slice of cake, a full chicken- all of which hit Jesse on various parts of his body.

He stumbled backwards, Reuben joyfully throwing himself at the carrots falling to the floor, and slammed the door shut, just in time for a melon to smack into it. The throwing ceased, and Jesse stood, hand still on the doorknob, covered head to toe in food, his pig trying to jump up and snatch a carrot that had been caught in his dungaree's chest pocket.

Almost absentmindedly, Jesse plucked the carrot from his pocket- which had multiple bite marks all over it- and handed it to Reuben, who gave a cheerful squeal. Then, after glancing about the kitchen as though were perplexed, Jesse once more opened the cupboard door.

Immediately, a slice of beef slapped him in the face and didn't fall off. He closed the cupboard door again, hand falling to his side as, slowly, the beef slid off his face and smacked onto the floor.

He looked around the room again, before striding over to a chest. It had some uncooked food in it and a stack of coal. Pushing the uncooked food aside, Jesse picked up the coal and made his way back to the cupboard.

He placed his hand on the doorknob, but didn't open it immediately. He waited for a moment, a lump of coal in his other hand, and then threw the door open.

As soon as he did that, he received a bowl of hot stew to the chest. However, this didn't stop him from throwing the coal, which hit Nell squarely on her shoulder. She gave a pained hiss, dropping a cookie she'd been about to launch at him to clutch at her new bruise.

Seizing the opportunity, Jesse lunged, tackling her to the ground. They struggled for a moment, constantly banging themselves and each other against the closets' close together walls, covered in all different types of food.

Jesse wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly to his chest, despite her kicking and thrashing, "C-Capture!" he gasped, "You've been captured!"

Nell slumped in his hold with a defeated groan. He let her go, and she stood, whipping a chunk of cake off her clothes and only succeeding in smearing it into the fabric. She flicked her hand to try and get it off, but it was of little use.

"I know where the Belgium is," she declared, before Jesse could ask. She sent him a grin. "Nice moves, brah."

She plucked a cookie off his leg, cheerfully munching on it as she skipped out of the closet in the direction of the attic. Shaking his head, Jesse rose to his feet, making a face at the food smeared all over his clothes.

He found Reuben licking at a big wad of cake on the floor, whipped cream all over his muzzle. Jesse looked from Reuben, to the food-covered closet, to his just as bed clothes and decided, right then and there, that Olivia was going to kill him.

* * *

Stacy fidgeted nervously with her shirt, wringing her hands in the striped fabric and most probably stretching it a little. Man, what she would do for some cookies right about now.

The bedroom was one of the larger ones, with a big blue, red, green and grey carpet in the middle. She licked her lips, feeling his eyes on her from where he was hidden in the closet. Sure, being a Hider was a _billion_ times worse, but she wasn't much enjoying being a Seeker either.

Mostly because the person in the closet was Gabriel the Warrior.

It wasn't like she actually _knew_ him or anything, but going against anyone with 'Warrior' as their title was enough to make anyone nervous. The question was, does she try to capture him or does she walk away?

She had no weapons- a book didn't really count in this situation- and no armour. _He_ , on the other hand, had a diamond sword and some _very_ fancy armour. Although, she supposed, he was probably using a wooden one.

That fact didn't make her feel any better, though.

Finally, she shook her head, beginning to make her way towards the door. She could feel his eyes watching her from the crack between the closet doors, and another spike of nerves shot up from her stomach. She licked her lips and clenched her eyes shut.

Then she dashed towards the closet and threw it open, causing Gabriel to jump, and grabbed him around the waist. He shoved her away, knocking her to the floor, and jumped over her as though she were an obstacle course.

She twisted, watching as he darted out of the door. Stacy slumped against the floor with a sigh, pressing her forehead to the cool surface.

Abruptly, Gabriel was back. Stacy shot upwards, eyes widening, and watched as he slammed the door shut and pressed his back against it, planting his feet on the floor. Someone tried to open it, realised they couldn't, and banged against it.

"Come on, Gabriel!" someone yelled- Soren, she realised, "There's no getting out of there!"

Grinning, Stacy jumped to her feet. Gabriel tried to draw his sword, but this was a difficult task to do while trying to keep a door from opening at the same time, and only ended getting it caught in his scabbard.

Stacy lunged at him, tackling him to the floor and out of the way of the door. It burst open, and Soren stumbled into the room, having no expected the sudden release. He fell to the floor, biting his tongue in the process, and winced.

"Captured!" Stacy gasped, "I've captured you!"

Gabriel and Soren stared at her, practically on top of the warrior. She flushed red at their stares and clambered to her feet, muttering a quick apology under her breath and hastily running out of the room. They blinked after her.

"That was quite cute," said Soren.

Gabriel nodded in agreement.

* * *

Isa shoved Ivor towards the ladder, who made a face at her before going up it. She tossed an egg- which she had picked up from the kitchen while searching it earlier- at him, hitting him square in the side. Cursing filled the hall, and he hastily scrambled the rest of the way up the ladder and out of sight.

Shaking her head, Isa gave Benedict a little pat on the back. She would be laying spawn-eggs soon, and she would have to find a place to keep them, out of reach of the others. Who knows what could happen if they got a hold of them. _Especially_ the Blaze Rods.

She shook her head, sighing. While she admitted that these games were enjoyable, she would much rather be watching the rest of the episode. From the monsters that had rained from the sky, it was safe to say that Sky City was by no means a peaceful place any longer.

If only that blasted innkeeper hadn't convinced Jesse she was evil. If only he'd come willingly with the bearded man she'd just captured- Ivor, his name was- and then maybe he would have been able to convince her that Aiden wasn't what he said he was, and none of it would have happened.

Benedict gave a little cluck. Isa looked down at her, before scooping her up in her arms, holding her close to her chest.

But, she supposed, it hasn't happened, has it? Not yet. And, hopefully, not ever.

Still. She looked forwards to the ending of the hour, whether her team won or lost.

She just wanted this blasted episode to be over with.

The sound of a door opening and then closing tore her from her thoughts. Eyes narrowing, Isa inched towards the end of the hall, gently setting Benedict down. She pressed her back to the wall, peeking around the corner.

Speak of the devil.

The innkeeper was making his way down the hall at a light jog, in the opposite direction she was in. Isa put a hand on the wooden axe that served as her current weapon, then, eyes narrowed with a deadly vengeance, she sprung.

Milo must have heard the light patter of her feet on the floor, for he turned around. His eyes widened, expression contorting into something that was near terror, and stumbled backwards as though he were telling his legs to run but they were having trouble processing the command.

She grabbed him by the one suspender he bothered to pull over his shoulder and, using all of her strength, she swung. Milo screamed, soaring through the air and landing painfully on the floor, skidding a few feet before coming to a stop next to the wall Isa had been hiding behind not moments before. Benedict gave a curious little cluck, hopping over and pecking at the innkeepers ear.

Wincing, Milo batted the chicken away, rubbing at his ear and sending Isa a glare. Smirking, she stalked over to him, placing a single hand to her hip.

"That," said Milo, a slight pant in his breath, "Was just _rude_."

"Hm," hummed Isa, uncaring. She gestured towards the ladder leading to the attic, "Belgium's over there. Although," her eyes narrowed, smirk widening, "I suppose you already know that."

Milo scowled at the jab, but rose to his feet without complaint. He glared at her over his shoulder as he made his way towards the ladder, almost tripping over Benedict in the process. The glare didn't leave his face until he vanished through the trapdoor.

Isa sighed. Her violence towards the innkeeper had- she would admit- lessened her frustration. But she knew, at the back of her mind, that he was right on a few things, although she would die before she admitted it.

Once the hour was up, she decided, she was going to the kitchen and making herself a cup of tea.

* * *

Small stones and discarded twigs snapped and crunched beneath Lukas' feet as he walked along the path leading to the farm. The sky was, as always, a cheerful baby blue, scarcely a cloud in sight. That, he had noticed, was about the only thing that changed in this places sky. Sometimes, there would be enough that the sun would be blocked for a few minutes, but othertimes, such as now, they would simply vanish.

It made him wonder. Where were they really? What was beyond the wall? Was it like Sky City, high up in the air? Could they be underground and the sky was just an illusion? Were they just in some sort of giant cage?

Lukas shook his head, sighing as he came to the farm. A cow mooed at him from its pen, the chickens clucking and flapping their feathers at each other. A sheep munched on some grass, the horses stretching their necks over the fence to bite at a ball of hay.

He wondered, not for the first time, who had brought them here. Why they had decided to give them a chance to change a disastrous future.

Well, now that he thought about it, it didn't seem all _that_ disastrous, did it? Sure, both Reuben and Ellegaard died, but the Witherstorm was defeated. They were avenged. Petra was cured, Gabriel got his memory back, the truth about the Order was out and they- no, just his friends, he hadn't joined- had become the new Order.

Lukas came to a stop, staring at the animals as though they could give him an answer to the questions rattling through his brain, bouncing off the inside of his skull and against each other like gas particles in a balloon. He wished they could talk. Then maybe they _could_ have answered his questions.

He spotted a flash of brown hair, hidden amongst the black, white and grey wool of the sheep. His eyes narrowed and, slowly, he began to inch towards the sheep pin. He'd hardly gotten halfway when Maya shot up with a cry of disgust, one of the sheep having decided she would just _love_ to have a slobbery lick to the face.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!" Maya chanted, dancing around the sheep and flapping her hands. She scrambled over the fence, falling over it and landing harshly in the grass. Lukas winced, but she was already on her feet and continuing her disgusted chant, dancing in a small circle, wanting to get the saliva off of her but not wanting to touch it at the same time.

Lukas ran towards her, using the hem of his t-shirt to wipe her face. Her revulsed expression didn't fade even as he finished, and she gagged, sending the sheep a look.

"Don't _do_ that!" she snapped, using her sleeve to wipe at her face, as though afraid there was still more on her. Lukas couldn't help but crack a smile.

Seeing this, Maya turned her glare to him, dropping her hand back to her side, " _What_?!"

His smile immediately fell, and he took a quick step back, "Uh... well..." he gave a sheepish (ha) shrug, "You're caught?"

Maya blinked, her anger fading for a moment. Then it returned with a vengeance and, with a cry of rage, she threw her hands in the air, spun on her heel and stomped back to the mansion.

Lukas called after her, "It's in the-"

"-Attic! I know!"

He winced, a small smile returning to his lips. In their pen, the sheep baaed. Lukas looked at them, and then to his sheep-saliva covered shirt, and grimaced.

"Ew."

* * *

Captain Sparklez, nursing a bruised forehead, climbed up into the attic, shutting the trapdoor behind him. He followed the sound of voices to a little alcove where the Guard- the big guy in the green shirt- and his other captured teammates were.

He spotted the warrior guy- Gabe or something- as well as the grumpy bald man in the eye-mask. There was also Ivor, who was trying to wipe something slimey-looking off his robes, Milo the Innkeeper (both of whose names he knew simply from the episode), one of those really big and scary guys, this one with bandages around his eyes, that excitable blond girl that he was starting to take a liking to- who, for some reason, appeared to be covered head to toe in food- and Dan the Diamond Minecart.

Sparklez was the type of guy that made an effort to remember names. But, with this many names to memorise, it was taking a bit longer than usual.

"Oh, hey, Sparklez," said Dan, sounding bored out of his mind, "You get captured too?"

"Yeah," Sparklez winced, adjusting his sunglasses as he entered the Belgium fully, "That Em girl got me good."

Spotting the bruise, Dan winced sympathetically, "That does _not_ look like fun."

"She's not used to having limits," said Slab, startling them. They hadn't realised he'd been listening. "None of us are."

"Uh... right, right," said Sparklez, "That makes... perfect sense?"

Dan raised an eyebrow, "Um... okay..." he shook his head, turning back to Sparklez, "The rest of the team better be careful," he said, "If they get two more of us and the hour finishes, they'll win."

Sparklez nodded, realising he was right. He didn't have a clock on him, so he didn't know what time it was (if clocks even _worked_ here, anyway), but the hour must be close to finishing by now. If no one else got captured, they should be fine, but it's a long shot. He saw Isa capture Milo from the bathroom door, and it was safe to say he did _not_ want to get on her bad side.

He seated himself next to Dan, blinking when dust shot up from the floor at the action, making them both cough.

"Oh, look," Sparklez croaked, eyes watering. He swished a hand about the air, causing the dust to swirl, "Dust."

He coughed again, shaking his head and rubbing at his eyes. His glasses fell back onto his nose, and his gaze shifted over to his captured teammates. A tad awkwardly, he cleared his throat.

"So," he said, turning everyone's attention to him, "How'd you get caught?"

The grumpy green man rolled his eyes, " _This_ again?" The guy with a sword nudged him.

"Be nice, Magnus," smiling, he turned to face Sparklez, "I was cornered by Soren and one of your friends- what was her name? The one in the striped shirt?"

"Stacy?" asked Sparklez. Gabe-Guy or whatever his name was nodded.

"Yes," he gestured to the grumpy green man, "Magnus lost a sword fight."

"I did not!" Magnus protested, "Something- I don't know what exactly- but something happened! The floor just- just _moved!_ "

Out of the corner of his eye, Sparklez saw Ivor stiffen. He sent the potions master a curious glance, but his attention was directed solely at Magnus. Gabe rolled his eyes.

"Of course it did, Magnus."

There was the creak of the trapdoor opening, and Sparklez stiffened. He shared a look with Dan, before they turned their attention to the archway closest to the trapdoor. There were footsteps, and then someone appeared- the brown haired girl with an ocelot on the back of her jacket.

She sent them a weary smile, scratching at her ear, "Uh... hey."

The Guard grinned, "Welcome back, Maya."

Maya rolled her eyes at him, shoving him, but the action hardly caused his balance to shift. She stalked over to a bookshelf and plopped herself down, crossing her arms and leaning against the shelf.

"Well, that's grand," Dan muttered. He glanced about the room. "Anyone know what time it is?"

They looked at each other. The excitable blond girl had, at some point, begun munching on a cookie.

"I found a clock in one of the chests earlier," said the guy with a sword, shifting so he could pull out the golden device. He blew some stray bits of dust off it, turned it the right way up and studied it for a moment.

"Ten minutes," he hummed, "Then the game will be finished."

"There's only nine of us," Milo pointed out, "If the rest can avoid getting caught for another ten minutes, then we win!"

"I, uh, wouldn't be so sure about that."

They turned in almost perfect unison, startled to find a person standing in the archway leading to the trapdoor. He had a beard and was wearing a leather jacket that matched Maya's perfectly. He gave them a small grin, stepping out of the way to let his captive enter.

Mevia, a seemingly permanent scowl in place, stomped over to the wall furthest from everyone else and leant against it, crossing her arms with a huff. The Guard and Ocelot grinned at each other.

"Nice job, Gill," said the Guard. Gill's grin widened at the praise.

Maya sighed, "Of course. So much for that."

Magnus growled, banging a fist against the bookshelf he was leaning against. The books rattled, some falling out and landing on the floor in a cloud of dust.

"I can't believe she's _winning_!" he snapped.

"Calm yourself, Magnus," said Gabe, "This is just a game."

Magnus growled again, grumbling to himself. Sparklez didn't hear what he'd said, but Gabe must have, for he sent him a sharp look.

"That was unnecessary," he said, "There are children present."

"Hey, who are you calling a-" the Guard never got to finish talking. There was a flash of red, and then he was on the floor, and Petra was holding her pickax in the air and yelling-

"RELEASE!"

"All right, man!" Nell whooped, shooting to her feet and darting at full speed towards the trapdoor. Gill who had not left yet, tried to stop her, but she fell to the floor and rolled between his legs.

Sparklez and Dan climbed to their own feet, and dashed down a random 'corridor,' you could say. Behind them, he heard Slab give a heart laugh.

"Oh, how I wish I could have seen that!"

* * *

Gill ran after them, skidding around the corner of a bookshelf. His head snapped left and right. He heard the pounding of feet up ahead and dashed after them, arms pumping at his sides.

He came to another stop, a stitch starting to creep up his side. He couldn't see anyone, and it was likely the person he'd heard had gone a different way and he'd missed them. Gill huffed, stomping his foot in frustration and sending up a dust cloud.

His eyes landed on a trapdoor, just a bit further ahead. Curious, wondering if he'd somehow gone in a full circle and was back at the Belgium, he walked over to it, peering through the holes.

It was dark, but not enough that he couldn't see. Squinting, Gill knelt and pulled the trapdoor open, startled to find that there was no ladder.

Glancing over his shoulder and finding no one, Gill looked back down at the hole. He couldn't make out anything down there, but it wasn't far away. It looked like an empty spare room, if nothing else.

Seeing as how he had a few spare cobblestone blocks on him, so he could just stack his way back up here if he needed to, Gill decided to heck with it and jumped down. The fall wasn't long, only four blocks, and he landed on his feet.

The room was smaller than he'd expected. He was hoisted up on a short wall, which lowered down to the actual room like badly made stairs. A single, oddly placed window was off to the side, looking out to the front of the mansion. It was the only light source, as there were no torches, lamps or even lit redstone.

Hesitantly, Gill made his way further into the small room. He couldn't see any pressure plates, tripwires or dispensers. In fact, he couldn't see anything in general. Just an empty, abandoned room.

Then, he realised something odd. Something that made him stop in his tracks.

There was no dust.

Now, Gill was not the smartest person ever. He must be the dumbest member of the Ocelots- even he could see that. But he wasn't a moron. He'd survived his first night, after all.

He took another, more careful glance about the room. His eyes landed on something on the wall, something that seemed to jut out of the wood but was the same colour, and realised that it was a sign.

Gill's breath hitched. He stumbled backwards, the heel of his foot coming in contact with another trapdoor. He tripped over it, falling on top of it, but hardly registered this. His heart was pounding in his throat.

The writing was jagged and messy, as though done by a child. But that only caused shivers to shoot up his spine. He clenched his eyes shut, turning his head away, as though to shield himself, but the words were burnt into his brain. His hand fumbled for the latch on the trapdoor.

Somewhere nearby in the mansion, a timer went off.

**_IT'S WATCHING YOU._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah. Well. That escalated quickly, didn't it?
> 
> Well, Team A won that round. And Gill's stumbled about something quite disturbing. Jesse and Nell had a food fight. Isa beat people up. Axel got knocked over... twice. I did a sheep pun. And now Jesse and Lukas are going to have to change their clothes again (Nell's probably just gonna jump in the lake or something).
> 
> And that's the end of Release, guys! A tie, who could have guessed? I suppose being Hider is just a lot easier than being Seeker. We're moving on to the next game after watching the rest of episode five.
> 
> The big question, however, is whether or not Gill will be there to participate.


	41. Battle for Sky City

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Forty-One: Battle for Sky City**

* * *

"We've won!" cheered Magnus. He threw an arm around Petra's shoulders, his grin so wide his face looked as though it were in danger of splitting in half. "Good job, kid!"

Everyone was starting to make their way to the watching room, which had also become a meeting room of sorts. Magnus, Petra, Maya and Gabriel had met up at the bottom of the ladder leading to the attic, and were walking back to the watching room together. None of them were sure where the others had gone, but they were either still in the attic or had left before them.

Petra shrugged, lips twitching in a smirk, "I try."

When they arrived, Jesse, Reuben and Lukas were already there with Otto, who was writing something on a chalkboard. Petra stopped dead in her tracks, raising her eyebrows at the two boys.

"What the _hell_ happened to you two?" she asked.

Jesse, it appeared, was covered in food. Cake was smudged into his hair and all over his face, melon juice was on his stomach, his legs looked as though they'd just walked through a river of mushroom stew and he was covered in some other things that Petra wouldn't even classify as _food_ anymore.

Lukas wasn't as bad, but his shirt looked as though a Slime had decided to hug it.

"I got in a food fight with Nell," said Jesse, grinning sheepishly. Reuben, who's piggy snout was covered in cake, gave a happy snort.

Petra shook her head, lips twitching. She looked at Lukas. "And you?"

Lukas shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck, "A, uh, sheep had decided to lick Maya. She freaked out and I wiped it off."

Maya winced, laughing a little, "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"Well," said Otto, placing the chalkboard on one of the couches, "You two best go find yourselves some clean clothes. There are some in the attic, aren't there?"

Jesse and Lukas looked at each other, then, shrugging, passed the others and began making their way up to the attic, Reuben trotting after them. Petra seated herself on the coffee table, Maya, Magnus and Gabriel sitting in their chosen seats.

"What are you doing, Otto?" asked Maya. The referee was placing the chalkboard on the wall, directly behind the couches.

"I have created a score board," Otto declared, stepping back to let them see, "So we can keep track of the wins."

The right side of the board said Team A at the top and, separated by a line, the other side said Team B. Beneath them both was a single X to mark a win.

"Nice," said Petra, "What game are we playing next?"

"The next game," Otto answered, "Will be a mental one. I have yet to decide what exactly, however."

"Good," they turned their attention to the door, where Isa was coming in, Benedict cradled in her arms, "I'd like to finish this episode."

"Of course," Otto smiled, "I believe it's about time we finished this one."

* * *

Jesse followed Lukas up the ladder into the attic, carrying Reuben beneath his arm like he's done so many times before in their treehouse. He'd never been in the attic before, and decided almost immediately that he didn't like it.

The place was covered in cobwebs and dust bunnies. The shelves were stacked with seemingly random things, like pumpkins, old helmets, he saw a skeleton head on one shelf, and chests. Small, non-killer spiders scuttled about in every direction.

"Wow," Jesse made a face, Reuben still in his arms, "This place is... nice?"

Lukas laughed, "All attics seem to be like this, don't they?" He shrugged, "Then again, this one's pretty big. I think it takes up the entier floor."

The blond led him a little further back, passed the spot they had been using as a Belgium, to a large chest in an alcove of shelves. Lukas knelt in front of it, propping it open and gesturing inside.

"Here we are."

The chest was, indeed, _filled_ with clothes. Jesse spotted what appeared to be a clown costume poking out near the corner.

He sat Reuben down, the little pig beginning to sniff curiously at the clothes chest. Lukas began rummaging through it, glancing over his shoulder at Jesse. "What size are you?"

Jesse told him, and Lukas gave a single nod, returning his attention to the chest. He pulled out a pair of light brown pants, held them in front of Jesse's waist as though to compare size, then returned to the chest, this time pulling out some green suspenders and a black shirt. He handed them to Jesse.

"Here," he said, "Go try these on."

"Thanks," said Jesse. He glanced about, then made his way over to a bookshelf, slipping behind it. He sat the clothes on the floor and unclipped his dungarees, allowing them to fall to his ankles, and pulled off the t-shirt.

Holding up the black shirt Lukas had given him, Jesse regarded it for a second, then, deciding it wasn't half bad, pulled it over his head. He stepped into the brown pants, which hung loosely at his waist a little, much like his blue ones did. Expertly, he clipped on the suspenders, then turned to regard himself in a dusty mirror.

Smiling at his reflection, Jesse picked up the food-covered dungarees and t-shirt and made his way back to Lukas. The blond had already changed his shirt to an orange one, his slob covered striped one hung over his arm.

At Jesse's approach, Lukas looked him up and down, and gave a small hum, "Not bad. What do you think?"

Jesse shrug, "They're not all that bad." He nodded to Lukas' new shirt, "You look good in orange."

Lukas smiled, "Thanks."

The two boys and pig closed the clothes chest and left the attic, stopping in one of the bathrooms to drop their clothes off in the laundry hamper to be washed later. Then, deciding that they had left the others waiting long enough, they began to make their way back to the watching room.

"So," said Lukas, "What do you think's going to happen next?"

"You mean in Sky City?" asked Jesse, "I'm not sure. The place is probably crawling with monsters at this point."

"Petra and Ivor think we died," Lukas realised, as though the thought had just come to him. They were nearing the bottom of the stairs now. "Now I'm kinda glad I fell as well. At least that way I know no one dies."

Jesse glanced at him, then to Reuben. Lukas must have noticed this, for he became mortified.

"Oh, uh... I-I meant..." he winced, shaking his head, "Nevermind. Sorry."

"It's alright," said Jesse, automatically. They turned, starting to make their way down the hall towards the watching room, which was just around the corner. "I know what you meant."

"I just-" there was a loud _bang!_ and they spun around, just in time to see Gill barrelling out of a bedroom- Ivor's bedroom, Jesse noted. Upon spotting them, he skidded to a stop, eyes red and bulging in his skull, hands trembling and face the colour of oatmeal.

"Gill?" said Lukas.

"I-I-" Gill swallowed, looking over his shoulder at the door he'd just come from, then back at them, taking a deep, shaky breath, but it did little to calm him, "There's- There's som- som'ing-"

"Wow, wow, hey," Lukas cut him off, brow furrowed in concern. He walked towards him, hands held up to chest high. "Just take some deep breaths, okay?"

Gill did as he was told, sucking in a lungful of air. The trembling in his hands seemed to lessen, but didn't go away entirely.

"What the heck happened?" asked Jesse, more bewildered at his sudden appearance than anything else. Gill shook his head, still struggling to breathe.

"Gill?" said Lukas, placing his hands firmly on his old friends' shoulders, "Gill, can you tell us what happened? What's wrong?"

Gill gasped, still struggling to regain his breathing. H would have looked as though he'd just run a marathon from Boom Town to Redstonia, had his eyes not been darting to and fro in a wild panic.

"Th-There's-" he gasped again, placing a trembling hand on his chest, as though to relieve a pressure that wasn't there, "I-In the a-attic- I- I-" he stopped, forcing himself to take another deep breath, but the trembling did not stop, "A-A sign-"

"A sign?" repeated Lukas, "In the attic?"

Gasping silently, Gill nodded, "I-It's w-watching us."

Jesse stiffened. He shared a wide eyed look with Lukas.

"Watching us?" said Lukas, "Gill, _what's_ watching us?"

Gill shook his head, unable to answer. Lukas and Jesse looked at each other again.

"We need to get to the others," Lukas said, "I think something might be wrong with this place."

Silently, heart having leapt into his throat, Jesse nodded. Lukas took Gill by the arm and they led him back to the watching room. Jesse trailed behind a little, but made sure not to stray far. His eyes darted from the walls to the ceiling to the floor to the paintings, and he couldn't help the way his heart stuttered fearfully in its rapid beats.

He clenched his eyes shut.

_It didn't happen._

* * *

" _What?!_ " screeched Maya, her voice going up a pitch. Jaw clenching, Ellegaard spun to face Magnus.

"Magnus, I swear to god, if this is some elaborate prank-"

"It's not! I swear, I've got nothing to do with this-"

"-This is _insane_ -"

"-What do they even _want_ with us?-"

"-Panic, panic, panic, panic, panic- !"

"-Stampy, _calm down_ -"

"-Would everyone please _shut up!_ -"

_BANG!_

The watching room silenced, heads snapping to look at Hadrian. The white-haired man raised his fist slowly from the coffee table, fingers uncurling, and sent them a smile.

"Now, then," he said, "I believe that's enough of that." He stood, striding over to the couch and plopping down, stretching over it comfortably, as though he owned the place. He gestured to them, still smiling.

"There is _nothing_ watching us," he assured, "This is all just some prank the kids decided to pull."

Most of the younger watchers made an 'are you kidding me?' face at him. The older ones looked from a trembling Gill to Hadrian, then to Jesse and Lukas, and promptly decided that this man was not bright. At all.

Gabriel shook his head, turning to the three boys, "Alright," he said, "Tell us what happened."

Gill took in a shuddering breath, trying- and, once more, failing- to stop himself from trembling. He swallowed thickly. "I-I was looking about the attic," he began, "For, you know, the escaped Hiders. We were hoping to capture some before time ran out."

He glanced at Maya, who nodded encouragingly. Gill took another breath, his voice becoming slightly stronger, but not by much.

"I couldn't find anyone," he continued, "But I did find another t-trapdoor. I went down it."

Jesse and Lukas shared a worrying look, Gill seemingly taking a moment to regain himself. He raised his palm and pressed it to his forehead. His eyes, Jesse noted, were slightly glazed. As though he were struggling to remember a fading dream.

"I-I was in a room," he said, "It- It was dark. There weren't any torches. But there- there was a window," he shook his head, slowly, "I went further in, a-and there was a s-sign." The trembling returned with a vengeance. Gill almost looked as though he were vibrating.

"Gill?"

That was Aiden. He was standing near the back, his eyes the size of saucers. With a start, Jesse realised he was actually concerned. Worried.

Lukas stepped forward, taking Gill by the elbows, "Gill? Hey, it's alright, it's fine," he said, "Just tell us what happened next."

Gill's eyes seemed to become less glazed, but the trembling didn't stop. He focused on Lukas' face, taking a deep, shaky breath, "I-I read it," he explained, "A-And, Lukas, I-I could have sworn..."

He trailed off, gasping silently. Maya stepped forwards, standing next to Lukas.

"Gill," she said, gently, hesitantly, as though almost afraid of the answer, "Did you see anything else?"

Slowly, looking as though he were in a daze, Gill nodded. He opened his mouth, closed it, and frowned, as though confused. "I... I think..."

He shook his head.

"I didn't happen."

Jesse's back went ramrod straight, as though his spine his somehow been replaced by a blaze rod. He wasn't sure why, but he made eye contact with Ivor, who's face had turned the colour of tea or coffee with too much milk.

Lukas and Maya shared a confused frown.

"What?" said Lukas, "What do you mean it didn't happen?"

Gill, still looking scarily similar to a zombie, shook his head slowly, "The hands... it didn't happen."

The audience sported either a concerned frown or a bewildered look. Slowly, Ellegaard turned to look at Ivor.

"Maybe you should... take a look at him," she suggested, "He could have been hit by one of those potions."

Ivor seemed to take a moment to register her words, but once he did, he nodded. Without a word, he marched over to the doors and gestured for them to bring Gill. Maya and Lukas looked at each other, nodded, and then followed on either side of their friend, a hand on his elbows.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jesse saw Aiden about to follow, but then hesitated. After a moment, he shook his head and stepped back, although that odd look in his eye didn't leave. He looked genuinely worried.

Jesse wasn't sure what to think of that.

So he didn't.

* * *

They talked quietly for the next half hour. Ivor, Lukas, Maya and Gill returned, and the bearded Ocelot insisted that the sign hadn't even been there at all, nor had there been any 'black hands.' Lukas and Maya, seemingly convinced it was some sort of hallucination potion, were content with this answer.

Ivor, oddly enough, stated that he wasn't sure. But he pushed no further, and the subject dropped from everyone's mind as Soren claimed the remote. Everyones but Jesse's.

His attention was directed to the screen as it flickered to life. He forced what had just happened to the back of his mind.

It didn't happen.

Onscreen, the sky had darkened, rain pouring in fat droplets. From the clouds came Jesse and Isa, still stacking blocks of dirt at an inhumanly fast pace. Above them loomed the dirt bridge they had created, the lava pouring from Ivor's dirt skull bright in the dark. It must have been a handy guide.

Gabriel rolled his eyes at the reminder, although Soren merely grinned. He glanced to the side at Ivor, and was startled to find that the man appeared lost in thought. Probably thinking of whatever potion had caused Gill to hallucinate, he gathered.

Jesse and Isa levelled with the bridge, and the leapt from the towers. Immediately, with Jesse in the lead, they began sprinting towards the gates of Sky City. Then Jesse skidded to a stop and gasped.

Ghasts hovered above the floating island, explosions igniting, lightning striking. The screams of the civilians could be heard even from there.

Real-Isa gasped, face going three times paler. Reginald, who had been fiddling absentmindedly with the hilt of his sword, realised that his mouth had dropped open. Milo was covering his own.

 _"Oh, no,"_ breathed Jesse, Isa coming to a stop beside him, _"We need to get in there. Now."_

Not taking the time to converse on this, they began sprinting again, even faster than before. The cry of Ghasts shimmered above the patter of the rain.

 _"Go, go, go! Don't stop!"_ shouted Jesse, not looking back at the Founder.

"Oh, god," groaned Olivia, "Everything's _destroyed._ "

"They're wrecking my kingdom," said Isa, softly, as though she couldn't believe her eyes, "They're _killing my people_."

Aiden flinched. He looked like he was about to cry.

A Ghast hovered right in front of them, eyes opening to reveal blazing red orbs. Jesse gasped, it's mouth opening and shooting a ball of blazing fire. _"Look out!"_

He ducked down and rolled, Isa hurriedly doing the same. The fireball soared passed them narrowly, blasting the bridge where they had been only seconds before.

Lukas let out a relieved sigh.

Jesse and Isa reached the entrance, coming to a stop. Jesse, panting a little, looked back at Isa, _"Whoa, that was crazy! You okay?_ "

Despite what was happening, Real-Isa managed a small smile.

Onscreen, however, she hardly seemed to register the question. Isa stepped forwards, horror crossing her face, and fell to her knees. _"What have they done?!"_

Sky City was a portrait of chaos. It reminded Jesse, vaguely, of Boom Town. But with a hell of a lot more monsters.

Rain fell from the sky, fires ablaze despite it, people running and screaming as they were chased by all and every kind of monsters. The garden, which a guard had told Jesse was off limits when he had first arrived in the floating city, was like a bone fire in the town centre.

"Holy Notch," breathed Petra.

A Ghast spat a ball of flame, the screen swirling around to show it blasting a hole in the floor, normal citizens and Build Club members alike running to and fro with screams of terror. The blast sent a man flying, and then another man- Phillipe, from Milo's Inn- went darting passed the crafting station. Someone else ran out of it, a creeper flashing behind them, and was knocked to the ground by the explosion.

Stampy winced, shrinking in his seat, "Oh, that's a lot of googlies."

Dan gave an agreeing nod, unable to tear his eyes from the screen, "Yeah."

Another Ghast hovered passed a man by the fence around the garden, who was trying to climb to his feet but was having trouble. They passed the Ghast, showing the other side of the garden, revealing another person standing on the other side of the fence, a woman darting along the passed with a scream. Another explosion went off.

Then, closer to the gates, a defenceless guard was backing away from a hoard of zombies, _"Back!"_ he yelled, _"Back, you monsters!"_

The closest zombie whacked him, causing the guard to flash red and fall to the ground with a yell, _"Help me!"_

"I can't watch," groaned Maya, covering her face. Her eyes glistened with tears.

 _"He needs our help!"_ Isa exclaimed.

Eyes narrowing, Jesse drew his sword, the enchanted diamond glowing faintly. Behind him, Isa drew her own iron blade, just as Jesse charged.

The zombie that had knocked the guard down turned to him, groaning like the rumble of a starving stomach, but Jesse didn't allow it to get any closer. He slashed, knocking the monster to the floor in a flash of red, quickly followed by a puff of smoke as it blinked out of existence.

"Go Jesse!" cheered Axel.

The guard clambered to his feet, but didn't have time to say anything, for a cry of rage tore through the air. They turned, watching as Isa flipped over the garden's fence, dual swords in each hand. One blade tore through the rotting flesh of a zombie, immediately emitting it to dust, and in quick succession, she did another flip, so fast it was hard to keep track of, and spun, her twin swords tearing the rest of the hoard to shreds of flesh.

"Wow!" gasped Nell, "That was _awesome_!"

Onscreen, not sheathing her swords, Isa turned to the guard, _"What's going on here?"_

Hadrian blinked, "You _know_ what's going on here."

 _"The cities under attack by monsters, ma'am!"_ explained the guard, a tad unnecessarily, _"Everywhere! They seem to be coming from inside the palace itself!"_

They looked towards the palace, where Maya and Gill stood at the top of the steps. A chest was on either side of them, and they were tossing spawn-eggs into the crowd of fleeing people. Jesse's eyes narrowed.

Maya swallowed thickly, brushing the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Gill stared stubbornly at his shoes, still a little spooked from earlier.

Aiden just stared.

 _"Aiden,"_ said Jesse, his voice uncharacteristically dark. He began to march towards the castle, sword still drawn. _"Come on. We need to stop him."_

 _"I'm sorry, Jesse,"_ Isa said, causing the boy to come to a halt and turn to face her, _"But I have to save my people."_

"That's probably a good idea," admitted Harper, "They can't just leave the people to die. Even if they stopped Aiden within moments, they'll still have all the spawned monsters to deal with."

Onscreen Jesse must have realised this as well, for he nodded, _"Take care of yourself out there, okay?"_

 _"And to you as well,"_ said Isa.

With that, Jesse turned, starting to run towards the palace. However, a shout caused him, once more, to skid to a halt.

 _"Jesse! You're alive!"_ Milo, waving a sword in his hand, held up inside a building off to the side with a few other members of the Build Club. Arrows zipped through the air, embedding themselves into the wall, the rattle of skeletal bones. _"Please, can you help us?"_

"There's Milo!" said Stacy, "That must mean Aiden didn't do anything with Petra and Ivor, right?"

Jesse blinked, having not even considered the idea. Brow furrowing, he shook his head. "Even if he tried to do something with them, they would have gotten away. There's no way any of the guards would have helped him, since he threw their leader into a seemingly bottomless abyss and whatnot."

 _"Hang tight, Milo!"_ said Jesse. He ran up to the skeletons, which turned to face him at his approach, and rammed into the closest one, knocking it into its friend.

Magnus whooped.

The skeletons got up again, but Jesse whacked at one with his sword, cracking the bones and leaving it to puff into smoke. Without missing a beat, he did the same to the other, knocking it backwards and sending it to dust.

The immediate danger gone, Milo ran out of the building, eyes widening when he spotted something else coming their way. It was another skeleton, except this time it was accompanied by a spider, riding it like a war horse.

"Watch out!" gasped Sparklez.

Milo ran at the duo, knocking the skeleton off its spider. However, the spider remained unphased, it's behind rising as it prepared to leap at Jesse. It sprang, and Jesse reacted, blade slashing hide and sending the monster to the floor in a puff of smoke.

Further away, Milo hit the skeleton- once, twice- and sent it to the ground.

"There's so many of them," muttered Olivia.

"And with every one we kill," said Lukas, grimly, "A dozen more take their place."

Grinning, Milo dashed towards Jesse, who had pressed his back against the wall of the building and was peeking around the corner, towards the palace. _"You are very quick on your feet,"_ commented the innkeeper.

"I've probably been doing things like this for a while now," said Jesse pointedly, his mind flashing to the beginning of the episode, when he and his friends had been hunting for treasure.

 _"But with all seriousness, how are you alive?"_ asked Milo, voice taking on a tone of disbelief, _"I saw you go over the edge!"_

 _"Quick version?"_ said Jesse, hurriedly, _"You know how you all thought there was nothing but Void bellow you?"_

Milo raised an eyebrow, _"Yes?"_

_"Yeah, that was wrong. There's land."_

"Way to put it bluntly," muttered Real-Milo.

 _"You speak truthfully, my friend?"_ breathed Milo. Before Jesse could answer, a ball of fire shot above them, soon followed by an explosion off screen. A Ghast gave its angry cry, hovering over them. This seemed to bring the innkeeper back to the situation at hand.

_"Well, I can't wait to hear all about it later!"_

"If there _is_ a later," muttered Ellegaard, too low for anyone besides the rest of the Order to hear. Silently, Magnus discreetly took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

 _"I gotta get to the palace,"_ said Jesse, glancing back over the edge of the wall into the chaos blocking his way. Milo nodded.

 _"Thank you, my friend,"_ he said, beginning to make his way back over to the other Build Club members, _"I will see you on the other side!"_

As Milo darted one way, Jesse darted the other. He dashed around the small pool, the cries of Ghasts and the groans of zombies filling the air, as though his conversation had somehow muffled it. Passed the garden, where the citizens had gathered when Isa had called after the Blaze Rods had told her they were criminals, Jesse came to a stop.

In front of him, at the top of the steps, was Maya and Gill. Maya reached into one of the chests next to them, pulling out a spawn-egg. Gill fist-pumped the air.

_"Blaze Rods!"_

_"Boom! Egg!"_ said Maya, throwing the egg. It shattered at the bottom of the stairs, a spider popping out, directly in front of Petra.

Gill sighed, putting his head in his hands. He missed the Ocelots.

Eyes hard and burning with rage, Petra stabbed the spider, killing it. Feeling Jesse's eyes on her back, she looked over her shoulder, the rage immediately leaving her eyes to be replaced by shock.

 _"Jesse!"_ she screamed over the chaos, _"You're alive?!"_

"Wow," said Lukas, "She looked _really_ mad there."

"I think you would be too, had you not been thrown over as well," Petra shrugged.

Before Jesse could shout back a reply, a Ghast appeared in front of him, blocking his view of the front entrance, eyes a blazing red. He gasped, startled, and it spat a ball of flame.

"Dodge!" screamed Lizzie.

Jesse jumped to the side, the ball of flame exploding upon contact with the fence, demolishing it and leaving a crater in the floor. He turned, eyes wide, only to find himself face with _three_ Ghasts.

"Oh, _come on!_ " yelled Olivia.

As one, the Ghasts fired, and Jesse stumbled backwards, raising his sword but too slowly to defend himself. Then someone slammed into him, knocking him to the side, and Jesse and Ivor fell into a crater as the triple explosion shook the ground.

"It's Ivor!" exclaimed Soren.

Ivor got to his feet, back facing the wall of the crater, peeking over where Petra was busy battling the monsters, _"Aiden has taken over the palace,"_ he said, turning his gaze to the front doors, where Maya and Gill were still throwing spawn-eggs, _"He's_ hold _up in the throne room throwing those spawn-eggs everywhere!"_ He looked back at Jesse, _"No one can get inside!"_

"Oh, well, that's... not good," Dan finished lamely.

 _"We need to stop him,"_ said Jesse.

Real-Ivor rolled his eyes, "No, you need to sit down and have a cup of tea with him. _Of course you have to stop him_!"

Gabriel, Soren, Magnus and Ellegaard looked oddly relieved at his sudden outburst.

Onscreen, Ivor's eyes widened, _"I know! Jesse, take one of these!"_ He pulled out three potions, a purple, a blue and a green.

"Potions?" said Lukas. Then, eyes widening, "Potions!"

 _"They're all locally sourced and hand-crafted,"_ said Ivor, proudly, _"I use only the best ingredients."_

Jesse studied the potions for a moment, chewing on his lip. Then, sheathing his sword, _"Got any potions of invisibility?"_

 _"Here!"_ Ivor handed him the purple potion, grinning.

"This is going to be _awesome_ ," muttered Axel. Jesse nodded in agreement.

Pulling off the cork, Jesse downed it. Then, throwing away the bottle with a grin, he turned around, his body fading out of sight, _"Can't stop what you can't see."_

"We stopped Ivor in Soren's Fortress when he had an invisibility potion," Petra pointed out. Jesse shushed her.

He hopped out of the crater. Battles and monsters and people were all around him, Ghasts flying overhead. He ran, passing Petra battling a monster, and a woman who was running around in circles while being chased by a zombie.

Jesse ran up the stairs, shoving passed Gill on his way through. The bearded boy stumbled, looking around in confusion, Maya raising an eyebrow at him.

"He's through!" cheered Milo.

"Is he?" asked Slab, who still had bandages around his eyes, "I can only hear things."

Grinning, Jesse ran down the hall and into the palace, the invisibility potion wearing off as he ran. The two Blaze Rods unknowing of his passing.

The screen darkened.

"Alright!" cheered Nell, "This is going to be _epic_!"

"Yeah," muttered Aiden, too quiet for even Gill to hear. He leant into his seat, crossing his arms over his stomach. He closed his eyes.

"Yeah, it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What potion did you choose? Potion of Invisibility, Potion of Speed or Potion of Leaping?
> 
> I know, I know, I didn't actually autosave there. But this was getting long, and I thought it actually did autosave there, but no, it doesn't save again until you're in the waterfall. So I stopped it there anyway.


	42. Over the Edge

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Forty-Two: Over the Edge**

* * *

Once more, the screen flickered back to life. Jesse is shown running towards the doors of the throne room, Aiden's voice shouting over the clash of thunder.

_"Back down and get out of my face, Reggie!"_

Real-"Reggie" scowled.

 _"You're delusional, Aiden!"_ the voice of Reginald yelled back, as Jesse entered the throne room. Aiden was lounged across the throne, a black and green spotted Creeper egg in his hand, rain falling from the sky onto the balcony behind him. Reginald stood at the foot of the throne, Benedict next to Aiden. _"The people of Sky City will never bow down to you!"_

"Benedict!" Isa gasped. The little chicken clucked in her lap.

 _"You killed the Founder!"_ Reginald screamed.

 _"Yeah?"_ said Aiden, _"Well, you're gonna be the next if you don't_ shut up _!"_

The real Aiden flinched violently, hands trembling in his lap. He clenched them into fists, but this only helped a little. His eyes were oddly shiny.

 _"Now you listen here!"_ yelled Reginald, as Jesse approached slowly, unnoticed, _"I'm the captain of the guard! You can't just talk to me that way!"_

Aiden banged a fist against the arm of the throne, eyes blazing, _"I'll talk to you however I want, Reggie!"_

 _"Aiden!"_ Jesse yelled, taking a step forwards and swiftly drawing his sword, its enchanted blade casting his glaring face in shadows, _"You've lost!"_

"C'mon, Jesse!" cheered Axel, "Take him down!"

Aiden's head snapped towards him, eyes widening in shock, _"I saw you fall!"_ he exclaimed, voice almost cracking in his rage, _"You went down!"_

"Yeah, well, it looks like Jesse's a lot harder to kill than he seems," Petra grinned. Jesse raised an eyebrow at her.

"Uh... thank you?"

Reginald turned around to face the newcomer, eyes widening, _"You're alive!"_ he gasped, almost overjoyed, _"You're alive! Is the Founder with you?"_

Hardly before Reginald had even finished the question, Aiden was on his feet, teeth clenching. He threw his hand behind his head and launched the egg at the guard, causing him to scream as he fell to the ground.

"Reggie!" exclaimed Jesse.

"Don't call me-"

Reginald fell flat on his face, the egg shattering and giving birth to a creeper. The monster hissed, flashing white as the guard pushed himself up onto his elbows, staring at it in confusion. Sky City had never before had to deal with monsters.

"Watch out!" yelled Sparklez.

_"What the- ?"_

It exploded, and Reginald flashed red as he was sent soaring backwards, landing painfully on his back. Benedict trotted over, poking at the guard's face as though in concern. By the doors, Jesse gasped, _"Reginald!"_

"Oh no," groaned Maya.

Onscreen, Jesse made to run over to him, but Aiden snapped before he could, _"Not one more step!"_

Jesse stopped, turning his head and glaring at the bully on the throne. Aiden returned the glare with ten times the hatred, lightning flashing dramatically behind him.

 _"I killed you once,"_ he said, _"I can do it again."_

"What are you talking about?" said Soren, eyes hardening, "He went to help Isa- the Founder, I mean- and you kicked him over the edge while his back was turned! If anything, _gravity_ almost killed him. And even that failed!"

Aiden winced, shrinking away from the builder. He said nothing.

 _"Just you and me, Aiden,"_ said Jesse, readjusting his fighting stance, _"Just you and me now."_

Aiden hunched over himself, trembling, as though he were in physical pain. _"Just-"_ He looked up, eyes wild and burning with pure, undying hatred, _"-DIE ALREADY!"_

"Wow!" gasped Lizzie.

Onscreen, Aiden pulled an egg out of his pocket and tossed it, hardly giving the audience enough time to realise that it was a sort of caramel colour, before it shattered on the floor directly in front of Jesse. A Blaze rose from the floor, blaze rods spinning around it as it towered over Jesse, its eyes immediately locking on him. Behind it, Aiden growled, _"Should've just left when you had the chance!"_

"Like we would do that!" yelled Lukas, as though they could hear him. Aiden stared at him with wide eyes, before his head snapped back to the scream so fast the bones in his neck clicked.

The Blaze spat a ball of flame, but Jesse dodged to the right. It followed him, spitting more fire, and Jesse leapt forwards in a roll to avoid it. He straightened to his feet behind the monster, which turned to face him, but not fast enough.

With a cry, Jesse leapt into the air, sword raised above his head. The screen briefly went into a slow motion, before there was the slash of blade through hide, and he landed on the ground on the other side of the Blaze.

The monster shook, then fell, puffing into smoke before it could even hit the ground.

"Whoo!" Magnus cheered, "That's what I'm talking about!"

"This. Is. So. _EPIC!_ " screeched Nell. Em winced, rubbing at her ear and glaring at her teammate, who didn't notice.

Jesse turned, but before he could even stand upright, Aiden appeared, his own enchanted sword raised above his head. Like just moments before, it slowed down, and then sped up again as Jesse raised his own sword, the two blades shrieking as they connected.

The force of the blow sent Jesse sprawling backwards, and he lay there for a moment, dazed. Aiden jumped forwards, standing above him, raising his sword in a finishing blow.

"Look out!" yelled Ellegaard.

In the nick of time, Jesse rolled out of the way, and the blade connected with the ground. Aiden turned, just in time to see Jesse leaping to his feet, turning to face him. They circled each other, blades almost crossing.

 _"This was supposed to be_ my _world!"_ Aiden yelled, voice coming dangerously close to hysterical, _"And you ruined it!"_

"Oh, god, Aiden," Maya muttered. Aiden glanced at her, heart clenching.

What... what happened to the Ocelots?

 _"Listen to yourself!"_ said Jesse, _"That's insane!"_

Aiden, however, didn't listen. He raised his sword above his head, and Jesse brought his own up in a low swing. The blades connected with a metallic ring dead centre, and the two boys struggled, strength versus strength.

 _"Why couldn't you have left well enough alone?!"_ Aiden yelled.

Jesse brought his blade up, disconnecting their swords, and kicked Aiden in the stomach. The bully was sent flying, and slammed into the seat of the throne, flashing red. His sword clattered to the ground, far out of reach.

Real-Aiden bit his lip, but couldn't bring himself to look away. _You deserve this. You deserve this._

_Just kill me, Jesse._

Jesse approached slowly, blade still raised. Lightning flashed, briefly lighting up the room. Jesse grinned at the downed bully, obviously under the belief that he had won. Aiden blinked at him, then shook his head, as though to force the pain from his mind, and his eyes hardened into a glare.

With a scream, Aiden threw another egg, its shell shattering and letting loose a Blaze. He scrambled from the throne, picking up his sword, and vanished out onto the balcony.

"Cheat!" accused Dan, jabbing a finger at the screen, "That's cheating!"

"What?" said Slab, thrashing his head left and right as though that would help regain his sight, "What's happening? All I hear is yelling."

 _"Get back here!"_ said Jesse, making to run after him. He didn't get far, however, as the Blaze zipped in front of him, rods spinning, rising out of reach and lighting up as it prepared to fire.

"Not again," groaned Olivia.

Jesse leapt to the side just in time, the spot where he'd been standing not a moment before lighting up in flames. He rolled, dashing towards the balcony, and spun around to face the Blaze as it swished around him.

It charged, diving at him at a deadly, burning speed. Jesse ducked, twisting as it came to a stop on his other side- directly in the rain.

Hissing, it flashed red, the droplets extinguishing its fire. It turned to look at Jesse, as though to attack or at least get back to the safety of the inside, but then it fell over and puffed into smoke.

"Yes!" cheered Petra.

Behind it, Aiden watched from where he stood on the ledge, jutting out of the side of the island over a thousand or more so foot drop. His sword glowed dully in the darkness of the night, illuminating half his body and casting the rest of him in shadows. The rain was causing his hair to stick to his forehead, sliding off the metal clasps and shoulder pads of his armour. He didn't seem to notice the droplets falling on him, or perhaps he simply didn't care for it. His gaze was pinned solely on Jesse in a heated glare, as though hoping that would make him burst into dust.

Hadrian leant forwards, placing his elbow on his knee. Otto and Mevia glanced at him curiously, but made no comment. They had an idea as to what had caught his interest.

Eyes narrowing, Jesse began to make his way forwards, out into the rain. Lightning flashed, illuminating Aiden's hunched form. Jesse reached the ledge, coming to a stop about three feet in front of Aiden. The glow of the torches on the balcony behind them didn't reach this part, and the only light was that of their swords, and the occasional flash of lightning, followed by the roar of thunder.

"Oh, my god," breathed Gill, staring at the screen with wide eyes, "I... I can't believe this is happening."

Silently, both Jesse and Aiden agreed.

 _"You just can't stand to see someone else in the spotlight, can you?"_ said Aiden, _"You just can't let anyone else win!"_

Lukas paused, frowning, "Wait, that... that sounds a bit like..."

 _"It just drives you crazy to see someone else succeed, doesn't it?!"_ Aiden growled. Jesse shook his head slowly.

_"Aiden, look around you! It's over! Give up!"_

Real-Jesse seemed to have come to the same realisation as Lukas. He turned to look at Aiden, eyes wide, "That... you're not talking about me," he said. Aiden frowned, eyes flashing in confusion. Jesse shook his head slowly, not unlike his onscreen counterpart just had.

"You're talking about yourself."

 _"No!"_ yelled Aiden, almost like he was answering real-life Jesse as well, _"You don't get to tell me that!"_

They stood there for a long moment. Lightning flashed. Thunder crackled. Aiden's eyes narrowed. Then he stuck his sword arm out behind him in a battle stance, Jesse immediately shifting into his own stance, his arms spread and his own sword pointed outwards, the flat of the blade brushing against the chest of Ellegaard's armour.

Ellegaard squeezed Magnus' hand, which she had forgotten she was still holding, sitting on the edge of her seat. Magnus' lips twitched, and he returned the squeeze, brushing off the way his heart fluttered, telling himself it was in excitement.

They charged.

The screen slowed down briefly as they approached, then sped up again as Jesse blocked Aiden's attack. The bully pulled back and swung again, but once more Jesse blocked, their blades clanging together with the buzz of power.

Aiden stabbed, Jesse barely dodging in time, then lunged and swung at the same time. Jesse hardly had enough time to raise his sword, the blades once more connecting in a clang of enchanted diamond on enchanted diamond.

Jesse pulled upwards, unlocking the blades and making Aiden stumbled backwards. He tilted dangerously close to the edge, but regained his balance, quickly returning to a fighting stance. Jesse once more raised his own sword, fingers slippery from the rain and yet his grip firm.

This time, it was Jesse who attacked first. He charged, everything going in slow motion. His blade swung outwards, clanging against Aiden's. Jesse drew his sword in, then swung again, violently, Aiden barely keeping it from slashing open his gullet.

Then, raising the sword above his head, Jesse brought it down, knocking Aiden onto his back.

"Wow!" exclaimed Stacy, "Jesse can be _violent_ at times."

On the ground, Aiden's face flashed in surprise, before once more narrowing into a glare. He leapt back to his feet, and immediately swung. Jesse blocked, the blades ringing, and Aiden pulled away, only to bring it back down in another attack.

Jesse hardly blocked it this time, and the ring of the blades connecting echoed loudly, a buzz to the ears. Aiden once more pulled away, bringing the sword to the side and swinging at Jesse's neck. He blocked, the blades locking, and twisted his sword, forcing Aiden's downwards and up. He flicked his blade, sending Aiden flying back, his own blade soaring over his head, a bright glow in the darkness of the night.

"That was _amazing_!" gushed Nell. Hadrian hummed.

"Yes," he said, "Amazing indeed."

The sword spun midair, falling over the edge of the platform, down, down towards the ground far, far bellow. Aiden, now on his feet, let out a strangled yell as he abruptly found Jesse's sword inches from his face, holding up his hands in surrender.

 _"Wait, wait, wait!"_ he said, as Jesse moved forwards, forcing Aiden to move back, eyes narrowed and face set, _"Hang- Hang on! I-I surrender!"_ Aiden came to a stop, hands still above his head, _"I surrender. W-We can still talk about this, right?"_

"What?" gaped Petra, "You have _got_ to be joking."

Slab huffed, crossing his arms and gesturing with his head in what he probably thought was towards the screen, but was in fact towards a portrait of a sheep near the door, "Can't even face the music. Disgraceful."

"Jesse's not gonna listen to him," declared Axel, "Ain't that right, Jesse?"

He looked towards his smaller friend expectantly, but was surprised to find he wasn't looking at him, but instead frowning at the screen. Jesse didn't seem to hear him.

 _"H-Here! Here! You want your flint and steel back, huh?"_ Aiden reached into his pocket, pulling out the enchanted flint and steel, _"Take it!"_ He threw it at Jesse's feet, getting down on his knees, _"It's yours!"_

"Oh my god," muttered Olivia, eyes the size of dinners plates, "I can't... that's Aiden?"

 _"Just please,"_ the screen switched to show Jesse's face, eyes still a glare and shining with suspicion, _"Don't hurt me."_

Jesse found himself unable to tear his eyes from the screen. Wondering what his onscreen self- his future self- was going to do. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out what _he_ , his _present_ self, wanted to do.

He came up blank.

He wasn't sure.

Onscreen, Jesse bent down and picked up the flint and steel at his feet. He didn't sheath his sword, didn't take his eyes off Aiden, didn't say a word. Before anything else could be done, however, Reginald's voice broke through the semi-silence.

 _"Jesse!"_ the boy turned, Reginald, mostly uninjured and with Benedict in his arms, approaching them, _"We need to get out of here!"_

As if to emphasise his point, another explosion went off somewhere in the city. The screen moved to show the flash above the side of the castle, quickly followed by the screams of the people.

"But how are they going to get down?" asked Olivia, "I mean, sure, they can just jump, but what if they don't hit the water?"

"We'll think of something," Lukas assured her, when Jesse didn't. The boy was too invested in the screen.

Reginald nodded towards Aiden, _"What do you want to do with him?"_

Abruptly, Jesse's face went from a hard glare to unsure. He glanced over at the kneeling Aiden, arms up in defeat, the same Aiden that had set Reuben on fire, the same Aiden that threw Lukas and himself over the edge to their potential deaths, the same Aiden that had burnt down their Endercon build.

 _"Please,"_ the bully begged, another explosion shaking the ground, _"This place is getting worse by the minute. You can't just leave me here! Take me with you!"_

The audience had gone deathly silent. Not a single pair of eyes weren't on the screen or, in Slab's case, looking in its general direction. Otto glanced at his white-haired friend, who was leaning forwards in his seat, hand in front of his mouth and chin resting on the bottom of his palm.

"Hadrian?" he whispered, hesitantly. Hadrian waved him away.

 _"After everything you've done?"_ said Reginald, as though the mere thought was hilarious, _"I'm not sure you deserve that kind of mercy."_

Silently, the real Aiden agreed with him. His stomach flopped and twisted, bile rising in the back of his throat, as though he were about to vomit.

_Just kill me, Jesse._

_"No! No, no, no!"_ gasped Aiden, shaking his head hastily. Jesse remained silent, eyes once more narrowing, _"Come on. You can't just leave me behind. If you leave me here, I'll die!"_

On the couch, Aiden's mouth had gone dry. He was waiting. Expectant. Why hadn't Jesse killed him yet?

_Just do it._

_"I thought you were the good guys?"_ he finished the sentence weakly, trailing off into silence. For a heart stopping moment, Jesse said nothing. Just stared. His eyes glanced to the edge, then back to Aiden.

Finally, he shook his head, turning around and beginning to make his way back towards the palace, _"Get moving. You're coming with us."_

"What?" Aiden gasped, drawing some startled looks from the rest of the audience. That was the first time they'd heard him speak in... ages.

Maya let out a long, relieved sigh, slumping in her chair, "Thank you, Jesse."

Lukas looked down at the blanket strewn floor, something like shame flashing across his face. His thoughts must have taken a slightly darker turn.

"Hm," hummed Hadrian, "How... interesting."

Otto sent him a weary look, "I... suppose."

"I knew he wasn't going to do it," Magnus declared. Ellegaard rolled her eyes at him.

Cassie cocked her head to the side, a small frown donning her features. She looked confused, but impressed at the same time, somehow. "Wow."

Petra sighed, "Of course you wouldn't leave him," she sent him a small smile, "You're Jesse."

Jesse returned the smile, absentmindedly fiddling with Reuben's ears, who gave a happy whine. He was... content, he supposed, with his decision. Granted, he could have just kicked him over the edge without telling him there was land bellow him, but...

He was happy with this.

 _"Th-Thank you,"_ breathed Aiden, sounding incredibly relieved, _"Thank you, Jesse,"_ he got to his feet, hands still held above his head and began to follow Jesse. Reginald, walking next to the boy- who still had his sword out- huffed.

_"More than you deserve, frankly."_

Isa made a small noise at the back of her throat, "That is true, I suppose," she sent a look at the Blaze Rods, "But I doubt we'll be letting you get away with this. You'll be punished, that's for sure."

Gill swallowed.

Lighting illuminated their retreating forms, rain still falling from the sky. They vanished into the palace.

The screen cut to Reginald, with Benedict remaining in his arms, leading the way out of the front doors. Aiden was directly behind him, arms still aloft, with Jesse taking up the rear, sword in hand.

Screaming, the blast of fire and explosions, the groan and hiss of angry monsters. Sky City was almost entirely destroyed now, with the lake that had been in the garden blasted open, falling down into the void in a massive waterfall. The entire front of the city had been demolished, showing off the dirt bridge and Ivor's skull-pouring lava statue.

"Holy _cow_ ," breathed Axel.

"There's nothing left," said Milo, eyes the size of dinner plates, "Dear lord, there's _nothing left_."

The screen zoomed out, giving them a good view of the waterfall, as well as the Ghasts flying about. It switched back to Jesse, who was gaping at the destruction before him in a state of shock.

Then Petra's voice rang through the air, _"Jesse!"_

"She's alive!" cheered Olivia, throwing her hands in the air. Petra grinned at her.

Jesse looked towards the direction of his friend's voice, revealing Petra and Ivor standing in front of a kneeling Maya and Gill, swords drawn, Petra's an enchanted gold and Ivor's plain diamond.

The real Maya, who had a small smile twitching on her lips at the revelation that Petra was unharmed, immediately turned sombre. She had forgotten.

The screen cut to Jesse shoving Aiden to his knees next to Gill, Ivor sending the defeated boy a glare, _"And stay there!"_

It flashed to a crowd of people, a Ghast spitting a ball of fire at them. The people screamed and scattered, the blast exploding upon contact with the ground and sending a person flying, flashing red, to slam painfully to the ground directly in front of the camera. And then Isa appeared, soaring through the air in an elegant spin, twin blades slicing through the pale flesh of the Ghast.

"Go, Founder!" cheered Lukas, earning a grin from Isa and a half-hearted scowl from Milo.

The Ghast whined, turning upside down and falling, puffing into smoke right before it could hit the ground. Isa landed, swiftly sheathing her swords and running towards the group.

_"You've retrieved the Eversource?"_

Reginald stepped forwards, showing off Benedict almost like a trophy, grin nearly splitting his face, _"Yes, ma'am!"_

"It's a relief that he- she-" Lizzie hurriedly corrected herself at Isa's glare, "-Didn't get hurt throughout this whole mess."

"Yeah," said Dan, "But she's the thing that they all came for in the first place. No one's gonna hurt her, at least not on purpose."

Onscreen, Isa helped up the person that had landed in front of the camera, just as Milo, along with the remaining members of the Build Club, came running over.

 _"Everyone, stay together!"_ he said.

Milo squinted at the screen, "Is that everyone? Are they all there?"

"It's hard to tell," admitted Sparklez, "But I count five."

"What? No, there's seven," Soren argued.

 _"Jesse!"_ exclaimed Milo, coming to a stop in front of the boy, _"There you are!"_

 _"Jesse,"_ Isa butted in, helping another person to their feet, _"This situation is getting out of hand,"_ the person on their feet, she darted towards him, coming to a stop directly in front of him, _"We simply can't stop all the monsters and protect my people."_

Above them, a Ghast gave a high-pitched cry.

"She has a point," Gabriel reluctantly admitted.

"They could take them into the palace," suggested Ellegaard, "Into a protected room, or maybe where they kept all those spawn-eggs, and stay there until they're able to stop all the monsters."

"Or," Magnus butted in, "You could take them down to land! The monsters won't follow them if they're falling."

"And face _more_ monsters?" asked Soren, "It's nighttime, Magnus!"

The screen switched to show the group- the last citizens, made up of about only twenty people- from the sky, hundreds of Ghasts floating about above them.

 _"The longer we stay here,"_ Isa continued, _"The more danger my people will be in!"_

Jesse glanced around, looking from the citizens. He gave a small shrug. _"I guess we could jump for it..."_

Magnus stuck his tongue out, "Ha!"

Looking off to the side, Jesse darted towards what had once been the small garden, eyes widening as an idea sparked in his brain, _"The waterfall! The waterfall can take us to safety!"_

"But once they reach the ground, they'll just have to battle more monsters!" said Stacy. Soren twisted towards her, shaking his hands.

"I just _said_ that!"

"Jesse and I arrived shortly after it had gotten dark," said Isa, "And we had spent almost a full day down there. Surely the sun will at least be beginning to rise by the time we're all at the bottom?"

Em nodded, "And isn't Blondie building a shelter or something?"

Lukas looked mortified, "Please don't call me Blondie."

 _"What?!"_ exclaimed a citizen- the same one that had 'greeted' them at the gate, _"Are you crazy?! The waterfall will just take us into the Void!"_

 _"We'll die if we fall down there!"_ another citizen said.

 _"But there's nothing but monsters up here!"_ shouted a Build Club member.

 _"The Void won't kill you!"_ Jesse explained, over the cry of Ghasts, _"There's land down there!"_

Sceptical, they looked at each other, probably thinking him insane. Jesse ran over to where the Build Club members stood in a small group near the start of the waterfall, Isa following.

_"Everyone, just watch me and follow my lead, okay?"_

"Wait," said Olivia, "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

Jesse turned to the waterfall, the screen panning down it, showing the people clustered around its edges. With Ivor's dirt skull pouring lava in the distance, Jesse approached the water and jumped in. The current didn't take himimmediatelyy, and he swam forwards, the people watching him like he was mad.

He turned around, looking about at the people. Then he began to speed up, the current taking him within its grasp, Jesse floating up onto his back as he lost control completely, zipping towards the edge.

Reginald, still clutching Benedict, took a small step forwards, standing directly behind his Founder. There was the cry of a Ghast, and they turned to see one approaching, eyes blazing red.

"Jump in! Jump in!" shouted Clutch.

The screams renewed, the monster opening its mouth wide and spitting another ball of flame. It exploded off screen, encasing the crowd in a flash of light and shaking the ground. Isa turned to look at her people.

 _"Jesse is telling the truth,"_ she declared, _"I saw the land as well! In fact,"_ she turned back to the waterfall, eyes hardening with determination, _"I will prove it to you!"_

With that, she leapt into the water, swimming after Jesse. Reginald's eyes widened. _"Ma'am! Wait for me!"_

"Come on!" said Soren, "Go, go, go!"

Milo took a hesitant step towards the water, then glanced around at his Build Club. Face setting, he gave a small salute and hopped in as well.

Grinning evilly, Petra and Ivor shoved Maya and Gill into the water, Aiden's face a look of horror behind them. Then, without any hesitation, they jumped in as well.

Gill sent Petra a mock-scowl, which was ruined by his lips twitching, "Wow, thanks."

Petra grinned at him, "No problem."

Everyone looked at each other, then braced themselves and began jumping in as well. A Ghast appeared above the palace, eyes blazing with rage, and spat a fiery ball from its gob. The nervous guy and his friend from before shared a hesitant look, the ball of fire knocking someone behind them to the ground. Then, the woman jumped in, and the guy followed.

"Hey, it's them!" said Maya.

Almost immediatly after getting in, an explosion went off, sending another guy flying into the waterfall.

It switched to show Jesse, grinning as he looked about at all the people following him. He turned to face the incoming edge, the screams beginning anew as some people began to regret their decision.

The current took Jesse over the edge, and he began to scream himself as he went falling once more, down towards the faraway land, where Lukas waited.

"Here we go!" grinned Axel.

Then came Isa, then Milo, and Reginald, clutching Benedict in a death grip. And then came everyone else, falling, screaming, down, down to the land far bellow.

The screen blackened.

"We made it!" cheered Maya, and with that most of the audience burst into cheers, the clap of applause, the joyful oink of a pig and the cluck of a chicken.

Aiden was one of the few not cheering. He was still staring at the darkened screen, that little square loading symbol blinking at the bottom. Slowly, he turned his head, and locked eyes with Jesse.

The boy smiled at him.

After a moment, the once bully returned it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you choose? Throw Aiden over the edge, leave him or take him with you? Let me know in the reviews!


	43. Birth of a New Kingdom

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Five: Order Up!**

**Part Forty-Three: Birth of a New Kingdom**

* * *

Like it has done many times before, the screen flickered, and the black of the loading screen vanished. They're shown the lake from before, Ivor's lava falls still where they had been. Rain continued to fall, and three new waterfalls had been created, right in the centre of the lake. The darkness of the night had dissipated, the sun rising in the early hours of the morning.

For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of rain. Then there was a _splash!_ and Jesse surfaced, wet hair sticking to his forehead. A grin split his face, and he swam towards land.

A smile came upon Isa's lips. She hoped this would be for the better.

It had to be.

Abruptly, a scream that could only be from Reginald broke through the gentle patter of rain. Still grinning, Jesse crawled up onto the grass, as, behind him, Benedict gave a loud, startled cluck and fell into the water.

Jesse stood, wiping his wet hair out of his face, as Benedict began to paddle towards him. Behind her, Reginald's screams drew closer, and he fell into the lake with a mighty _splash!_

Harper stifled a giggle.

Onscreen, Jesse looked over his shoulder, just in time to see both Milo and Isa reach the lake. Reginald resurfaced with a loud gasp, mouth wide open as he took in his surroundings.

 _"You weren't lying,"_ he rasped, as many other citizens reached the lake, beginning to swim towards the ground, " _There's ground... everywhere!"_

"You didn't actually think I was lying, did you?" asked Jesse, raising an eyebrow at the guard. Reginald shrugged.

"In all honesty, I was probably sceptical," he admitted, "Had my Founder not followed you, the chances of me staying behind would have heightened."

Citizens and Build Club members alike stood in shock, taking in the endless ground that they had, for so long, thought nonexistent. In the background, one of the Build Club members hesitantly approached a sheep, jumping back when it baa'd at him.

Reginald climbed onto the dirt in front of Jesse, Milo and Isa following right behind him. Isa let out a breathless laugh, sending Jesse a grateful look.

 _"Jesse,"_ she said, _"I cannot thank you enough,"_ the screen panned over the citizens as they gave exclamations of shock, some still getting out of the water, frowning at trees and hesitantly approaching harmless animals, _"You have saved us all."_

"I didn't really do much, actually," Jesse said, rubbing at the back of his neck, a faint blush tinging his cheeks, "Aiden's the one that threw us over the edge."

"Yes," Isa admitted, "But you stopped Aiden. I wouldn't have gotten back up without you, no doubt. Besides," she smiled, "You're the one that discovered the flint and steel."

 _"So..."_ said Reginald, _"What do we do now?"_

"You should probably start by building a shelter," suggested Stampy, absentmindedly wringing the sleeves of his hoodie, "So, you know, the googlies don't get you."

 _"Everything's just so... different,"_ Reginald continued, _"And... scary..."_

Cassie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Actually," said Olivia, tapping her chin, "They should probably start with getting food. There's a lot of them, after all, and they're most likely starving after all that running and screaming."

 _"But... exciting?"_ Reginald said, hesitantly.

 _"What do you do? You go have fun!"_ Jesse smiled widely, gesturing about to the land around them, _"You guys were cooped up there so long, now you can go do whatever you want."_

"I suppose," Ellegaard hummed, smiling, "But I think the best thing to do would go get some wood."

Reginald grinned at the prospect, a grin that Jesse returned. Then, spotting movement out of the corner of his eye, Jesse turned, just in time to see Aiden, Maya and Gill wadding over to the ground.

Just as they reached it, Aiden came to a stop, eyes widening. Two guards, swords drawn, blocked their path.

 _"Freeze, criminals!"_ one said, _"You're not going_ anywhere. _"_

Real-Maya winced, Gill sending her a sad look. Aiden looked down at his lap, guilt flashing across his face.

Ivor and Petra approached Jesse, grinning at him. From the crowd, looking significantly better from when they left him, came Lukas, _"I knew you'd stop them. Nice work."_

"D'aw, thanks," Jesse said. Lukas rolled his eyes at him, but he was smiling.

Onscreen, Jesse grinned at the blonde. Then Petra spoke up, something akin to smugness crossing her face.

 _"Now, I'm just speculating here,"_ they looked over to where the guards had dragged the Blaze Rods from the water, beginning to force them to their knees, _"But I'm guessing they have some regrets."_

Maya sighed, slumping in her seat, "No kidding."

The real Petra winced, "Sorry, May."

Grinning widely, Petra gave a firm nod, _"Knew they wouldn't get away."_

Jesse shook his head, wincing a little sympathetically, _"Oooh, I bet the Blaze Rods are in for a bad time. These Sky City people are_ not _happy with them."_

"That," said Isa, "Is putting it mildly."

Lukas was grinning a bit evilly, something a bit worrying dancing in his eyes, _"Yeah. Hopefully, they dig a deep hole, bury them in it, surround it with lava and..."_ he cut himself off, realising Jesse, Petra, Reginald, Milo and Isa were gaping at him in shock. Ivor, however, was grinning widely.

A blush crept up the real Lukas' neck, and he ducked his head, awkwardly clearing his throat. Tears had sprung to Maya's eyes, but he wasn't looking at her, Gill nor Aiden, so he didn't notice. Gill sent the girl a concerned look.

Jesse sent the boy sitting next to him a frown, mouth twisting upon realising just how _hurt_ he must have been to say something like that. He reached out, hesitated, then took his hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze. Lukas' eyes widened at the gesture, and he turned to look at the boy, blinking at him. He smiled a small smile and squeezed back.

Hands tied behind their backs, the guards began to lead the Blaze Rods somewhere, probably a better place to keep them while everything was sorted out. They passed the group, and Jesse spoke up.

_"Aiden."_

The guards came to a stop, Aiden avoiding looking at Jesse, _"Oh, uh, hi, Jesse. I, um..."_ Jesse raised an eyebrow at him, Ivor glaring over his shoulder. Aiden glanced up at him, but quickly averted his gaze. _"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry to cause all that trouble."_

The real Jesse blinked, bowing his head to stare at his knees. An odd look crossed his face, then, slowly, he rose his head and looked at Aiden.

"It's not okay, what you did," he stated bluntly, making the once bully hunch in one himself, "But..." he shrugged, trailing off. He turned back to the screen.

"I guess people change."

 _"I can see where it all went wrong..."_ Aiden continued, still staring at his shoes, as Jesse placed his hands on his hips, _"I've, uh... got some regrets, to say the least."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Jesse sighed, _"I'm sorry, too, Aiden. It didn't have to be that way."_

Finally, Aiden raised his head, looking him in the eyes, _"I was just so... jealous. Bitter."_ Jesse, who had been sporting something that was like a glare but not quite, blinked in surprise, eyes widening, _"You had all this cool stuff going on and... and I just wanted a piece."_

As though mirroring his onscreen self, Jesse's own eyes had widened. Olivia and Axel shared a startled look. Lukas seemed unable to look away from the screen, while Petra appeared unable to look at it, instead fiddling with a bit of string on her single black sleeve.

 _"I wanted my time to shine, too,"_ said Aiden, raising his head once more to lock eyes with Jesse. He didn't look like the glaring boy on the cliff anymore, nor the smirking bully that had jumped in front of Jesse during Endercon to insult his pig. He looked sad. Tired. As though he just wanted to lie down and forget everything he's ever done.

 _"I'd say you have a lot to think about,"_ Lukas said, quietly, from where he stood behind Jesse. Aiden winced, almost avoiding looking at him most of all.

 _"Yeah,"_ he said, _"Yeah... that's for sure."_

Jesse was silent for a moment, as though thinking over what to say. Then, he sent the once bully a small smile, _"Try and make a fresh start, okay, Aiden? Do something good for these guys."_

On the couch, Aiden's face became considerate, and he turned his gaze to his hands, although his eyes were glazed in thought. A small smile twitched his lips.

Maybe he could start that early.

 _"Yeah,"_ said Aiden, glancing around at the awe-struck people, _"That sounds like a good idea. Make myself a little house,"_ he looked back at Jesse, a small smile lifting his lips, _"Maybe I'll become a writer."_

Maya blinked, then smiled, "That... that would actually suit you."

Slowly, Aiden's smile fell, and he gave Jesse an almost sad- and yet grateful- look. As though he were breaking free from something that was hurting him, but had trouble giving up. _"I won't be competing with you anymore."_

One of the two guards shoved him forwards, and Aiden walked away. Gone, off to his new life. A new beginning.

Jesse, Ivor and Petra watched him go silently. Then they turned at Reginald's shouts.

_"Attention! A-tten-tion!"_

Milo, who had been smiling for most of the scene, scowled, "Oh, _great_."

Standing slightly higher than the citizens upon a mound of dirt, Isa raised her arms, Jesse and everyone else beginning to make their way towards her, _"Hello? Everyone, please, this is your Founder speaking. Now that we're all safe, we need to organise. Start planning our new community."_

"I've got a bad feeling about that," Petra admitted.

Suddenly, Milo shoved his way to the front, a glare in his eyes, _"Are you listening to yourself? That's insane!"_ He hopped up onto the mound of dirt, standing right next to her and turning to face the crowd, _"We were prisoners long enough on that island in the sky! It is time for us to run free! Build whatever we please!"_

The crowd burst into a static of speech, Jesse looking from Isa to Milo with wide eyes. Petra shook her head beside him, _"Wow. Those two just cannot get along."_

"Reminds me of another two," Gabriel hummed, glancing at Magnus and Ellegaard, who sent him almost identical deadpan looks.

 _"Jesse,"_ said Isa, as the boy stepped forwards to stand in front of the two, _"I simply cannot allow my people to be influenced by this... naive idealist."_

"Now who do you think you're calling 'naive'?" snapped Milo. Isa scowled at him.

"Probably," she said, "The _underground dealer_."

"You make it out as though he'd been selling something bad," said Lukas, "Like... I dunno... monster spawn-eggs or something."

 _"Bah!"_ snapped Milo, _"I sure I do look like a 'naive idealist' through the eyes of an oppressive dictator!"_

"Ooh, burn," Nell mock-winced. Em rolled her eyes at her.

 _"Watch your tongue, mister!"_ said Reginald, sounding angrier than Isa.

 _"Hey, both of you! Fighting isn't going to solve anything!"_ Jesse cut in, sending them looks. Milo and Isa sent him oddly identical glares.

 _"It will if I win!"_ countered Milo.

 _"Oh, of course_ you'd _think that way!"_ Isa growled.

"Well, it's true!" the real Milo proclaimed. Isa huffed, rolling her eyes.

Onscreen, Isa sighed, pressing her fingers to her forehead, _"You don't understand. It'll be night soon, and that's when the monsters come out!"_

The real Milo's eyes widened, face going a few shades paler, "Oh."

"Yes," snapped Isa, " _Oh_ , indeed."

Terrified gasps rippled through the crowd, as Isa continued, _"If we don't prepare, we'll be in danger!"_

Milo, however, sent her another glare, _"You're just making excuses to control our behaviour, just like before! We must trust in ourselves! Be able to learn from our mistakes!"_

"He... has a point," Lizzie admitted, wincing when Isa sent her a glare, but didn't back down, "If you don't learn, if you don't make mistakes, what's the point?"

 _"The people_ need _to build!"_

 _"W-What do we do?"_ asked the nervous guy, who was standing near the front of the crowd to Jesse's left. A Build Club member put her fingers to her forehead, looking from Milo to Isa with wide, conflicted eyes.

_"Who are we supposed to listen to?"_

_"Of course the people can build!"_ Isa said, _"But we need a system! Some rules! Rules aren't bad!"_

"Well, there is that," said Otto, sharing a smile with a relieved Isa. At least _someone_ seemed to agree with her.

Then again, she'd always been closest with Otto.

 _"Well, I think you're both right,"_ Jesse shrugged, taking a small step closer and turning to face the crowd, _"You can't just run around with no plan, but you can't schedule and organise everything, either."_

"That's our Jesse," Axel smiled, "The voice of reason."

Seeing his logic, the people began to cheer, _"People need to be free to try new things,"_ Jesse continued, scratching at his hair with an almost embarrassed smile, _"But you gotta be safe about it."_

Behind him, Milo sighed, _"I suppose I still have much to learn... thank you, Jesse."_

 _"I don't understand yet,"_ Isa admitted, _"But I trust you."_

The real Isa sighed, leaning back in her seat, "Alright," she said, "I suppose... I suppose that is fair."

"Yes," Milo agreed, a tad reluctantly, "Yes, I suppose so."

The two hopped down from their mound of dirt, approaching the boy, Isa smiling sadly, _"Well, Jesse... I suppose the ear of Sky City is over."_

 _"We may disagree about how to run this place,"_ said Milo, _"But I thank you for everything you have done."_

 _"I guarantee that we will be telling your stories about your visit for many, many years to come,"_ Isa said, a faint blush coming to a smiling Jesse's cheeks.

"Without a doubt," Isa agreed with her onscreen self, "Just know that you will always be welcome to visit Sky... well, 'Land City' anytime you like."

Soren made a face, " _Land_ City?"

Isa blanched, "I'll... I'll work on it."

"Indeed," Milo huffed, although a smile tilted his lips.

 _"The day that Sky City was liberated,"_ Milo grinned.

 _"This is a second chance at making a civilisation,"_ said Jesse, _"Don't waste it, okay?"_

Isa shook her head, _"I don't intend to."_

Milo saluted, _"I give my solemn oath."_

"I must admit," Reginald grinned, "I will be looking forwards to when this becomes reality."

Jesse smiled at him, but then it fell, and he looked down at Reuben, nestled happily in his lap. His heart twisted, and he raised his head to look back at the screen, not seeing the curious frown Hadrian sent him.

As Milo and Isa walked away to begin planning, grins so wide their faces looked in danger of splitting, Petra and Lukas, also smiling, moved to stand next to Jesse.

 _"You know something?"_ said Lukas, _"She was a little scary, at first, but... she's alright."_

"Why, thank you," Isa smiled. Her cheeks were starting to hurt, actually.

 _"I'm gonna miss that crazy guy,"_ Petra laughed.

Milo put a hand to his heart, looking touched.

Then, Petra's smile fell, _"I guess we should prepare for nightfall too. Without another portal, we're stuck here."_

"Oh, that's right," Olivia blinked, "He hasn't told them."

 _"It's been a while since I've had to start from square one,"_ Petra continued. Ivor groaned, putting his hands on his hips, looking almost disgusted as he glanced over his shoulder towards the nervous guy, who was punching at a tree.

_"Ugh. Just when I thought my days of punching trees were behind me."_

Gabriel made an odd noise at the back of his throat, amusement shining in his eyes, "You never _did_ like doing things without tools, did you?"

 _"Aw, come on, Ivor,"_ Petra shrugged, _"It could be fun."_

"No," said Ivor, bluntly. Ellegaard stifled a snort. Magnus didn't bother.

 _"That_ would _be the case,"_ Jesse said, _"But, luckily, you had me as your advance scout. When I was on the ground with the Founder before, I totally found the portal!"_

 _"And you didn't_ say _anything?!"_ yelled Ivor.

 _"Yeah,"_ Petra said, sounding just as annoyed as the bearded male, _"I'm actually going to have to agree with Ivor on this one."_

Lukas scratched his neck, "Well, you guys didn't exactly have time to catch up."

 _"Did I not mention it either?"_ asked Lukas, scratching behind his ear, _"'Cause, I could've sworn I said something."_

"You didn't," deadpanned Petra.

 _"No!"_ Ivor exclaimed, _"You didn't!"_

"Now, now, Ivor," said Soren, "No need to get prissy."

Ivor bristled angrily.

Onscreen, Jesse shrugged sheepishly, _"Guess the moment never presented itself? Come on!"_

With that, he led them at a run in the direction of the portal. Only to skid to a stop as Benedict the Eversource tripped, stumbled and fell face first directly in front of them.

Stampy winced, "Aw, poor chicky."

 _"Oh,"_ Jesse smiled, _"Hi."_

 _"Ah,"_ Isa approached them from behind, coming to stand beside Benedict, smiling happily at her, _"There you are. So sorry about her."_

 _"That's okay,"_ said Jesse, _"Looks like she's having fun running around."_

Reuben gave a happy squeal, Benedict making her own version of the sound. From where he was nestled in Cassie's lap, Winslow meowed.

 _"Yes, I think she took it pretty well when I told her she didn't have to be the Eversource anymore,"_ Isa smiled, Benedict pecking at the ground.

Magnus blinked, "It's a chick-"

He made a funny sound as Ellegaard stomped his foot, putting on a pained smile when Isa raised an eyebrow at him.

 _"What are we going to do with you now, huh?"_ asked Isa, still smiling widely as she knelt in front of her chicken, _"What are you going to do now? Besides continue to be adorable, of course. But that was a given."_

"What is it with people loving livestock?" Magnus asked, making sure to keep his voice low so only Ellegaard could hear him. The engineer shrugged.

"Things happen, I guess."

 _"Are you going to set her free?"_ asked Jesse.

Isa shrugged, getting to her feet, _"I tried to, actually, but she kept coming back,"_ her expression melted into something like heart-melting love, one that Jesse recognised. He had seen it on his own face, in his own mirror, after all. _"We've spent so long together, I suppose we sort of need each other now."_

The real Isa smiled, mirroring her onscreen self's face, and clutched her little chicken closer. Benedict gave a happy cluck.

 _"After so long being 'The Founder' and 'The Eversource,' now we can just be 'Isa' and her best friend..."_ she removed the little crown from her chickens head, _"Benedict."_

Ivor rolled his eyes, _"That's a_ boys _name."_

The real Isa sent the real Ivor a scowl, who held up his hands defensively. Magnus coughed into his fist.

Onscreen, Isa sent Ivor a scowl, _"What a closed-minded attitude,"_ she turned to Jesse, scowl melting into a soft smile, _"Jesse? I would be honoured if you take this,"_ Isa handed him the miniature crown, which could have fit around his wrist like a slightly large bracelet, _"As a small token of our gratitude."_

"Oh," said Stacy, "How... nice?"

Hadrian rolled his eyes, sharing a look with Mevia. Otto simply smiled.

Jesse blinked down at the little crown, then smiled at the ex-Founder, _"Thank you."_

Isa returned the smile, then looked down at Benedict, _"Come along, Benedict,"_ they began to walk away, _"We have a lot of adventures ahead of us."_

Isa's smile widened at the prospect, one she shared with Reginald. There was little doubt that he would probably insist on coming with them.

 _"Well, there goes the Eversource,"_ grumbled Ivor, _"Off to cluck and peck at seeds of the rest of its valuable life."_

However, Jesse's gaze wandered from Isa's retreating back, to a group of pigs, snorting and sniffing at the ground. Almost immediately, Jesse's smile fell. One of the pigs turned around, snorting at him, then returned its attention to the grass.

The happiness that had been on Jesse's face for a while now had vanished completely, into an expression that could be associated with heartache. His eyes shone oddly.

"Oh, Jesse..." whispered Olivia. The real Jesse bit his lip, hating how tears sprung to his own eyes, and bowed his head, trying to mask them.

Despite this, some were able to escape, trickling down his cheeks and dripping off his chin, landing on Reuben's head. The little pink pig whined, looking up at his owner worriedly, and Jesse hastily wiped them away.

Over his head, Lukas shared a concerned look with the other three. Then he reached out, wrapping an arm around Jesse's shoulders, who stiffened, then forced himself to relax. Petra shifted closer, putting a hand on his knee and squeezing comfortingly.

Olivia appeared next to her, reaching out and taking one of Jesse's hands in hers. Axel crawled to sit behind them, easily able to see the screen from over their heads, and wrapped his arms around Jesse's middle- and Reuben, since he was in his lap- before resting his chin on top of the shorter boys head.

Jesse's heart twisted, more tears springing to his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He held Reuben closer, leaning into his friend's touches and burying his face into his piggy's head.

It was going to be okay. He was going to change it. He was going to save him.

Even if it meant taking his place.

Onscreen, Lukas noticed Jesse's sudden lack of a smile, _"Jesse? You okay?"_

At that, Petra turned to look at him, a concerned frown crossing her face, _"Jesse?"_

Jesse was silent for a long moment, staring in the direction of the pigs, sniffing about, one digging into the dirt, eyes still shining. A lump was forming in his throat. _"Oh, I just saw those pigs and..."_ weakly, he shrugged, _"Y'know."_

"Oh," Isa muttered, her own heart clenching, "Oh, yes... I... I am sorry."

"You never found out," Reginald said quietly, gently, "It is not your fault."

"I know," Isa took a shaky breath, wiping at her own shiny eyes. She held Benedict closer, and saw, out the corner of her eye, Cassie hugging Winslow, who's tail flicked in annoyance, "I just... I can't bare the thought of losing Benedict."

Reginald smiled grimly, squeezing her shoulder, "I know, ma'am," he said, "I know."

 _"Oh,"_ said Ivor, voice uncharacteristically gentle, _"Yes."_

 _"He would be really happy to know you're still having adventures like this,"_ Petra said.

As though to confirm this, Reuben squealed, burying his face into Jesse's borrowed shirt. A smile tugged at his lips, and he felt Axel's arms tighten around him, so that he was almost in the burly boy's lap.

The four adventurers continued their way to the hole Jesse and Isa had created earlier, beginning to run again after a moment. Jesse appeared up on the edge, pointing offscreen, down into the hole.

 _"See? Just like I told you,"_ the others appeared behind him, the screen switching to show the portal, _"One portal back home."_

"Well," Soren muttered, so low that only Ivor and Gabriel, who were sitting directly next to him, could hear, "Hopefully, anyhow."

Gabriel frowned at him curiously, "What do you mean by that?"

They began jumping down into the hole, Ivor huffing, _"I just can't_ wait _to leave this whole world behind us."_

 _"Aww,"_ Petra mocked, _"Is someone being grumpy?"_

Magnus giggled.

 _"No!"_ Ivor grimaced, _"A little. I was just hoping for a real treasure, is all."_

Petra laughed, Ivor continuing as they neared the portal, _"Livestock's no proper treasure."_

Isa glared at him, "Excuse me?"

_"Although, I wonder what would happen if you put that tiny crown on another chicken."_

"Absolutely nothing," said Harper, "The crowns were only used to tell the difference between Eversource chickens and regular chickens."

Ivor gaped at her, "There's _more_?"

"How do you know this?" Petra asked.

"Uh... hey, look, the portal!"

Jesse sent Ivor a look that clearly said that he didn't think that was how it worked, before approaching the portal, shaking his head, _"Come on, guys. Let's go home."_

He pulled out the enchanted flint and steel, clicking them together. Like before, the portal whizzed to life in a swirl of brilliant blue, although the group, having been expecting it, were able to stay on their feet this time.

They grinned at each other, then began to approach it, Jesse speaking up, _"Wait'll Axel and Olivia hear where we've been,"_ they vanished within the swirling blue, leaving the remaining citizens of the demolished Sky City to build their new kingdom.

Arms still wrapped around Jesse, Axel grinned, "Alright!"

"I must admit," Olivia said, smiling, "I _was_ feeling a little left out there. You've been gone for days. Axel and I are probably worried out of our minds by now."

The screen switched to show Jesse's legs, landing on the ground in a black background, Ivor and Petra appearing behind him as the screen went up to his face, _"They'll never believe... it..."_

He trailed off, eyes widening in shock, _"That's..."_ he raised a hand, scratching at the back of his head, _"Not what I was expecting..."_

Ellegaard blinked, "What?"

The screen zoomed out, further, further, and then there were portals, different colours, different blocks, red, blue, green, white, yellow, the hall so long that the group had turned to little specks.

Then it went black.

A startled silence came upon the audience. Mevia and Hadrian shared a wide-eyed look. Benedict clucked in Isa's lap. Stampy's mouth was forming a near perfect 'o.'

"Well," Axel said, breaking the silence, although he didn't tear his eyes from the screen. He cleared his throat a little, scratching the back of his head.

"So much for getting me and Olivia."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you agree with Milo, Isa or both? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Well, there you have it! The end of episode five! Wow, I wrote this all in one day, I was so excited to move on XXD
> 
> Also, anyone get the Hybrid reference? Aiden staring at Jesse as though he'd grown extra arms? Haha, man, I love that story. It's influencing my ideas.
> 
> Order Up has officially been the longest episode so far, with *counts chapters* sixteen chapters! Eleven without Release and the break, but it's still the longest. The shortest would be Assembly Required, with four chapters.


	44. Forgive Me (Forgive Me Not)

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Forty-Four: Forgive Me (Forgive Me Not)**

* * *

They trickled slowly out of the room. Sparklez, Lizzie, Stacy, Dan and Stampy were some of the first to leave, and Cassie wasn't far behind them. Then Aiden left, Maya and Gill sharing a look before going after him. The Order was next, splitting up to probably do their own sperate things, and then the Gladiators, Em, Nell and Harper. They were followed shortly after by Milo, then Isa and Reginald.

Jesse and his friends were still sitting on the floor, chatting quietly. Hadrian remained in his seat as well, absentmindedly stroking his beard, staring at the dark screen with a considering frown on his brow. Otto and Mevia shared look, but said nothing.

Finally, Axel got to his feet, followed by Olivia and Lukas. They began to make their way to the doors and were followed, after a brief exchange of words, by Petra and Jesse. Hadrian seemed to snap out of his thoughts at their movement, and watched them go until they were out of sight.

They sat there in the empty room for a long moment. Then, abruptly, Hadrian got to his feet, causing both Mevia and Otto to jump. He marched out into the hall, the other two scrambling to catch up.

Otto sped up a little to walk beside him, "Hadrian?" he said, "What are you doing?"

Hadrian shook his head, glancing over at his dark skinned friend, before redirecting his attention forwards. They were marching towards the kitchen. "Something... important," he said, after a moment.

They opened the doors to find Jesse and Petra at the stove, Reuben sitting at Jesse's feet, chatting away about something they weren't all that interested in. Otto thought he heard the mention of a treehouse.

"Hey, sport," said Hadrian, drawing their attention to him, "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Jesse and Petra blinked at him, the boy in the process of adding some mushrooms to a pot bubbling on the stove. Slowly, they looked at each other, Petra raising a dark red eyebrow at him.

"Uh... sure?" said Jesse. He stood there for another moment, then seemed to realise he wanted to talk _outside_. He sat the mushrooms on the counter, shared one last confused look with Petra, then followed Hadrian outside. The door closed behind them, Reuben raising his head from where he'd been half asleep and whining in confusion.

Setting a stack of wooden bowls on the counter, Petra turned to Otto and Mevia, "What was that about?"

"I have no idea," Otto admitted, concern flashing across his face. Petra must have spotted this, because her frown returned, and she cast a wary look towards the doors.

"If they're not back in five minutes," she said, turning back to cooking lunch, "I'm going after them."

Otto and Mevia looked at each other. The woman rolled her eyes, seating herself at the table, not even considering trying to help prepare lunch. Otto looked at the doors, and decided that going after them in five minutes wasn't a bad idea.

* * *

Jesse followed the white haired man down the hall. He was led around the corner, then into the little entrance hallway, where the front doors were. Hadrian turned to look at him, smiling and placing a hand on his hip.

"Well, sport," he said, sounding almost like a proud father after their son had just made a home run, "That was quite impressive what you did in that there episode. I'm rather surprised you didn't send that boy over the edge."

Jesse blinked at him slowly, taken aback. He glanced to the side, where a potted yellow flower sat in the corner, then back at Hadrian, "Uh... thanks?"

"Out of curiosity," Hadrian continued, "Your name is Jesse, yes?"

The boy frowned, "Yeah?"

"Is that a nickname?"

Once more, he blinked. He'd never been asked _that_ before.

"Well... yeah, it is," he admitted, a bit reluctantly. He didn't like people knowing his real name. Only _they_ had ever called him it. Besides, he liked Jesse better.

"What's your real name then?" asked Hadrian, pleasantly, "Jenson? Josiah? Is it James? I knew a farmer called James once. He threatened me with a hoe at _least_ twice."

Jesse hesitated, wondering if it would be rude of him to refuse to tell him. His reluctance must have shown on his face, for Hadrian's smile turned amused.

"Aw, it can't be _that_ bad," he said, "I mean, take Slab for example. Who calls their child _Slab?_ And Facemeat. _Facemeat!_ Surely it can't be as bad as that?"

"I thought those were just nicknames or something," said Jesse. Hadrian waved him off.

"Eh, possibly, I don't actually know. But Facemeat is still quite the _terrific_ name, isn't it?"

Jesse couldn't help but crack a small smile, fiddling with one of his green suspenders. He bit his lip, chewing on it. He'd only ever told Axel and Olivia his name, although it wasn't like he'd been _trying_ to keep his real name secret. People just assumed that Jesse was his birth name, and never asked.

Finally, he sighed, "It's... it's Jason."

Hadrian raised an eyebrow, "Jason?"

Jesse nodded, "Yeah."

"Huh," a pause, as though committing this to memory, "Well, it's a lot better than Facemeat, I'll give you that. Not as good as Hadrian though," he laughed at his own joke, almost doubling over, clutching his stomach. Jesse gave a small, slightly forced smile.

After a moment, Hadrian regained himself, straightening and wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, "I've just got one more question."

Jesse raised an eyebrow, fiddling with his suspenders again, "Yeah?"

"Say you were in a village," said Hadrian, "Not any particular village, just a village. And say the people in this village didn't exactly want to be there," he adjusted his purple coat, smoothing out wrinkles that weren't there, "But they couldn't leave. However," he raised his index finger, " _You_ can leave without any trouble."

"Oh... kay?" said Jesse, slowly.

"Now, here's the real question, Jason," the boy winced at the sound of his real name, but Hadrian didn't seem to notice, "Here's what I want you to answer. Would you leave? Never returned to the village? Go on with your life and complete forget its existence?" he took a small step forward here, and Jesse had to stop himself from taking a step back, "Would you try to save the people, even if it meant risking your life? Or would you just leave?"

Jesse was silent for a moment, brain struggling to register the question, "I... uh... I guess I'd try to save them."

Hadrian raised a white eyebrow, "Save them? You're sure? Even if it means death?"

Slowly, after a brief moment of hesitation, Jesse nodded, "Yeah."

"Huh," Hadrian leant back on his heels, regarding Jesse with a look on his face he couldn't decipher, "Alright then."

He stood there for a moment, before smiling again and tipping his head in Jesse's direction, "See you at dinner, Jason."

With that, he turned and strolled out of the entrance hall, leaving Jesse to stare after him with a frown. Once he had vanished, he realised he was still fiddling with his suspenders, and forced his hand to drop to his side.

He frowned at the floor for a moment. Then, shaking his head, he began to walk back to the kitchen.

* * *

Aiden sat on the window seat in the library, looking out over the trees and flowers that made up the mansion's garden. He had never been one to read books- his father had always insisted it was a girls thing and never let him read any, so he supposed the habit had simply stuck- but he quite liked the library. It was quiet. Peaceful. It helped him think.

He knew that Maya and Gill had gone looking for them; he had heard them calling for him in the hall. But he didn't want to face them. Not yet. Not after everything he's done.

Well, after everything he'll do.

The door opened, tearing Aiden from his thoughts. He hastily wiped at his eyes, blinking rapidly, and turned to see who it was. He'd almost been expecting Maya or Gill, maybe even Lukas, but to his surprise it was none of them.

Cassie flashed him a smile, one he didn't return. She seemed unphased by this, her cat- William or something, he couldn't really remember and, at the moment, didn't really care- jumping up onto one of the tables and liking his paws.

"Hey, Aiden," she said, still smiling. He didn't return the greeting. He dropped his gaze to the floor, then looked back out the window.

"What do you want?"

The floor boards creaked as Cassie approached further, "I just wanted to give you something."

Out the corner of his eye, Aiden saw the glint of diamond, the gleam of an enchanted axe. His head snapped around- and a black leather jacket was thrust under his nose.

Dumbly, he blinked at it. After a moment, Cassie put the jacket closer, so that his chin had to be pressed against his chest so he could see it. He hesitated, eyes wide with shock, then took the jacket from her hands.

It was his Ocelots jacket, the very same one he'd torn in half sometime near the beginning of episode five. When had it been? After they had arrived in Sky City? He couldn't really remember. It felt like years ago.

His attention was returned to the jacket when he realised that it was no longer torn. He fingered the stitching through the ocelot on the back, so perfectly done that it must have taken _hours_ of concentration. Eyes wide, Aiden raised his head to find Cassie smiling proudly.

"I, uh, fixed it up," she explained, "How'd I do?"

"I... brilliant," he said, stunned, "This... is really... really brilliant."

Cassie's smile widened at that, and she threw her arms around her back, like a child that was showing off a drawing to a parent, "Thanks. Took me ages."

"How did you find time to do this?" Aiden asked, running a finger over the perfect stitching. Cassie shrugged.

"No one ever found me during Release, and I never found anyone either."

He blinked at her. Then a smile came upon his face. "I... thank you."

A silence descended upon them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. William- no his name was Winslow, he remembered now- had started licking his shoulder from where he remained perched on the table.

"So," said Cassie, breaking the silence into a thousand little shards that clattered quietly onto the floor of the library, "He didn't throw you over the edge."

Aiden stiffed, hands tightened unconsciously around the newly repaired jacket, "Uh... yeah. He didn't."

Casie leant forwards, ducking slightly so that her eyes met Aiden's downcast ones, "And... you weren't expecting that?"

He swallowed, throat tightened, "No."

"Did you... expect to come out alive?"

A lump was forming in Aiden's throat. He forced himself to speak past it, voice coming out slightly strangled. "No."

"Huh," she straightened, a considering frown on her face. She was pretty, he noticed, not for the first time. Very pretty. In a geeky sort of way.

Finally, she turned her attention back to him, "So... what _were_ you expecting, exactly?"

"To be thrown over," Aiden said, bluntly, face almost blank. He gave a small shrug. "Or just... stabbed."

Cassie blinked, "Why?"

"Because I _deserve_ it," he snapped, anger rising in his voice. His blank expression turned into an angry glare, making him look terribly like his onscreen self had, standing on the edge of the world in the pouring rain. "I _deserve_ it, and Jesse should have just run me through then and there!"

Cassie's eyes were wide, but she didn't look all that taken aback. Aiden shot to his feet, abandoning the jacket on the window seat, ignoring the tears that burned in his eyes.

"I _deserve_ it," he repeated, quiet this time, "But for some reason, he didn't think I did."

The silence returned, thicker than before. Aiden sat back down and stared at his shoes. Winslow had stopped bathing himself and was watching them curiously, giving a soft meow. Cassie glanced at him, then back at Aiden.

"Well..." she said, after a long moment, "At least you know you did something wrong."

Aiden shook his head, getting to his feet again. He looked at Cassie for a moment, then back down at the jacket, before tentatively picking it up, as though afraid to tear it again. He took a shaky breath, as though to steel himself.

"Thanks for fixing my jacket," he said, not looking at her, "I, uh... I need some fresh air."

Cassie watched him go silently. The door closed softly behind him, his retreating footsteps echoing through the hall. Then they, too, were gone.

She looked down at Winslow. Her lips twitched.

"I am such a hypocrite, aren't I?"

* * *

Jesse had barely exited the entrance hall when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He straightened, almost expecting it to be a wispy black person running towards him, but, to his relief, this was not the case.

Aiden froze at the bottom of the stairs upon noticing him, his Ocelots jacket strewn over his arm like a fancy waiter with a napkin. They stood stock-still, like a dog having spotted a cat, staring at each other.

Slowly, Jesse forced himself to relax, licking his lips, "Uh... hey, Aiden."

Aiden seemed to at least try to force himself to relax as well, but it didn't really work, "H-Hi, Jesse..."

An awkward silence came upon them. After a moment, Jesse cleared his throat.

"So, uh... where are you going?"

"Outside," Aiden answered, looking as though he would like nothing more than to just bolt back up the stairs, "I, er, wanted some... some fresh air."

"Oh," said Jesse. He couldn't think of what else to say.

To his surprise, Aiden was the one that spoke before the silence could take over completely, "I... I just wanted to say thank you," he avoided looking at him now, much like he had done in the episode, "For... for not... you know..."

"It's fine," said Jesse, "I... it's fine."

Aiden took a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly. Finally, he raised his head and looked Jesse in the eyes, "I... want to change," he declared, causing the other boy's eyes to widen in surprise, "I don't... I don't _want_... I don't _want_ what I _saw._ "

He took another shaky breath, casting his eyes to the floor, "I don't _like_ what I've seen. I-I don't... I don't want to be _him_ anymore. I don't want to be the _bully_ ," he forced himself to raise his head again, oddly shiny eyes locking with Jesse's wide eyes, "Not... not anymore."

Jesse was silent for a long moment. So long that Aiden was starting to wonder if he was even going to answer, when he stepped forwards.

The once bully took an automatic step back, but forced himself to stay in place. After a moment, Jesse took another step, then another, until he was standing right in front of Aiden, looking him dead in the eyes.

"I'll never forgive you," he said, a matter of factly, "I'll never forgive you if you hurt my friends. Never again," abruptly, his hard eyes softened, "But... I'll give you a second chance."

Tears pooled in Aiden's eyes, and he launched himself at Jesse, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug and burying his face into his shoulder. Jesse stumbled, surprised, but returned the hug almost immediately, ignoring the drops of liquid he could feel on his shirt.

"I'm sorry," Aiden sobbed, breath hitching, "I'm _so sorry_."

Jesse held him tighter, "It's... it's alright... you're alright."

The once bullies breath hitched again, shoulders shaking. Jesse swallowed.

"I'm sorry for hitting you," he said. Aiden shook his head, but didn't say anything.

They stood like that for a while, two once enemies, crossing over into something that might, someday, be considered friendship. Aiden pulled away from Jesse, wiping at his puffy eyes. Jesse sent him a soft smile, one that he returned.

"Come on," he said, beginning to head back in the direction of the kitchen, "Let's go have some tea."

* * *

Aiden helped make dinner that night. Axel, Olivia, Maya and Gill's looks of shock were almost comical, when they came in for dinner to find him chatting away with Jesse about _books,_ of all things. The mocha-haired boy was almost horrified to discover Aiden had been raised under the impression that books were only for girls, and the only reason he had learned to read at all was for signs and letters.

Lukas sat on Jesse's other side, looking just as shocked as everyone else. Despite this, he would add something to the conversation every now and then, but seemed more than happy to just listen.

Isa and Milo were actually talking about how they were going to run the new kingdom- _civilly_. Reginald, who was sitting next to Isa, was looking from Milo to the Founder with his mouth wide open, as though he didn't even recognise them.

"But there has to be _some_ restrictions," Isa was saying, "We can't just have people running about destroying each others builds or creating potentially dangerous ones," her eyes darted over to Ivor, "Like a certain... lava skull."

"That build was _magnificent,_ " Milo said, but he didn't disagree, "However, you are probably right. A wall would be of use as well, to keep out monsters."

"And the city must be well light, so none of them spawn inside the walls," Isa agreed, with a single nod. Reginald looked as though he were about to pass out.

"What will we be calling the city, anyhow?" asked Milo, " _New_ Sky City is out of the question, considering we are no longer in the sky, and _Land_ City is simply ridiculous."

"How about 'Fallen'?" suggested Maya, swallowing a spoonful of mushroom stew, "Or maybe spelt different, like Fallin or Fallon, with an 'i' or an 'o' instead of an 'e.'"

Isa hummed, "That could be... considered."

"It is creative," Milo smiled.

Reginald slumped in his seat, eyes rolling into the back of his head. Milo and Isa blinked at him.

Dinner was soon finished, and most of the mansion's guests wished each other goodnight as they headed off to bed. Jesse spotted Ivor making his way down into the basement, and Magnus, Ellegaard, Gabriel, Soren, Harper, Isa and Otto were chatting at the table with drinks. He was pretty sure he saw Hadrian and Mevia head towards the living slash watching room as well.

He said goodnight to his friends, Aiden, Maya and Gill among them, before making his way to his own room, Reuben trailing behind him, his pink eyelids drooping sleepily.

Jesse removed his shoes and suspenders, moved the banners in front of the windows so the light didn't peek in, then crawled into bed, relishing in how the cool bedding felt against his skin. Reuben hopped up next to him, circled a few times, then settled down in a little ball, pressed against his naval.

He lay there in the semi-darkness for a while. Reuben soon began to snore quietly. He wrapped an arm around his little pig, holding him closer, and closed his eyes.

It was going to be okay.

He was going to make it okay.

* * *

For the first time in a while, Jesse was able to get a decent amount of sleep, excluding when he cried himself to sleep on Lukas after watching him fall over the edge. He would have probably slept on until lunch time, had he not been awoken by a persistent jab to his ribs.

He tried to swat the person away, but this only caused them to giggle and jab him harder. Scowling, he blinked open crusty eyes, meeting the smirking face of Petra.

"Morning, Jesse," she grinned, "Time to get up."

He blinked at her, then groaned, rolling onto his other side. Reuben sleepily poked his head up from where he'd still been curled into a ball, nose twitching and eyes bleary.

"Come on, Jesse," another jab, to his back this time, "We're having breakfast, then we're getting started on that treehouse!"

Attention captured, Jesse twisted, a confused frown on his face, "What?"

Petra rolled her eyes, "You know, the treehouse? Onscreen-Olivia mentioned how fun it was spending the night together in that dirt hut- I think it was in Soren's library? Well, _a_ library, anyway- and we decided to build a treehouse. We were talking about it while making dinner last night."

Jesse blinked, "Oh, yeah. I completely forgot about that."

She shoved him lightly in the shoulder, "Get your clothes on, we're meeting in the kitchen. I think there are some axes we can use in the armoury."

With that, Petra left. Jesse lay in bed for another moment, before sighing and crawling out, grabbing his discarded shoes and pulling them on his feet. His pants sagged on his hips, but he was quick to fix that with his borrowed suspenders.

He found Petra, Axel, Olivia, Lukas, Maya and Gill already in the kitchen, munching away at some cereal. The Order, Isa and Otto were already there as well, talking about what game they were going to play next. Well, more like Magnus and Ellegaard trying to pry information out of a stubborn- yet grinning in amusement- Otto.

Aiden came in next, his Ocelots jacket returned to its rightful place. He hesitated in the doorway, seeming unsure where to sit, before slowly making his way towards the others when Jesse waved him over.

"Morning, Aiden," Maya yawned, stretching an arm over her head, "Want some cereal?"

"Uh... yes," then, as an afterthought, "Please."

Maya nodded, something like joy glinting in her eyes. She got up and opened one of the chests, starting to prepare the breakfast.

"So," said Gabriel, cutting off Magnus' and Ellegaard's attempts at finding out what Otto had planned, "Why are you all up so early?"

"We're going to build a treehouse in the garden," Olivia explained, "We were talking about it sometime during episode four- at least, I'm pretty sure it was episode four- but we forgot about it when everyone else arrived."

"Oh, yes," Soren said, "I remember that. It was while we were searching for that enchantment in the Far Lands."

Isa raised a curious eyebrow at him, "The 'Far Lands'?"

Soren waved her away, "It's... I'll explain later."

"Do you... want to join us, Aiden?" asked Petra, after a moment's hesitation, "You're good at building, aren't you?"

Aiden's eyes had grown to the size of saucers. At the counter, Maya paused in pouring the milk into the bowl, as though listening for his answer.

"I... uh..." Aiden's eyes darted to Jesse, then Lukas, neither who seemed all that bothered with the idea, "Sh... sure?"

Gill smiled, "Great." Behind him, Maya finished Aiden's cereal, a little bounce in her step as she brought it over to him.

"So, I was thinking," said Lukas, spooning some more of his own cereal, Maya returning to her seat, "We could cut down some trees and give it oak walls, but birch floors. And we'll have to add more to the actual tree so it better supports it."

"How many rooms are we making, though?" asked Petra, "Just the one?"

"Well, our treehouse only had the one room," Axel said, "We thought about making another one, but it would put too much pressure on the trunk and could topple over or something."

Olivia nodded, "Yeah. Whenever we expanded, we had to expand the tree as well, so we didn't do it often. But we had a ladder to the roof."

"Okay, so one room," said Maya, "What about furniture?"

Gill brushed her off, "We can think about that once the actual house is finished."

"We will call you in when we're starting the new episode," said Soren. He leant forwards. "Also, you can get some stairs and put them up on the inside of the ceiling to make it look smoother."

They finished their breakfast, said bye to Otto, Isa and the Order, and made their way out into the garden. On the porch, Petra pulled out some axes- diamond, gold and iron- and handed them out. Jesse got a gold one, and he stared at it for a moment, it's sharp edge gleaming in the light of the frozen sun. It was one thing to watch his future self use such tools, but it was another to use them in the present.

Together, looking about at each other almost as though they weren't sure if this was actually happening or not, they walked down the front steps of the mansion and out onto the stone brick path that wound its way around and through the massive garden, passing the fountain before leaving the path entirely, out into the woods of a garden.

They walked for a while, Reuben stopping every now and then to sniff at some flowers or roll in some long grass, trying to find a good place to start building. When they reached the lake, Jesse grinned, jogging ahead and coming to a stop in a small space that was clear of trees right next to it.

"How about here?" he suggested.

"Well," hummed Olivia, "There's enough room to make a big tree..."

"And being close to a lake could come in handy," pointed out Lukas.

"It's not too far from the mansion, either," said Maya, placing a hand on her hip as she surveyed the mansion, which they could see even over the trees, "So it won't take long to get to and from it."

"We can cut down some of the surrounding trees," Aiden said, gaining slightly surprised looks. He had hardly talked since agreeing to help them build the treehouse. "You know... make some more room."

Jesse blinked at him, then smiled, "Good idea."

Aiden's cheeks tinted pink, and he gave a slightly crooked smile back. Petra clapped her hands together.

"Alright," she said, "Let's get chopping."

They spread out, starting to chop up the trees. At the back of his brain, Jesse hoped the black hands wouldn't mind too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh. Well, this break turned out a lot shorter than I was expecting. More of a filler, really. But yay! Aiden's redemption has begun!
> 
> Next chapter, we'll be starting episode six! There'll probably be one or two chapters, then another break, and it's then that I'll be pulling a little... Ariza Luca. Actually, now that I think about it, I'll be doing a few more Ariza Luca's throughout the next few episodes.
> 
> Also, another Hybrid reference! Wow, two chapters in a row.
> 
> Jesse's real name isn't, of course, Jason, and I don't even know if his name is actually a nickname. But what the hell, it's fanfiction, I do what I want. Besides, I like the idea of Hadrian using their birth names, even if they don't go by it. It makes him seem... less friendly, I suppose. I dunno.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter! We're finally getting around to building that treehouse ::) I had actually forgotten about it.


	45. Race to the Twin Moons Mansion

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Forty-Five: Race to the Twin Moons Mansion**

* * *

She watched them.

Through eye holes in portraits of monsters, through tiny cracks in the wooden walls, she watched them. The passageways were dark, but she had begun to light them with torches crafted while they were asleep. The stock of coal and sticks and practically every other material in the mansion seemed almost limitless, and they had yet to notice things going missing in the night.

Not that she could call it night, mind.

Shaking her head, she leant against the wall of the passageway, pulling out the apple she had snatched from the kitchen before anyone had awoken. She took a bite, juice slipping past her lips and trailing down her chin.

She wiped her mouth and peeked through the eyeholes of the sheep painting, into the living room- or, as they had taken to calling it, the watching room. She swallowed. Took another bite. They should be starting the episode soon.

Shifting, she moved in front of the painting to get a better view. She raised her hand and rasped scared knuckles against the back of the portrait.

_Tap, tap, tap._

It wasn't hard enough to break the painting. It hardly shifted, hardly moved. A smile tilted her lips. She took another bite of her apple.

Scared knuckles on wooden frame.

_Tap, tap, tap._

* * *

First, they started with the actual tree. They made it a plain oak, since it would look nicer than birch and there didn't seem to be any other kind of trees around. Olivia and Gill did most of that.

Second, they made ladders. Petra was the one to do this, after joking that it was the only thing she'll probably be able to do without sucking at. The trunk was, of course, taller than most of the other trees, a good twelve or so blocks. Upon reaching the top, Petra had sat down and waved to Dan and Stampy, who she could see through one of the windows.

Third, they built the floor. It wasn't exactly the _floor_ floor, but more of the first layer, something that the Ocelots insisted on doing. They said it would look stupid with oak walls and a birch bottom, so planned to make the first layer out of oak, then build the actual floor on top.

Since there were so many of them, they were already getting a start of the walls when Em appeared.

"Hey!" she shouted up to them, "Get your butts down here, we're starting the episode!"

Jesse poked his head over the edge of the treehouse from where he was building his section of the wall, "Coming!"

One by one, they climbed down, Em tapping her foot impatiently. They threw all their stuff into a chest that Maya had put at the base of the tree, so they didn't have to carry it around, and Jesse took a moment to step back and survey their work with a grin.

Even now, it was obvious that the treehouse was going to be bigger than the one he, Olivia and Axel called home. It had to be, really, to fit all- he did a quick mental count- eight of them. Nine if you counted Reuben.

"Hurry up," snapped Em, shoving Jesse in the direction of the mansion. Jesse stumbled, surprised at her sudden show of violence. He wondered what had got her into such a sour mood.

"Hey!" said Axel, glaring at her, "Keep your hands to yourself."

Em scoffed, rolling her eyes, but said nothing. She began to stomp towards the mansion, leaving them to share confused looks with each other.

"Wow," said Petra, raising an eyebrow at the girls retreating back, "Someone's moody."

"She seemed alright, before," Maya frowned, "I mean, I haven't really talked to her, but she was never that bad during the episodes."

"You okay, Jesse?" asked Lukas, sending his friend a concerned frown. Jesse shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just go watch the episode."

Aiden opened his mouth, as though to say something, but then seemed to decide against it. He closed his mouth, glanced back at the partly finished treehouse, and then silently followed them back to the mansion.

* * *

Everyone else was up and had breakfast, and the mismatched group were the last to arrive. Jesse, Lukas, Axel, Petra, Olivia and Reuben claimed their spot on the floor, the little pig crawling into Jesse's lap and Axel, for a reason the boy wasn't sure of, sat almost directly behind him. Aiden and Gill returned to their usual seats, and Maya, much to Aiden's surprise, sat between them. Like they had before.

Jesse looked up at the screen, cocking his head to the side as he studied the image on it with a curious frown. It was of him, hesitantly beginning to go through a yellow portal, with a frowning Petra behind him and Lukas hiding behind her, eyes wide and terrifed as he regarded the portal. Jesse wondered what had provoked that reaction.

Like many of the other title screens, it wasn't very comforting.

Gabriel reached for the remote, only to discover, to his surprise, it was gone from its usual place on the Order's couch. Blinking, he looked around, brow furrowed in confusion, just in time to see Hadrian jab it at the screen and press the play button.

Abruptly, Jesse's voice filled the room, making some of the new watchers jump, _"Previously, on Minecraft: Story Mode."_

Ivor is shown, pale face illuminated by the light of the enchanted flint and steel, _"That glow... that enchantment is the work of a very old group of builders, a group so old they existed before the Order of the Stone."_

At the mention of this scene, Hadrian, Mevia and Otto shared a look.

Jesse shared a wide-eyed look with Lukas and Petra, before the screen faded, and they were replaced with another scene, a close-up of the flint and steel in Jesse's hands. He clicked them together, and the blast sent him, Ivor, Lukas and Petra flying onto their backs. The flint and steel rolled, clattering on the ground.

It changed to show Jesse, Ivor and Petra able to be seen behind him, his face a look of weariness. He rubbed at his hair, hesitantly beginning to lead the way further down the hall, the screen zooming out, once more revealing the thousands of different colour portals, until the group were little specks in the distance. It went black.

Lukas raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with Petra over Jesse's head. The tomboy shrugged.

After a brief moment, the blackness melted away to show them a dark swamp. A herd of bats fluttered passed the shining moon, a single zombie stumbling along in the distance.

"Well, that place looks relatively normal," said Ellegaard, "Then again, the only thing that made Sky City stand out is the fact that the people didn't know about the land bellow them."

"Yes," said Isa, "But this place looks rather..."

"Creepy?" suggested Gill.

"Spooky?" said Stampy.

Isa nodded, "Yes, yes, both of those."

It panned down, revealing a graveyard.

"Oh, great," groaned Dan, "It just got a hell of a lot spookier."

The screen zoomed in on a bat, hanging upside from where it was perched on an archway in the graveyard. It squeaked, wiggled, then took flight. It had only been flying for a few seconds, however, when Jesse appeared literally out of thin air and fell right into it, screaming, quickly followed by Petra, Lukas and Ivor.

"Oh my god!" gasped Stacy, putting a hand over her heart, "They came out of _nowhere!_ "

"The baaaaaaat," groaned Sparklez, wincing sympathetically.

The screen shook as they painfully landed on the ground. Slowly, one by one, they got up, groaning and rubbing at newly formed bruises. Then Jesse appeared, right in front of them, with a bat stuck to his face.

Olivia let out a high pitched giggle at the sight, trying- and failing- to hide her wide grin behind her hands. Magnus snorted loudly, Soren, Gabriel and Ellegaard sharing an amused grin.

The real Jesse grinned sheepishly, Petra's face looking in danger of splitting and Lukas attempting to stop himself from smiling. Axel patting his shorter friend on the back.

The bat squeaked, dazed, then once more took flight as Jesse shook his head and brushed it off. His eyes widened as he finally took in their surroundings, the screen zooming out to show the small group in the middle of the graveyard, no one else in sight.

 _"Alright, guys,"_ said Jesse, taking a few steps forward, _"I'm seeing grass, forest, lots of ground in all directions. All good signs so far."_

Before he could continue, Ivor came up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, clearing his throat and pointing to the sky. Blinking, Jesse turned to see what he was pointing at, revealing twin, brightly glowing moons in the night sky.

"Oh," Maya blinked, "Yeah, that's not our world."

"You guy's don't have two moons?" asked Lizzie. Lukas shook his head.

"No, we only have one," he raised an eyebrow at her, "I take it this is your world, then?"

"Must be," hummed Dan.

 _"Aha..."_ said Jesse, slowly, he and the others frowning up at the twin moons.

 _"Verdict says? Definitely not our world,"_ Petra declared. She turned around, abruptly grinning, _"You owe me two iron, Lukas."_

"You _bet_ on it?" gasped Olivia. Maya shrugged.

"Well, there's no point in not having a little fun with it."

"Besides," Petra grinned, "I get two iron."

Onscreen, the redhead crossed her arms, _"Pay up."_

 _"Okay,"_ groaned Lukas, reaching into his pocket, _"Okay, okay. Here."_ He pulled out the iron and handed it to Petra, who cackled joyfully as she took it. Ivor rolled his eyes at them.

_"Told you it was a dumb bet."_

Lukas sent him a look, _"Oh, who asked you?"_

"Somebody's grumpy," stage-whispered Axel, earning a half-hearted shove from the blonde, but it was ruined by his own grin.

 _"Aw, come on, can't you hear it?"_ asked Jesse, smiling widely.

Axel blinked, "The bats?"

Petra raised an eyebrow at him, shrugging one shoulder, _"Uh... spooky forest?"_

 _"It's the sound of a new adventure!"_ Jesse said, _"I bet this place is going to be awesome."_

"I suppose that's an optimistic way to look at it," said Gabriel, smiling.

Lukas sighed, scratching at his ear, _"I hope you're right. I'm just... ugh..."_ he leant against a headstone, a sad look on his face, _"I was just worried about Axel and Olivia."_

The two mentioned blinked, startled.

"Us?" said Olivia, " _You're_ the ones that are lost in a completely different world."

 _"What? Why?"_ asked Petra, she and Jesse stepping closer to Lukas.

"Well," said Lukas, his back to them, _"If they followed us back to that Old Builder temple and went through the portal..."_

He trailed off. Ivor seemed to realise what he was getting at.

 _"They would arrive in Sky City,"_ he said, _"To find it overflowing with monsters."_

Some of the audience paled.

"Oh," muttered Axel, "That... that would be bad."

Lukas looked over his shoulder at him, then turned his gaze to the dirt, _"Yeah."_

 _"At least we already built them the bridge?"_ Petra suggested, a bit weakly.

 _"That,"_ said Ivor, _"Is more than we started."_

"No kidding," muttered Ellegaard.

 _"Okay,"_ said Jesse, turning around and walking further into the graveyard, _"So maybe they did. But they can handle themselves, no problem."_

"Aw," Axel said, smiling, "Thanks, Jesse."

"I'm very assured now," Olivia smiled, showing that she meant no harm by the statement.

Jesse stopped in his tracks, _"They'll find the next portal, just like we did... and hopefully we'll all be back together again soon."_

Lukas, almost hugging himself, shared a smile with Petra at the prospect.

Olivia and Axel shared a smile, chests warming. It was good to know that they'll at least be missed.

 _"Well, I for one vote that we_ _not be so hasty to get out of here,"_ Ivor said, marching forwards to get a better look at the landscape around them, setting his hands on his hips and grinning, _"Who knows what sorts of treasures this new world could hold?"_

Cassie's eyes widened behind her glasses. Treasures. They were in the same world she was trapped in.

They had a key.

A bat fluttered into the sky, Ivor's eyes trailing after it, " _Besides,"_ he continued, as Jesse, Petra and Lukas turned around to have another look at their surroundings, probably wondering where they should start, _"Unless the next portal is disguised as a tombstone,"_ Jesse spotted something, eyes widening curiously as he stepped forwards, the screen switching around to show further into the graveyard, where something floating on some sort of pedestal, _"I'm not seeing it anywhere near here."_

"Wait, what's that?" asked Soren.

"It looks like a book," said Gabriel.

Cassie's heart thumped with excitement, eyes glittering behind her glasses. She began to pet Winslow, who purred and leant into her touch, her fingers almost trembling in her joy.

It was happening. _It was happening._

The screen briefly zoomed in on the pedestal, what appeared to be some kind of book floating on it. Jesse blinked, frowning, then looked over his shoulder at his friends, _"Do I see some sort of... shape over there?"_

Petra and Lukas walked over to him, frowning as they spotted what he was talking about. Ivor followed, a hand to his chin.

 _"Yeah,"_ said Petra, _"What is that?"_

"Looks like a book," said Magnus. Gabriel sent him a deadpanned look.

"I already said that."

Jesse grinned at Ivor, Petra and Lukas already starting to make their way towards it, _"Let's find out."_

The screen gave them a slightly odd angle, showing off their backs from the ground as they walked towards the object. Petra and Ivor stopped a little bit in front of it, Jesse frowning curiously as he approached. It was, without a doubt, a book.

"What's a book doing out in the middle of nowhere?" asked Isa.

"This is quite the mystery, isn't it, Hadrian?" said Mevia, sounding almost like a sports announcer. Hadrian nodded in agreement, putting on the same voice.

"It is indeed, Mevia. Let us see what is says."

Almost as though he'd heard him, Jesse reached out and took the book in hand, his friends gathering around him, _"It says 'Invitation.' And then, 'read immediately, your life depends on it,''"_ his eyes widened, voice turning to shock.

"Ooooooh, I do not like that," said Maya.

"How nice, they gave us a warning," Petra said. No one was sure if she was being sarcastic or not.

Jesse cleared his throat, _"'Greetings, traveller-'"_

He raised his head as a familiar groaning sounded behind them, turning around to find a hoard of zombies making their way towards them. Lukas sighed.

_"Yeah, that seems about right."_

"Zombies?" said Dan, "No offence, but after watching you find a city in the sky, I was expecting something a bit more... deadly."

Cassie blinked at him, "Zombies are deadly."

"Yeah, but common," Stacy pointed out.

Petra drew her sword, enchanted gold bright in the dark, slicing through the rotten flesh of a zombie, _"Keep reading, Jesse! We've got your back!"_

Ivor and Lukas ran off to fend off the zombies, Jesse hurriedly turning back to the book.

"Oh, _goooooood_ ," groaned Olivia, massaging her temples, "These things are giving me such a _headache_."

 _"'I-I humbly invite you,"_ Jesse looked up at the approach of a zombie, and jumped back onto the pedestal, _"To my mansion for an evening of food and festivities with your fellow adventurers.'"_ He kicked the zombie in the face, causing it to flash red and fall onto its back.

"That's... nice?" said Lukas, raising an eyebrow.

"It's gotta be a trap," Magnus declared, "How did they even know they would be there?"

Ellegaard blinked at him, "You know what? You're actually right. They could have gone through _any_ portal."

Magnus looked startled for a moment, then grinned.

 _"That's..."_ Lukas slashed through the rotten skin of a zombie, sending it to smoke, looking over his shoulder at Jesse with a raised eyebrow, _"Odd."_

 _"Yeah, weird, right- Woah!"_ A zombie had abruptly appeared inches from Jesse's face.

Olivia squeaked, covering her eyes.

Eyes narrowing, Jesse closed the book and used it to smack the zombie, causing it to flash red and stumble the other way.

"Over here!" Petra yelled, sending another zombie to dust and turning to look at Jesse. The zombie was starting to make its way back to him.

He tossed the book towards Petra, who caught it and immediately slashed through another monster. Jesse drew his own sword, swinging at the zombie and sending it falling to its stomach at his feet, before stabbing it in the back and reducing it to smoke.

"Whoo!" cheered Nell, "This is so _cool!_ "

Trying to hide her grin behind her hand, Petra nudged Jesse with her elbow, "Looks like you've got a fan."

He made a face at her.

 _"Petra!"_ said Ivor, from where he stood on a cobblestone post, surrounding by zombies and trying to hold them off by kicking them, _"Any time now! You can read, right?"_

Book still in one hand, Petra's blade cut through another zombie, _"Hang on, hang on!"_ She sheathed her sword, hurriedly flicking through the pages of the book, _"Need to find Jesse's place!"_

Jesse's eyes widened as he spotted more zombies coming up behind her. He darted towards Petra, who briefly locked eyes with him and bent her knees, still flicking through the book, _"Uh... got it!"_

The boy hopped over her back, enchanted diamond sword slicing open the zombie's gullet like a hot knife through butter. Without missing a beat, he spun to face to other one and reduced it to dust.

"He gets good at this," Hadrian muttered. He paused. Looked over his shoulder, at a painting of a sheep. He could have sworn he'd heard tapping.

 _"'Come to my house on the hill,'"_ Petra read, _"'Just follow the path.'"_

Her eyes locked on something over Jesse's shoulder. He twisted to see what it was, gasping upon realising a zombie was directly behind him.

Olivia, who had begun to peek between her fingers, squeaked and quickly recovered her eyes. Axel patted her on the back, almost sending her into the coffee table.

Onscreen, Jesse jumped out of the way, Petra drawing her sword again and slashing open its stomach. It puffed into smoke.

 _"'Please look out for zombies,'"_ Petra continued, both she and Jesse sheathing their sword. She closed the book. _"'Sincerely, the Host.'"_

Dan blinked, "'The Host'?"

Lizzie shrugged at him.

 _"Nice warning,"_ said Lukas, sarcastically.

 _"Come on!"_ Jesse said, pointing over the wall of the graveyard, _"There's the path!"_

"I don't like this," Isa admitted, "This is too... convenient."

Soren nodded in agreement, "Yes. That invitation just so happened to be in the very same graveyard they spawned in. As though..." his brow furrowed, almost thoughtfully, "As though they _knew_ they were coming."

"But how?" asked Gabriel. No one answered.

They ran out of the graveyard, zombies groaning and limping along all around them, like something out of a horror movie. They were _everywhere._

Maya went a few shades paler, "Dear Notch."

"I... I don't understand," Sparklez frowned, almost as pale as Maya, "There've never been _this_ many zombies before."

"Where'd they all come from?" asked Lizzie.

"I'm a bit more concerned about _us_ ," Stacy said, "For all we know, we could have been caught in that... that _swarm._ "

"Ohhh..." Stampy groaned, clutching his stomach and looking rather green. Dan patted him on the shoulder.

 _"I must say,"_ said Ivor, as they ran, _"This is the highest concentration of zombies,"_ they ran passed a mound of dirt, where zombies were staggering towards them in all directions, _"I have ever seen in one place."_

"You said that this isn't natural?" asked Gabriel, "Could it have perhaps been triggered by Jesse's arrival?"

"You make it sound as though Jesse just _being_ there sent everything to hell," said Axel, jokingly. It fell flat, however.

Magnus glanced at Ivor, who was watching the screen silently, and frowned. It had been a while since he'd said anything. Sure, the potionologist was usually quiet, but...

Not _this_ quiet.

 _"You think this 'host' is going to be legit, Jesse?"_ asked Lukas, warily glancing over his shoulder at the zombies, _"I just ask because..."_ he winced, " _This place hasn't exactly been friendly so far."_

"I don't think we've got much of a choice," Petra admitted, reluctantly, "I mean, there's no way we'll be able to build a shelter or anything with all those zombies about, and if we try to find someplace else to go, who knows how far away the closest civilization is?"

Face still buried in her hands, Olivia groaned, "I think I'm going to puke."

 _"Hey,"_ Petra panted, _"The invitation was classy, though."_

Cassie's lips twitched.

 _"I'm suspicious too, Lukas,"_ said Jesse, looking over his shoulder at the blonde, not slowing his run, _"This has 'trap' written all over it."_

"On the bright side," Milo tried, "You _know_ it is a trap. Therefore, you will be prepared."

"Well," said Lukas, "That's one way to look at it."

 _"Unfortunately,"_ Jesse continued, _"We can't exactly stick around out here."_

A moment later, they skidded to a stop. In the distance, over a forest of trees and a hoard of zombies, illuminated by the twin moons, was a mansion- even bigger and more impressive than the one they currently reside in.

"Wow!" gasped Axel, "That place is _huge!_ "

Soren froze. Cocked his head to the side, squinting. Then his eyes widened and darted over to Cassie, making eye contact with her. They sat there, staring, for a long moment. Soren had always been the one able to distinguish their building styles.

Cassie smiled.

 _"I'm going to go out on a limb, and say,"_ Ivor jabbed a finger at the mansion, _"_ That's _the place we're looking for!"_

Petra looked over at Jesse with a challenging grin, the group moving so they stood in a circle, facing the approaching zombies, _"Race you guys there!"_

Olivia's head snapped up from her hands, " _What?!_ Are you _insane?!_ "

"Oh, calm down, 'Liv," said Petra, "It's just a bunch of zombies! Nothing we can't handle," she glanced at Jesse, "Well, in the future, anyway."

 _"Oooh, yeaaaah,"_ said Ivor, slowly, _"I don't race so much anymore. Bad, uh, bad knees."_

Magnus snorted, grinning at the potionologist, "Riiiiiight."

Ivor glanced at him, but didn't say anything, returning his eyes to the screen. Didn't even twitch.

Blinking, Magnus shared a concerned look with the other three. Ellegaard shook her head slowly, mouthing 'later.' Reluctantly, they too returned to the screen.

 _"You pick up that excuse the same place you got that haircut?"_ asked Petra, _"'Cause they're both awful."_

This prompted a few giggles from the younger audience, Isa and Reginald sharing an amused look. Harper put a hand over her mouth in a half-hearted attempt to hide her smile, while Hadrian muttered to Mevia and Otto about the statement being quite true.

The Order glanced at Ivor, but were both surprised and worried to discover that this, too, brought no real reaction. They shared another worried glance.

 _"Hey, just try not to die, okay?"_ said Jesse, _"I'm trying to keep everyone together here."_

"Yes," said Olivia, pointing a finger at the screen, "Yes, do that!"

Petra rolled her eyes, _"Sure, sure, that's fine,"_ then, an almost evil smirk came upon her face, and she darted away, _"But you gotta catch me first!"_

Olivia groaned, falling backwards into a small pile of pillows. Petra, grinning, sent her an apologetic look that didn't appear all that apologetic.

Lukas, Jesse and Ivor ran after her, dashing passed some zombies that had come a little too close for comfort. The screen switched to show a group of the monsters, groaning and limping and stumbling, and then zipped around, revealing Lukas and Petra running through another graveyard, grinning as they took the lead, Ivor and Jesse a little ways behind them.

"Wait," said Magnus, straightening in his seat and grinning, "It's the intro thingy! I _love_ these things!"

As the two ran out of sight, Ivor and Jesse came through the graveyard, the potionologist's head snapping left and right as he struggled to keep sight of the zombies in every direction. It zipped out, giving them a better view of the graveyard, a thick grey fog curling around the swamp trees.

Then Ivor and Jesse were running directly towards the distant mansion, zombies left and right, running beneath the words _MINECRAFT: STORY MODE_ , bats coming seemingly out of nowhere and squeaking as they flew about it.

This gained some whoops and cheers from the audience. Nell and Magnus even leapt out their seats and began clapping, earning a roll of the eyes from Ellegaard and a raised eyebrow from Em. Slab, what with his temporarily blind eyes, just looked rather confused.

"This looks like it belongs in a Halloween film or something," commented Sparklez.

A bat flew in front of the screen, then vanished to reveal Jesse looking over at Lukas and Petra. The blonde came to a stop at a small hill, cupping his hands at waist-height so that Petra could us it as a boost. She yelled as she went leaping to the top of the hill, drawing her sword in midair and sending some zombies to dust. Lukas climbed up behind her.

"Nice!" grinned Axel. Olivia was starting to peek through her fingers again.

Jesse returned to his own run, just in time to see a hoard of zombies directly in front of him, Ivor dodging them just up ahead.

Maya let out a shuddering breath, "That is a _lot_ of zombies."

"Yeah," Aiden muttered, so quiet that only Gill was able to catch it, "Kinda glad they left us in Sky City."

Gill snorted, nodding in agreement.

Onscreen, Jesse dodged a group of the monsters, only to run right into a different zombie. He flashed red, giving a short yell, but the force of his run trampled the monster into the dirt, and he kept going.

This gained some sympathetic winces from the audience. Reuben cuddled closer into Jesse's chest.

He barely dodged another one, arms flaying at his sudden turn, and they began to approach the entrance of another graveyard. Ivor looked over his shoulder to make sure Jesse was still behind him, grinning upon realising he was, only to trip over another white pedestal, although it could have been a large tombstone, and fall flat on his face.

"Oooh," Magnus winced, "That's gonna hurt."

"Ow," muttered Soren. To their relief, the real Ivor winced as well, if only a little.

Groaning, Ivor raised his head, just in time to see a zombie begin crawling out of an open grave. His eyes widened, and he scrambled away, back pressing against the white pedestal.

"Look out!" gasped Stampy, a bit unnecessarily.

Jesse, who was beginning to approach the graveyard as well, narrowed his eyes onto the monster and drew his sword. He slammed his foot into the lower part of the pedestal and _leapt_ , spinning midair, and drove his blade into the zombie's chest, his momentum bringing it downwards into its stomach. He landed on one knee, the zombie puffing out of existence, sword held out in his other hand.

Nell _screamed_ , causing nearly the entire audience to almost leap out their skin, twisting to look at her with wide, startled eyes.

"THAT WAS SO AWESOME!" she screamed, leaping to her feet, eyes almost sparkling as she looked over at Jesse with a face-splitting grin, "YOU'VE GOT TO BE AS GOOD AS _TIM!_ "

"I wouldn't go _that_ far," Em muttered irritability, scowling as she rubbed her newly throbbing ear.

Behind him, Ivor got to his feet, gasping as he spotted something offscreen. Jesse's head snapped sideways, the screen swooshing around to reveal another approaching zombie, Ivor running out of the way. With a short yell, Jesse lunged, the screen momentarily slowing down as his blade slid through the zombie's midsection. The enchanted diamond came out the back, a bat squeaking as it narrowly avoided being impaled alongside it.

Nell made an odd noise, as though she were trying to muffle another scream, hands in front of her mouth as she bounced excitedly up and down. The real Jesse was starting to go rather red.

With one last dying groan, the screen sped up again and the zombie poofed. Jesse and Ivor looked over at the hoard of zombies making its way towards them, then continued to run in the opposite direction.

Jesse, sword bobbing up and down in his hand, skidded out the way of a zombie, then narrowly avoided two climbing out of graves. The screen showed them from above, running along towards a river, the thousands and thousands of zombies stumbling and staggering after them.

"Run, run, _run!_ " chanted Maya.

Onscreen, Jesse looked over his shoulder at Ivor, briefly making eye contact with him. Then he turned forwards again and gasped, skidding to a stop before he could run right into a river. Ivor, however, was too busy looking over his shoulder, and ran right into him, sending them both into the water.

"That's not a good sign," muttered Gabriel.

The water began to push them away, towards a small waterfall. Up on the hill behind them, atop the cave the water was coming out of, Lukas ducked as Petra leapt over him, her sword meeting rotten flesh, and they began to run again.

They went down the small waterfall, into a part where the dirt was higher, so they couldn't climb out. Not that they would have been able to anyway, seeing as how the zombies were on the edges now. Some began to fall into the water.

"Ooooh, when will this end?" asked Olivia, caught between hiding her face in her hands or not tearing her eyes from the screen. She settled on peeking through her fingers again.

The river, which had been quite small near the cave, widened into a decently sized one. Jesse, sword still in hand, slashed at a zombie in the water. He swam out of the way of some others, grunting as he was hit by one and flashing red, then slashed through another.

They were beginning to approach two overhanging trees, their vines dripping into the water. Jesse yelled as another zombie appeared next to him, reaching for him with rotting hands, but he was able to stay out of reach.

In the process of this, he had come close to one of the trees. A spider hissed and spat as he approached, climbing down the vines and snapping its pincers.

"Go under!" yelled Lizzie, "Go under!"

Taking a deep breath, Jesse dove under the water, the dark shapes of the zombies and spider, whose eyes glowed an eerie white, able to be seen. He swam forwards, passed the trees, then resurfaced, Ivor able to be seen a little ways behind him.

"Yay!" Axel cheered.

Jesse gasped, a spider appeared on the vines directly in front of him. It leapt at him before he could even think of attacking it, sending them both underwater.

"Not yay!" said Axel, grin falling.

They spun and turned, bubbles rising from Jesse's mouth, and then they resurfaced. The spider was still clinging to Jesse's front, biting and nipping at his face with its pincers, the boy struggling to keep it far away enough so that the pincers only scraped harshly against his cheeks.

Olivia lunged at the closest person to her- which happened to be Petra, since Axel had moved to sit behind them- and buried her face into the girl's shoulder. Petra patted her on the back.

Grunting, Jesse brought up his sword and stab the spider in the side, hairy hide tearing and leaking crimson. It puffed into smoke, Jesse letting out a small sigh of relief as the weight left his chest.

Ivor, who had, at some point, gone in front of him, looked over his shoulder, eyes wide, " _You hear that too, right?"_ he asked.

"Hear what?" asked Milo.

 _"It almost sounds like a..."_ the screen shot out, revealing a massive drop, _"Waterfall!"_

"Get out of there!" yelled Lukas.

Jesse's eyes widened to the size of dinner plate. He sheathed his sword, and the two began swimming towards land, struggling against the current. Zombies passed them, reaching towards them with hungry groans, before falling over the edge to their potential deaths.

Halfway to land, however, a zombie abruptly appeared in front of Jesse and whacked him. He yelped, flashing red, and both he and Ivor lost their fight against the current, sending them both zipping towards the edge.

"Oh no!" gasped Reginald.

"What?" asked Slab, starting to get frustrated, "What is _happening?_ "

The screen slowed down as Jesse went over. A little bellow him, Ivor grabbed onto some vines clinging to a stone and dirt wall. Twisting, Jesse's hand snagged a vine on another wall, arm nearly dislocating as his fall came to a sudden halt.

"They're alive!" cheered Axel, Olivia peeking out from Petra's shoulder at the exclamation. She let out a long, relieved breath.

Ivor and Jesse looked at each other, taking this moment to regain their breathing. A zombie fell down, splashing into the water bellow.

Breath caught, Jesse turned to the wall next to him, which was also crawling with vines. Another zombie fell in front of him, and he jumped almost as soon as it had passed, grunting as he began to climb. Ivor followed.

Lukas let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, "That was a close one."

Jesse and Ivor reached the top, the boy straightening as he spotted the mansion just up ahead. They began to run towards it, but were brought to a halt when a zombie fell in front of them, flashing red and poofing a moment later.

They turned to discover the hoard still making its way towards them on a large cliff, falling off in an attempt to reach them. Those that didn't die from the fall began to stagger towards them.

Olivia groaned, for what was at least the third time since the episode had began, and returned her face to Petra's shoulder. The redhead rolled her eyes at her, but she was smiling in amusement.

Grinning, Jesse drew his sword, beginning to run towards them with Ivor right behind him. More zombies fell from the cliffs as they ran, dodging the monsters. Jesse's eyes widened as, up ahead on what appeared to be a bridge between the cliffs, skeletons raised their bows, arrows cocked as they took aim.

"Skeletons!" gasped Stacy.

Arrows rained down on them, hitting zombies where they had been clustered into a large group and sending them to the ground, where they puffed into smoke. Jesse rolled out of the way, ducking through an opening between two of the rotting monsters. He rolled again, left this time, and an arrow that had most likely been meant for his skull embedded itself into the back of a zombie's neck.

"That's it, Jesse!" said Gabriel, causing Olivia to tentivley peek out from Petra's shoulder, "Just keep running!"

As Jesse neared the bridge, Petra and Lukas appeared. The redhead dropped her run into a skid, knocking zombies and skeletons alike off the side of the bridge, then jumped back up and kept running, Lukas directly behind her.

The real Jesse rolled his eyes, "Wow, thanks, Petra."

Petra grinned at him, "No problem."

Jesse's eyes narrowed as he approached another group of zombies. He jumped up, screen once more slowing down, and landed on a zombie's head. It flashed red as he launched himself off it, into the air, and spun, sword slicing through the flesh of three zombies in a row. Through the smoke that their deaths created, he appeared on the other side, flipped, and landed once more on one knee.

The scream that rang through the watching rom was, to an extent, expected. Em had plugged her ears the moment Jesse had jumped up onto the zombie.

Onscreen, Jesse raised his head as Ivor ran passed, a grin on his lips. He got up and ran after him, only to come to a stop as they reached a deadend.

Olivia groaned, returning her head to Petra's shoulder, her voice slightly muffled when she spoke, "They're gonna _die._ "

"Wow," Jesse deadpanned, "Your confidence in me is _astounding._ "

The two looked over their shoulders at the approaching zombies, then Jesse turned to Ivor, _"Execute Maneuver Sixty-Six!"_ he said, sheathing his sword and reaching into his pocket.

"What's 'manuever sixty-six'?" questioned Milo, curiously. Hadrian leant forwards in his seat expectantly.

They pulled out blocks of dirt, looking up at the cliff. Jesse walked forwards, _"Stairs!"_

Milo blinked, "Oh. _Oh_ , okay. I get it."

Hadrian shared a look with Mevia, shrugging. Harper, Otto and Isa just looked amused.

The screen sped up like it always did when they built. Jesse and Ivor carved their way through the side of the cliff, creating their makeshifts stairs. It cut to Jesse, poking his head over the edge, and then pulling himself up.

"Well," Ellegaard shrugged, "It worked, I suppose."

Sharing a grin, Jesse and Ivor darted forwards, the screen switching to show them from a distance, the spectacular mansion right in front of them. They vanished into the trees and the screen darkened.

"That," said Axel, "Was _fun_."

From where her head remained buried in Petra's shoulder, Olivia groaned, almost sounding as though she were about to be sick. Jesse sent her a concerned glance.

Cassie leant back in her seat, allowing her eyes to roam around the room. Sensing a gaze on her, she turned, her brown-red eyes locking with Aiden's light green. Hesitantly, he sent her a smile.

She returned it with a wide one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Petra asked for a race, did you tell her no or yes? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> I was going to just name this Twin Moons, but then realised that was really simillar to Ariza's in Hybrid: Cinematic Mode. Besides, Race to the Twin Moons Mansion is better, I think.
> 
> Yay! We're starting episode six! I'd almost become certain we'd never reach this episode! GASP That also means there're only three more episodes to finish before season two!
> 
> So, yeah. Jesse's got a fangirl.
> 
> The Order are starting to get really concerned with Ivor, as well. I think I hear a chat coming up. Think he'll tell them about the black hands? Or do you think it might be about something else?
> 
> And ooooooooh, look! Someone else is in the mansion... someone they don't know about. Someone that has been here since the beginning.
> 
> Someone potentially dangerous.


	46. Clogged Throat

* * *

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Forty-Six: Clogged Throat**

* * *

The screen flickered, the black melting away to reveal the mansion from a closer view. Down at the gates, Jesse let out a victorious yell as he ran through, the others climbing the stairs behind him. He threw his hands in the air. _"Whoo! Nailed it!"_

"Ha," Jesse grinned, "I actually beat Petra! _Petra!_ "

Petra rolled her eyes at him, "Don't get cocky."

 _"Okay, okay,"_ said Petra, placing a hand on her hip, _"You won_ that _one, Jesse."_

 _"Let's maybe,"_ Ivor's voice abruptly turned irritated, _"Get inside the mansion before we pat ourselves on the backs too much,"_ he walked passed Jesse, voice lowering to a more pleasant tone, _"Shall we?"_

Magnus snorted. Ivor, once more, remained silent.

"What's up with him?" the self-proclaimed Boom Master questioned at a whisper, something like concern entering his voice. Ellegaard glanced at him.

"What? Upset he's not reacting to your insults?"

"No, of course-" Magnus cut himself off with an annoyed grunt, shaking his head, "Ellie, I'm actually getting _worried_ here."

The redstone engineer's eyes widened at the proclamation. She glanced over at Ivor, who's eyes hadn't even left the screen. Gabriel and Soren's attention, however, was on them, although they were trying to be discreet about it.

"I..." slowly, she shook her head as well, "Me too."

Onscreen, Jesse shrugged at Petra, before turning and following Ivor through the gates. They crept over to a fountain, which appeared to have no water in it, for some unknown reason. Crouching behind it, their eyes widened as they took in the scene before them.

 _"That door's definitely a no go,"_ said Petra, the screen switching to reveal zombies lumbering about near the front doors, a large group of them banging against the iron in fruitless attempt to get inside.

"Oh, great," groaned Axel, "How are they supposed to get inside now?"

"I'm not sure I _want_ them to get inside," Olivia admitted, "I've got a _very_ bad feeling about this place."

"Don't we all," muttered Lukas.

A zombie turned, spotting the group kneeling next to the fountain. A gave a loud, hungry growl-like sound, turning towards them and directing its fellow zombie's attention to the group. Jesse and the others yelled.

"Get out of there!" gasped Isa, earning a startled look from Milo. She hadn't really been one to burst out during the episodes all that much. Well, other than when it involved their little rivalry... or the Blaze Rods... the Eversource... Build Club... actually, now that he thought about it, he was quite surprised that she hadn't punched him yet.

Yet.

 _"Stick with me, guys!"_ said Jesse. He darted out from behind the fountain as the zombies began stumbling towards them. The others quickly followed him.

"Run!" said Stacy. Sparklez glanced at her.

"They can't-"

"I _know!_ "

Jesse jumped up onto a higher mound of dirt, not stopping in his run. He skidded, narrowly, out of the way of two zombies, then rolled out of the way of another two. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the others were still behind him, then gasped as he realised he was running right towards a pond filled with the groaning green monsters, running too fast to be able to stop in time.

"Look out!" said Nell, practically bouncing in her seat. Beside her, Em was starting to look increasingly annoyed, but her blond teammate remained oblivious.

Eyes narrowing, Jesse leapt, his foot connecting with the head of the closest zombie. Using this as leverage, he jumped again, to another zombie's head, then to another, before landing back on dry land and running around the side of the mansion.

The scream that came from Nell's throat was actually expected this time, and most of the audience had already covered their ears by the time she'd launched to her feet, jumping up and down, "YOU USED LIVE ZOMBIES TO SKIP ACROSS A LAKE!"

"Yes!" snapped Em, glaring at her, although this didn't falter Nell in the slightest, "Yes, we _all saw!_ "

As the others appeared behind him, having been able to go around the pond, Jesse glanced up at the side of the mansion, spotting a large window. The screen zoomed in, revealing someone with what appeared to be a very pale pumpkin on their head, yellow pupils in the eyes glowing eerily.

"Wow!" said Magnus, "What- What the _hell?_ "

"Okay, this just got a _whole_ lot creepier," Petra declared. Jesse nodded in agreement, staring with wide eyes and an open mouth. Lukas looked as though he were close to fainting.

"Who- Who _is_ that?" asked Dan, almost as pale as his white hair (Jesse could have _sworn_ it had been brown; maybe he was just imagining things), "Why- How- _What?_ "

"My panic levels just hit sky high," said Sparklez in a strained voice, face the colour of porridge.

Gabriel shook his head, "Why are they wearing a pumpkin?"

Soren shrugged, "Maybe there are Endermen in the mansion?"

" _Was_ it a pumpkin?" asked Reginald, "It looked rather pale to be a pumpkin," he faltered, "Then again, I have never actually seen one."

The person with the pumpkin for a head turned away, walking out of sight. Jesse's eyes had grown to the size of saucers, _"The heck- ?!"_

 _"What?"_ asked Petra, head snapping towards him, a faint pant in her voice, _"What'd you see?"_

"Something _really_ unnerving," said Jesse, as though she could hear him. Lukas winced in agreement.

 _"You just... gasped,"_ Petra continued, _"Like- Like you'd seen something."_

 _"Don't know,"_ panted Jesse, _"Who it was,"_ another pant, _"Some creepy guy in the window. He had a white pumpkin for a head!"_

"But white pumpkins don't _exist_ ," Aiden pointed out, a bit exasperated. Cassie glanced at him.

"Well, actually-"

"-They _do_ exist," said Otto, accidentally finishing slash cutting off Cassie's sentence, "They're just not as good as regular orange pumpkins, so people don't plant them often."

"They're considered to have less nutrition," explained Isa, almost absentmindedly, "Because of their lack in colour."

Aiden blinked, "Oh."

 _"White pumpkin?"_ echoed Ivor (Cassie couldn't help the grin that came across her face), panting, _"No such thing,"_ he gasped for breath, _"As white pumpkins!"_

 _"Let's save the agricultural discussions for inside, okay?"_ said Lukas, his breaths coming out in short gasps. A shine of sweat was beginning to form on his forehead.

Magnus couldn't help but snort.

The screen briefly showed their feet as they ran along the grass, zombies stumbling and groaning as they tried to get to them. The group skidded to a stop with horrified gasps at the back of the mansion. In front of them, only a few feet away, was another massive hoard of zombies, and there wasn't a single door in sight.

 _"Great!"_ groaned Ivor, chest heaving, _"There's no door back here! How are we supposed to get in?!"_

"This is bad," Olivia moaned, "This is very, _very_ bad!"

Desperately, they looked about, the zombies beginning to close in, although quite slowly as none of them seemed to have the ability- or maybe brain capacity- to run at them. Jesse looked up at the mansion, and pointed towards a large window, torches glowing through the glass.

 _"There!"_ he said, " _We should be able to build up and break through there!"_

"With _what?_ " asked Lukas.

"You could use the dirt again," suggested Isa.

Jesse's eyes darted around, landing on a nearby tree, _"Trees! We can cut those down!"_

Isa blinked, "That could work too."

"Let's just hope we're quick about it," said Jesse, "I'd rather not have those zombies come up behind us while we're chopping and-"

A large hand abruptly covered his mouth, causing Jesse to jump and give a muffled yell of surprise. He twisted to look at Axel, who shook his head and gestured towards Olivia. The poor girl looked like she was about to be sick.

Jesse winced, batting Axel's hand away, "Oh, uh... sorry, Olivia."

She shook her head, although the queasy look on her face remained, "It's fine."

Ivor gave an agreeing nod, _"Good plan!"_

They darted away, the screen speeding up as they chopped down the trees. The zombies staggered ever closer, then the screen switched to them building a make-shift staircase, Lukas and Ivor destroying the bottom steps so the zombies couldn't follow them. The screen returned to its regular speed as they reached the top.

 _"Aaaand_ _now my inventory's full of wood blocks,"_ said Petra, tucking a stack of said wood blocks into her pocket. Jesse looked back at her.

 _"Hey, you never know when those wood blocks might come in handy."_ However, Petra simply shook her head.

"Well, he has a point," hummed Soren, "Keeping any type of block on you could be of use. For example, it would have come in handy if you already had some blocks to build that staircase up to the window."

"In their defence," said Harper, "They didn't exactly expect to be going on such a grand adventure. The plan had been to go back to the Temple and see what they could fine; it was supposed to be a few days trip, at the most, I think."

Maya gave an agreeing now, "Yeah, that could also be why they didn't really have anything on them during the whole Witherstorm fiasco," she shrugged, "We probably used most- if not all- of our blocks during the Endercon Building Competition. Taking blocks into Endercon isn't exactly a necessity, so no one really bothers."

Onscreen, Jesse peered through the stained glass window, squinting as he struggled to make out what was inside, _"It looks like some kind of kitchen in there."_

"Good," said Petra, "I don't think I'd mind a few drinks. That was a _lot_ of running."

Ivor and Lukas appeared behind Petra, having finished presumably destroying the stairs. Panting, face contorted into an angry glare, Ivor placed his hands on his knees, _"Then break the glass and get us into the blasted place!"_

"Well, looks like he's done with all that running, then," muttered Stacy. Dan snorted.

Jesse pulled his arm back and smashed the window into shards, poking his head through as he got a better look at the kitchen, _"Hope the Host doesn't mind us breaking their window."_

 _"I'm sure they'll find it in their heart to forgive us,"_ said Petra. The screen panned out to show the swarm of zombies bellow them, groaning and moaning at the loss of their meal. Up above, the group vanished into the kitchen.

The screen darkened.

"Well," said Gabriel, "This had been anonymous."

Abruptly, Magnus shot to his feet, making some of the other watchers jump at his sudden movement. He clapped his gloved hands together. "I want food!"

"Magnus," Ellegaard scolded, "We had breakfast ten minutes ago."

"Ten and a _half._ "

"That's hardly any-"

"It wouldn't hurt to have a _few_ snacks," Soren cut her off, rubbing his ear. He shrunk away from Ellegaard's grin, into Ivor, who blinked at him as though just noticing they were sitting next to each other.

"I. Want. Food." Magnus declared, emphasising each word, although there was nothing harsh in his voice. He sounded more like he was stating something.

Ellegaard's scowl deepened, and she opened her mouth to snap at him and tell him to sit back down. Then Magnus' eyes darted over to the oblivious Ivor, before returning to her, raising a small, discreet eyebrow. Ellegaard's words died in her throat.

"You know what?" she said, after a moment, "Yeah, let's get some food."

The others gave her rather surprised, even shocked, looks, as she stood up and brushed off her armour. Magnus smiled widely at her, although it was not one of victory or smugness. He nodded towards the doors, "Come on, you guys can help me prepare it."

Gabriel and Soren shared a confused look, but seemed to have some idea of what they were doing. Silently, they got to their feet and followed, Magnus grabbing Ivor's arm and dragging him after them, almost startling the potionologist out of his skin.

The remaining audience blinked after them.

"What was that about?" asked Olivia.

"Who cares? We're getting food," said Axel.

"Should we go help them?" Jesse asked, "There _is_ a lot of us."

Lukas shook his head, a small frown on his brow, "I... I don't think we should interrupt them."

Maya blinked at him, "Why not?"

"Ah, yes," said Harper, nodding, "They're worried about Ivor, aren't they?"

"Why would they be worried about him?" asked Dan, "He seems fine to me."

"Haven't you noticed?" asked Isa, "He's been rather quiet. For a while, actually."

"Oh," Petra blinked, having just realised this, "I... yeah, he _has_ been really quiet. I didn't really notice. He began speaking a lot more after we... warmed up to each other, I guess."

"So... what now?" asked Axel, "Wait for them to get back?"

Otto shook his head, absentmindedly tapping his bottom lip, "No, I have the feeling that they might be a while. Shall we take a short break, then?"

"Fifteen minutes," said Harper, "I'm curious as to what will happen next."

* * *

"Are you alright?" asked Ellegaard, the moment they were out of the others earshot. For a moment, Ivor thought she was talking to Magnus, but then realised they were all looking expectantly at _him_. Startled, he blinked, shoving _those_ thoughts to the back of his head. Well, tried to, at least.

"I... what?"

"Are you _alright?_ " Magnus was the one to ask this time, as slow and clear as humanly possible, "You've been out of it for _ages_ now."

Once more, Ivor blinked, his brain struggling to process what was happening, "I... I'm fine. Why?"

"I just told you!"

Gabriel placed a firm hand on Magnus' chest, sending him a look. When he turned back to Ivor, it melted into something the potionologist hadn't expected. It looked like concern. _Worry._

"You've been quiet, old friend," he said, softly, gently, that odd, foreign emotion that Ivor hadn't had directed at him for a _long_ time still shining in his eyes, "Unusually so."

"What are you talking about?" Ivor asked, a hint of irritation entering his voice, "I'm always quiet."

"That is not what Gabriel meant," Soren sighed. He rubbed his temple, as though fighting off a headache. His face was twisted into his own look of concern. Of worry. Ivor hadn't even realised he was being _that_ out of character, if out of character at all. "We... Ivor, is something wrong?"

He stared at him for a long moment. Then slowly turned his head to look at Gabriel, then Magnus and finally Ellegaard. They waited, silently, all with that terrible _worry_ on their faces, in their eyes, leaving Ivor's heart a twisted mess. He swallowed thickly.

"I... uh..." _Tell them. Tell them. Tell them._

_It happened._

His jaw clenched, fingers twitching at his sides. He wanted to wring his hands together, to tap his foot, to _move_ , but he forced himself to stand still. He could hear that irritating little voice at the back of his head, could _feel_ it, clawing and scratching and biting it's way to the surface.

_It didn't happen._

_It didn't happen._

_It didn't happen._

SHUT UP.

He hadn't realised he'd shouted it out loud until the four other Order members jumped back in shock, Gabriel and Magnus accidentally bonking heads. Ellegaard had actually gone a few shades paler, and Soren had a hand over his heart, tittering backwards and very nearly falling over.

"I... I wasn't even saying anything..." Ellegaard whispered, almost looking _hurt._ Guilt clawed at Ivor's chest, twisting his heart and tearing it like tissue paper.

He opened his mouth, to tell them that it hadn't been directed at them, that it hadn't been directed at her, that there were black, wispy _hands coming from the walls_ and that what Gill had seen hadn't been a potion, hadn't been an illusion-

But all that came out was a quiet gasp, as though those blasted hands were strangling him, invisible to everyone but him. Magnus, bruised head forgotten, moved around Gabriel and wrapped his arms around Ellegaard in a hug, not even glancing in Ivor's direction. If anything, he appeared to be avoiding looking at him.

"Ivor?" asked Soren, his voice soft, confused. He wasn't hurt like Ellegaard was, not in the slightest. He seemed to realise that it hadn't been directed at them. Maybe because he'd said it to his own mental voices, screamed it aloud. You had to be a _little off_ , after all, to build an Artificial Happy Land in the End.

Once more, Ivor gave that quiet little gasp, but this time he was actually able to get some words through, although his voice came out strangled, as though there truly was something cutting off his oxygen, "I... I'm sorry."

Gabriel took a small step forward, hesitantly reaching out a hand. The potionologist tensed as it hovered over his shoulder, as though the warrior was unsure if making physical contact was the best idea, before it settled down, firm, grounding. A pang of relief lifted Ivor's chest, but only slightly.

"Ivor, _please_ ," Gabriel's voice was desperate, pleading, thick with that unnatural _worry_ that Ivor hated and loved at the same time, "Tell us. What's the matter?"

_Tell them. Tell them. Tell them._

Why couldn't he just _tell them?_

"There's-" he cut off, as though someone had grabbed his tongue, stuffed his mouth with cotton, wrapped a belt around his neck. He cleared his throat. "Th-There's-"

It happened again. His tongue stopped working, forgetting how to form words. His throat clogged, but not like how it does when you hold back tears. He began coughing, as though to try and dislodge whatever was _stopping him from telling them,_ because they _needed_ to know, they _had_ to know, _so why couldn't he tell them?_

Gabriel's hands were on both his shoulders now, gripping firmly, almost frighteningly tight. He realised, abruptly, that the warrior was yelling, and Magnus was pounding him on the back, although that only seemed to leave him with bruises rather than to stop his coughing.

"-Ivor?! _Ivor?!_ What's wrong? Are you sick?" Ellegaard. That was Ellegaard. Her voice had raised to near hysterical. _Terrified,_ even. The only time he'd ever heard her sound that scared was when they'd all thought Gabriel had died after falling off a cliff during a nighttime battle with a monster hoard. She'd practically lunged at him, despite how wet he was after falling into the lake.

A terrifyingly small lake.

Finally, the coughing subsided, and Ivor gasped for a breath. He raised his fingers to his mouth, feeling spittle on his lips- only, it wasn't saliva, for his fingers came away red.

"Oh my lord," Soren breathed. He was trembling, and Ivor was suddenly reminded of him back in episode four, after running away when the plan to defeat the Witherstorm wasn't working as planned. "Oh dear lord."

"Is this why you've been so quiet?" asked Gabriel, taking Ivor's hand in his and studying the blood on his fingers with a horribly pale face. He didn't wait for an answer. "Have you- have you been feeling ill?"

"I... suppose," Ivor muttered. He could taste it now; warm copper on his tongue. His teeth must look terrible, stained as they undoubtfully were.

"Why didn't you _tell us?!_ " Magnus near _screeched_ , causing Ivor to flinch because _he hadn't but he couldn't, not what they needed to know_. The Rouge put his hands to his head, would have tangled his fingers in his hair and tugged at it had he had any, eyes so wide and _scared_ that Ivor hardly recognised him. "Why- You're _coughing up blood!_ "

"Magnus!" Gabriel snapped, Ivor's hand still cradled in his own with surprising gentleness, "This isn't the time!"

"Okay," Soren said, almost sounding out of breath, "Okay, okay. You- Have you got a- a potion? For this? Anything at all?"

Ivor hesitated, wiping the remaining blood off his lips and beard with the sleeve of his robe, "I... I think so?" then, almost as an afterthought, "I-I might."

"Okay," Ellegaard said, her voice trembling, "That's- That's what we'll do then. We'll go- go down into the basement and- and we'll find whatever it is you need. A-Alright?"

He stared at her for a moment, slightly startled. Slowly, silently, he nodded.

"Alright," said Magnus. They stood there for another moment, in almost awkward but not quite silence. Then, again, as though his brain was struggling to process things properly, "Alright."

The self-proclaimed Boom Master began to march towards the basement door, Gabriel, still not letting go of his hand, beginning to lead Ivor after him. Soren and Ellegaard shared a worried, wide-eyed look, their hands trembling in almost perfect unison, before they walked after them on legs made of jelly.

From her hidden safety in the walls, she watched them go, brow furrowed in a small frown. When they were out of sight, she leant back against one of the walls, staring at the portrait she'd been looking through but not really seeing it.

She glanced around the passageway, raising his hand to pick at her bottom lip. Then, almost experimentally, she spoke, making sure to keep her voice quiet but not too quiet, "Black hands?"

Nothing happened. Brow furrowing even further, she scratched her head, looking around the passageway in something akin to confusion.

Eventually, she shook her head, pushing herself off the wall. Almost absentmindedly, she knocked gently on the edges of the picture.

Scarred knuckles on wooden frame.

_Tap, tap, tap._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you tell your friends you saw the White Pumpkin? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> I was actually expecting this chapter to go on to TuorqueDawg's death, but... yeah, that didn't happen. Looks like that break's coming early.
> 
> Poor Ivor, though. That was him seriously trying to tell them.
> 
> Looks like he can't, though.
> 
> That girl's back as well. The girl in the walls, with the scarred knuckles, who seems to have taken a liking to knocking on the backs of pictures. Kinda creepy, actually. She's watching them.
> 
> Or maybe she's an it.


	47. Tipped with Poison

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Forty-Seven: Tipped With Poison**

* * *

The fifteen minutes extended into twenty. If you were in the watching room or in the hall outside it, you would be able to hear shouting every now and again from the basement. At one point, Soren emerged, asked if anyone had _any_ kind of medical knowledge, and then proceeded to drag Harper down into the basement when she was the only one to say she had some idea of it.

Eventually, the twenty minutes lengthened into twenty-five, then thirty. It was then that the Order and Harper finally left the basement, Magnus, Ellegaard, Gabriel, Soren and Ivor looking rather pale, and Harper simply baffled.

"It's about time," snapped Hadrian, glaring as the group filtered into the watching room, "We were starting to consider to continue watching without you!"

"No," Isa cut in, sending him a glare, "We weren't."

Hadrian huffed, "Well, I _suggested_ it."

"Is everything okay?" asked Jesse, ignoring them, "You guys look kinda pale."

"We're..." Ellegaard faltered, then shook her head, "We're fine, Jesse. Ivor's a little... sick, is all."

Petra raised an eyebrow at that, "Sick?"

Jesse frowned, regarding the silent potionologist. He looked paler than usual, but otherwise seemed fine. After a moment, he gave a small shrug, "Well, uh... hope you get better soon."

Ivor sent him a bitter smile. Harper returned to her armchair, while the Order once more seated themselves on their couch. Except, this time, Ivor somehow ended up squeezed in the middle, with Magnus and Ellegaard to his right and Soren and Gabriel to his left. He looked slightly bewildered upon realising this.

Hadrian sighed, shaking his head as he jabbed the remote at the screen, "Finally."

The pause symbol vanished, the screen taking a moment to load. They were presented with a scene of the kitchen, a row of furnaces glowing brightly in the dull lighting. An odd picture of a creeper in a dirty chefs hat and apron hung on the wall next to the them, double chests and a fridge laid across from it, a table in the centre.

Jesse walked into the room slowly, head turning as he looked around, Petra, Lukas and Ivor trailing behind him.

 _"Wow,"_ muttered Jesse, _"Some kitchen."_

Hadrian shrugged, still rather annoyed by the delay, "Not like we can actually _see_ it."

 _"TorqueDawg,"_ an abrupt, muffle voice spoke, causing the group's heads to snap towards the kitchen door, _"You know I don't care if you took it. Just give it back."_

"Wait," said Dan, eyes widening, "Is that-?"

 _"I'm telling ya for the last time, Sparklez,"_ said another voice, gruffer than the other had been. Jesse and his friends looked at each other, then back at the door, _"I didn't take the stupid thing!"_

"It is!" gasped Stacy.

The door opened, revealing CAPTAIN SPARKLEZ and TORQUEDAWG. Neither immediatly noticed Jesse and his friends, Sparklez looking over his shoulder at TorqueDawg as he spoke, _"I think we could avoid a lot of unpleasantness if-"_

He cut himself off with a startled gasp upon spotting them, TorqueDawg shoving passed him, _"What the-"_

"This is so- so _weird!_ " exclaimed Sparklez, staring at his onscreen self with wide eyes. Axel nodded in agreement.

"You've got _no_ idea, sparkly dude."

Onscreen, Jesse gave a slightly nervous smile, followed by a slightly nervous laugh, _"Hi."_

"Well, it's good to know Sparklez didn't get caught in that googlie swarm," said Stampy. Then, as an afterthought, "And TorqueDawg, I guess."

 _"Oh, ha, ha, ha,"_ said TorqueDawg, stepping forwards, voice practically dripping with sarcasm, pulling out his own invitation, _"Very, very funny. Show up super late, make us all sit and wonder what the heck's going on..."_ he trailed off, faltering, _"This_ is _your house, right?"_

"Ah, no," said Petra. She turned, raising an eyebrow at the colourful group on the couch, "Is he always like that?"

"Afraid so," sighed Sparklez, "I mean, I don't wanna say anything bad to a guy that's not even here to defend himself, but... well..."

"He's a jerk," Lizzie deadpanned.

Onscreen, Jesse shared a look with the others, shrugging. TorqueDawg continued, pocketing his invitation, _"'Cause if it is, we've all been waiting for, like, hours! It's_ rude! _"_

"Not as rude as you, you little-" Magnus was cut off by Ellegaard shushing him.

 _"Now easy, TorqueDawg,"_ said Sparklez.

 _"Erm, Jesse,"_ Ivor butted in, gaining the boys attention, _"Are you going to take this one, or shall I?"_

"Oh, please don't let Ivor deal with it," said Gabriel, "That- It's not the best of ideas."

 _"Wait, wait, wait,"_ said Jesse, frowning now, _"This isn't your_ _house?"_

 _"Ew, no,"_ TorqueDawg crossed his arms, almost looking disgusted.

Cassie frowned at that.

 _"Be polite,"_ Sparklez muttered to him. He turned to the four newcomers. _"No, I'm afraid we're not the ones behind this either."_

"So _that's_ why we're here," said Lizzie, realisation dawning in her eyes, "We must _all_ get invitations to- to _whatever_ this is!"

"Maybe," muttered Dan, "I mean, everyone shown so far as played a part, haven't they? Well, I'd assume so, anyway, I haven't exactly watched the first four episodes."

Lukas twisted, frowning as he looked over the rest of the audience, "Uh, yeah, actually, you're right," he shrugged, "I mean, Aiden, Maya and Gill didn't play that big of a part during the first adventure, having only been there in the beginning. But they _did_ make a comeback in the previous episode."

Isa hummed, "I see your logic. That must mean everyone else in this room will be playing some sort of role throughout the series."

"Well, _I_ found that quite obvious," said Milo, earning a glare from both the Founder and the Captain of the Guard, "We were only brought in _after_ their first adventure, after all, which none of us appeared in."

Onscreen, Sparklez gestured to the rude man standing next to him, _"This is TorqueDawg."_

TorqueDawg crossed his arms, looking away, _"Sup."_

 _"And I'm Captain Sparklez,"_ Sparklez introduced, placing his hands on his hips, _"Though, maybe you know that already..."_ When Jesse, Petra, Lukas and Ivor exchanged confused looks, Sparklez continued, _"'Captain Sparklez'? I've got, like, nine million fans?"_

Cassie snorted, sending a teasing grin in the man's direction, "Way not to brag, Sparklez."

Sparklez's cheats tinted pink, and he grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Hey, it's hard to resist sometimes, okay?"

 _"'Captain Sparklez'?"_ repeated Petra, confusion clear on her face, _"Are you saying that with a 'z'?"_

 _"Petra!"_ yelped Ivor, _"Show some respect! The man's a_ captain _,"_ he sent Sparklez a small grin, _"Sorry, Captain. Civilians, am I right?"_

"Who are you calling a _civilian_?" asked Petra, glaring at onscreen Ivor as though he could actually hear her. Olivia gave a short laugh.

Jesse gave a small shrug, smiling, _"It really is awesome to meet you."_

Lukas blinked, "Wait, you actually know who he is?"

"Uh... no. No, I don't."

 _"I'm Jesse,"_ he gestured to the other three, _"And that's Petra, Lukas and Ivor."_

Petra grinned at them, Lukas waving, while Ivor extended a hand and said, rather poshly, _"Charmed."_

TorqueDawg snickered, _"Jesse? That's a girls name."_

"Oh, no," groaned Sparklez, looking just as mortified as his onscreen self, "I can't- Oh, I-I'm sorry about him."

"Well," said Olivia, as Magnus, Hadrian, Mevia, Facemeat, Clutch and Axel died laughing, "Jesse _can_ be used as a girls name."

"I think it makes a good boys name, though," Lukas shrugged, "It suits you."

"Thanks," Jesse said, trying- and relatively failing- to ignore the booming laughter directly behind him.

 _"What are you guys anyway?"_ asked TorqueDawg, walking closer to the now frowning group, _"Some sort of,"_ he snorted, _"Loser patrol?"_

"How do any of us look like a 'loser patrol'?" asked Petra, "Just look at our _armour_."

"He's probably jealous," said Lizzie, scowling at the screen, "He always claims to have better stuff than anyone else, but refuses to show it to _anyone_."

"Wow," said Maya, raising an eyebrow at her, "You _seriously_ don't like this guy."

"No one likes him!" Lizzie exclaimed, making Stampy jump and almost bonk heads with Dan, "I'm just the only one who'll admit it."

"Lizzie," Stacy cut in, putting a calming hand on her friend's shoulder, "Let's just watch the episode okay?"

Lizzie scowled at her, although it wasn't necessarily directed at the girl, "I'm not sure I _want_ to watch this if _that_ guy's in it."

 _"TorqueDawg,"_ hissed Sparklez, glaring at the man.

 _"Aw, come on, that was_ hilarious _,"_ TorqueDawg grinned.

"No it wasn't," deadpanned Aiden, earning a surprised look from Lukas and a stifled giggle from Cassie.

 _"Actually,"_ said Jesse, glaring as he crossed his arms, Lukas mimicking him off to the side, _"We're the Order of the Stone. Legendary heroes. Kind of a big deal."_

"Heck yeah!" cheered Nell, throwing her hands in the air. Em's eye twitched.

TorqueDawg looked him up and down, then scoffed, _"'Legendary heroes'?"_ he shoved passed Jesse and Lukas, causing them to stumble backwards, moving to stand next to the blazing furnaces, _"I ain't never heard of you."_

"Well," said Cassie, absentmindedly stroking Winslow, "They _are_ from a completely different world."

"He didn't have to shove them," muttered Olivia, frowning.

 _"TorqueDawg!"_ said Sparklez, actually starting to sound a little mad, _"Cool it!"_ his voice returned to a more pleasant tone, _"That sea of zombies has us_ all _trapped, so we just need to try our best to get along."_

"You are a man of logic," said Gabriel, smiling at Sparklez, "I can respect that."

Sparklez beamed.

Onscreen, TorqueDawg almost seemed to tremble with suppressed rage, then began to pace in a small circle, as though trying to release energy, _"Worst. Day. Ever."_

 _"Just try and look on the bright side,"_ said Sparklez.

"I can't see it," said Petra, blanky. Axel snorted.

TorqueDawg was silent for a moment, still walking in a circle, shaking his head in silent rage, _"I hate_ so much _about the way you choose to be."_

Dan blinked, "Nice?"

 _"Maybe we can all work together to get through those zombies?"_ suggested Jesse, thoughtfully tapping his bottom lip, _"Power in numbers and all that?"_

"To _where_?" asked Stacy, "Those things are _everywhere!_ "

 _"That's what we're trying to figure out,"_ said Sparklez. He sent a look in TorqueDawg's direction. _"Just can't get everyone to work together."_

"Well," said Lizzie, still scowling, "I am _not_ looking forward to this."

"I don't think _any_ of us are," Dan agreed.

 _"I tell you what,"_ TorqueDawg said, as though Sparklez hadn't even spoken, _"The_ minute _all them weird zombies are gone,"_ once more, he shoved passed Jesse, _"TorqueDawg is outta here!"_

Axel scowled, his laughter completely vanishing, "What's with this guy? He's being a total jerk to Jesse."

"I think it might be, uh... a dominant thing," said Lukas, slowly, as though struggling to word it, "He's trying to show he's all tough, and Jesse's the one that's doing most of the talking and whatnot, so..."

"Ohhh, I get it," Magnus said, nodding, "Like that Challenging the King for His Crown thing?"

"Sort of," Ellegaard hummed, "He's trying to show he's... well, he's trying to dominate them, like Lukas said. Show he's tougher, the- the upper dog, you could say."

Aiden rubbed his arm, hunching in on himself. He leant away from the screen, as though to get away from TorqueDawg, as though afraid he was _contagious_ , and accidentally bumped into Maya.

Immediately, he moved away, muttering a quiet apology. Maya frowned at him, concerned. She reached over and took his hand in hers, the one that had been rubbing his arm, giving it a comforting squeeze. Aiden blinked, surprised, then smiled weakly at her.

From her armchair, Cassie frowned, cocking her head to the side.

She wondered if she could somehow get Maya into episode six as well.

 _"Okay,"_ said Jesse, glaring after him, _"So the sea of zombies isn't normal. Good to hear."_

 _"Two moons_ is _normal though, right?"_ asked Petra, moving to stand behind Jesse.

"We probably think it might have something to do with the mass amount of zombies," said Lukas, thoughtfully, "You know, extra moon, extra monsters."

Sparklez frowned, seemingly confused, rubbing his hair, _"Uh, the moons?... Yeah..."_

 _"Why don't you know this stuff?"_ asked TorqueDawg, planting his hands on his hips as he turned to face them again, eyes hard, _"You from, like, outta town or something?"_

"He makes it sound like he hates visitors," observed Olivia. Stampy winced.

"Uh... yeah, he's a bit... judgemental."

"Racist, you mean," said Dan, making Stampy grimace.

"Um... now, _racist_ is a tad harsh-"

"But it's true," Lizzie cut in, a bit snappishly.

Jesse and Olivia shared an uncomfortable look, while almost the entire audience scowled, looking at TorqueDawg with a newfound hatred. Otto awkwardly cleared his throat, Isa subconsciously poking at the skin around her almond shaped eyes, Gabriel taking immense interest in a thread poking out of the couch. Harper picked at her nails, while Reginald fingered the hilt of his sword.

Scowling, Soren reached out and wrapped an arm almost protectively around Gabriel's shoulders, Magnus doing the same, his arm overlapping the gingers, while his other pulled Ellegaard closer to him. Soren wrapped his other arm around Ivor, who started, blinking in surprise at the action.

"Well," said Petra, in what would have been a casual way had her eyes not been twin blazing balls of fiery hatred, "I don't like _him_."

Onscreen, Jesse's glared returned. Then the lights went out.

"Wow!" gasped Axel.

Slab groaned, tugging at the bandages around his eyes, _"What?!"_

A shocked silence came upon them, only to be broken a moment later by a quiet, mechanical groan. Lukas' voice sounded, a loud whisper, _"Do you hear that?"_

Then the silence was broken by zips and pings, the now blind group gasping and yelling. The only thing the audience could see where their eyes, floating in the blackness, darting around in a blind panic.

"What's _happening?!_ " asked Gill.

"We don't _know!_ " Cassie yelled back.

 _"Something touched my foot!"_ exclaimed Ivor, something that looked distinguishably like him running passed Jesse, _"Who touched my foot?!"_

 _"Everyone, dive for cover!"_ shouted Jesse. Almost as soon as he said that, the lights came back on, forcing them to squeeze their eyes shut at the sudden assault.

Swirls of green floated up from something on the floor, what appeared to be arrows sticking out of it. Eyes widening, horrified gasps erupted, almost in a near perfect unison. The screen switched around, revealing TorqueDawg on the ground, an arrow sticking out of his chest, upper arm and calf.

"OH MY GOD!" screamed Olivia.

"WHAT?!" yelled Maya, her voice almost impossibly high, " _WHAT?!_ "

"How did- but he was just- he was _right there!_ " Lukas exclaimed, jabbing a finger at the screen, face the colour of porridge.

"That- That could have been _one of you,_ " said Axel. Then, louder, _"That could have been one of you!"_

"Oh my gosh," Cassie breathed, hands trembling, breath coming out in broken gasps, "Oh my _gosh_ , he's- he's-"

"How did- oh, _dear_ -"

"That's not good, this is _so not good-_ "

"Wait, please, everyone calm down-"

"I don't- how did- _what?!_ "

"He was right _there_!"

"M-Magnus, I can't _breathe-_ "

The king Immediatly let go of Ellegaard, who sucked in a lungful of air, hands trembling. Ivor looked even paler than usual, gaping at the screen, dark blue eyes wide as saucers. Soren was looking from Ivor to the screen, then from the screen to Ivor, as though his brain was unable to register what he had just witnessed.

Hadrian leant back in his seat, regarding the scene with startled eyes.

"Well," he said, after a moment, "That's... quite the plot twist."

"Where did those arrows _come from?!_ " asked Dan, whose hair had, at some random point, changed to a luminous green.

"That- That- it could have hit _Jesse_ \- it could have-" Axel sucked in a sudden lungful of air, face sickly pale. He reached out, almost blindly, and grabbed Jesse's arm, as though in an attempt to ground himself.

The smaller boy immediately complied, twisting slightly and giving Axel's hand a comforting squeeze (his own hand hardly fit in his _palm_ ), sending him a worried frown. In his lap, Reuben oinked, nose twitching.

"You okay, Axel?" Jesse asked.

"I-I'm-" Axel shook his head, eyes tearing from where they'd been staring at the screen to look Jesse in the eye, "You could have just _died_."

Jesse blinked. He looked over at the screen, then, as though this thought had just occurred to him, turned back to Axel. "Huh. I... I guess so."

Large arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a crushing hug, Reuben giving a startled squeal. Jesse winced, but smiled, even though the entire bottom of his face was practically covered now.

"Love ya too, pal."

Awkwardly, Slab cleared his throat, "I have no idea what's happening."

TorqueDawg coughed, gasping as his eyes locked with Jesse's, _"Hey, Jesse,"_ the boy looked startled at the sound of his name, eyes darting back and forth, _"Jesse, c'mere."_

After a moment of hesitation, Jesse knelt next to him, TorqueDawg's hand reaching out and clutching the sleeve of his armour. Petra and Lukas took a small step forward, as though to better hear him, eyes wide, a hand to Petra's mouth. It switched to show Sparklez, both his hands covering his mouth.

 _"You've got..."_ TorqueDawg gave a pained gasp, _"A girls name."_

His eyes rolled into the back of his head, one last pained gasp leaving his throat. Then he went limp, flashed red once- and poofed.

"Oh dear lord," Stampy whimpered, trembling in his seat, hands to his mouth, "He's- He's _dead_."

A shocked silence came upon the room. Dan reached out and pulled Stampy into a tight hug, but the cat hoodie wearing boy was too fixated on the screen to really notice. Milo pressed the tips of his fingers to his forehead, as though perplexed.

"I don't understand," muttered Isa, "Who would _do_ this?"

Cassie shook her head, trembling in her seat, Aiden sending her a concerned look from the couch, "I don't know, I don't care, just get _out_ of there!"

Onscreen, Jesse gave a horrified gasp, tangling his hands in his hair.

 _"TorqueDawg?"_ Sparklez whispered, visibly starting to tremble. He fell to his knees. _"TorqueDawg?!"_

 _"So,"_ said Ivor, casually, _"I'm guessing calling dibs on his inventory would be-"_

 _"Ivor!"_ snapped Petra.

 _"-Not classy!"_ he said, hastily, _"Got it, got it. Just needed to see where we stood."_

"Seriously, Ivor?" muttered Ellegaard, although there was a reluctant smile on her lips. Despite the weight on his mind, Ivor couldn't help a small huff of a laugh.

 _"That poor guy,"_ said Jesse, still sounding rather shaken, _"That's so awful."_

 _"Yeah, he, uh... seemed like a real bit of a jerk,"_ Petra admitted, Sparklez looking up from where he was still kneeling next to TorqueDawg's inventory, _"But that's_ still _a nasty way to go."_

"No kidding," breathed Gill.

 _"All those arrows! His inventory everwhere!"_ Sparklez shot to his feet, speaking in rapid succession, voice high in his panic, _"How did that- Who-?"_ he came to a stop in front of Jesse, eyes wide, breath coming out in short gasps, _"One minute he's alive, the next-_ gone! _Poof!"_

 _"I know,"_ Jesse assured, placing a firm hand on the captain's shoulder, _"That was absolutely awful. We were talking, like, a_ second _ago and then suddenly he's full of arrows!"_

"I don't think that helped much," Harper mumbled, a bit weakly in her shock.

Spotting something above him, Jesse looked up, eyes widening- directly above him and Sparklez was a dispenser.

The blood that had been gradually returning to Axel's face immediately drained, and he waved a hand at the screen, almost hitting both Petra and Lukas in the face, "Get _away from that!_ "

 _"Everyone stand back,"_ instructed Jesse, holding his arms out. The group took a few steps away from the dispenser, and Jesse narrowed his eyes onto the sprawled inventory in front of him. He knelt in front of it. _"Let's see what I can figure out."_

"No, no, _no,_ get _out of there!_ " yelled Axel, right in Jesse's ear. The boy winced.

"Axel, we can't _hear_ you!" said Petra.

 _"This is... why is this happening?"_ asked Sparklez, off screen.

 _"Gunpowder,"_ listed Jesse, _"Redstone dust, leather pants... pretty much what you'd expect, I'd guess."_

"I still don't understand why they would target TorqueDawg," said Dan, shaking his abruptly green head.

"Well," Sparklez said, slowly, still looking quite pale, "He... tends to claim to have cool stuff, doesn't he? Maybe... I dunno, maybe someone wanted it?"

Dan and Lizzie shared a look, then shrugged.

"Maybe," said Lizzie.

Abruptly, there was another mechanical groan. Then the floor around TorqueDawg's inventory shot down a block, then vanished through a hole. The group gasped in an almost perfect unison with the audience.

"Wow," muttered Magnus, "Okay. What was that?"

"This place must be _crawling_ with redstone," said Ellegaard, eyes wide, "But... how was that activated?"

"M-Maybe they stood on a pressure plate?" Cassie suggested. Frowning, Ellegaard shook her head.

"But wouldn't they have noticed by now?"

Onscreen, Jesse shared a startled look with his friends, before turning his attention to the hole. Behind him, Sparklez's breath was beginning to come out in panicked gasps.

_"W-Who would do this?"_

Stacy reached out, putting a comforting hand on Sparklez's shoulder. He sent her a grateful smile.

Frown deepening, Jesse got to his feet and stalked over to one of the arrows embedded into the ground next to the hole, snatching it up and regarding its luminous green tip with a critical eye, _"Hey, guys, I think I've found something strange about this arrow."_

"What?" Lizzie blinked, squinting at the screen, "Oh. Oh, yeah. That looks like a tipped arrow."

"'Tipped Arrow'?" echoed Ivor, interest caught. Lizzie nodded.

"Yeah, there not out yet, but I've heard a few things about them being made. There aren't any tutorials out about it yet, though, so I don't know how to make them."

 _"Yeah, Ivor,"_ Jesse continued, _"You know potions and enchantments and weird stuff like that. What do you make of it?"_

Ivor grabbed the arrow from his hands, turning around as he brought it to his nose, giving it a long, drawn-out sniff. Behind him, Petra and Lukas took a step closer to Jesse in perfect unison, Jesse and Petra sharing an odd look.

"Ohhhhh, that's not weird at _all_ ," declared Magnus. To his immense relief, Ivor rolled his eyes. He was actually starting to react to things again.

 _"Hm... smells like... yes..."_ he turned around, _"Potion of poison?"_

 _"Oh, is it a t-tipped arrow?"_ asked Sparklez, moving to stand next to Ivor. He was still trembling, but it was starting to subside, although his face remained pale. _"Oh, I've heard of those. They're... they're still pretty new."_

"A tipped arrow..." Isa frowned, "But why go through so much trouble? With enough plain arrows, that guy would've died either way."

"I think it might have something to do with speed," Milo said, tapping his chin, "Those lights were off for only a few seconds. And wouldn't poisoned arrows insure the victims death? You can recover from regular arrows, can you not?"

"He makes a fair point," muttered Reginald, reluctantly.

Jesse blinked, then moved closer to them. Sparklez shook his head, taking a weary step back, as though afraid the arrow would shoot up from Ivor's hands and attack them. _"Nasty stuff."_

 _"Using potions to make arrows,"_ said Ivor, absentmindedly waving the arrow around, _"The possibilities are_ fascinating! _"_

"Don't wave around the poisoned arrow, Ivor!" snapped Soren.

 _"Would you stop waving that thing around?"_ asked Lukas, _"You're making me nervous."_

 _"You ever seen them used like this before?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"In a trap like this? No way,"_ said Sparklez. Jesse's eyes narrowed, but the captain didn't seem to notice. _"Could've sworn I saw someone doing a tutorial on how to make these things not too long ago..."_

Ivor handed the arrow back to Jesse. The screen zoomed in on it in Jesse's hand, before going up to the boys face, as he looked from it to Ivor, an almost suspicious look on his face. Off screen, Sparklez continued, _"But my nerves are too shot to remember who right now."_

The potionologist's own eyes narrowed, looking over at Sparklez, as though silently communicating with the boy. Jesse pocketed the arrow, turning to face Sparklez as well. The warmth that had been in his eyes during introductions had vanished. _"Well, let me know if it comes back to you."_

"Wait, you don't think _Sparklez_ did it, do you?" asked Dan, straightening in his seat. When he realised he was _still_ hugging Stampy, his cheeks tinted red and he let go, 'causing the other boy to blink in surprise, having not noticed until now.

"Well," said Petra, scratching her neck thoughtfully, "He _was_ the only other person in the room besides us."

"And there's no way any of _them_ are the killer," Olivia pointed out, wincing a bit at the word 'killer,' "But... I don't think you actually did it, uh... Colonel Sparky?"

"Captain Sparklez."

Jesse turned back to the trapdoor, kneeling next to it. Across from him, Petra leant over, hands on her knees, _"This whole thing is getting creepier by the minute."_

 _"There's the trapdoor that sucked up TorqueDawg's stuff,"_ muttered Jesse, leaning forward so almost his entire front was in the hole. The others faces appeared around him, the dispenser directly above them.

"What are you _doing?!_ " yelled Axel, squeezing Jesse so tight the boy was struggling to breathe, "That thing could go off again!"

"He has a point," said Milo, adjusting his hat, "I, for one, wouldn't want to go anywhere near it."

"Yes, but the hole has to be investigated," Cassie pointed out, "There could be something important there."

"I think their _lives_ are more important!" snapped Axel, squeezing a gasping for breath Jesse against his chest like a stuffed bear.

 _"Looks like it's a matched set with that arrow dispenser up there,"_ Jesse said, pointing up at the dispenser.

 _"But you saw his stuff,"_ said Petra, straightening, _"He didn't really have anything worth stealing."_

 _"Perhaps,"_ Ivor hummed, _"It was simply to... dispose of the evidence."_

"It could be," said Gabriel, "But why kill him in the first place?"

Abruptly, the screen switched to the kitchen door, a voice coming through the speakers, _"Hello? Everything okay in here-"_ the door opened to reveal LDSHADOWLADY, otherwise known as LIZZIE, _"Woah! What's with the crowd?"_

"It's Lizzie!" gasped Stampy.

 _"I, uh..."_ Sparklez rubbed at his head, moving closer to the door. He placed a hand on Lizzie's shoulder. _"I was just about to get everyone together to tell them at once."_

Lizzie frowned, confused, but before she could question the statement, Sparklez squeezed passed her and vanished through the door. She raised an eyebrow after him, _"Okay..."_

She turned her attention to the newcomers, who, once more, looked like deer caught in headlights. Her purple eyes widened. _"Hang on a minute. It's you! I recognise you!"_

Real-Lizzie blinked, "Uh... I do?"

"That's odd," said Lukas, frowning, "You didn't recognise us when you first came in."

"Yeah, but you guys haven't become the new Order of the Stone yet," Maya pointed out.

"But she's from a different _world_ ," said Isa, "Unless she's Portal Hopped, she shouldn't have been able to ever see them before."

" _Have_ you Portal Hopped?" asked Harper, raising an eyebrow. Jesse seemed to be trying to say something, but no one could hear him because Axel's arm was practically wrapped around his face. Lizzie shook her head.

"No, never. Although I plan to change that very soon, once I find my worlds portal key."

Dan gave a short laugh, "No way. _I'm_ getting that key."

 _"Excuse me?"_ said Lukas, frowning.

 _"Uh... yes,"_ Ivor put his hands on his hips, raising a dark eyebrow, _"What?"_

Lizzie giggled silently, although none of them really knew what she found so funny. Jesse frowned at her.

 _"'Recognise us'? How?"_ he asked.

 _"I'll show you,"_ said Lizzie, turning around and gesturing for them to come with her, _"Follow me."_

"Wait, how is she going to _show_ them?" asked Ellegaard, "Is there, like, a screen? Like this one?"

"I don't know," said Soren, stroking his ginger beard, "Why would _they_ have a screen? _How_ would they have a screen?"

"How do _we_ have a screen?" countered Ivor. Soren opened his mouth to answer, realised he didn't have an answer, and shut it.

Onscreen, Jesse, Petra, Lukas and Ivor shared a confused, sceptical look. _"Um..."_ Petra shrugged, _"Okay."_

They began to follow her.

"Well," said Sparklez, licking his dry lips, "I suppose it's good to know Lizzie and I didn't get caught in those zombies."

"TorqueDawg didn't get caught in them either," Stacy said, leaning in her seat and crossing her arms, "And yet, here we are."

The screen changed, revealing CASSIE ROSE and WINSLOW standing through an archway. Spotting Lizzie coming from the hall, she turned, waving, _"Lizzie, hey! Did you see all these new- oh!"_ she blinked, surprised, as the other four filtered in behind her, _"You've got them with you."_

"Wow," muttered Aide, cocking his head to the side. She looked just as beautiful on screen than she did in real life. Gill sent him an odd look, while Maya's head snapped from Aiden to the screen, then back to Aiden. Her eyes were beginning to glint.

Jesse looked around the room with a raised eyebrow- then stopped, eyes widening, a gasp leaving his lips. The screen zoomed out, showing off the seating area- and the four visible portraits on the walls of Petra, Lukas, Ivor and Sparklez.

The audience's eyes widened. From where he was being partly strangled within Axel's arms, Jesse shared a shocked look with Lukas and Petra.

 _"Well, first it was just the portraits of the people already here,"_ explained Cassie, offscreen, as Jesse's spotted his own portrait, armour and all, a hand on his hip, directly above the front doors, _"Then, poof! You guys."_

"That... how is that possible?" asked Olivia, "You just _got_ there!"

"This is so creepy," breathed Lukas. Jesse tried to speak again, but was once more unable to due to Axel's arm covering half his face.

 _"Woah,"_ Jesse said, eyes as wide as dinner plates, _"That's... unexpected."_

 _"Yeah, no kidding,"_ agreed Petra, turning to face him.

 _"They're absolutely exquisite!"_ exclaimed Ivor, from where he was admiring his own portrait, _"Perfect!"_

The screen switched to Lukas' portrait, revealing its squashed nose. He turned around, rubbing the back of his head, _"Well, not 'perfect.'"_

Laughter burst to life in the watching room, Lukas' cheeks turning red as his friends practically fell over. Jesse gasped as Axel actually _did_ fall over, releasing the boy from the death hug he'd been trapped in for the past couple minutes, although he was now spread across his larger friends bouncing chest.

"Oh my _g-god_ ," laughed Petra, face starting to ache from how wide her smile was. She reached over, doubling over, and slapped a hand onto a tomato-faced Lukas' shoulder, tried to say something, looked at his face, and began laughing again.

 _"Absolutely. Perfect!"_ Ivor said, grinning up at his portrait. Lukas scowled, turning away.

Jesse backed away, looking _incredibly_ freaked out as he surveyed the seating room's walls.

 _"Must've been when we showed up,"_ said Petra, as the screen swirled around Jesse, showing off the many portraits along the walls, as well as revealing four that appeared to be Cassie with a diamond sword, Stampy in a wooden throne, Lizzie standing on a block of TNT and Dan with his arms crossed.

"Look!" exclaimed Stampy, jabbing a finger at the screen, "There's us!"

 _"Flattering how well they captured our likenesses,"_ said an offscreen Petra.

 _"Some of us,"_ Lukas grumbled.

 _"What are you talking about?"_ you could almost _hear_ the grin in Petra's voice, _"Yours looks_ just _like you."_

"Wow, thanks," muttered a still red faced Lukas. Axel sighed, a wide grin plastered on his face, and sat up, sending both Jesse and Reuben falling into his lap.

"If only I was there."

 _"Sombody's up to something,"_ said Jesse, still looking rather freaked out (naturally), _"I don't know what yet... but I'm gonna figure it out."_

Spotting a particular portrait on the far wall, Jesse's eyes widened. It was TorqueDawg's, with a big, dripping red X right across him.

All humour in the room vanished, popping like a balloon meeting a needle. Axel's arm unconsciously snaked around Jesse again, although this time, _thankfully,_ it was only around his stomach. And Reuben's entire body.

 _"Well,"_ said Jesse, _"That's definentley not a good sign."_

 _"Come on, everyone,"_ came Sparklez's voice, directing everyone's attention to the doors, _"Let's huddle up in the dining room."_ They opened, Sparklez walking in with a group of others.

 _"Wonder if he told them yet,"_ muttered Petra, moving to stand beside Jesse and placing a hand on her hip.

 _"I can't wait to hear the big news,"_ said DAN THE DIAMOND MINECART, as STACYPLAYS ran to catch up with them.

_"Me neither!"_

"Wow!" gasped Dan, grinning, "I-It's _us!_ "

"Weird, isn't it?" said Sparklez. Stacy nodded in silent agreement.

Jesse raised an eyebrow, then his eyes widened as the screen zoomed in on two portraits above the doors, one of Dan and one of Stacy. Jesse's head snapped back down to the approaching group, STAMPYCAT smiling as he followed Sparklez, _"Oh! I hope there's cake!"_

"There's me!" Stampy squeaked.

The screen zipped up, showing Stampy and Cassie's portraits. As the group approached, Petra's arm dropped back down to her side, _"Guess not."_

 _"Come on,"_ said Sparklez, a sad frown on his face, _"Lets do this."_

They turned, walking into the dining room. Cassie smiled down at her cat, _"Come on, Winslow."_ The screen zoomed out, the glowstone lamps lighting the room from the ceiling, as the four newcomers entered last.

With that, the screen went dark.

"Wow," said Maya, leaning back in her seat. She opened her mouth to say something else, but didn't seem to be able to find anything else to say. "Wow."

"Yeah, this is... this is weird," Stacy said, fiddling with the sleeve of her striped shirt.

"No kidding," muttered Dan. His hair had turned orange now, earning quite a few confused looks.

Cassie shuddered, clutching Winslow to her chest, "I've got a _really_ bad feeling about this."

"Hey, don't worry," Aiden smiled at her, "I'm sure everything'll be fine."

Maya looked from her friend to the redhead, who were now smiling at each other. A wide grin spread across her face, Gill giving her a confused look.

"Well," said Hadrian, leaning further into his seat and taking a bite out of the pork sandwich he had Mevia make him, "Things are getting interesting again."

He blinked, twisting in his seat slightly to frown at the wall behind him. He could have sworn he'd heard a short laugh. And did that sheep portrait just blink at him?

"I don't know, Hadrian," hummed Otto, unawares of the mans predicament, "I don't think these things ever _stop_ being interesting."

Inside the walls, she smiled.

"Damn straight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you say to TorquDawg after he called you 'Loser Patrol'? Good one, we're a big deal or is everyone here as horrible as you? Let me know in the reviews!


	48. Detective Jesse

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Forty-Eight: Detective Jesse**

* * *

Lizzie and Dan stood a few feet away from a blazing grand fireplace, Winslow seated on the table. Sparklez, Cassie and the newcomers trickled in, the captain beginning to speak, _"Here, let me introduce you all properly."_

"I think that would be nice," muttered Maya, sheepishly fiddling with the bottom of her shirt. She'd forgotten a _lot_ of names now.

_"You guys already met Cassie Rose and LDShadowLady."_

_"But my friends call me Lizzie,"_ the pink haired girl cut in.

 _"This is StacyPlays,"_ Sparklez continued, gesturing to the person as he spoke, _"StampyCat, and that's Dan,"_ he pointed to the boy, whose hair had gone from brown to light blue, _"The Diamond Minecart."_

"It's done it again," Gill whispered loudly. Maya elbowed him.

Onscreen, Petra blinked, _"Wh-When did your hair change colour? Wasn't it- ?"_

 _"It's funny,"_ said Sparklez, not realising she'd been speaking, _"Before you guys showed up, we all knew each other here."_

"That... would seem strange, yeah," Olivia admitted.

"They could say they were visiting?" Milo suggested.

 _"They're the Order of the Stone,"_ Sparklez introduced, turning and gesturing to each of them, _"Jesse, Petra, Lukas and Ivor."_

The screen switched to show Stacy and Stampy looking at them curiously as Sparklez continued, _"Apparently they're famous heroes where they come from."_

 _"So, you said there was news?"_ said Dan, crossing his arms, _"Is it good? Good news?"_

Soren winced, "Weeeeeeeell..."

 _"Ah. Yeah,"_ Sparklez winced, nervously adjusting his sunglasses, _"It's, um... bad news, I'm afraid."_ The YouTubers shared concerned looks, waiting expectantly. Sparklez took a moment to brace himself, phrasing his words carefully, _"TorqueDawg... is dead."_

"Way to be blunt," muttered Petra.

"I actually think that might have been the best way to go about it," Lukas admitted, "I mean, just jumping right in, you know?"

 _"Good heavens,"_ Stampy gasped.

 _"Oh no,"_ Cassie breathed, sounding near tears.

 _"Wait,"_ said Dan, holding up his hands, _"What?"_

 _"But TorqueDawg_ _was so tough,"_ Stacy said, eyes wide, _"There was nothing that could take him down! What happened?"_

"Well, 'tough' isn't something I'd use to describe that guy," said Magnus, "He seemed more like a, uh... well-"

"A show pony?" suggested Soren. Magnus paused, eyes skirting around the slightly younger audience members, and slowly nodded his head.

"Uh, yeah. Totally what I was gonna say."

 _"Yeah,"_ said Dan, frowning at his friend, _"What on_ earth _is going on here, Sparklez?"_

An awkward silence descended upon them. Sparklez adjusted his glasses, very carefully avoiding looking at anyone. A little bit behind Jesse, Ivor cleared his throat.

 _"Well,"_ he said, _"This is going well so far."_

"Oh, it's going _fantastically_ ," muttered Soren. No one was all that certain if he was being sarcastic or not, to be honest.

Jesse finally took a step forward, pulling out the arrow, its bright green tip glowing dully, _"These are what got him."_

Lizzie's eyes widened, _"Tipped arrows?"_

 _"Does that mean someone set a_ trap _for TorqueDawg?"_ asked Stacy. She crossed her arms, shaking her head slowly. _"That's nasty."_

"Well, that's... that's one way to put it," said Isa.

Dan shook his head, sliding into a seat at the dining table, _"I can't believe TorqueDawg's_ _gone. Just like that!"_

 _"So... what happened to his stuff?"_ asked Stacy.

"What?!" Cassie yelled, her voice almost a squeak, "How could you _say_ that?!"

"I only said it out of curiosity!" Stacy defended, "I mean, it's not like I _meant_ anything by it!"

"But it _just happened!_ " Cassie shouted, "You don't just _ask_ about someones stuff right after finding out they just died!"

 _"Woah! How can you_ say _that?"_ exclaimed Casse.

 _"What? It's a valid question,"_ said Stacy.

"It _is_ a little hash," admitted Maya.

"A little?" Cassie gave a humourless laugh, "The guy just _died_."

"We know, Cassie," said Aiden, holding up his hands, "I agree with you, but we can't exactly do anything about it right now."

Cassie huffed, crossing her arms, but she didn't push it.

 _"Woah,"_ Lizzie blinked.

 _"Come on, everyone,"_ said Stampy, _"Don't get greedy."_

 _"Just... I wanna know what happened,"_ Stacy explained, _"For curiosities sake."_

The real Cassie rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Stacy winced, realising how bad that sounded.

 _"His stuff just disappeared,"_ said Jesse, _"Went down this weird hole in the floor."_

Stampy raised an eyebrow at him, _"Are we just supposed to take your word for that?"_

"Sorry, Jesse," Stampy apologised, "I wouldn't have said that had I actually known you. Besides, you don't seem like much of a liar."

"Uh... thanks?" said Jesse, wondering if he should take that as a compliment or not. Hadrian hummed slightly, filing this information away for later.

 _"Guys, I saw it too,"_ cut in Sparklez, _"Jesse was poking around in TorqueDawg's_ _stuff right before it got sucked into a hopper."_

"I still don't understand how that happened," said Ellegaard, a completive frown on her brow, "How was it even activated?"

Magnus shrugged, arms still wrapped around hers and Gabriels shoulders, "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Onscreen, Lizzie and Dan shared a look, before turning narrowed eyes to Stacy. Lukas spoke up before anyone could point it out, both onscreen and in the audience.

 _"So I'm looking at this situation,"_ he said, hands on his hips, _"And I'm trying to figure something out... Is this just about TorqueDawg_ _or is there a bigger picture?"_

 _"Yeah,"_ said Petra, _"Why have_ our _portraits?"_

"She's gotta point," Dan said, tapping his chin, "I mean, they're not even from our _world_. This 'Host' guy shouldn't even know they exist."

Jesse frowned, thoughtfully putting a hand on his chin and crossing the other over his chest, walking in a small circle. Off the side, Lizzie gave a small shrug.

_"I dunno. Knowing TorqueDawg, I think this might just be about him."_

"Ah," Petra sighed, "There it is."

Onscreen, Petra raised an eyebrow at her, Jesse coming to a stop, _"Am I picking up some beef here?"_

"I like beef," Facemeat stated randomly. The rest of the audience blinked at him slowly.

"Um... okay," said Magnus.

 _"Uh, what? No!"_ Lizzie said, a _little_ too quickly, _"I don't know what you're talking about."_

"Well," said Hadrian, "That's not suspicious at _all_."

Lizzie winced, cheeks tinting pink.

There was an extended moment of silence, the others sending Lizzie raised eyebrows or small frowns. After a moment, Jesse spoke up, _"Okay, but then why invite us all here?"_

Lizzie frowned at the floor, then nodded slowly, _"That's true. I hadn't thought of that."_

"Yes, it would make little sense to invite you all to the mansion simply to kill one of you," Gabriel said, "If they were to do that, wouldn't it make more sense to at least kill him in front of everyone else?"

"I get it, I get it!" said Lizzie, "Onscreen me's dumb, we know."

There was another moment of silence. Stampy and Stacy shared a look that was hard to decipher. Licking her lips, Lizzie pulled out her own invitation.

 _"Well,_ someone _brought us here for a reason,"_ she said, _"Including TorqueDawg."_

 _"What if we're_ all _in danger?"_ asked Dan, standing from his seat at the table, eyes abruptly widening.

Olivia gasped, pressing her hands to her mouth. She was starting to look a little sick again. "Oh, I-I didn't think of that."

"They'll be fine," Axel stated firmly. His arms tightened around Jesse, pulling him closer against his chest, as though trying to convince himself that as well.

 _"Oh my gosh,"_ gasped Stacy, _"Dan's right!"_

 _"Whoever's doing this,"_ said Stampy, skin going a few shades paler, _"They could be hunting us!"_

 _"Hunting us?!"_ Lizzie exclaimed.

"Oh, I don't like where this is going," groaned Stampy, pulling his knees up to his chest and trying- and failing- to hide behind Dan, "I _really_ don't like where this is going!"

"B-But why would they be hunting us?" asked Sparklez, "We haven't done _anything!_ "

"Maybe," said Harper, "But this is in the future, isn't it? At least a couple months after the first adventure? Perhaps you do something that... well... draws attention."

"Like _what?_ " Dan asked, absentmindedly wrapping his arms around a trembling Stampy. Harper didn't answer.

 _"Hey, come on, everyone,"_ said Jesse, moving to stand in the middle of them all, _"If there's one thing I believe in, it's teamwork. If we all stick together and get through this as a team, we'll be fine!"_

"Hm. Teamwork," Hadrian hummed, as though testing the word on his tongue. Otto sent him a weary look. Mevia didn't look away from the screen, although she had an oddly blank look on her face.

 _"Ha,"_ Dan smiled, crossing his arms, _"Inspiring."_

 _"There you go, guys!"_ Sparklez grinned, _"Teamwork makes the dream work!"_

"That... okay, that was pretty good," Magnus admitted, reluctantly, "If _incredibly_ cheesy."

Ellegaard snorted.

Ivor stared at him for a long moment, mouth slightly open. He blinked. _"Wow."_

 _"Ooh, all this 'danger' talk is making my stomach all queasy,"_ Stampy groaned, looking visibly sick.

Real-Stampy groaned, as though agreeing with his onscreen self, burying his face into Dan's chest. He patted him on the back. When had his hair turned pink?

 _"Stampy, come over here,"_ said Stacy, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder and guiding him away, before lowering her voice to a whisper, _"I need to talk to you about something."_

Jesse blinked, "What was that about?"

Dan looked over his shoulder at the pink haired girl behind him, _"Lizzie,"_ he whispered, a tad loudly, _"Psst, Lizzie!"_

"Okaaaay," Lukas drew out, raising an eyebrow, "That's not... odd in any way."

"Why are we acting so secretive?" asked Lizzie, frowning, "Do we know something they don't?"

As Lizzie sat down next to Dan, the screen panned over to the four newcomers, Ivor speaking, _"The more I think about it, the more I think there's something these people really don't what us to know."_

"It's weird," Cassie admitted, stroking Winslow, "I can't think of anything we would want to hide."

 _"One of them's gotta know the truth about what's going on here,"_ Petra agreed, as they began walking off the side. The screen briefly showed Sparklez sliding into a seat at the far end of the table, Cassie standing next to him and Winslow jumping up onto the table.

 _"It'd be nice to figure out what's going on,"_ said Lukas, _"_ Especially _if we're going to be stuck with these people until dawn."_

 _"Sounds like we've got a mystery to solve, people,"_ Jesse declared, the screen showing their feet as they walked over to spot to the side of the room. He turned around to face them, placing his hands on his hips with a small grin. _"Luckily, Detective Jesse is on the case."_

Axel gave a small laugh, ruffling Jesse's hair and causing the boy to swat him away playfully. Lukas smiled, shaking his head as he shifted so he was leaning against one of Axel's legs, propping his head up with his hand, "That's actually got a pretty good ring to it."

A small giggle. Hadrian twisted around, narrowed eyes darting behind the couch, but there was nothing but that sheep portrait. He looked over at Mevia, but the girl was invested in the screen, her fist holding up her head. He was rather surprised that she wasn't mocking the onscreen boy by calling him adorable. She wasn't even smiling.

Otto raised an eyebrow at him, sending him a questioning look. Silently, Hadrian shook his head. He was beginning to wonder if he was going mad.

 _"Lets get to investigating, then,"_ said Lukas.

Jesse nodded, then turned to face the hall. He regarded them groups for a long moment, as though wondering who to start with.

"He should start with Dan and Lizzie," said Olivia, "Lizzie _is_ the one that seems to have the most problems with TorqueDawg."

"Hey!" Lizzie said. Isa shook her head.

"No, no, he should start with Captain... Sparklez..." Isa made an odd face, "And Cassie Rose. That way, he will get as much information as possible before going on to the more suspicious groups."

"Hey!" chorused Stacy, Stampy, Dan and Lizzie in creepily perfect unison.

"But Stampy and Stacy were the ones that left first," pointed out Maya, "And she's the one that wanted to poke around TorqueDawg's stuff."

"That's _not_ what I said!"

Slab sighed, "I would _really_ like my eyesight back about now."

After a moment, Jesse turned to where Petra, Lukas and Ivor were standing in a small circle.

_"Hey, guys."_

_"Hey, Jesse,"_ Petra said, _"How's it going?"_

 _"Yeah, find anything out yet about how TorqueDawg_ _was... you know."_

 _"I actually just wanted to talk to you guys first,"_ explained Jesse, _"Check in on how you're doing."_

Petra blinked, then smiled a small smile, shaking her head slowly, "Of course."

"What else did you expect?" asked Olivia, "It's Jesse."

Jesse blinked, "What?"

Axel shook his head, smiling, "Nothing, buddy."

 _"Oh,"_ Lukas blinked, _"Uh, we're fine."_

 _"Yeah, for the most part,"_ said Petra, _"Little weirded out with this whole... situation. But other than that, I'd say we're fine."_

Ivor cleared his throat, _"Very kind of you to ask, though."_

The real Ivor blinked, looking a little blankly at the screen. He rubbed his temples, his head starting to pound with an incoming headache. He shouldn't be thinking of those blasted hands. Focus on the episode.

Soren's arm tightened around his shoulders, grounding him. Without thinking, Ivor sent him a grateful look.

 _"You guys have any theories about what's going on?"_ Jesse asked.

 _"Nothing concrete yet,"_ said Lukas, casting wearying eyes over the rest of the dining room, in the direction of a two certain colourful haired people, _"But Lizzie and Dan over there seem like they might be hiding something."_

"Why are you looking at _us_?" asked Lizzie, when almost the entire audience turned to look at her and Dan, "We don't know what's going on!"

 _"I was developing a theory that Sparklez was in on it,"_ Ivor said, keeping his voice low, _"But even_ I _have to admit, he just seems too nice."_

Sparklez blinked, "Oh, uh... thank you."

 _"True that,"_ said Petra.

 _"That's a good idea, Lukas,"_ Jesse said, giving the blond a smile, _"Thanks."_ He looked over his shoulder, as though to check on the dining rooms other occupants. They were all invested in their own conversations. _"There's definitely something strange going on here,"_ he said, planting a hand on his hip, _"I'm just getting a bad feeling from this whole thing."_

"Aren't we all," muttered Gabriel.

 _"Yeah, I'm with you,"_ agreed Petra, _"You should go question people, see what you can find out."_

Jesse nodded, _"I'm going to go ask around about TorqueDawg."_

Lukas sent him a smile, _"Good luck."_

 _"Yes,"_ said Ivor, _"Happy investigating."_

Jesse began walking over to Cassie and Sparkelz, raising an eyebrow at a portrait of a baby zombie riding a chicken on the wall.

"That's... an odd taste in decorating," said Lukas.

 _"Hey, Sparklez,"_ greeted Jesse, smiling kindly as he slid into a seat to Sparklez's left, _"And... Cassie Rose, yeah?"_

 _"Yep, hi!"_ said Cassie, returning the smile, _"That's me."_

 _"Hey, there, Jesse,"_ Sparklez said, smiling weakly. Winslow meowed.

 _"Oh, Winslow says hi, too,"_ Cassie gave a small laugh.

Nell waved rapidly at the screen, Em shrinking away from her to avoid getting hit in the face, "Hi, kitty!"

Jesse glanced over at the others, as though to make sure no one was looking, _"You mind if I ask you guys some questions?"_

 _"Nope,"_ said Cassie, cheerfully, _"What're the questions?"_

 _"Cassie, you seemed pretty upset about people wanting to poke around TorqueDawg's_ _inventory,"_ said Jesse. Cassie blinked, glancing away.

 _"Oh,"_ she said, _"Was I?"_

 _"Yeah. Yeah, you were,"_ Jesse said, _"Why was that?"_

"You can't really blame her, though, can you?" asked Aiden, directly speaking to Jesse for the first time in a while, "I mean... she's got a point, hasn't she?"

"Well... yeah, I guess," said Jesse, slowly, not noticing how Axel's jaw tightened ever so slightly, "I think I'm just, you know, getting all the facts."

Cassie was silent for a moment, then crossed her arms, almost hugging herself, _"Well, it was just so... so insensitive, right? It had_ just _happened and she was all curious about what was in his pockets."_

Stacy winced, "Uh... yeah... it does sound kinda bad when you put it that way."

"You think?" Cassie asked, sending her a dirty look.

Onscreen, her arms dropped back to her side, and she gave a small shrug, _"Just... made me mad, I guess."_

Jesse was silent for a moment, as though thinking his words over carefully, _"There was drama between Lizzie and TorqueDawg, right?"_ he asked, _"Got any insight?"_

 _"Sorry, I'm not getting wrapped up in that,"_ said Sparklez, _"Especially now that TorqueDawg_ _is..."_ he looked away, _"Y'know."_

 _"But it's weird, right? Definitely seems like there's some beef,"_ her eyes widened, _"Not that I want to get into rumours or anything like that."_

Lizzie raised an eyebrow, "Right."

 _"Got any guesses as to why someone would want to kill TorqueDawg?"_ asked Jesse.

Cassie winced, _"Oh gosh, oh gosh. Um... he was a little... prickly around the edges, you know? You'd have to ask other people about that, I-I didn't really know him."_

Jesse frowned at her, _"Mm-hm..."_

Aiden frowned, but said nothing.

 _"I don't wanna say anything mean about a guy that's not here to defend himself,"_ said Sparklez, _"But, well... you met him, right? "Prickly" is kind of an understatement."_

Dan blinked, "Wow. Sparklez saying something vaguely bad about someone. That's new."

Sparklez turned slightly red around the ears.

 _"Sparklez. Cassie. Winslow. Thanks for the time,"_ with that, Jesse got to his feet. Cassie gave a single nod.

_"No problem."_

_"Uh, yeah,"_ said Sparklez, _"Anytime."_

The screen switched to Jesse approaching Petra, the girl crossing her arms, _"Get anything out of them?"_

_"Found out this group has a whole lot of secrets they're keeping from each other."_

_"That's definitely something,"_ Petra said. Jesse nodded, then turned back to the hall.

Abruptly, Dan groaned, "Oh, what's going _on?!_ Where did all of these secrets come from?"

"I must've happened when Jesse and his friends were dealing with that... Wither thing," said Sparklez, "Or while they were in Sky City."

"So you guys have absolutely no idea what's going on?" asked Maya. Stacy shook her head.

"Not a single clue."

Jesse walked around the table, coming to a stop in front of Dan and Lizzie, smiling as he placed his hands on his hips, _"Hi, there, Dan, Lizzie."_

 _"Oh,"_ Dan blinked, sharing a short glance with Lizzie, _"Uh, hello."_

 _"Hi there,"_ Lizzie smiled.

 _"If you don't mind,"_ Jesse continued, once more sliding into one of the seats, _"I actually had some questions about this... TorqueDawg_ _situation."_

Once more, Dan and Lizzie looked at each other. The blue haired boy turned back to Jesse, _"Yeah? Go ahead."_

 _"Lizzie,"_ said Jesse, after a brief moment of thinking, _"Seems like you're not much of a TorqueDawg_ _fan. What's the deal?"_

The real Lizzie scoffed.

 _"Oh, come on,"_ Lizzie said, _"You met him, right?_ Nobody _liked that guy. I'm just the only one who'll actually admit it."_

"Well, uh... yeah," Stampy sighed, unconsciously burying himself deeper into Dan's hug (which hadn't seemed to register to either of them, funnily enough), "Yeah, that's true."

 _"He, um... yeah, he definitely wasn't the nicest person,"_ Dan agreed.

 _"TorqueDawg_ _was clearly targeted with this trap,"_ Jesse said, tapping his finger against the back of his gloved hand, _"Why him?"_

 _"Well,"_ said Dan, choosing his words carefully, _"He_ was _bragging about having some kind of 'rare item.'"_

Isa raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

 _"Wouldn't show it to anyone, of course,"_ said Lizzie, eyes hardening, _"Typical TorqueDawg."_

 _"It seemed like people were really interested in seeing TorqueDawg's inventory,"_ Jesse pointed out, _"Any idea why?"_

 _"An adventurer like him?"_ Lizzie shrugged, _"He could have had all_ kinds _of cool stuff."_

Milo raised an eyebrow, "Adventurer? He didn't seem like much of an adventurer to me."

"Well, yes," Ellegaard hummed, "You would think he would have had decent armour, at least. All he had on him was leather pants."

Olivia shrugged, "Maybe he left all his stuff at home?"

"I don't think so," muttered Gill, scratching his beard.

"You think he was a fraud?" asked Harper. Ellegaard bit her lip.

"Maybe."

Onscreen, Jesse raised an eyebrow, _"Uh-huh. So this 'rare item' that TorqueDawg claimed to have... what can you tell me about it?"_

Lizzie hesitated, then shook her head, _"We don't know, exactly."_

 _"Yeah,"_ said Dan, _"Sorry."_

Jesse frowned at them, _"Okay..."_ he shrugged, getting up from his seat _"That's it for now. Thanks."_

Once more, it switched to him coming up to Petra, _"What'd you find out?"_

 _"It's all tangled up,"_ reported Jesse, _"But it sounds like TorqueDawg claimed to have some sort of 'rare item.'"_

 _"I didn't see anything like that in his inventory, though,"_ Petra pointed out.

 _"Yeah,"_ Jesse muttered, thoughtfully tapping his bottom lip, _"Something's not quite adding up here."_

"I guess this means he's going to interrogate me and Stampy next?" asked Stacy. Sparklez shrugged.

"Look's like it."

Sure enough, Jesse made his way around the table to where Stampy and Stacy were standing next to the fireplace. As expected, he smiled at them, _"Hey, guys. Stampy and Stacy, right?"_

 _"Oh,"_ Stampy blinked, eyes briefly darting to the side, _"Um, uh, hello."_

 _"Hey, Jesse,"_ said Stacy, a bit wearily, _"What's up?"_

 _"I know things are a little nuts right now, but I've got some questions,"_ Jesse said.

 _"Oh? Really?"_ asked Stampy, nervously fiddling with the sleeve of his hoodie, _"Uh, wh-what?"_

"Why does Stampy seem so nervous?" asked Gill. Maya shook her head.

"Well, there _is_ a crazed murderer on the loose," she pointed out, "Who could be _anywhere_ at this given point in time. I think I'd be a little nervous about that too."

 _"Stacy,"_ Jesse began, _"You seemed pretty curious about what was in TorqueDawg's inventory. What's up with that?"_

Stacy put her hand on her hip, giving a small shrug, _"Well, TorqueDawg_ was _a pretty notorious thief. I was just curious what he had. That's it."_

"Wait," frowned Isa, "A thief? But didn't Lizzie say he was an adventurer?"

"I suppose he could be either," Stacy shrugged, "He claims to be an adventurer, but I think he just steals everything he says to have found in some 'dangerous temple.' He just doesn't look like he's got it in him to do stuff like that."

"But you _also_ said he was pretty tough," Jesse pointed out, "How can you think he's tough but not think he's cut out for adventuring?"

Stacy blinked, eyes darting away from Jesse, "Um... well... he _is_ pretty tough. He can look after himself, but... okay, lets put it like this: he can survive a night without any proper shelter, but he wouldn't be able to survive more than a few hours in the Nether. Does that make sense?"

"Uh, yeah," Lukas admitted, "I suppose it does."

Onscreen, Jesse raised an eyebrow at her, hands moving to his hips, _"Mm-hmm... Seems like Lizzie and TorqueDawg really didn't like each other,"_ he moved on, _"Know anything else about that?"_

 _"Oh, that,"_ said Stampy, an almost sad looking coming over his face, _"Real shame, real shame."_

 _"He broke into her house and stole a bunch of stuff from her,"_ Stacy explained, _"She was super upset about it."_

Olivia frowned, "Oh. Well, that's not very nice."

"Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't like him very much after that," said Jesse.

 _"You don't say..."_ Jesse hummed. He was silent for a moment. _"Anyone you could think of that would want... something bad to happen to TorqueDawg?"_

 _"Um, well,_ I _never had that much of a problem with him, personally,"_ Stampy declared, _"But I know other people did?"_ it came out as more of a question rather than a statement, _"Quite a few, actually."_

Stampy's eyes glanced, briefly, over Jesse's shoulder. The temporary detective followed his gaze, over to where Dan and Lizzie still sat at the table, talking quietly to each other.

"But isn't Lizzie the only one that has much of a problem with him?" Dan questioned, "I mean, sure, I don't really like the guy, but Lizzie's the only one boundering on the hatred."

"Wow," said Lizzie, sarcastically, "Thanks, Dan."

He smiled sheepishly at her, "Sorry."

 _"I don't know if you've noticed,"_ Stampy continued, lowering his voice as though afraid someone would hear, _"But he was a bit of a griefer."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Stacy gave a humourless laugh, _"And a thief."_

 _"Thief, huh? Interesting,"_ muttered Jesse. He looked at the floor for a moment, as though committing this to memory, then nodded, _"Thanks you two. This had been... enlightening."_

Stampy smiled, _"No problem."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Stacy shrugged, _"No problem."_

The screen cut to him returning to his friends, Lukas looking up from where he'd been thoughtfully staring at the floor, _"Did you find anything out from Stacy or SturdyCat?"_

Stampy blinked, a few snorts erupting around the room, "That's a _terrible_ name."

Lukas smiled sheepishly, "Heh, sorry."

Jesse raised an eyebrow at the blond, _"StampyCat?"_

 _"Right, right,"_ said Lukas, dismissively, _"So did you find anything out?"_

"How did you think I was called _Sturdy_?" asked Stampy, starting to look slightly offended.

"Well," Lukas winced, cheeks reddening, "I did actually think your name was Sturdy for most... yeah, I thought you were called Sturdy until just a few minutes ago."

This caused quite a few laughs.

 _"Apparently TorqueDawg was a well-known thief,"_ Jesse explained.

 _"A thief, huh?"_ Lukas hummed, _"That might have something to do with it, don't you think?"_

Jesse gave a single nod, _"Agreed."_ He turned around, rubbing his chin, brow furrowed, _"So TorqueDawg was a thief, and he supposedly had something rare, but... it feels like there's still a piece missing,"_ he turned back to his friends, shaking his head, _"No one will tell me what this 'rare item' is."_

"Yeah, I'm curious about that too," said Sparklez, "One of us must find it in a temple or something... but which of us actually finds it?"

 _"I, uh... I think I can shed some light on that situation, actually,"_ Sparklez said, walking up to them.

 _"Well,"_ said Petra, crossing her arms, _"Now_ my _curiosity's piqued."_

 _"He already had me at 'rare item,'"_ Ivor grinned. Lukas rolled his eyes.

_"Of course he did."_

_"Oh, for- argh, just tell me what this thing is already!"_ Jesse said.

"Yes!" Axel said, "Please, tell us all!"

Olivia laughed, "Yeah, my curiosity's killing me at this point."

 _"Okay, okay, I'm going to, I'm going to,"_ Sparklez paused, glancing over at the others, before turning back to Jesse and his friends, _"There's a temple. Way out in the middle of nowhere. No one knows_ who _built it, but it's been there forever."_

Ellegaard raised an eyebrow, "Is this going where I think it's going?"

 _"People have been trying to track down the temple's location for_ ages _because they want this treasure,"_ Lukas, Jesse and Petra shared looks, _"That's supposedly deep within its basement."_

"Yeah, it's going where I think it's going," Ellegaard said, "So there's more than just one flint and steel?"

"Of course there's more than one!" exclaimed Hadrian, causing quite the few audience members to jump. His voice had gone surprisingly harsh. "Why on earth wouldn't there be?"

"Well, I-I was just saying," said Ellegaard, staring at him with startled eyes, "It's not like we actually knew for _sure_ there was more than one."

"Yeah, man," Magnus glared, "You don't have to shout at her."

Hadrian scoffed, rolling his eyes. Jesse shared a startled look with Petra. What was up with _him_?

 _"Now,"_ Sparklez continued, _"It_ looks _like just an ordinary flint and steel, but it's actually_ super _rare. It's got this enchantment on it and-"_

 _"It can open portals to other worlds?"_ Jesse finished.

 _"Exactly!"_ Sparklez blinked, his words registering, _"Wait, what? You know about the enchanted flint and steel?"_

"Why does he seem so surprised?" asked Axel.

"Well, no one in _our_ world knew what the flint and steel was, besides Ivor," Lukas pointed out, "Maybe it's the same in this world."

 _"How do you know that?"_ asked Sparklez, _"Did you- have you seen it? Have you seen it today?"_

Jesse was quiet for a moment, then leant forwards a little, as though telling him a secret, _"I actually have one of my own."_

Sparklez's eyes widened, _"Really?"_

 _"Yeah, I do,"_ said Jesse, reaching into his pocket and pulling it out, _"Just used it a little while ago to get-"_

 _"Oh, geez, put that away!"_ said Sparklez, suddenly sound panicked, _"You can't just pull that out here!"_

"What?" said Lizzie, frowning, "Why not?"

Jesse's eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly put it back in his pocket. Sparklez calmed down a little, biting his lip.

 _"Okay. You know,"_ he said, _"I have a theory about why you were here and I think this might just prove it."_

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

Jesse shared a raised-eyebrow look with Lukas, before following the captain back to where he'd been sitting earlier with Cassie.

 _"Everyone? Everyone!"_ Sparklez said, drawing everyone's attention to him. They began to get into seats around the table, _"We've all been freaking out, wondering why we were all brought here... why... TorqueDawg died..."_

He faltered a little, sliding into his own seat at the head of the table, Jesse moving to stand next to him. Then, almost as though he were steeling himself, he continued, _"And Jesse has just uncovered a very important clue."_

Real-Jesse blinked, "I have?"

 _"What? Really?"_ asked Stampy.

 _"Whoever killed TorqueDawg,"_ Sparklez said, leaning forwards, _"Whoever invited us... they're after the enchanted flint and steel-"_

The words had barely left his mouth when his seat was abruptly thrown backwards, a hole opening behind him as he tumbled off of it, vanishing down it.

"Oh my god!" gasped Dan.

"What- Wait- What was _that?!"_ exclaimed Milo.

 _"Sparklez?!"_ shouted Stacy.

The now empty seat shot back into place, Jesse backing away with a wide open mouth. He looked up, just in time to see piles and piles of sand falling from the ceiling and into the hole. Then the lights went out.

"Sparklez!" screamed Stampy, curling into an even tighter ball. The real Sparklez's face had gone horribly pale, his mouth hanging open in shock, not noticing how his glasses were starting to slip off his nose.

"Oh my god!" yelled Olivia, tangling her hands in her curly hair, "Oh my _god!_ "

"B-But he was just talking- he- he was- he was _talking_ -"

"Sparklez? Sparklez?!"

"He's dead, oh god, he's actually _dead_ - _"_

"Who- Why- _What?!_ "

"I can't believe this. He can't- but he's _Captain Sparklez-"_

"Oh god," Cassie groaned, "Oh god, oh god, oh _god_."

_"Panicpanicpanicpanicpanic-!"_

_"What just happened?"_

_"Stampy- !"_

_"-Panicpanicpanicpanic-!"_

_"-Pull yourself together!"_

_"I can't see!"_

_"Sparklez!"_

_"-Panicpanicpanicpanicpanic-!"_

A lot of the audience was on their feet now, the room filled with shouting. It was difficult to tell what was on screen and what was in real life. Axel's arms were so tight around Jesse, he was struggling to breathe, and Reuben was trying to wiggle free.

The Order were practically hugging each other at this point. Stampy had leapt into Dan's lap and buried his face in his shoulder, and was chanting alongside his onscreen self. Lizzie was on her feet, shouting, hands tangled in her hair. Stacy was struggling to comfort Sparklez over the noise, and the captain was just sitting there, staring at the screen, mouth wide open and looking like he was about to be sick.

Aiden had somehow gotten from his couch to the other side of the room, and was hugging a trembling Cassie, who had buried her face in his chest. Maya and Gill were clutching each other like their life depended on it, while Isa had Benedict held tightly against her chest. Reginald had shot to his feet, his fighter's instincts kicking in, and drew his sword. Milo had actually toppled out of his chair, and was screaming from his place on the floor.

Harper had shrunk in her seat, eyes the side of plates and her hands covering her mouth. Hadrian was leaning forwards, staring intently at the screen, as though he were watching a football match and his favourite team was about to win. Mevia had let out a high pitched screech, and was pressed against Otto, whose mouth was an open cave. Nell was hugging a wide-eyed Em, while the Gladiator's entire cough had actually tipped over, leaving all three of them groaning on the floor.

Meanwhile, on the floor, Lukas, Petra and Olivia had practically _leapt_ into Axel's lap. Olivia was clutching to one of the arms currently strangling Jesse, her face hidden in it, while Petra's back had slammed into Axel's leg. Lukas had somehow ended up right next to Jesse, half on and half off Axel's knee, clinging to his other arm.

 _"Someone get the lights! Quick!"_ yelled Jesse.

Then, almost on cue, the lights came back on- except it wasn't the warm yellow glow of glowstone, but rather a deep blue from white pumpkin jack-o-lanterns.

"H-How did- How did they replace the lights?" asked Ellegaard, from where she was clinging to Magnus. The king wasn't doing much better, and was clinging to her as well. Soren had somehow ended up practically on top of Ivor, trembling as he clutched at his friend's robes.

 _"Greetings, 'adventurers,'"_ said a deep, mechanical voice, Jesse turning to see that the portrait of a baby zombie riding a chicken had been replaced with one of a person in a black jumpsuit, a white pumpkin on their head and a diamond axe in their hand, in the motion of running towards them, _"I... am the_ WHITE PUMPKIN. _"_

"What. Is. _HAPPENING?!_ " yelled Slab, still lying on the floor as Clutch and Facemeat scrambled to see the screen again.

From the sand rose Sparklez's inventory- stonebrick blocks, gold ingots, feathers, an arrow, a slimeball. _"One of you have the treasure I desire,"_ the hole reopened, and the stuff vanished, the screen panning up as Jesse slowly returned his wide-eyed gaze to the talking portrait, _"And I will not rest until it is mine! Even if I have to resort-"_ the lights went out again, only to come back on a moment later with the flash of lightning, the portrait gone to reveal a person standing in its place, white pumpkin and jumpsuit, _"TO MURDER!"_

"He's there!" screamed Axel, "HE'S THERE!"

Cassie screeched, clinging to Aiden like a life line. Reginald and Milo screamed as well, Em now clutching Nell as well, Stampy and Dan screaming as they held each other, Sparklez looking as though he were about to faint.

 _"More panicking!"_ yelled Stampy, _"More panicking!"_

 _"'White Pumpkin'?!"_ Lizzie repeated.

_"I'm too cute to die!"_

The lights went out again, then came back on with another flash of lightning to show that the White Pumpkin was gone, once more replaced by the portrait of themself.

 _"They killed Sparklez!"_ exclaimed Dan, his hair a bloody red, _"They killed Sparklez!"_

Stampy began spluttering something that sounded vaguely like a constant chant of 'no' (but it was hard to tell), before taking off running, arms flaying, around the dining room table.

 _"Wow! Hang on!"_ shouted Lukas, _"Hang on!"_

 _"This is awful!"_ gasped Stacy, backing away, _"Terrible!"_

 _"Who_ was _that guy?"_ asked Cassie.

 _"And there's no such thing as white pumpkins!"_ yelled Dan, as Stampy came full circle, skidding.

 _"Tell that to the white pumpkins hanging all over the place!"_ he screamed, before running again, Dan darting after him. Cassie curled into a ball against the wall, rocking back and forth.

 _"I don't like it! I_ really _don't like it!"_

 _"I actually saw him in the window when we first got here!"_ said Jesse.

"Don't _tell_ us that!" exclaimed Stacy, "Why would you _tell_ us that!"

 _"You mean he's been here the whole time?!"_ asked Cassie, tangling her fingers in her air, _"I am_ so _getting out of here!"_

She scrambled to her feet, shoving passed Stacy as she ran for the door. Winslow meowed, quickly following after his owner. Cassie pulled open the door and vanished through it, the others watching her go with wide eyes.

 _"So much for a nice dinner party,"_ muttered Petra.

Cassie screamed, _"Oh no!"_

"Cassie?" Aiden gasped, back shooting ramrod straight as his head snapped towards the screen, blood draining from his face. The real Cassie inhaled sharply, burying her face deeper into his chest.

 _"I don't like the sound of that,"_ said Ivor, as Jesse began to run towards the door. The other three quickly followed behind him.

The screen changed to show the doors to the dining room, just before Jesse kicked them open, Petra and Lukas in a battle stance on either side of him. Their heads snapped towards the front doors, which were wide open, Cassie trembling as she backed away from the approaching zombies. At her feet, Winslow hissed loudly.

"Why would you _open the doors?!_ " shouted Petra.

"I thought you were smarter than that, Cassie!" Soren groaned, still clutching a wide-eyed Ivor.

 _"Shut the door! Shut the door!"_ yelled Jesse, dashing towards her. He shoved her out of the way, eyes widening as he got a good look at the amount of zombies staggering towards them, before his head snapped to the side, eyes locking on a lever.

He leapt at it, flicking it down, and the doors swung shut before the zombies could come any closer.

Relieved breaths were exhaled around the room, Jesse gasping in a lungful of air as Axel's arms _finally_ slackened. Noticing this, the larger boy winced.

"Sorry, dude."

Petra, Lukas and Ivor skidded to a halt in front of them. Cassie, still trembling, reached down and picked up Winslow, clutching him to her chest, _"C'mere, Winslow. Don't be scared,"_ she took a shuddering breath, turning to face the New Order, _"So we're stuck in here. And if we're stuck in here, we're all doomed."_

Face still buried in Axel's arm, Olivia groaned.

They looked over at the open dining room doors, as Dan, Lizzie and Stacy appeared in its frame, Stampy tentatively poking his head through only enough to show half his face.

The screen changed, slowly moving around the room to show them all gathered around, some sitting on the couches, others standing, and Stampy pacing in a small circle.

 _"I thought I heard Sparklez mention something about a flint and steel?"_ said Stacy.

"Hey," said Dan, panting as though he'd just ran a hundred miles, "She's- She's right. We find the flint and steel?"

 _"Oh, please don't bring_ that _up again,"_ groaned Stampy, halting in his pacing.

 _"Well, obviously TorqueDawg didn't steal it,"_ said Lizzie. From where he was sitting on the couch, Jesse frowned at the floor, Dan speaking offscreen.

 _"Okay, but_ who _then?"_

"Wait, it was stolen?" asked Stacy, "Is it- Is it that 'rare item' thing?"

 _"Uh, Jesse?"_ said Lukas, Jesse and Petra turning to look over the couch to where he was standing a little ways away.

It cut to Jesse walking up beside him, raising an eyebrow at what he was looking at on the wall. Then his eyes widened.

Sparklez's portrait now bore a large, red X. As Petra and Ivor joined them from behind, Ivor's portrait was revealed to be directly next to it.

 _"So,"_ said Ivor, the three turning to face him, _"I guess I'm next, then."_

"What?" gasped Gabriel.

"No," Magnus shook his head, eyes wide, "No, no, _no."_

Soren, who had been starting to withdraw from where he'd been clutching Ivor, abruptly went a few shades paler and began doing it again with a ferocity. Ivor winced, but didn't tear his eyes from the screen.

"Oh, _please_ don't be true," groaned Ellegaard.

"But- But we already lost Ellie!" exclaimed Magnus, "We can't- We're going to lose _Ivor_ too?"

"No, we're not," said Gabriel firmly, "We'll- He'll be fine."

No one said anything at that. But it was clear in his voice that even the warrior didn't believe his own words.

 _"Nope,"_ said Petra, hands going to her hips, eyes hardening, _"Not happening."_

 _"Don't worry, Ivor, I'll protect you,"_ Jesse declared.

 _"I appreciate that, Jesse,"_ said Ivor, sincerely, _"I just hope that this 'White Pumpkin' isn't beyond both of our abilities."_

 _"Well,"_ Lukas spoke up, _"I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for how the White Pumpkin is doing all this."_

"What's he getting at?" asked Milo, finally returning to his seat upon realising he'd still been on the floor. Clutch and Facemeat were helping Slab back to the couch.

 _"I mean, the whole place has got to be rigged with traps, right?"_ Lukas pointed out, _"TorqueDawg- trap. Sparklez- trap."_

"That is a good point," hummed Otto, "But, why would..." his eyes widened, head snapping to where Aiden was quietly leading Cassie back to his couch, Gill and Maya scooting to give her room, "White... White pumpkins?"

Harper, Isa, Mevia, Soren and Hadrian frowned at him. Then their eyes widened, heads turning to look at the trembling redhead currently snuggling against the once bully, whispering words of comfort to her cat.

"No," whispered Soren.

 _"Yeah,"_ Jesse nodded, _"We need to find out what makes these traps tick."_

The four looks at each other, grinning. Then they turned and walked back to the dining room, which still glowed a dull blue. Jesse turned to look at them.

 _"Alright,"_ he said, _"I'm gonna investigate that dining room."_

 _"Cool,"_ said Petra, _"I'll keep those guys in the hall for now so I can keep an eye on everyone."_

 _"An excellent idea,"_ Ivor declared, crossing his arms, _"Don't want them messing up the crime scene."_

Dan sent him a deadpan look, "Really?"

 _"I'm sticking with you, Jesse,"_ said Lukas, _"Doesn't seem safe to wander off alone."_

Axel gave a small sigh, "Good."

Jesse nodded at the blond, and the two of them walked into the dining room together. Ivor moved to face the other guests, holding up his arms, _"Okay, people, clear out!"_ he said, _"This is a crime scene!"_

"I've always wanted to do that," muttered Ivor, a tad weakly. Gabriel snorted.

The screen switched to Lukas and Jesse making their way into the dining room, which still had the blue lights and the white pumpkins, but other than that it was no different from when they first entered.

 _"Okay,"_ Jesse muttered, _"How are you doing this, White Pumpkin?"_

Isa swallowed, rubbing her forehead as her eyes darted from the screen to Cassie. She sighed, starting to feel physically sick.

"Um, can we, uh, pause it, for now?" she asked, earning a few startled looks, "I... I think I'm about to be sick."

Reginald frowned, placing a hand on her back, "Founder?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, "I just... I just think I need some fresh air about now."

"Oh, come now, Isa," said Hadrian, "Since when have you had a weak stomach?"

"We _did_ just see two people be murdered, Hadrian," pointed out Harper.

"Not in _real_ life, though."

"Hadrian, this is the potential future," Otto said, "As far as I'm concerned, it _is_ real life."

The man huffed, "Alright, fine. We can take a break."

Isa sighed, as Mevia took up the remote and pressed the pause button, "Thank you."

"Sparklez?" said Dan, hesitantly, sending his friend a concerned look, hair once more a bright green, "You, uh, you okay?"

Silently, almost as pale as Ivor, Sparklez nodded. Lizzie and Stacy shared a concerned frown.

"Let's just... go make lunch," said Maya, climbing to her feet and tugging Gill up after her, "You can help me, Gill."

They vanished into the hall. Isa sighed, sat Benedict on the floor, and left as well, Reginald and the little chicken trailing after her.

They left the room bit by bit. Aiden was leading Cassie out when Soren appeared, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder.

"Cassie," he said, "Could I speak with you?"

Aiden sent him a confused look (as far as he knew, after all, Soren and Cassie had never even held a conversation), but, after a moment, Cassie nodded, face almost unnaturally blank, "Yeah, sure."

"Well..." Aiden hesitated, then shook his head, "I'll see you around?"

Cassie sent him a small smile, "Of course."

Aiden returned the smile, before vanishing into the hall. Soren looked over his shoulder into the watching room. The only ones still in there was Hadrian, Otto, Mevia and Harper. He bit his lip, that blank look back on Cassie's face.

He put a hand on her shoulder and began to lead her out into the hall.

"Come on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In what order did you interrogate the YouTubers? Let me know in the reviews!


	49. One of Us

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Forty-Nine: One of Us**

* * *

Cassie's face remained blank as Soren led her into the empty second living room. She didn't say anything as he closed the door behind them, didn't smile when Winslow began rubbing himself against her legs, didn't ask what he wanted to talk to her about. She had always been hard to read, even to him at times. You could never tell when she was lying. When she was acting.

He remembered how she'd wanted to be an actress. All those years ago.

Neither of them spoke. She just waited, face blank, cat purring at her feet. Now that they were standing in front of each other, Soren wasn't sure what to say. Cassie may have been just down right dark at times, but... he'd cared about her. He _still_ cared about her.

Even if she was a murderer.

"So," he said, finally, hesitantly, "It's... it's been a while."

"It has," said Cassie. Her voice was monotone. A mask. She was like a blank wall. If only he could figure out what was going on behind it.

"I... I have missed you," Soren told her. It wasn't even a lie. Cassie didn't say anything, just raised her eyebrow ever so slightly. A blank canvas. A solid wall. It was times like this that Soren wished he could read minds. Or that he actually _was_ a donkey.

Donkey's didn't have to deal with things like this.

The silence stretched on. It began to grow awkward. For Soren, at least. He wasn't sure about the girl in front of him. Cassie didn't move. Just stared at him with that blank face.

"You always liked those white pumpkins," he whispered, voice quiet and yet baring a terrible, terrible weight, "Always thought of them as something to be treasured. Like... like a white rose, in a garden of reds."

Something strange crossed Cassie's face, but it was gone before he could identify it. She turned her attention to a portrait on the wall, a large one of two men fighting, face once more as blank as those blasted white pumpkins.

"What are you getting at?" she asked, finally. He'd began to doubt her speaking at all.

"You're going to kill people," he said, taking a step forward, voice almost cracking. A wetness sprung to the back of his eyes. "Cassie, _why?_ "

"Why?" rage was beginning to seep into her tone. Her eyes blazed with an anger that had years to brew deep in her chest, and had now reached a bubbling intensity. Soren had seen her angry before- she had never exactly been level headed- but never had he seen her like this. " _Why?_ "

She took a step forward, standing on her tiptoes so that her face was inches from his own, "I'll tell you why, _Soren_ ," she spat his name as though it were poison on her tongue, a swear word on her lips, a terrible insult that should scarcely be uttered, "You left. You left and joined some other group. You _left_ us, you left _me_ with _them!"_

Her voice was beginning to rise to a shout, eyes almost appearing to shine in the light of the room, but it could have simply been a reflection off her glasses, "And you know what they did? They took over. They threw me out. Trapped me in some gods forsaken world and told me I'd never see home again! You left me there! You left me, forgot about me, just like they did!"

She was crying, but she didn't seem to realise it. Her fists trembled at her sides. Winslow meowed at her feet, but she didn't notice. All of her attention was on the man in front of her.

"I just..." her shoulders slumped. She looked as though all of the energy had just been drained out of her body. The burning anger, the sizzling hatred that had blazed in her eyes was extinguished. She looked like the little girl that had laughed at his dumb jokes, way back then. "I just want to go _home_."

They stood there. Cassie sniffed, wiping at her face, blinking in surprise when her hand came away wet. Soren's heart twisted, a conflict inside his head. She was a killer. She was _planning_ on killing her own friends. Plotting. Built an entire _mansion_ to do so.

But at the same time, she was Cassie. _His_ Cassie. The same Cassie that had built with him, lived with him, the same Cassie that had hugged him and refused to let go when he had decided to leave. The same Cassie that had reluctantly stayed behind at _his_ insistence. The same Cassie that had promised to visit, but never did.

He reached out and pulled her into a hug.

Cassie stiffened at the contact. But, after a moment, she relaxed, slumping against him. Her arms wrapped around his waist, fingers tangling in his shirt, holding onto him like a lifeline. Her face stained with drying tears. She closed her bloodshot eyes.

He held her.

And this time, he promised not to let her go.

* * *

The golden axe shattered as it made contact with the bark of the tree. Jesse frowned at it, the handle poofing in his hand. He reached out and picked up the oak block, pocketing it as he turned to face his friends.

Petra and Axel were having a competition on who could get the most wood in the span of two minutes. Olivia was talking to Maya about adding some redstone circuting, while Gill and Lukas were doing something with the floors of the treehouse. Aiden stood at the base of the tree at the crafting table, creating something he couldn't see.

"Does anyone have a spare axe?" he asked, "My last one just broke."

Lukas shook his head, his face appearing over the half finished wall, "Sorry, Jesse. I'm on my last one too."

"I think there's some extra ones in the basement," said Maya, shrugging, "Ivor's down there a lot, isn't he? Maybe you could ask him."

"Why can't he got more from the armoury?" asked Gill, appearing next to Lukas.

"There's no more," Olivia explained, "Well, there _is_ more, but the ones in the armoury were more of a display thing or... something," she shrugged, "There's extras in the basement and the attic."

"Yeah," Lukas said, frowning, "I don't think it's a good idea to be going up into the attic anytime soon. So far, the basement seems safer."

Jesse blinked, then shrugged, "Alright, I'll go check in the basement. Anything else I should get?"

"Some redstone, please," said Olivia, "I want to start layering out the lights."

Jesse nodded, "Got it."

Reuben, who had been rolling about in some grass, looked up as Jesse walked passed. The little pig got to his feet, running after him. Jesse smiled down at him, patting him on the head.

The mansion was quiet, mostly. He passed Harper on her way to the lab, who greeted him with a smile, but otherwise he came across no one else. Upon reaching the basement door, Jesse pushed it open with his shoulder, allowing Reuben to go in first before closing it behind him.

"Hey, Ivor?" he called, descending the stairs, "You down he-"

He cut himself off, eyes widening in surprise. In the small alcove of bookshelves he'd claimed at his temporary private potions lab, Ivor paced in a large circle, hands on his head, fingers tangled in his hair, muttering loudly to himself.

"Why couldn't I tell them? What is _wrong_ with this blasted place?!"

Jesse slowly went down the rest of the stairs, approaching hesitantly. Ivor didn't seem to notice him, as he continued pacing in his wide circle, hands pulling at his matted hair.

"What is wrong with me? Did it even _happen?_ " he shook his head, as though trying to shake free from someone's grip, "No, no, it _did_ happen! It did! I-I saw it- so why can't I _talk_ about it?!"

Jesse opened his mouth to speak, to ask what was wrong, if he was alright, but his words froze on his tongue at what the potionologist said next.

"Argh! Stupid _black hands!_ "

Behind him, Reuben tripped on the last step, squealing loudly as he tumbled, landing unharmed on his bum at Jesse's feet. Ivor jumped, spinning around so fast Jesse almost thought he'd swallowed another potion of swiftness.

"Jesse!" he gasped, "What are you doing down here?"

"I... my axe broke," Jesse said, weakly. He glanced at the walls, then back at Ivor, eyes wide and yet brow furrowed. "You... black hands?"

Ivor's eyes widened, something like hope crossing his face. Then he was in Jesse's face, hands on his shoulders, the boy nearly jumping out of his skin in shock. "You heard that? You heard me talking about it?"

"Uh, y-yeah," Jesse swallowed, fingers starting to tremble, "I-I did."

"But that doesn't make sense," said Ivor, more to himself than Jesse, pulling away and stroking his beard with a completive frown, "How can I talk about it in front of _you_ but not the Order?"

"I saw them too."

It came out as a whisper, hardly audible to his own ears, and yet it seemed to bounce of the walls in the words loudest echo. Ivor turned to look at him, eyes wide, fingers frozen at his chin.

"You've seen them?" he asked, "You've seen them too?"

Jesse nodded, his heart pounding in his throat, "Y-Yeah. They- They grabbed me."

"What?" Ivor's eyes widened impossibly further, hands moving once more to grip the boys shoulders, "They _grabbed_ you? When? How?"

"D-During lunch, yesterday," Jesse explained. The trembling had spread. His legs felt like jelly. "I went upstairs and they... they just appeared. From- From the walls."

"How did you get out of them?" he asked, their faces so close that their noses brushing.

"I-I didn't," Jesse explained, "They- They let me go."

Ivor was silent, disappointment briefly crossing his face. Then, slowly, he released the boy, stepping back and looking around, at the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the shelves, with a newfound weariness. He pressed his palm to his forehead, taking a steadying breath, before letting it out slowly.

"Alright," he said, "Alright. Have you told anyone about this?"

Silently, Jesse shook his head. His brain was beginning to ache, his throat tightening. He was tempted to just lie down and go to sleep right then and there.

Ivor sighed, crossing his arms and looking at his shoes with a furrowed brow. He began to pace again, in a smaller circle this time, as though he were planning on creating a path in the floor.

"We can't tell anyone," Ivor stated, after a long moment, "We can't _talk_ about it with anyone but each other. They have to... to _see_ them for themselves, I think."

He came to a stop, turning his frown to Jesse, "Or are you not telling them because you simply don't want to?"

Jesse blinked, his brain taking a moment to process the question. He shook his head. "N-No. I just... I wasn't sure if it had happened."

"Well, it did," Ivor said, firmly. He looked off to the side, at nothing in particular, and sighed. "I... I suppose it's nice to know that, at the very least, I am not alone in this."

Jesse nodded, swallowing thickly. A silence came upon them. Reuben sat on the floor between them, with his innocent wide eyes, nose twitching as he looked from Jesse to Ivor, then from Ivor to Jesse.

Finally, Ivor broke the silence with a sigh, sitting down in a vacant chair, "Well... I suppose we best keep an eye on things," he glanced at the silent boy, before returning his gaze to the floor, "There are tools in the chest around the corner."

"Thanks," Jesse muttered. He stood there for a moment, wondering if he should say something else, but couldn't think of anything else to say. Swallowing, he walked passed Ivor, Reuben trotting after him, and turned around the corner.

Spotting the double chest, he knelt in front of it, pushing open the lid and rummaging through its contents. He pulled out eight axes, one for each of them, as well as a stack of redstone dust. Straightening, he closed the chest, dust rising in small clouds as it thumped shut.

Jesse scrubbed at his eyes, grimacing, trying to regain his breathing. He felt as though he'd just ran from Boom Town to Redstonia without stopping, when in reality he hadn't even moved all that much. His muscles were heavy, fingers shaking, and his throat ached like it does when you hold back tears. And yet his eyes were dry.

"Jesse?" called Ivor, "Are you still there?"

"Y-Yeah," Jesse stuttered. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm- I'm still here."

There was a beat of silence.

"I think your friends are waiting for you."

Ivor's voice was surprisingly soft. Tired, even. Jesse wondered if he sounded the same.

"Yeah," he said, fiddling with one of his green suspenders, "They- They probably are."

Reuben oinked, nudging his leg. Jesse smiled weakly down at him, before kneeling and pulling him into a tight hug. Reuben gave a happy little squeal, burying his face into Jesse's chest.

They sat like that for a moment. He didn't want to let his little guy go. If was better to just sit here, forget everything, just hug his little pig. His Reuben.

But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Sighing, Jesse reluctantly released him, giving him one last pat on the head. He got to his feet, walking back into the little alcove that made up Ivor's temporary lab. The potionologist glanced up from where he was still sitting, but simply watched as he made his way back towards the stairs.

"Jesse."

He froze, his foot on the first step, before turning to look over his shoulder. Ivor was just visible from where he was seated, elbows on his knees, face a tad paler than usual.

"Be careful."

Jesse bit his lip, then gave a single nod, "You too."

Ivor returned the nod, leaning back in his seat, eyes turning to the potion stand on the table, yet not seeing it. Jesse looked down at Reuben, before beginning to make his way back up the stairs, mind whirling, spinning with headpounding thoughts.

A portrait of a spider frowned after him.

* * *

"-TorqueDawg, Sparklez, white pumpkins, googlies, a mansion, _how are you not panicking?!_ "

"Honestly, Stampy, I'm kinda trying not to think about it," Dan admitted, cutting open a slice of bread. Behind him, Stampy paced around the dining room table, nervously fiddling with the sleeves of his hoodie.

"But how can you _not_ think about it?!" the boy exclaimed, "We just watched Sparklez _die!_ And who knows which ones of us is next!"

Dan shook his brown head, giving up on trying to distract himself with making lunch. He leant against the counter, watching as Stampy paced around the table, wringing his sleeves and probably stretching his hoodie a great deal.

"Oh, how did we end up in this position?" Stampy groaned, "How do we end up in a _murder mystery-?!_ "

Jaw setting, Dan reached out as his friend passed him again, grabbing his arm and yanking him back. Stampy yelped, stumbling, and would have fallen over had Dan not been holding him up.

"Stampy, _calm down_ ," Dan said firmly, "Panicking isn't going to do anything."

"Neither is sitting here!" Stampy exclaimed.

"I know, I know. But there's nothing we can do," he shrugged, "Not now, anyway."

Stampy groaned, slumping against Dan, forehead resting against the others shoulder, "But we could _die_. _You_ could _die_. Isn't that a _little_ terrifying?"

"Of course it is," Dan sighed, taking Stampy by the shoulders and pushing him away a little so he could look him in the eye, "But there's no point in panicking over it."

_BOOM!_

Stampy gave a high-pitched scream, leaping into Dan's arms, who yelped and automatically caught him, stumblign backwards and coming dangerously close to falling over (which would have been quite bad). Somewhere in the mansion, there was a startled shout, and yelling that sounded suspisciously like Magnus, "Sorry!"

Dan let out a sigh, heart hammering like a drum against his ribs. He blinked, realising that Stampy was still clinging to him, legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his shoulders. trembling like a startled cat.

"Uh... Stampy?"

"Y-Yeah?"

He shook his head, an amused huff leaving his lips, "I thought cats ran away when they were startled."

Stampy blinked at him. He looked over his shoulder, as though making sure no one else was there. Then he leant closer, almost like he was about to tell him a secret, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"I'm not a real cat."

Dan stared at him. His hair had, somehow, turned pink, although Stampy couldn't remember when. Finally, Dan shook his head, as though astonished.

"Of course you aren't."

The door opened, and the two boy's heads snapped towards it. Gabriel froze in the doorway, blinking dumbly at the scene before him.

The three stared at each other for a long moment. Then, slowly, Gabriel reached out, took ahold of the door handle, and closed the doors again.

A blush rose to Dan's cheeks. He sat Stampy down, who, too, was looking a little pink. They avoided looking at each other, Dan awkwardly clearing his throat, Stampy chewing on his bottom lip.

"Well," said Dan, after a long moment, still rather red, "I... suppose we should continue making lunch."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Stampy agreed, "Of course. That's what friends do, right?"

Dan nodded, "Yeah, yeah. Friends."

They stared awkawrdly at each other for a moment. Dan shuffled his feet.

"So," said Stampy, shattering the uncomfortable silence, "Um... how about some cake?"

"Cake, yes!" Dan agreed, perhaps a _little_ too quickly, " _Everyone_ loves cake!"

"Great!"

"Yeah, great!"

Another awkward silence came upon them. Biting his lip, Dan returned to cutting the bread. Stampy hurridly made his way to one of the food chests.

Perhaps it was Dan's imagination, but he could have sworn he heard that portrait over there laughing at them.

* * *

Lunch was called as they were beginning on the treehouse's roof. They talked as they walked back to the mansion, but no one seemed to really notice Jesse's silence, and if they did, they brushed it off.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Stacy, Stampy, Lizzie and Dan were able to convince Sparklez to eat something, although he was even quiet than Jesse and Ivor. Cassie sat next to Soren, although no one thought much of this as it was across from Dan, but she seemed to be struggling with whether to avoid looking at him entirely or outright staring at him.

Jesse made eye contact with Ivor when he came in, but neither of them said anything, and the potionologist joined the Order a few seats away from where Jesse sat with his friends. They asked how he was feeling, and he said he was fine. They seemed sceptical with this answer, but didn't push it.

Dan and Stampy had, for some reason, decided that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a side of cake was a brilliant lunch choice. This gained them many unimpressed looks, mostly from Hadrian, Mevia, Isa and Ellegaard, but other than that, no one complained. Axel was more than happy enough to devour it.

After lunch was finished, they all made their way back into the watching room. Otto was the one to pick up the remote this time, pointing it at the screen and pressing play.

The screen flickered, loading for a moment, before coming back to the blue glow of the dining room, Jesse tapping his chin as Lukas passed him.

He walked around the dining table, frowning as he looked around for anything that could even resemble a clue. He glanced over at Lukas, and walked over to him.

_"How you holding up?"_

_"You mean after seeing a guy get crushed under a ton of sand?"_ Lukas crossed his arms, _"Yeah, I'm definitely a little shaken up."_

Sparklez shuddered. Stacy patted him sympathetically on the back.

 _"We need to figure out who's doing this,"_ declared Lukas, _"And how."_

 _"Well, keep your eyes open,"_ said Jesse, _"Between the two of us, I'm sure we'll figure it out."_

Lukas nodded, _"Sounds good to me."_

Jesse smiled at him, then turned back to the dining room. Putting a hand to his mouth, he began to walk along the table, _"Okay, so this was the dining table where we were all gathered today right before..."_ he trailed off, blinking as he spotted something. On the side of the table was a button.

"Oh," Ellegaard blinked, "Think that's what triggered it?"

 _"Okay,"_ said Jesse, kneeling in front of the button, Lukas appearing behind him, _"Lets give this a shot."_

He pushed it and, immediatly, the seat that Sparklez had been seated in shot backwards, the hole reappearing in the floor, sand falling from the ceiling to fill it and suffocate any poor soul that ended up inside.

"That's it!" gasped Maya.

 _"Just like before!"_ exclaimed Lukas.

The lights went out, but only for a moment, flickering on again as the portrait began to speak, _"Greetings, 'adventurers,'"_ it repeated, _"I... am the_ WHITE PUMPKIN _."_

Frowning, eyes hard, Jesse and Lukas walked closer to the portrait. The blond crossed his arms, _"Yep. Just like before."_

 _"One of you have the treasure I desire,"_ there was the creak of gears as the floor beneath the sand rose to reveal an inventory that wasn't there. Jesse walked around the other side of it, not taking his eyes off the portrait. _"And I will not rest until it is mine! Even if I have to resort,"_ Lukas drew his bow, arrow cocked, just before the lights went out again, _"TO MURDER!"_

Lightning flashed, just as Lukas released the arrow. It went straight through the portrait, revealing, once more, the White Pumpkin.

Olivia yelped, leaping backwards. Soren and Gabriel bonked heads. Milo's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he slumped in his seat in a dead faint.

Except... the White Pumpkin didn't move. Jesse took a step closer, eyes widening, _"It's just... a costume. On an armour stand, with a jukebox for the voice. No sign of how it was triggered."_

"Oh," panted Harper, head over her heart, "Oh, okay. Whew. That's a relief," she faltered, "Not there being no sign of it being trigger, or... well... yeah."

 _"Wow,"_ breathed Lukas, _"The White Pumpkin must have some_ amazing _redstone skills to rig up something like this,"_ he frowned, tapping his chin, _"But why?"_

"That... yeah," Petra frowned, scratching her head, "I mean, sure, it's a rare item, but... surely exploring other worlds isn't worth murdering people?"

 _"Must've taken a lot of work to rig up,"_ Lukas continued, _"There_ must _be a reason for it."_

 _"I think it could've been to throw us off the trail,"_ Jesse concluded, _"Make us think there were_ two _White Pumpkins or something."_

"That's... reasonable," muttered Lukas.

 _"Well, hopefully something_ else _in here can shed a little more light on the situation,"_ Lukas said. However, before Jesse could answer, there was a shout.

 _"Jesse!"_ the dining room doors burst open, Petra skidding inside with her sword drawn, the others running in after her.

 _"They're back!"_ yelled Stampy, _"The White Pumpkin's back!"_

 _"Don't worry, everyone!"_ Jesse said, raising his hands in what he hoped was a calming gesture, _"It's just a dummy. A White Pumpkin costume on an armour stand."_

 _"What?"_ Dan blinked, his hair a dark purple, _"Why?"_

_"The trap that killed Sparklez-"_

The real Sparklez shuddered again.

 _"-The whole show with the White Pumpkin,"_ Jesse pointed to the table, _"It was all triggered by a button on the table."_

"Hold on," Stacy's eyes widened, "That means..."

 _"But... what does that mean?"_ asked Lizzie.

 _"I am so creeped out right now,"_ Stacy stated. Stampy glanced at her.

_"Understandably!"_

_"It means the White Pumpkin,"_ said Jesse, _"Sat at this very table and pushed the button."_

"What- ?!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" shouted Magnus, "You mean to tell me that the White Pumpkin is in this _very room?!"_

Almost every head in the room snapped towards the YouTubers table, all of who were now sitting stock still in their seats, eyes wide and faces pale. Axel shifted, so that he was sitting between his friends and the YouTubers couch.

 _"Wait,"_ said Stampy, eyes widening, _"You're saying that the White Pumpkin... is one of_ us _?"_

 _"That's right, Mr Stampy,"_ Jesse said, hands going to his hips, _"One of us... is a murderer,"_ as though on cue, lightning flashed, almost startling Jesse out of his skin. He frowned, looking a little weirded out, returning his hands to his hips.

 _"And he sat right... here,"_ Ivor said, kneeling in front of a completely different button.

"Hold on, that's not where Jesse found the button," Maya frowned.

 _"Wait,"_ said Lukas, _"That's not where Jesse found the button before."_

 _"There's more than one?!"_ gasped Jesse.

 _"I'll see if I can find all them,"_ Lukas said. It switched to show him shoving an arrow into the table, Petra turning to Jesse.

_"Good job, Jesse."_

_"Yes,"_ said Ivor, walking up to them, _"I must say, I am relieved to know that there's a logical explanation to how the White Pumpkin's been doing all this."_

"Aren't we all," sighed Gabriel.

Lukas embedded the last arrow on the table. Petra shrugged, raising an eyebrow at Jesse, _"So, what now?"_ she asked, _"Feels like we've made some good progress so far though, right?"_

 _"Once we get everyone calmed down, we need to keep looking for clues,"_ declared Jesse, looking over at one of the arrows, _"So far we've found those tipped arrows, and those traps. Meaning that the White Pumpkin is a great brewer and a redstone expert."_

The YouTubers looked among themselves, faces pale. They looked as though they were about to be sick.

 _"Okay,"_ said Lukas, approaching, _"That's all of them."_

 _"If you could all please take the same seat you were at before,"_ Jesse said, the others doing so, _"Four of your seats are marked,"_ he continued, _"These are the seats that had a button to activate the trap."_

The screen panned over the YouTubers, revealing some of the marked seats, _"That means the White Pumpkin could only be Dan, Stampy, Lizzie or,"_ he blinked, _"Lukas."_

"Hold on, hold on, _hold on!_ " exclaimed Stampy, waving his arms about and very nearly hitting Dan and Lizzie in the face, "You- You can't actually be accusing _us!_ We're- Sparklez is our _friend_ , we've been friends for _ages!_ "

"Easy, Stampy," said Jesse, "It's just a possibility. For all we know, it could've been an accident. Or you could've been tricked or- or blackmailed."

"That's _not helping!_ "

 _"Wait, you're accusing_ us _?!"_ exclaimed Lizzie.

_"Yeah, what?!"_

_"I echo that sentiment exactly!"_ shouted Stampy, _"I didn't even_ see _a button!"_

_"Me neither!"_

_"This is crazy!"_

_"Hey, hey, hey,"_ said Jesse, _"I'm not accusing anyone... yet."_

"Well," said Magnus, sarcastically, " _That's_ gonna calm them down."

 _"Sure sounds like you're accusing us, stranger,"_ Stampy frowned, _"And I don't care for it!"_

 _"_ I'm _taking charge now,"_ Jesse said, starting to pace in front of the lined up suspects, _"And I'm going to get to the bottom of this,"_ he put his arms behind his back, the YouTubers turning to face him, _"I want everyone separated. I'm going to talk to each suspect one by one, so I can find out who's telling the truth,"_ he stopped in front of Cassie, then turned around, _"And who's lying."_

"That _does_ seem like the best way to go about it," admitted Lizzie, reluctantly, "But what if those buttons are just there as a, you know, a fraud? To mislead us."

Ellegaard hummed, "That's a possibility. But as of now, this is the best lead."

 _"I've got a whole lot of questions,"_ Jesse continued, still pacing, _"And I want nice little matching answers for each and every one,"_ he stopped in front of Stacy, raising an eyebrow, _"Understand me?"_

"Wow," Lukas blinked, "I keep forgetting how intense Jesse can be."

Stacy gave a mock salute, _"Loud and clear."_

 _"Yes,"_ said Stampy, giving a single nod, _"Crystal clear."_

 _"Who are you going to interrogate first?"_ asked Petra.

The audience lent forwards unconsciously, watching as Jesse thoughtfully tapped his bottom lip, walking along the line of suspects. Then, he pointed to a certain purple haired diamond lover.

_"Dan!"_

"What?!" squeaked Dan, face paling, "You can't be serious!"

Petra grabbed Dan by the arm, dragging him away. Jesse walked out the front doors, the screen showing his retreating back, before blacking out.

"Oh, come on!" said Stampy, "There's no way _Dan_ did it! No way!"

Gabriel glanced from Stampy to Dan, then from Dan to Stampy. He covered his twitching lips with his hand. "Of course."

"We're not accusing anyone, yet," Jesse assured, "But we have to interrogate _everyone_ , right?"

"Does that mean you'll be interrogating Lukas, too?" asked Olivia.

Jesse blinked, sharing a startled look with said blond. He scratched at his head. "Uh... yeah, I guess. But we already know he's not the White Pumpkin."

"Maybe," said Axel. He jabbed a finger at the screen. "But besides you guys, onscreen Dan and the rest don't know that."

"Yeah, but at least we're actually getting somewhere," Petra pointed out, "Better than being sitting ducks, right?"

"Ducks can fly, Petra," said Lukas.

Soren glanced at Cassie, who had returned to sitting next to Aiden. She didn't have a button, he realised.

He hoped that didn't mean she was working with someone.

But he also hoped she was. Because that could mean they were forcing her to do this. Or that it had been there idea, and they'd convinced her that it was the only way to get home.

Sighing, Soren shook his head.

If only he hadn't left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who did you choose to interogate first? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> I know, I know, the question is incredibly similar to the last one, but whatever.


	50. Pointing Fingers

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Fifty: Pointing Fingers**

* * *

Like it has many times before, the screen flickered back to life, revealing a dimly lit library. Jesse stood in front of another grand fireplace, looking around the room with a furrowed brow. He moved to stand in front of a portrait of the White Pumpkin in a suit and top hat, giving it a raised eyebrow.

"This guy's a bit full of themselves," said Axel, "I mean, why have a portrait of yourself all dressed up when you're the only one that lives there?"

"Now that the subject's been brought up," Olivia said, "We don't actually _know_ if the White Pumpkin has any family or not."

Petra raised an eyebrow at her, "And?"

Olivia gave a small shrug, "I don't know. It just... the thought bothers me, for some reason."

"Probably because you're realising the White Pumpkin might not be just some heartless killer," Jesse hummed, "They must have a _reason_ to go as far as murdering people. I just... don't know what."

Onscreen, the door opened, Petra and a white-haired Dan walking in. They stopped in front of the temporary detective, Petra giving him a single nod, which Jesse returned.

"Ohhh, I am _not_ liking this," muttered Dan. Stampy reached over and took his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

Jesse turned around, walking away with a natural- almost blank- face. Dan hurried after him, speaking almost immediately, _"I'm telling you, you've got the wrong guy! Honest! I would never hurt anyone,"_ he moved so he was standing in front of Jesse, the fire place casting shadows on their faces, _"You've got to believe me!"_

Petra leant against the side of the fireplace, arms crossed and one foot planted against the wall. Dan continued, glancing between them, _"If anyone's been wronged here, it's me. That enchanted flint and steel everyone's talking about? I found that. That's mine."_

"What?!" yelled Lizzie, "You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

Despite the onscreen situation, Dan couldn't help a small chuckle, "Sorry, Lizzie. Looks like I get to it first."

"No way! I've been searching for that thing for _years_!" Lizzie's eyes blazed angrily, jaw clenching, "What gives you the right to swoop in and _take it_?!"

"Wow, wow, Lizzie!" exclaimed Stacy, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder, "It's okay!"

"No, it's not!" the pink haired girl snapped, glaring at her, "I can't believe after all this time, _he's_ the one that gets it! That is so unfair!"

"Calm down, pinky," said Em, clearly annoyed, "It's not like he's got it now."

"But he _will_ have it!"

"Hey, finders keepers," said Dan, "Do be a sore loser, Lizzie."

Lizzie huffed, crossing her arms and glaring at the screen as though it had personally offended her. In a way, it had.

 _"At least it was before someone stole it,"_ Dan said, expression turning sour.

"Wow, what?" Stampy blinked, "Who'd steal it?"

Dan frowned, glancing at a fuming Lizzie, "I... I've got some idea."

Jesse stared at him for a long moment, hands behind his back. Then he began to pace in a small circle, Dan continuing, _"And now everything's gone completely crazy. People getting caught in horrible traps, everyone accusing and blaming each other..."_

He trailed off. Jesse continued pacing for another moment, before coming to a stop in front of him, eyes hard and unforgiving, _"That's why you invited everyone here, huh? To find out who stole it?"_

"How is he so intimidating?" whispered Lukas, _seriously_ looking confused, "Look at him, he's practically a _cinnamon roll_."

"I know," Axel whispered back, "It's so _weird_ , isn't it?"

"I can hear you."

Petra chuckled, "I think they knew that, Jesse."

 _"What?!"_ gasped Dan, _"No, no, no, no! I didn't invite anyone. That's not what's going on! I was invited here, same as everyone else."_

 _"Uh huh,"_ hummed Jesse. It was hard to tell whether or not he actually believed him. He folded his arms across his chest, turning around and walking away from him a little. Dan's voice rose a bit in panic.

_"I'm not the White Pumpkin! You've gotta believe me! What can I tell you to convince you?"_

"I'm not sure there _is_ anything you can tell him," Isa admitted, "You are a suspect, and will remain one until proven innocent."

"However," Milo cut in, "You are innocent until proven guilty."

Dan looked between them, mouth open slightly as they both nodded at each other in agreement (Reginald looked as though he were about to pass out again). He closed his mouth, opened it, then closed it again.

"What does that even _mean_?"

Jesse came to a stop, turning to face the white-haired suspect, arms still crossed and eyes narrowed. He was silent for a moment, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the tipped arrow, _"Know anything about this?"_

 _"Oh,"_ Dan blinked, glancing to the side, _"Wow. No, I've never seen anything like that before."_

"You're _lying_?" said Lizzie, frowning, "We were talking about the development of tipped arrows right before we came here."

Dan went red, "Uh... well... technically, I _haven't_ actually seen it."

Soren sent him an unimpressed look, "Really."

 _"No? 'Tipped_ a _rrows' not ringing a bell?"_ asked Jesse, _"Made using potions?"_

Dan shook his head, _"Nuh-uh. But you wanna know about stuff with potions, I'd ask Lizzie. She's way better with that stuff than I am."_

"You think _I'm_ the White Pumpkin?!" Lizzie spluttered.

 _"I_ always _go to her with potion questions."_

Jesse pocketed the arrow, _"Noted."_

"I can't believe you _actually_ think I could be the White Pumpkin! What the _hell_ , Dan?!"

"I know, I know!" Dan said, releasing Stampy's hand to hold his own up in surrender, "I don't know why I said that! I'm sorry!'

Onscreen, Jesse was silent for another moment, once more crossing his arms. He regarded Dan for a moment, _"So, how'd you rate your redstone knowledge?"_

 _"Me?"_ Dan let out a breath, _"Phoof. Not much?"_ he shrugged, _"Not really my scene. You wanna know more about that stuff, you should ask Stampy; he was the Tri-Block Champion."_

Stampy winced, hurt flashing across his eyes. Dan sent him an apologetic look.

Jesse raised an eyebrow, _"'Tri-Block Champion'?"_

Dan nodded, _"Yeah! For three years running!"_

_"Huh. Good to know."_

"Why are you directing attention towards _us_?" asked Lizzie, glaring at the now-dark-blue-haired boy, "Sounds kinda _suspicious_ , you know."

"Lizzie!" gasped Sparklez. Relief flashed across his friend's faces; he was starting to talk again.

 _"Out with it,"_ Jesse said, getting right in Dan's face now, _"Who stole the flint and steel?"_

 _"Oh, well, Lizzie, obviously,"_ Dan accused, _"She was jealous. Never got over the fact that_ I _found it first."_

Lizzie growled, hands clenching into fists in her lap, "You _actually_ think I'm the White Pumpkin?!"

"No- Uh, well- it's- it's uncertain?" Dan tried, weakly. Lizzie's eyes flashed in rage.

"You _seriously_ think I would go as far as murdering someone!? I'm not a psychopath, Dan!"

"No one's accusing you of being the White Pumpkin," Jesse cut in, "He only thinks you stole the flint and steel. Why would you kill people for it if you already have it?"

Lizzie blinked, the anger melting from her face as she thought that over, "I... I guess you're right."

Onscreen, Jesse was silent for a moment, moving so that he was standing a few feet in front of the white-haired boy. He stared for a moment. Then dropped his arms to his sides and turned his back to him, _"You can go now, Dan."_

Dan blinked, before a grateful look came over his face, _"Thanks, Jesse,"_ he made his way to the door, _"Thank you."_

"You know," said Magnus, "That actually went better than I was expecting."

Petra watched him go, before turning to look at her friend, pushing herself off the wall, _"Who's up next?"_

Jesse thoughtfully bit his lip, looking at his feet. He turned to look at her. _"Can you bring in Lizzie?"_

"Oh, boy," muttered Reginald.

Petra nodded, making her way after Dan, _"Right."_

The screen cut to the door opening again, Petra leading Lizzie inside. They both came to a stop in front of Jesse, who raised an eyebrow at the pink-haired girl, before turning around and making his way further into the library.

Lizzie glanced to the side, in the direction of that portrait of the White Pumpkin, before sighing and making her way after him, _"Jesse, listen. There's been a lot of talk going around today,"_ they reached the seats, Lizzie sitting down, _"I don't know what people have told you, I don't know what you believe, but I'll just admit it,"_ silently, Jesse sat down across from her, Petra returning to leaning against the wall behind him, _"I want that enchanted flint and steel as much as anyone."_

Soren blinked, "Huh. A straight answer."

"Girl's laying all her cards out," observed Harper, "Showing she's got nothing to hide. Smartest move, in this situation."

The screen briefly showed Petra raising a surprised eyebrow, before switching back to Lizzie, _"Probably more than anyone. I've been searching for it for_ years _."_

"We both have," muttered Dan.

 _"Do you know how much it stung to have Dan-_ Dan _\- swoop in and take it from under my nose?"_ she shook her head, glaring at her hands, _"_ So _aggravating."_

"Not happening this time," Lizzie whispered. Sparklez glanced at her, frowning.

Why couldn't they just share it or something?

 _"Ohhh,"_ said Jesse, as though coming to an understanding, _"And so that's why you invited everyone here, huh? To find out who stole it?"_

"Lizzie may be upset about not getting that flint and steel," said Stampy, slowly, "But... I don't think she'd _murder_ someone for it."

"Yeah, besides," Stacy said, "TorqueDawg I can understand. But Sparklez? If anything, she would have targeted Dan next, not him."

Dan winced, scooting closer to the armrest, "Wow, thanks."

Stacy blinked, before realising what she'd said, "Oh. Sorry."

Onscreen, Lizzie appeared unimpressed, _"I wouldn't waste my time on all these 'White Pumpkin' games. Listen, I just wanna get out of here and get on with my day."_

"Well," said Real-Lizzie, "Night."

_"What do you have to hear to be convinced that the White Pumpkin isn't me?"_

Jesse was silent for a moment, before, much like with Dan, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the arrow, _"Know what this is?"_

 _"Tipped arrow,"_ Lizzie observed, _"Kinda shoddy work, though. Definitely not one of mine, if that's what you're wondering. Some noob made that thing."_

Lukas blinked, "Well. She actually answered."

"Huh, yeah," said Maya, "I half expected her to deny its existence."

"Then again," cut in Milo, "Didn't she know what it was when Jesse first showed them? So there would be no use in pretending."

"Hm," hummed Olivia, "Good point."

 _"Stampy asked me once about how to make those,"_ Lizzie continued, _"Could be one of his."_

Stampy looked up at the sound of his name, an offended look crossing his face, "Did you just call me a _noob_?"

"What?" Lizzie blanched, "Oh, no, I didn't-"

"She called me a noob!" Stampy declared, looking at Dan and jabbing a finger at the pink-haired girl, "That's just _rude!_ "

"You know I didn't mean-"

"For your information," Stampy cut her off, pointing a thumb at his chest, " _I_ am no _noob_ , madam! You best rethink your wording!"

"Oh, come on, Stampy!"

Over on the Orders couch, Magnus howled, slapping his knee. Axel and the Gladiators were full-out laughing as well. Jesse covered his mouth to hide his grin.

 _"Plus,"_ said Lizzie, _"I taught both Cassie and Stacy how to make those a while back."_

"Lizzie," Sparklez scolded, although he couldn't stop the way his lips twitched upwards, "It's rude to call people noobs."

"She's calling _everyone_ noobs now!" said Stampy, throwing his hands in the air, "Everyone bow down to the Noob Decider! She'll decide whether or not you're noob material!"

Lizzie's cheeks were starting to tint pink, although she was struggling to hold back her own laughter, "Stampy, no!"

"I _can't_ believe you," said Stacy, mock-glaring at her friend and putting a hand over her heart, "Stampy's one thing, but _me_? What did I ever do to you, Lizzie?"

"Come on, guys-"

"Yeah," Cassie agreed, "You calling us all noobs? Looks like you truly are the almighty Noob Decider."

Many of the watchers burst out laughing at that. Soren's grin fell.

They wouldn't be laughing if they knew what he knew. He wondered how she was able to joke with them like that, with what she was planning to do with them.

He felt rather sick, all of a sudden.

Jesse didn't say anything, simply pocketing the arrow again. He leant forwards, resting his elbows on his knees, _"You like using_ _redstone_ _?"_ he asked, _"Ever made traps with the stuff?"_

Lizzie shrugged, _"I'm fine, I guess. I can make lights and doors and stuff. You wanna do advanced stuff, you gotta talk to Stampy. He was the Tri-Block Champion."_

Stampy made this odd noise that sounded a bit like a crying cat. Dan patted him on the shoulder.

 _"So I've heard,"_ said Jesse. He was quiet for another moment, briefly glancing over at Petra before returning his attention to Lizzie. _"I'm just gonna be straight. Who do you think stole the flint and steel?"_

 _"Well, it wasn't me, if you're curious,"_ Lizzie said, _"If I had an enchanted flint and steel, I'd be off exploring some other world with it,"_ she paused for a moment, thoughtfully chewing on her lip, _"I wouldn't put it passed Stampy, though. He'd love the chance to explore others worlds._ "

"What?!" Stampy squeaked, "You can't honestly think _I_ stole it!"

Lizzie opened her mouth, but faltered. Her gaze flickered to Dan, then to Stampy, then to their interlocked hands, which neither of them seemed to have realised they'd continued doing. She closed her mouth, doubt crossing her face, "Well... not really, no."

 _"Thank you for your time, Lizzie,"_ said Jesse, getting to his feet, _"That's all for now."_

Silently, Lizzie rose as well, making her way out the door without another word. Petra moved to stand next to Jesse, _"Want me to send in_ _Stampy?"_

Jesse nodded, _"Yeah, send him in."_

The real Stampy sunk further into Dan's side, who gave him a concerned frown.

"Hey, don't worry," he said, "There's no way you stole it. You should be fine as long as you just tell the truth."

Tongue caught, Stampy nodded.

The screen cut, once more, to the doors opening, revealing Petra leading Stampy inside. The boy came to a stop in front of the young hero, almost appearing as though he were about to be sick. Jesse turned around, making his way over to the seats, and Stampy was quick to hurry after him.

 _"Jesse, I'm telling you! This is just crazy! Absolutely crazy!"_ he turned around, walking backwards so he was facing his interrogator, _"Total misunderstanding!"_

No saying a word, Jesse gestured to the seats. Swallowing, Stampy made his way over to them, sitting down and continuing, _"I don't even want that flint and steel thingy! Not, um, as much as the others, at any rate."_

The temporary detective regarded him with a raised eyebrow, arms crossed, Petra at her post directly behind him. Stampy nervously cleared his throat a little, _"Did I hear someone say it had something to do with portals? I don't have any interest in portals. No, sir. Not for ol'Mister StampyCat, thank you!"_

Isa raised an eyebrow, "He's nervous."

"Why would he be nervous if he has nothing to hide?" asked Gill. Stampy looked like he was about to faint.

Still, Jesse remained silent. Stampy's voice took on a more desperate tone, _"It's me, Stampy! Everyone's friend!"_

 _"I'm not gonna sugar coat it, Stampy,"_ said Jesse, finally, hands going to his hips, _"I don't believe you."_

"But he's done nothing wrong!" Dan defended, "Anyone would be nervous with you being all quiet like that."

"Stampy _is_ a nervous person," Sparklez pointed out quietly, "He's not one to do well under interrogation, even if he's innocent."

"Well," said Jesse, choosing his words carefully, "Dan's the one that found the flint and steel, but he could be doing this to get it back. Lizzie could be doing this to steal the flint and steal because she's jealous. Stampy... well... so far, he looks like the only person who'd be able to set up those traps."

"So, what?" asked Axel, "Who do you think did it?"

Jesse was silent for a long moment. Slowly, he shook his head. "I'm not sure yet. They _all_ seem like they could be guilty."

"But you have to choose _someone_ ," Ellegaard pointed out, "Otherwise they'd all be running around the mansion. If one of them really is the White Pumpkin... that would be bad."

 _"Well... well, I don't know what to tell you,"_ said Stampy, _"Because that's the truth. It really is. Honest."_

He waited for Jesse to say something, When his silence continued, Stampy curled in on himself a little, _"Please, just tell me what you want to know."_

Jesse looked over his shoulder at Petra, sharing a look with her. He turned back to Stampy, his silence stretching on for a moment longer. Finally, he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the arrow, _"Know anything about this?"_

 _"Oh, wow,"_ Stampy said, squinting at it, _"What is that? Some sort of... magic arrow?"_

Lizzie blinked, mouth dropping open, "Hold up, you're lying? Why are you lying?"

"What are you asking _me_ for?" asked Stampy, face rather pale, "This is in the future! I've got no idea what's going through my head."

 _"No, I've never seen anything like it before,"_ Stampy continued, _"Honest. You know who would love to see something like that, though? Lizzie. She's wild about potions and brewing and all of that. She's way better with that stuff than I am."_

Jesse raised an eyebrow, _"Good with potions, you say?"_

Smiling, Stampy nodded, _"Very good. Could probably even teach a class,"_ he gave a small laugh.

"But," Aiden frowned, "Didn't Lizzie say she showed Stampy, Cassie and Stacy how to make those?"

"Yeah," said Cassie, a frown on her own brow, "Yeah, she did."

She could feel Soren's gaze on the side of her head. An odd feeling spread through her chest, clenching her heart and weighing down her ribs. Scowling, she tried to shake it off, but it wouldn't go away. It clung to her like a wad of sticky tape.

 _"What do you know about redstone?"_ asked Jesse, crossing his arms, _"What's your skill level with the stuff?"_

 _"Oh, well, you know,"_ Stampy shrugged, _"About average... average level? Moderate? Uh, I-I don't know how these things are graded these days."_

"Why are you lying?" Dan asked, voice quiet so that only the real Stampy could hear.

"I-I don't know," Stampy whispered back, "The only thing tying me to the White Pumpkin is having a button. I... I think maybe I'm panicking?"

"Maybe," Dan muttered, frowning at the screen. He unconsciously wrapped his free arm around Stampy's waist, pulling him into a half hug.

 _"That's funny,"_ said Jesse, _"Because I heard you know_ all about _redstone._ "

 _"What?"_ Stampy's eyes widened, speaking a _little_ too fast, _"W-What, um, what are you talking about?"_

 _"Everyone says you're the best at redstone,"_ said Jesse, _"Something about being 'Tri-Block Champion'?"_

 _"Okay,"_ Stampy sighed, _"Okay, okay, okay. Fine. You caught me. I do know redstone. I'm technically even an 'expert.' But I'd never_ kill _anyone, I swear! You_ have _to believe me, honest!"_

Hadrian shared a look with Mevia, raising a questioning eyebrow at her. She shrugged, a smirk twitching at her lips. They were both enjoying this immensely.

 _"Okay, enough dancing around,"_ Jesse said, eyes hard again, _"Who do you think took the flint and steel?"_

Stampy was quiet for a moment, eyes darting left and right. He bit his lip, looking down at his lap, _"I don't think it was actually ever stolen."_

Ivor blinked, raising an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"Well," said Otto, "That's certainly interesting."

Attention captured, Jesse raised an eyebrow, uncrossing his arms, _"Oh?"_

Magnus snorted, "Wow. They had a twin moment."

"They look nothing alike, Magnus," Ellegaard pointed out. Magnus shrugged.

 _"Yeah, so,"_ Stampy said, _"Dan got it ahead of Lizzie, right? And she was pretty angry about it. I think he made up the story about it being stolen so she'd think he didn't have it anymore,"_ Stampy shook his head, giving the temporary detective a nervous smile, _"Classic Dan move."_

Dan frowned, not noticing how Stampy had tensed in his arms. After a moment, he shook his head, "No, I don't think that's what happened," he shrugged, "Then again, we don't know how bad things had got."

Jesse stared at Stampy for a long moment, eyes narrowing. The cat hoodie wearing boy leant back in his seat, swallowing, a bead of sweat shining on his forehead.

Then Jesse leant back, hands dropping back to his side, and turned around, _"You're excused, Stampy. Thank you for your time."_

Stampy let out a relieved breath he probably hadn't realised he'd been holding, getting up from his seat, _"Thank goodness. This room's making me very nervous,"_ he walked past Jesse and Petra, who watched him go, before he vanished through the door.

"Well," said Maya, "That wasn't too ba-"

Abruptly, the library door opened again, revealing Lukas being led inside with Cassie holding his arms behind his back.

 _"Oh, come on!"_ said Lukas, _"This is nuts!"_

Maya blinked, "Oh."

 _"You had a button, too,"_ Cassie pointed out, releasing him and turning to Jesse, _"Fairs fair. It's your buddy's turn next."_

"You actually think Lukas did it?" asked Olivia, twisting to look at the real Cassie. The redhead shrugged.

"Not me-me, no. But onscreen-me doesn't really know that."

Aiden bit his lip, rubbing his neck, "Well... she has a point. Besides, we _know_ Lukas didn't do it, so it's not like Jesse's going to actually accuse him."

Jesse blinked at him, then shrugged, "True."

Onscreen, Cassie left the library. Jesse watched her go, then rolled his eyes, moving to stand in front of the fireplace. Lukas joined him, _"Hey, Jesse."_

 _"Ah, my final suspect,"_ Jesse said, actually sounding _tired_ now, _"Here to point more fingers and blame more people I'm sure."_

Dan, Stampy and Lizzie winced in an almost perfect unison.

 _"I didn't push the button, you know,"_ said Lukas. Jesse sent him a small smile.

_"I figured. Thanks, though."_

"You look so... tired," muttered Olivia, concern flashing across her face, "I... didn't know you could hide it that well."

Silently, Jesse shrugged, absentmindedly patting Reuben on the head. His friends shared a frown.

 _"How's it going in here?"_ asked Lukas, _"It is just non-stop whispering and rumours out there._ _Me_ _, Petra and Ivor have pretty much been sticking to ourselves."_

" _I... think I have my suspects,"_ Jesse said, hesitantly. Lukas raised an eyebrow at him.

_"Really? You actually think you know the White Pumpkins identity?"_

Stampy swallowed.

 _"Yeah,"_ said Jesse, _"I'm gonna tell everyone at once."_

They fell silent. Jesse put his hands on his hips, then glanced at his friend. He patted him on the shoulder, _"Come on, suspect. Time to return to the others."_

Both onscreen and real Lukas gave a small smile.

The screen cut to Jesse pushing open the library doors to reveal everyone else standing around. Their heads snapped to face him, and they began crowding around him like dogs greeting their owner.

 _"So?"_ asked Stacy, _"Have you decided?"_

 _"Yes, who do you think the White Pumpkin really is?"_ asked Stampy.

 _"Now, hang on, hang on, everyone,"_ Jesse said, holding up his hands. Petra, Lukas and Ivor gathered behind him. _"First of all, I want to thank everyone for answering my questions. There's still not a hundred per cent proof of anyone, but-"_

 _"But?"_ echoed Dan.

 _"Yes,"_ said Ivor, hands on his hips, _"Where are your suspicions leaning, Jesse?"_

Lizzie frowned, jabbing a finger at a certain orange cat hoodie wearing boy, _"Jesse was definitely questioning Stampy the longest."_

"Lizzie!" gasped Sparklez.

 _"What?_ " Stampy gasped, _"No!"_

 _"Dan was in there way longer!"_ Stacy argued.

"Oh, come on, Stacy!" exclaimed Dan.

 _"Hey!"_ Dan said, glaring at her, _"Not cool!"_

 _"Guys, guys, come on!"_ Cassie cut in. All eyes turned to Jesse, who's hands were once more behind his back. He began pacing in a small circle, eight expectant eyes practically boring into his skull.

"This is it, sports fans," Hadrian stage-whispered, earning a few odd looks, "The killer has yet to be uncovered, three suspects with lies and pointing fingers."

"But which one," Mevia said, in her own stage-whisper, "Will be the one that Jesse chooses?"

"What are they doing?" asked Axel. Petra shrugged.

"They must really like sports."

Finally, Jesse came to a stop.

 _"Right now,"_ he said, _"Evidence seems to point..."_ he jabbed a finger at them, _"To Lizzie!"_

"What?!" yelled Lizzie, shooting up in her seat, "No!"

 _"What!"_ gasped Lizzie, unknowingly echoing her real-life self, _"No way!"_

"And there you have it!" said Hadrian, sounding quite like an announcer, "LDShadowLady-"

"Also known as 'Lizzie,'" added Mevia.

"-Has been chosen as the prime suspect! We have your White Pumpkin, folks!"

"You're _kidding me!_ " yelled Lizzie, looking at the two as though they'd just told her they were going to lock her in a closet, "How can you _joke_ about this? Sparklez is _dead!_ "

"Besides," Otto hissed, actually looking a bit angry with them, "We already _know_ who the killer is."

"Still," Hadrian grinned, "Can't resist a good mystery, can we?"

 _"She's the only one I was talking to who had any idea about the tipped arrows,"_ Jesse explained, although there was a very brief flash of uncertainty in his eyes, only noticed by a few of the audience members, _"That were used to kill TorqueDawg."_

Real-Jesse bit his lip, looking down at his pig, sitting in his lap. Out the corner of his eye, he could see Lizzie gaping at the screen, and many of the other watchers were gaping at her. Some were even glaring.

Onscreen, all heads turned to Lizzie. Stacy put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow. Lizzie's head snapped around, eyes wide.

 _"Oh, come on, guys,"_ she said, _"You can't really be doing this."_

Stacy sighed, _"I vote we lock her back up in that library and wait 'till morning."_

 _"I fully endorse this plan!"_ said Stampy.

 _"Sorry, Lizzie,"_ Cassie apologised, coming up behind the girl and pulling her arms behind her back, _"But we can't take any chances."_

Petra cocked her head to the side, "You know, she must be pretty strong to pull their arms behind them like that. I could brush Lizzie off, but Lukas? By this time, he'll have definitely gotten some muscle on him."

Cassie blinked, then shrugged, "I guess I'm... decently strong. I _do_ fight monsters a lot."

 _"No! Guys! You know me!"_ Lizzie protested, as they led her into the library _, "I'm no killer! I'm not the White Pumpkin!"_

Jesse and his friends watched them go. Ivor stroked his beard, _"Well. That was certainly some excitement."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Lukas sighed, appearing on Jesse's other side, _"No kidding."_

 _"If the White Pumpkin is still roaming around, though..."_ Petra shook her head, _"They might be trying to set up more traps," she turned to face them, "We need to figure out how these things work."_

"That's not a bad plan," hummed Isa, "Certainly better than waiting around for dawn. Besides, there is a chance that Lizzie _isn't_ the White Pumpkin." She glanced at the Ocelots couch- or more specifically, a certain redhead with a cat- but said nothing.

 _"Like,"_ Petra continued, _"We know that the Sparklez trap was triggered by those buttons on the table. But what about the trap that turned TorqueDawg into a pincushion?"_

A thoughtful look came over Jesse's face. He crossed one arm over his chest, resting his elbow on his wrist and tapping at his bottom lip.

 _"If we figure out how these things work,"_ said Petra, _"We might be able to find more proof about who the White Pumpkin is. How they're operating."_

Lukas nodded, _"Petra's got a good point."_

Jesse shook his head, _"It must have been triggered from nearby,"_ he concluded, _"Just like the table buttons."_

"Yeah," hummed Ellegaard, "But where was the trigger?"

 _"Sounds like we need to investigate near the trap then,"_ said Ivor. Jesse nodded, and he, Ivor and Petra turned, beginning to make their way towards the door. Lukas stayed where he was.

 _"You guys go on ahead,"_ he said, " _I'm gonna stay here and keep an eye on these other people,"_ behind him, the library door opened again, Cassie, Stacy, Dan and Stampy exiting, _"I don't want them trying anything when we're not looking."_

"Wow," deadpanned Stacy, "Thanks."

 _"Thanks, Lukas,"_ Jesse smiled, before continuing leading the others towards the halls. The screen switched to the kitchen, just as the temporary detective opened the door.

 _"Back in the kitchen,"_ said Petra, _"So, what are we looking for, exactly?"_

Hadrian's teeth gritted, and he twisted in his seat, glaring at the stupid sheep portrait, "That's it!" he snapped, making quite a few of the other audience members jump, "What is that _blasted_ tapping?!"

Reginald blinked at him, then frowned, "Tapping?"

"Yes!" Hadrian snapped, "Tapping! Somewhere behind me!"

"Is _that_ what that noise was?" asked Mevia, twisting to look over her shoulder, "I thought it was in the episode or something."

"Sh, everyone be quiet," hushed Jesse. Otto quickly paused the episode, and the room fell silent. They waited for a long moment, but there wasn't a sound. Maya shook her head.

"I don't hear anything."

"Just wait," said Hadrian. The silence stretched on. Petra opened her mouth, probably to tell them to put the episode back on, when they heard it. A knock on wood.

_Tap, tap, tap._

They straightened. All eyes turned to the sheep portrait. And there was again.

_Tap, tap, tap._

"What is that?" whispered Olivia. Axel shook his head.

Slowly, Jesse got to his feet, gently setting Reuben on the ground. He began to make his way over to the portrait, his friends heads snapping towards him.

"Jesse!" Lukas hissed, "Jesse, wait!"

The boy came to a stop, looking over his shoulder at the blond. He frowned, looking from him to the portrait, then squeezed between the Orders and the 'Sports Announcers' couches, taking careful steps as he approached the portrait.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Behind him, people were rising to their feet. Gabriel and Reginald had drawn their swords. The handle of an axe stuck out of Cassie's pocket, hand clutching it. Isa's twin blades had appeared in her hands, while Petra held out her iron sword. Stampy ducked behind Dan, Magnus automatically spreading out his arm, as though to protect Ellegaard from harm.

Jesse's heart was in his mouth. He was directly in from of the sheep portrait now, looking it up and down. He locked in on its eyes, frowning.

Then they blinked.

With a startled yell, Jesse jumped back, almost tripping over Reuben. The pig gave a loud squeal, beginning to run around in circles in a blind panic.

Someone grabbed his arm, pulling him backwards and away from the portrait. A person appeared in front of him, shielding him, even though they didn't seem to have any weapon at all. It took him a moment to realise it was Lukas.

Jesse peeked over the blond's shoulder, eyes widening. The eyes were gone.

"What?" asked Petra, abruptly appearing next to him, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jesse muttered. He tried to move around Lukas, to get a better look at the portrait, but the blond simply gripped the black sleeve of his shirt.

"What happened, then?" asked Isa, "Did you see something?"

"The sheep," said Jesse, frowning, "The sheep had eyes."

"Well, _duh_ ," Hadrian said. Jesse ignored him.

"Eyes?" repeated Dan, "What do you mean by that?"

"Like, not painted on eyes, _eye eyes_ ," Jesse explained, "There was... there was someone _watching us_."

A silence came upon them at the statement. Cassie and Aiden shared a shocked look.

"So... someone's been watching us," said Isa, slowly, swords still drawn, "But... for how long?"

Jesse licked his lips, not tearing his eyes from the sheep portrait, as though waiting for the person to appear again, "I... I don't know."

"When did the tapping start?" asked Gabriel, turning to Hadrian. The purple suited man shrugged, looking a bit freaked out himself.

"I'm not all that sure," he admitted, "About... sometime during this episode? Near the end of the last one?"

"I haven't heard any tapping up until now," Magnus said, sceptical. Ellegaard shook her head.

"Yeah, but their couch is the closest to that portrait. And we were kind of invested in the episodes."

"But wouldn't we hear them outside the watching room?" asked Olivia, "I mean, the library's never all that loud, but I've never heard any tapping in there. Same with the lab."

Another silence came upon them. Jesse made eye contact with Ivor, the both of them having reached the same conclusion.

_Black hands._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you accuse Stampy, Lizzie, Dan or no one? Let me know in the reviews!


	51. The White Pumpkin Strikes Again

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Fifty-One: The White Pumpkin Strikes Again**

* * *

Petra marched forward, and within three steps, her fist was through the sheep portrait. It crumbled, curling in on itself, before popping off the wall. A hole was revealed, dimly lit by a single torch.

A bit dramatically, Stampy gasped. Petra stuck her head through the hole, looking left and right, sword still in hand. After a moment, she shook her head and leant back, "They're gone."

"This is _insanely_ creepy," said Stacy, "I'm _never_ going near a mansion ever again."

"Sadly," Soren sighed, "We don't seem to have the option to leave."

A silence came upon the room, thickening with terror as his words settled in. Jesse looked down when something nudged his leg, blinking when he realised it was Reuben, rubbing against him like a cat.

"Well," he said, raising his head and shattering the silence into tiny shards, "Should we go after them?"

"The mysterious person that has been watching us from the walls for who knows how long?" Magnus threw his hands in the air, "Of _course we should go after them!_ "

Slowly, Ellegaard blinked at him, "Are... are you being sarcastic or... ?"

"We need to take down the other portraits," said Lukas, still shielding Jesse. He gestured to the many portraits on the walls. The mansion was _crawling_ with them. "Who knows how many of them have secret passageways?"

"Alright," said Sparklez, having completely forgotten about his future selves death. For now, anyway. "How about we split into teams? Jesse and his friends can go explore a bit of the passageway, while the rest of us take down all these portraits."

"The Order can do the ones in the halls," Gabriel cut in, "While everyone else moves from room to room. Make sure you have at least one fighter with you at all times."

They nodded at him, Aiden taking a small step closer to Cassie. Jesse looked down at Reuben, hand moving to the hilt of his wooden sword, before he slid around Lukas and joined Petra in front of the hole.

He poked his head through. It looked dark, deserted, cobwebs clinging to the ceiling. He glanced behind him, as Lukas, Olivia and Axel came up to them. Jesse took a deep breath, then hopped through.

"We'll be here," called Dan.

"Try not to die."

Jesse paused, mind flashing back to when Soren had said that in episode three, then- much like his onscreen self had- rolled his eyes.

Reuben clambered through the hole after him, snuffling about in the dust on the floor. Petra followed next, sword still drawn, then Lukas, Olivia and, finally, Axel. The large boy had a bit of trouble squeezing through, and had to go in sideways. His head brushed against the ceiling, shoulders scratching against the walls, but he fit.

"If we're not back in an hour," Jesse said, poking his head out the hole, "Come look for us or something."

Isa nodded, "Of course."

Jesse nodded back, before turning to his friends, "You guys ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Axel shrugged, although it turned into a rather awkward gesture because of the small enclosure.

"Let's catch this creep," Petra said. Jesse nodded at her.

They began walking.

* * *

They walked for a long time, but found nothing out of sorts. The passageway was connected to multiple others, twisting and turning, going up and down, some narrow and some wide. They were even more confusing than the actual hallways.

Some bits were so narrow, only Jesse and Reuben were small enough to squeeze through, but they were quickly called back when it became clear not even Lukas or Olivia could follow. Other bits were so wide, Axel could stretch his arms out as far as he could and do jumping jacks if he wanted to.

Jesse was, admittedly, rather jumpy. He kept expecting a dark shadow to be standing around the corner, or black wisps to come from the walls, reaching for them with frigid fingers, grabbing at their clothes, pulling them closer, tearing at their skin until they were decorated in red streaks.

He shook his head, banishing those thoughts to the back of his mind. Now wasn't the time.

Thirty minutes passed, before Lukas came to a stop and sighed, "Maybe we should go back now."

"But they could be right around the corner!" Petra argued. Even after all this time, she hadn't put away her sword.

"We've been searching for _ages_ , Petra," Olivia cut in, "Whoever's been watching us... they're gone now."

"We'll keep looking for another ten minutes," said Jesse, a bit reluctantly, brushing dust bunnies off his shirt, "Then we'll go back and see how the others are doing. Who knows? Maybe they've caught our mystery guest."

"Maybe," muttered Petra, although she didn't look like she believed it all that much.

They began walking again. Jesse's thoughts, once more, turned to the black hands. Ivor had seen them too, although they hadn't grabbed him, like they had himself. He'd said that he hadn't been able to tell anyone about them, so that meant Jesse wouldn't be able to tell anyone about them either, right?

It would make sense, although he has no idea _why_ he wouldn't be able to tell them. Then again, he's never _tried_ telling them before, has he? Maybe they're all affected differently. Maybe Ivor's the only one who can't talk about it to anyone who hasn't seen them.

But what about Gill? He never saw the black hands, just a sign saying something's watching them, but he seems to be convinced it never happened either way.

He wondered if whatever they're chasing is what it had been talking about.

He needed to tell them. They could be walking right into a trap, for all he knew. There was no harm in trying, right?

Jesse hadn't realised he'd come to a stop until Lukas bumped into him. He stumbled a little, but caught himself, a cloud of dust rising from the floor and making his eyes water.

"Jesse?" said Petra, "Why'd you stop?"

"I, uh," he coughed, turning to face them. The passageway was dark, but there were random torches scattered about. One was a little bit behind them, and there was another near a crossroad ahead of them, so he could make out their faces. Axel was taking up the rear, hunching slightly to fit in the passageway. They regarded him with raised eyebrows and concerned frowns.

They needed to know.

 _But it didn't happen_.

That thought was immediately thrown overboard, to drown in an imaginary blue-green sea. He swallowed, "I need to tell you guys something."

They blinked at him. Olivia put a hand on her hip. Axel raised a brow. Lukas and Petra shared a look.

"Oh?" hummed Olivia, face a mixture of confusion and concern, "What is it?"

"I... well..." he looked over his shoulder, almost paranoid, but there was nothing but more twisting corridors and dust bunnies and cobwebs, "Something... happened."

Lukas frowned, "What happened? Are you okay, Jesse?"

"I-I'm fine," Jesse assured, "Now, anyway-"

"Wow, wow, wow," Axel cut in, taking a step forward and forcing the other three to come closer as well so he didn't trample them, "What do you mean 'now'? What happened?" his face darkened, "It wasn't Aiden again, was it? What'd that jerk say to you?"

Jesse's eyes widened, and he hastily shook his head, "No, no, no! Aiden wasn't even there!"

" _Where_?" asked Petra. She took a step forward, and Jesse automatically took a step back, "What's going on, Jesse?"

"I-I... well..." he looked over his shoulder, but the passageway was still empty. He looked back at his friends. "I couldn't tell you before, but I di-"

"'Couldn't tell us before'?" repeated Olivia, "What couldn't you tell us?"

" _Why_ couldn't you tell us?" Axel asked. Jesse was really starting to wish they'd stop interrupting him.

"Look, it- it's kinda complicated," again, he looked over his shoulder. It had become almost a nervous gesture now, to avoid looking at them instead of actually seeing if there was anyone behind him.

A hand was on his shoulder. He turned, blinking, to find Lukas right in front of him. He was frowning, blue eyes shining with concern. "You can tell us anything, Jesse. You know that, right?"

He glanced to the side, "I... of course."

"Then tell us," Petra said, a bit harshly but certainly not unkindly. Her own brow was furrowed, and her grip on her sword had tightened, knuckles turning white. She looked like she was waiting for him to tell her who her next murder victim was.

Jesse bit his lip, then sighed, "I was grabbed by-"

He coughed, unexpectedly, arm automatically coming up to bury his mouth in the inside of his elbow. He felt Lukas's hand jump from his shoulder in surprise.

Gritting his teeth, Jesse shook his head, his head emerging, "There were these-" he began coughing again, "They- They came fro-"

Coughing. His face was practically buried in his arm at this point. He could practically feel their eyes boring into him.

An arm wrapped around his shoulders- Lukas, he realised- pulling him into the blonde's side. He was talking, but it was hard to hear what he was saying over his own coughing, which was a little odd.

His throat was tightening, almost like it does when you're holding back tears. But his eyes were dry. His mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. He gasped, struggling to breathe.

"There's- I was-"

His tongue caught. Hands were wrapped around his throat, black and wispy, fingers tightening and tightening and tightening and _he couldn't breathe_. He doubled over, coughing, coughing, unable to see.

He stumbled forwards, but an arm around his front stopped him from falling flat on his face. His knees shook, legs almost giving out on him, every cough hacking and painful, inky fingers cutting off his air supply.

There was shouting, but he couldn't decipher it properly. Someone was pounding on his back, almost thrashing him. His hands were over his mouth. Something hot and wet between his fingers.

After what felt like an eternity, the coughing subsided. He gasped in a lungful of air, panting, the black hands releasing his throat and slithering away as though they hadn't been there at all. It took him a moment to realise he was on the ground, Lukas squeezed in beside him, squeezing him against his side hard enough to make his head pop.

Everyone was talking at once, asking him if he was okay, trying- and failing- to squeeze past each other and kneel next to him or something. The passageway was far from the narrowest they'd come across, but it wasn't exactly big. Reuben was squealing, running around in a panic and almost causing Axel to trip over.

Weakly, Jesse wiped his mouth, giving one last tiny cough. He looked up at Lukas, the blonde's eyes wide and terrified, wanting nothing more than to just lie down and go to sleep.

Then Lukas screamed.

Jesse jumped in shock, automatically leaning away from him. Then Olivia screamed as well, her hands going to her mouth. Petra's sword clattered to the ground in a cloud of dust, Axel _actually_ jumping and banging his head against the ceiling, sending dust and small spiders raining down on them.

His head snapped around to look behind him, wondering if the thing watching them or the black hands had appeared (they could be the same thing, actually), but the passageway was as empty as ever.

He caught a look at his hands.

They were covered in blood.

He'd wiped his mouth.

Axel appeared in front of him, having squeezed passed the two girls. He grabbed his hands, holding them out, revealing the crimson covering his palms and fingers like watery paint. His face was terribly pale.

"We need to get you out of here," he said, sounding almost breathless. He straightened, looking around. His eyes landed on the back of a portrait, at the end of the passageway.

"Come on, Jesse," Lukas said, a lot more gently than usual, helping him to his feet. His knees shook, probably from shock, and he gratefully leant against the blonde. Petra was still gaping at him, sword at her feet. Tears were pooling in Olivia's eyes.

Axel looked him over, before grunting and bending down. Jesse barely had time to register the movement before his feet left the ground. He yelped, holding his hands up so he wouldn't get any blood on his larger friend, ducking to avoid banging his head off the ceiling.

Upon noticing this, Axel shifted, moving him so one arm was under Jesse's knees and the other was under his back. The tips of his shoes brushed against the walls, but not enough to get in the wall.

"A-Axel," Jesse stuttered, face heating up, "Put me down."

"No," Axel stated, firmly. He was already walking towards the portrait, the others hastily following.

"I can walk."

"I don't care."

"Put me down, Axel!"

"You just _coughed up blood_ ," Axel stressed, his hold on Jesse unconsciously tightening and making the boy wince, "Do you actually think I'm going to let you move?"

Jesse wasn't sure how to respond to that. So he didn't.

Petra ducked under Axel's arm, driving her sword through the portrait. It popped off the wall, revealing an upstairs hallway (when did they get upstairs?), somewhere near the ladder leading into the attic.

They climbed out, Axel doing so rather awkwardly, what with being so big and carrying Jesse, but they made it through. Jesse wondered if they should do something about the new hole gaping in the wall, but before he could say anything, they were already marching down the hall.

They hurriedly made their way down the stairs, Jesse bouncing a little in Axel's arms. They turned the corner, marching passed the watching room and getting a surprised look from Isa and Milo, who were in the process of taking down a particularly large portrait. Isa released it, frowning as she took a step forwards to see where they were going. Unable to support the portrait by himself, Milo wavered on his feet, before toppling over entirely with a loud _crash!_ Isa jumped in surprise, hastily apologising as she made to help him back up.

Petra ran ahead, the basement door banging loudly against the wall, "Ivor!"

Axel, Jesse, Olivia and Lukas were right behind her. Down in his alcove, Ivor's head snapped up, eyes widening. He dropped whatever he was doing, frowning as they approached. That frown soon turned into a blink, his eyes widening in realisation as he took in the blood smeared across Jesse's face.

"Jesse's coughing blood," Lukas gasped, skidding to a stop, "You've gotta- you have to help him!"

Ivor held his hands up in what was probably supposed to be a calming gesture, frowning at Jesse. Perhaps the others couldn't see it, but to Jesse, it was clear he was silently asking _why the heck he tried to tell them._

Weakly, Jesse lifted one shoulder in a small half shrug. Ivor shook his head, pointing at a cot in the corner of the alcove, "Set him down there."

Obediently, Axel walked over to the cot, laying Jesse down in it with a gentleness that one wouldn't expect from the larger boy. Ivor was rummaging through a chest, lips moving but no noise coming out.

Jesse's view was abruptly blocked by Lukas, kneeling at his side. Axel sat down on the floor, Petra standing behind Lukas and Olivia kneeling at the end of the cot. Reuben squeezed between Axel and Lukas, hopping up onto the cot and curling against Jesse's stomach, snuffling and oinking. He made to pet him, but stopped himself when he realised his hands were still covered in blood.

"Move, move," Ivor demanded, Lukas and Petra quickly getting out his way. He knelt down next to Jesse, grabbing his chin and scrubbing the blood all over his face off with a wet rag. It came away crimson pink, and he moved on to his hands.

Once Ivor was done, he moved away, muttering to himself about something they couldn't hear. Jesse didn't see what he did with the rag (he probably tossed it), for Lukas and Petra were immediatly at his side again.

"How are you feeling?" Lukas asked. Jesse shrugged.

"Fine."

As though of one mind, his friends gave him perfect looks of disbelief. Even Reuben raised his head to give him a somehow deadpan look.

They stared at him like that for a long moment. Jesse glanced to the side, starting to get uncomfortable. Much to his relief, he was saved by Ivor returning, thrusting a potion into his face.

"Here," he said, "Drink this."

"What is it?" asked Olivia. Ivor sent her a look.

"It'll help," he said, simply, before stalking away. They blinked after him.

Jesse looked down at the potion in his hands, before shrugging, uncorking it and downing it. He made a face at the taste, gagging- a disgusting mixture of Nether Warts, some kind of powder that clung to the back of his throat, and who knows what else- and pulled it away. "This tastes _terrible_."

"Most potions taste terrible," Ivor stated, not even glancing up from whatever it was he was doing.

Jesse made a face at the back of his head, moving the sit the potion on the floor. There wasn't anything _wrong_ with him, after all, so he didn't have to actually drink it.

Lukas's hand curled around his wrist, "Jesse, what are you doing?"

"Uh..." Jesse blinked, "Putting this on the floor?"

"But Ivor said it'll help," Petra pointed out, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at him, "You're just, what? Not gonna drink because it _tastes_ bad?"

Jesse winced. It _did_ sound pretty bad, considering they didn't have any idea why he'd coughed up blood in the first place. "Uh... yes?"

"Jesse!" Olivia exclaimed, horrified, "You just _coughed up blood!_ "

"Yeah, but I-"

"You're _drinking the potion_ ," Axel stated, large hand cupping the bottle and pushing it to his chest, Lukas releasing his wrist, away from the floor, "Right _now_."

Jesse sent a pleading look towards Ivor, who was now watching the exchange with crossed arms. The potionologist simply raised an eyebrow at him.

Perhaps it was just Jesse being a _little_ bit overly dramatic, but he swore, in that moment, Ivor seemed to have chosen a gross potion on purpose.

Defeated, Jesse sighed and brought the potion to his lips.

He almost threw up.

* * *

After downing an entire bottle of water, spitting into the sink, and then downing another entire bottle of water, Jesse, still grimacing, walked with the others back up into the watching room.

Most of the portraits had been taken down, the holes replaced with random blocks such as dyed wool and birch wood. Ivor had an almost smug smirk on his face, although he was trying- and spectacularly failing- to hide it. Jesse sent him a glare, but his smirk simply widened.

"Are you feeling better?" asked Olivia, as they approached the watching room, "Maybe you should have a lie down."

"I'm fine, Olivia," Jesse assured, "It was just- I dunno- something I ate."

Lukas raised an eyebrow at him, "What could you have possibly eaten that could have caused you to cough up _blood?_ "

"Uh..." Jesse trailed off, struggling to come up with something, "A... stick?"

"Why would you eat a _stick?_ " Petra asked. She frowned. " _How_ would you eat a stick?"

"With difficulty."

They came to the watching room, where everyone was mostly seated, Milo sporting a rather nasty bruise on his forehead. He was sitting between Isa and Reginald instead of his usual armchair, a bag of ice on his forehead and Isa still apologising. Reginald was staring at Milo with a furrowed brow, something like suspicion glinting in his eyes.

"Did you find whoever was watching us?" asked Maya. Lukas shook his head.

"No. They'd just... vanished."

"This is so creepy," muttered Aiden, shaking his head. Beside him, Cassie nodded in agreement, clutching Winslow a little closer to her chest.

"But all the portraits in here have been blocked up," Jesse pointed out, gesturing to the mismatched material blocking the holes in the walls, "So, at the moment, that's the best we can do."

"What now?" asked Lizzie, "Just continue with the episodes?"

"Well, we _do_ get sent home as soon as we finish them, even if we, ah, lose our memory in the process," Sparklez frowned, then shook his head, "But it's better than... whatever is going on here."

"Let's just get these stupid things over with," Cassie said, "I don't want to come across whoever was watching us."

Soren frowned at her, wondering if that was another lie. He didn't pursue the thought, however, as everyone went to their respective seats. Milo, on the other hand, seemed quite happy to stay where he was.

Jesse jumped, blinking as Axel wrapped a navy blue blanket around his shoulders. He raised an eyebrow at his large friend, but he simply shrugged and turned to the screen. Reuben poked his head out from the hole near his neck, nose twitching. Jesse hugged him closer.

The screen flickered, loaded, before it showed Jesse, Ivor and Petra spreading out in the kitchen. Petra raised an eyebrow, looking around, _"Buttons like back in the dining room?"_

Jesse tapped his bottom lip, Ivor taking a closer look at a hopper. Petra turned to face them, _"Conspicuous white pumpkins lying around?"_

Mevia blinked, "Oh. She knows what conspicuous means."

The real Petra frowned at her, "No need to sound so surprised."

 _"Lizzie's a potion expert,"_ said Jesse, _"We need to see if we can find anything that we can link to her. Like more of those tipped arrows."_

The real Lizzie made a small noise at the back of her throat, but said nothing.

Petra nodded, _"Got it. I'm on the look out."_

The group spread out. Jesse tapped his bottom lip again, humming as his eyes went to the floor, _"I wonder where TorqueDawg's stuff went when it got sucked away."_

 _"And Sparklez's stuff, for that matter,"_ Petra agreed. Jesse frowned at the floor, as though hoping the hole would reappear and give him the answers to life. Of course, that didn't happen.

Looking up, Jesse's eyes came upon the dispenser on the ceiling, although he was careful to stay out of its range, " _There's the tipped arrow trap again..."_ he looked down, wincing, _"Poor TorqueDawg."_

"Poor everyone," muttered Maya.

He made his way around the island table, looking around, and stopped in front of the wall of blazing furnaces, _"These ovens have been busy since we first got here,"_ he hummed, tapping his bottom lip with his other arm over his chest again, _"Who needs that much food?"_

"That _is_ a little strange," admitted Ellegaard, "Especially since the mansion is pretty much deserted, about from- how many of you are there? Ten?"

"I thought Sparkly Guy said there were seven?" Magnus asked.

"He did," said Ellegaard, "But if you include Petra, Lukas and Ivor, that's ten."

"Why didn't he include us?" asked Petra.

"Well, for whatever the reason," Gabriel turned back to the screen, face grim, "There's only eight left now."

That quickly silenced the conversation.

Jesse looked about, walking along the wall, and came to a stop in front of that weird portrait of a creeper in a dirt chef's apron and hat. He squinted at it, cocking his head to the side.

"That is... an odd taste in style," muttered Isa.

Magnus, however, was grinning, "I want one of those."

 _"Does this painting have... eyeholes?"_ questioned Jesse.

Immediatly, the entire audience stiffened.

"Eyeholes?" repeated Maya, eyes darting to the blocked holes around the living room.

"Hey, you don't think that... whoever the White Pumpkin is..." Olivia frowned, eyes glowing with worry, "You don't think they might have been the ones watching us, do you?"

"But what would be the point?" asked Lukas, "We wouldn't know they were the White Pumpkin, so why hide from us?"

Behind him, Petra looked over, eyes widening, _"Oh, yeah,"_ the screen switched, showing the top half of Jesse's face through the eyeholes as he peered through them, _"How didn't I notice that before?"_

Cassie frowned. She could have sworn she'd hide them better than that.

 _"Seems worth taking a closer inspection,"_ hummed Ivor, who was still standing by the island table with the hopper.

Jesse nodded, turning back to the portrait. He brought his arm back and launched his fist, the wood snapping and the portrait popping off the wall, revealing a two-block hole frighteningly similar to the ones they'd discovered around the mansion.

 _"Oooh!"_ Ivor exclaimed, as he and Petra quickly joined Jesse in front of the new found hole.

Leaning forwards, Jesse poked his head through, looking around the small secret room. A torch was on the wall, casting a warm glow. He clambered through, jumping down and almost immediatly spotting the lever directly next to the portrait hole.

 _"It's like some sort of secret passageway! Very clever!"_ gushed Ivor.

"Yes, very good observation, Ivor," Soren said, sarcastically clapping his hands. Ivor sent him a deadpan look.

Onscreen, the potionologist leant forwards a little, having spotted the lever as well, _"What do you suppose that lever does?"_

"Don't pull it," Olivia said, "Please, please, _please_ don't pull it."

Jesse frowned at it for a moment, before moving to stand in front of it, _"Okay, everyone, make sure you're nowhere near that arrow trap."_

Olivia groaned, "Of course he's gonna pull it."

Petra and Ivor looked up at the dispenser on the ceiling, which was terrifyingly close to them, and hastily backed away. Seeing this, Jesse nodded and flipped the switch.

There was a clank, then the dispenser spat arrows from its gob in a deadly spray of green swirls and poisoned heads, embedding themselves into the stone of the floor. Ivor and Petra, despite being well out of reach, instinctively backed further away with haste.

Axel released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

 _"More of those potion covered arrows,"_ Petra frowned, stepping closer once it became clear the dispenser was down spitting at them. The floor caved in on itself, the arrows vanishing down the hopper. _"Nasty."_

"No kidding," muttered Stacy, a shudder running down her spine.

 _"Well,"_ said Ivor, a little too cheerfully considering the circumstances, _"Seems like we found how the White Pumpkin killed TorqueDawg."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Jesse agreed, hands going to his hips, _"And how they're getting around the house."_

He looked off to the side, revealing a ladder leading to a higher platform. Raising an eyebrow, he made his way over to it, Petra and Ivor making their way through the portrait hole after him.

"Kinda wish the secret passageways here were like that," Jesse said, "Those ones look a lot more... spacious."

 _"I assume we're investigating the creepy passageway?"_ asked Petra. Halfway up the ladder, Jesse stopped, blinking over at her.

 _"I think we've come too far to turn around now."_ That said, he continued climbing.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lukas asked, "I mean, sure, you'll have to investigate them at some point, but... what if they're crawling with traps?"

Jesse shrugged, "I'm sure we'll be careful, Lukas."

Ivor's eyes darted to the side, then he cleared his throat, _"Well. After you, then."_

Magnus snorted.

Petra rolled her eyes, before making her way after her friend. The screen cut to Jesse going further into the passageway, Petra climbing up onto the platform with Ivor right behind her.

They made their way up some stairs, out of sight, before the screen switched to a hall lit by torches. Jesse, with Petra and Ivor right behind him, turned the corner and began creeping down the passageway.

 _"I hope Lizzie's okay locked up in the library,"_ Petra said, her voice bouncing off the walls, _"We could have put them in even bigger danger."_

Lizzie, who had been sitting with her arms crossed, sent the redhead a grateful look, "Thanks, Petra."

They turned the corner, still creeping. Petra continued, _"What if there are more traps in there?"_

 _"Hey, do you trust me or not?"_ asked Jesse, _"I don't need people second guessing me on this."_

 _"Jeez, okay, okay,"_ said Petra, shaking her head a little, _"Sorry."_

The real Jesse winced, "Sorry, Petra."

Petra shook her head, "It's fine, Jess. You're probably, I dunno, frustrated or something."

" _Yes,"_ said Ivor, lips twitching, _"Keep that temper up and people will start to think_ you're _the White Pumpkin."_

"Yeah, that- that would be bad," Gill winced.

The screen cut again to them turning a corner, their creep coming to a slow walk. They came to a stop at a wider section, where the back of a painting with eyeholes sat, a lever directly next to it.

"Oh, I don't like that looks of that," muttered Dan. Stampy nodded in agreement.

 _"What do you think that is?"_ asked Jesse.

 _"No idea,"_ muttered Ivor, _"But look! A lever!"_ he moved to stand in front of it, stroking his beard.

"You sound like a child in a candy store," said Soren. Ellegaard snorted into her hands, while Magnus let out a loud, boisterous laugh, slapping his knee. Ivor rolled his eyes at them, although he couldn't stop the twitching of his lips.

 _"The amount of redstone wiring that must be hidden in this place,"_ Ivor said, _"Amazing!"_

"You know, I kinda wish I ended up going with them," Ellegaard said, "Just to get a look at that mansion."

Magnus frowned, "Uh... yeah. I guess."

 _"Yeah,"_ said Petra, _"And deadly."_

"What she said," Magnus pointed at the screen, an almost... strange look on his face, "Still think going there's a good idea?"

Ellegaard raised an eyebrow at him, "I... didn't say it was a _good_ idea, necessarily."

 _"I guess that must activate another trap,"_ Jesse shrugged, stepping closer to stand beside the potionologist.

 _"Maybe one that's visible through that peephole?"_ suggested Ivor, pointing to the holes in the portrait.

"Nice," Gill grinned, "Using the White Pumpkin's tools against them."

Jesse stepped forward, face cast in shadows, the light from the room beyond only showing his eyes.

 _"See anything that this lever might be connected to?_ " Ivor asked.

Pushing himself up and leaving his feet to dangle in midair, Jesse brought his face right up to the peepholes. The screen switched to show his eyes, looking back and forth, before slowly zooming out to reveal that he was looking through the eyes of a white rabbit.

Petra couldn't help the smirk that made its way onto her lips, "Hey," she chortled, earning a few confused looks, "It's a portrait of Jesse."

Jesse sent her a disbelieving look, as Axel and Magnus let out twin bursts of laughter. Olivia tried to stop the giggles building up in her throat, but this only seemed to make her giggle harder. Lukas had his hands over his mouth, but even with it covered it was painfully obvious he was holding back laughter. Even Reuben seemed to be chortling.

"How dare you," Jesse said, although In full honesty it didn't come out as offended as he wanted it to, "I thought we were friends."

Axel snickered, ruffling his shorter friends hair and earning a scowl, "You're such a cute bunny."

The screen switched to show through Jesse's eyes, revealing the grand fireplace, seating area and the White Pumpkin in a top hat portrait that made up the library they'd been in not moments before, _"It's the library."_

"Wait," Ellegaard frowned, "Does that mean the White Pumpkin was watching the interrogations the whole time?"

Harper shuddered, "I don't know about you people, but the thought of someone watching us the whole time is just plain _creepy_."

Jesse looked up, at the lava-lamp lights on the ceiling, before going off to the side, revealing Lizzie sitting on one of the chairs.

It briefly showed Lizzie staring sadly at the floor, Jesse's eyes able to be seen blinking on the face of the white rabbit, before switching back into the passageway.

 _"I see Lizzie locked up in there,"_ Jesse informed. Petra and Ivor waited expectantly.

It changed back to Jesse's point of view, as he continued to observe the library. It zoomed in on a dispenser on the floor, prepared to spit whatever it held inside from its deadly maw. It zoomed out again, darting around, before the library door opened and Dan walked in.

"Dan?" Stacy frowned, "What are you doing in there?"

Dan shrugged, although he was being strangely careful not to look at anyone, "I- I don't know."

 _"Hey,"_ Dan whispered, Lizzie's head shooting up at his arrival, _"I_ have _to speak to you."_

"Well, that's... strange," muttered Gabriel, casting a suspicious eye towards Dan and Lizzie.

 _"Dan?"_ Lizzie frowned, getting to her feet, just as the screen zoomed in on another dispenser, this one at the top of two large windows opposite the rabbit portrait, _"What? How'd you get in here?"_

"I'm really not liking all those dispensers," said Maya, unconsciously leaning away from the screen, as though afraid said dispensers would start spitting tipped arrows at her.

"Tell me about it," muttered Aiden.

 _"I snuck in past that blonde guy,"_ Dan explained, as he and Lizzie met somewhere in the middle of the room, _"Uh, Lukas?"_

The real Lukas frowned, "Why does everyone call me 'Blonde Guy'?"

"Because you're a blonde guy," declared Em. Lukas sent her a deadpanned look.

"No way, I had no idea."

 _"But I have to speak to you,"_ Dan continued. He was speaking a little faster than usual. _"It's really important."_

 _"Dan, slow down,"_ said Lizzie, frown deepening, _"What are you saying?"_

Dan took a deep breath, closing his eyes. His hands were trembling. When his eyes opened, they were filled with regret and guilt, begging her to understand. He looked like he was about to burst into tears.

 _"It was me,"_ he admitted, _"I killed Sparklez!"_

"WHAT?!" screamed half the audience in a perfect unison. Some people had leapt to their feet, some in anger and some in shock. Reginald was one of these people, his sword drawn as he stepped protectively in front of Isa- and, since he was sitting right next to her, Milo.

Dan was staring at the screen with a slacked jaw, face the colour of porridge. His hair had gone from it's usual light blue to a sickly green.

"You... you killed me," whispered Sparklez. His eyes had gone wide behind his glasses, face stark white. He looked like he was about to faint. "You _killed_ me."

"I-I didn't mean it!" Dan insisted, leaping to his feet as Reginald began to advance. Gabriel drew his own sword, giving the Captain of the Guard a warning look. Dan was trembling from head to toe, backing away. "A-At least I-I don't _think_ I did-"

He cut himself off with a yelp when Reginald lunged at him. He leapt out of the way in the nick of time, tumbling over the arm of the couch he'd been sitting at and landing on top of Stampy.

The orange hoodie wearing boy squeaked, automatically wrapping an arm around Dan's chest and holding the other up in a stopping motion as Reginald raised his sword again, "WAIT!"

Before the Captain of the Guard could bring the sword down, he was tackled to the floor by a blur of red and blue. His sword skidded out of reach, clattering against the edge of the archway leading into the hall.

"Cassie!"

Groaning, Reginald blinked in surprise, startled to find the tip of an iron axe against his throat. Cassie's glasses were slightly askew, her eyes wide and yet her face almost terrifyingly blank. Reginald went stock still, actually becoming a little fearful.

A hand grabbed Cassie's arm, yanking her off of the Captain of the Guard and forcing the iron axe from her hands. It clanged against the ground, a pair of arms almost immediatly wrapping themselves around her, as though afraid she'd try to lash out and kill them all with her bare fists.

A beard tickled the back of her head. Soren.

"You," Reginald gasped, gratefully accepting Isa's hand, "Are _surprisingly_ strong."

"Th-Thanks, Cassie," Dan stuttered, still trembling in Stampy's lap. He'd somehow gone paler, and didn't seem to even notice how Stampy was holding him in a death grip.

"Is... everyone okay?" asked Jesse. He'd got to his feet as well, although he couldn't remember when, the blue blanket splayed at his feet and Reuben still in his arms.

"Yes, thank you, Jesse," Reginald said, sending Dan a dirty look, "Although I can't say the same to this murdering little-"

"Reginald," Isa said, placing a firm hand on his shoulder, "Let us hear what he has to say onscreen. Then we shall determine his fate."

Dan gulped, leaning closer into Stampy. Reginald grunted.

"Fine."

He sent Dan one last glare, before obediently following Isa back to their couch. As though realising he was still holding her, Soren released Cassie, the two staring at each other almost awkwardly.

After a moment, Cassie bent down and picked up her iron axe, avoiding look up at the ginger man. She sheathed it and began making her way back to the Ocelots couch, Soren staring after her. He returned to his own seat.

Everyone else sat back down, Lukas wrapping the blue blanket around Jesse's shoulders again as Reuben hopped back into his lap, almost tucking him in. Jesse sent him a small smile.

"Now," said Hadrian, going back into that 'announcers' voice that everyone was seriously starting to find annoying, "That was quite a dramatic turn of events, wasn't it, Mevia?"

"It sure was, Hadrian," Mevia agreed, "I wonder what will happen next."

"You two," said Harper, sending them an annoyed look, "Are becoming _increasingly_ irritating."

 _"Dan?"_ Lizzie gasped, backing away, _"_ You're _the White Pumpkin?!"_

 _"Oh, what?"_ Dan blinked, now frowning as well. He moved closer to her. _"No, no, no."_

Revealing the portrait of the White Pumpkin, it's yellow pupils moving as they followed him.

Cue dramatic gasping.

"He's not the White Pumpkin!" exclaimed Stampy. Dan groaned in relief, slumping against him.

"Oh, thank diamonds."

The screen cut back to the passageway, showing Jesse's illuminated eyes widening.

 _"I swear,"_ Dan continued, _"It was an accident!"_

 _"I just..."_ Lizzie shook her head, turning away, _"I don't understand. How can it be an_ accident _?"_

The screen zoomed in on the White Pumpkin portrait, the white pupils widening as they locked with Jesse's.

"Oh no!" gasped Olivia.

 _"I swear, I had no idea!"_ Dan exclaimed, the screen zooming in on Jesse's eyes, then the White Pumpkin's, _"There was a button- I'm not good with buttons-"_ it zoomed in on Jesse's, _"I_ had _to push it! I had no idea!"_

Jesse pulled away, turning to face Ivor and Petra as the talking in the library continued, _"The White Pumpkin! They're in there!"_

 _"Then let's go kick their butt,"_ Petra declared, swiftly pulling out her sword. Ivor seemed to brace himself, nodding silently.

 _"You'll have to excuse me when I say I find that a little hard to believe!"_ said Lizzie.

The real Lizzie sent Dan an apologetic look, but the boy was too invested in the screen. She couldn't help the smile that twitched on her lips when she realised he was still in Stampy's lap, the both seemingly unaware of this arrangement.

_"I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous. I've been beating myself up about it ever since it happened."_

Jesse drew his fist back and punched through the portrait, causing it to collapse on itself and pop off the wall. Without stopping, he leapt through the portrait hole, running forwards with Petra hurridly making her way after him.

 _"What one earth?!"_ exclaimed Dan, he and Lizzie's heads snapping around to face them with startled eyes.

However, Jesse's attention wasn't on them. He was making his way towards the portrait of the White Pumpkin, who's eyes narrowed. Then, there was the flick of a lever, the shift of a piston, and the wall behind the fireplace went backwards, spiders crawling out, spitting venom, eyes blazing red.

"Crap!" shouted Magnus.

The five guests backed away with open mouths. In front of the door, a wall of iron bars shot up, quickly followed by the bang and shift of someone trying to forcefully open locked doors, Lukas's voice coming through, _"What's going on? The doors locked! Jesse?!"_

"I like how you immediatly shout for Jesse," said Maya, a weak attempt at a joke. Sadly, it fell flat.

 _"Spiders!"_ Jesse called back, said monsters already crawling along the walls and floor towards the humans, _"They're everywhere!"_

 _"Okay,"_ Lukas shouted back, as Dan and Lizzie drew golden swords, _"I'll see if I can get in another way."_

"Hurry!" shouted Nell, on the edge of her seat. Em sent her an unimpressed look.

Jesse drew his own sword, its enchanted gleam casting his face in shadows. He looked to the White Pumpkin portrait, yellow pupils still narrowed on him, then to the hoard of spiders Dan and Lizzie were currently fending off.

After a moment, he seemed to have made his decision, and darted towards the portrait. He swung his blade, slicing through and immediatly causing it to collapse and pop off the wall, revealing the WHITE PUMPKIN behind it.

"There he is!" screeched Slab, jabbing a finger the size of a sausage at the screen, "There he freakin' is!"

"They, Slab, they!" Clutch corrected, in almost the exact same tone, "We don't know if it's a dude!"

"Right, right- There they are! There they freakin' are!"

 _"Why you little-"_ growled the White Pumpkin, their voice a harsh growl. Then there was a scream, and Jesse's head snapped around just in time to see Lizzie trip, Dan stumbling away, and the spiders leapt at her with hisses of glee.

Their pincers sunk into flesh, tearing skin and hitting bone. Lizzie flashed red as the spider's heads jerked, flesh ripping, clothes tearing. One bit down on the side of her face, taking out a large chunk of her cheek, while another tore at her throat as though it had been presented with its most favourite meal.

Lizzie tried to scream, but all that came out was a gurgled gasp. She flashed red again- one, two, three times- before her grip on her sword went limp and she burst into dust.

"LIZZIE!" screamed Stacy and Sparklez.

"Oh my god!" Stampy yelped, clutching at Dan like a teddy bear, who was in turn clutching at him.

"She- She's gone," Jesse said, his eyes wide, "I- I was right _there_ , I could've... I could've _done something_."

"Jesse, no," said Lukas, wrapping an arm around his friends shoulders, "You couldn't have known."

"I could've helped with the spiders," he was whispering now, unable to look away from the screen in front of him, "I... she _didn't have to die_."

His friends shared concerned looks. Petra, Axel and Olivia inched a little closer.

 _"Oh no!"_ gasped Jesse.

 _"What a shame,"_ the White Pumpkin glowered, already out the portrait and advancing on a momentarily distracted Jesse, who was still staring at Lizzie's inventory with horrified eyes.

They pulled out an enchanted diamond axe, a low laugh coming from its still mouth, _"Enjoying the party?"_

"No!" exclaimed Maya.

Jesse backed away from the murderer, sword raised defensively. The White Pumpkin raised their axe above their head with both hands and brought it down with a yell, clanging against Jesse's sword without enough force to send him to the ground anyway, flashing red.

"JESSE!" shouted Lukas, Olivia launching herself and Petra and burying her face in the girls shoulder.

"Crap, crap, CRAP!" Axel chanted, Reuben squealing in Jesse's lap.

Once more, the White Pumpkin raised their axe and swung with another yell. Jesse yelped and rolled out of the way just in time, the axe embedding itself into the wood where his head had been not even a split second before, destroying the wooden block.

Jesse got to his feet again, pulling his sword around, just as the White Pumpkin raised their axe and swung again. Jesse's blade clashed against the White Pumpkin's, going upwards, causing them to stumble backwards with a grunt.

Not wasting time, Jesse charged forward, bringing his sword up from the floor and slashing at the murderer's mask.

 _"My mask!"_ they yelled, covering their face. Then, almost _trembling_ in their rage, their hands shot back down to their sides, yellow eyes narrowing in a deadly glare, which only came off as more terrifying from the crack going along their face, straight through the wide open mouth and right eye socket.

"Go Jesse!" cheered Nell, "Kick their butt back to tomorrow, brah!"

The White Pumpkin backed away, cornered as Jesse, Petra and Dan approached, their swords raised. The murderer looked down, where Lizzie's items lay just behind them, then looked back at the guests with narrowed eyes.

Using the top of their axe, they bushed Lizzie's inventory backwards, into a hopper that had appeared in the fireplace. They turned to Jesse, almost singling him out, and shrugged, _"That's my cue."_

With that, they spun on their heel and darted through the passageway that had replaced the back of the fireplace.

 _"Come on!"_ Jesse exclaimed, he and Petra sheathing their swords. He ran after them, turning around the corner, only to skid to a stop as the passage was abruptly blocked off again.

"No!" gasped Axel.

 _"Jesse! Are you okay?"_ asked Petra, as Jesse pressed his palms against the wall, searching for a way to open it again.

 _"We have to break through!"_ Ivor grunted.

Jesse's head snapped around when there was another deep, harsh laugh. His eyes narrowed in determination, jaw clenching, and he ran out of sight.

The screen blackened.

"What?" said Petra, turning to Jesse with a glare in her eyes, "Why didn't you _say_ anything? We don't know if you're even _alive_ now!"

Jesse blinked, almost looking as though he'd just been told he was going to die in a few days. He looked from the screen to Petra, then turned his eyes to the floor, "... Sorry."

Petra's glare melted away instantly, a concerned frown creasing her crow, "Are... you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Lizzie?" said Stacy, placing a hand on her friends shoulder, "How... how ya doing?"

"I, uh," Lizzie swallowed, tear pricking at her eyes, "I th-think I need a moment."

She got to her feet, almost hugging herself, and quickly left the room. Stacy and Sparklez looked at each other, before getting up and going after her. Stampy and Dan appeared to be about to do the same, but then realised Dan was literally in the other boy's lap and that they were still clinging to each other. Burning red, they squeaked simultaneously, and tumbled to the floor.

"I... think it's about time we started making dinner," Otto declared, standing from his seat, "Who's turn is it?"

"I think it's mine and Nell's," Em said, nudging her teammate, "What do you guys want?"

"I'm not all that hungry," Lukas admitted, "So, uh... something small, I guess."

Silently, Em nodded, and began to lead a talking-too-fast to understand Nell towards the kitchen. They watched them go, before slowly beginning to trickle out of the room, most in search of something to pass the time.

Jesse was still sitting on the floor, staring blankly at the floor. Olivia put a hand on his shoulder.

"Uh, Jesse?" she said, quietly, "You feeling alright?"

Jesse raised his head to look at her, then gave a small shrug and returned his gaze to the floor, "I'm fine."

"You don't feel like... coughing?" asked Lukas. Jesse shook his head without a word.

A silence came upon them. Axel, Petra, Lukas and Olivia shared another concerned look, wondering what to do. It was hard to tell whether it was what had happened onscreen that was bothering him or if he was feeling sick, about to cough up another mouthful of blood.

"Hey, uh, Jesse?"

They looked up, blinking upon finding Aiden, Gill and Maya standing in front of them. Aiden, surprisingly the one who had spoken, nervously scratched at the back of his head.

"Uh... you guys wanna get back to the treehouse?" he shrugged weakly, "It could... take your mind off things."

Jesse blinked at him. Then he gave a small smile that didn't reach his eyes, but it was a smile none the less.

"Yeah, okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you help fight the Spiders or attack the White Pumpkin? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Hellooooooo, I bring you update. I hopes you likes update.
> 
> Okay. So, next chapter is going to be extra incredibly long. Not only is there going to be a break at the beginning, but I plan to have it go through all of the White Pumpkin's lair. All of it.
> 
> That means, it will go from Lukas being accused as the White Pumpkin, Jesse comforting Petra, them exploring the passageway, finding out about Stampy, discovering everything in the White Pumpkin's lair... yeah.
> 
> Extra long chapter.
> 
> So I hope you understand when I tell you it might take a while to finish. But it'll be worth it in the end!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	52. Down the Murder Hole

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Fifty-Two: Down the Murder Hole**

* * *

They spent a while on the treehouse. There's wasn't much need to chop down anymore trees, what the race Axel and Petra had done (Petra had won, although no one was really surprised by that), so all they had to do was finish up the ceiling.

Whenever Jesse tried to do something that involved a bit of manual labour, however, Axel, Lukas, Petra or Olivia would always jump in and do it for him. When he'd gone down to the chest and the base of the tree to carry all the stacks of wood they'd collected up into the actual treehouse, Axel had appeared almost out of nowhere, said "Lemme help you with that, buddy," and pretty much left Jesse awkwardly standing at the bottom of the ladder while his friend climbed up the tree trying now to drop thirteen stacks of wood.

Of course, it wasn't like Jesse was _upset_ with their badly hidden concern. He just... didn't want it. Was _confused_ by it, even. They had no reason to worry about him. There were so many other things to worry about, like whether Lukas, Petra and Ivor will encounter the White Pumpkin, or if Axel and Olivia were okay, or who the person watching them from the walls was. They had no reason to waste their time on him, especially when there was nothing actually wrong with him.

"Aaaaand there!" Olivia said, placing down the final block. They stepped back, regarding the empty room that made of their treehouse with wide grins. It was only a little smaller than the one Jesse and Olivia lived in back home, and Aiden had been able to come up with a brilliant way to make a one-block fireplace in the centre.

"Good job, guys," Jesse grinned, planting his hands on his hips, "Place looks spectacular!"

"Thanks, Jesse," Lukas said, holding his hands behind his back and regarding their handiwork, "It turned out alright, didn't it?"

"We sleeping here tonight, then?" asked Petra, her axe resting on her shoulder, "We can bring up some blankets and pillows."

"Like a sleepover?" questioned Maya. Petra gave a small nod.

"Yeah, like a sleepover."

"I"m all for that," said Olivia, rocking on her heels, "It sounds fun."

"Hey, kiddo's!"

They turned, blinking upon spotting Magnus and Gabriel making their way towards them. They came to a stop in front of them, glancing at their newly built treehouse. Magnus gestured with his head towards the mansion.

"Dinner's ready," he said, "You can have your little slumber party later."

"Magnus," Gabriel scolded, although there was no bite in his voice, "Em and Nell have made quite the... extravagant feast."

Magnus snorted, "In other words, we're out of food."

"We're not out of food."

"I kinda feel like they're trying to poison us," Magnus continued, as though Gabriel hadn't spoken, "I mean, they've made a lot."

"Is there pumpkin pie?" asked Gill.

Gabriel shook his head, lips twitching, "Yes, there's pumpkin pie."

"Well," said Axel, grinning, "Let's go eat it then."

They put their spare tools and materials back in the chest at the base of the tree, before walking back to the mansion with Magnus and Gabriel. Almost all of the portraits had been taken down now, and Jesse was startled by how many passageways had been blocked off. He knew the place had a lot of secret passageways, but he hadn't expected there to be thirty or so down every other hall.

The kitchen table was covered in so much food, some looked in danger of falling off, and others were stacked on top of each other. Everyone else was already there, digging in and talking to each other, filling the air with the buzz of chatter. He spotted Lizzie and Sparklez between their friends, both looking rather pale and not eating as much as they probably should have been, but they looked a bit better than they had earlier.

Magnus and Gabriel went to join the rest of the Order, while Jesse and his friends (could he count the 'ex-bullies' as his friends? He _was_ starting to like them a lot more than he had before) sat down as well, Reuben squeezing between his and Petra's legs to get under the table. His friends immediately began piling their plates high with food, chatting about what they should do in the treehouse tonight.

"Scary stories," said Axel, "There's gotta be, like, a scary stories contest."

"Scary stories? Really?" Olivia said, making a face, "I was thinking more along the lines of truth or dare."

"Okay," said Petra, cutting her potatoes, "I dare you to have a scary stories contest with us."

"Oh, very funny."

Jesse grabbed one of the steamed carrots off its plate, holding it out under the table. He felt Reuben shift against his legs, then the graze of his snout before he ate the veggie from his palm. Smiling, he pet his head.

"You gonna eat anything, Jess?"

He looked up, Lukas frowning at him from across the table. The blonde gestured to his empty plate. "You haven't had anything since lunch."

"Oh," Jesse blinked. He didn't really feel like eating anything at the moment. The thought of his future-selves decision was fresh in his mind, like an open wound. The thought that Lizzie didn't have to die.

His friend's eyes were on him. He bit his lip, before reaching out and taking a spoonful of carrots, dropping them onto his plate. This seemed to satisfy them, for now at least, and they turned back to their own dinners.

Jesse had always been good at the slight of hand. It had come in handy on multiple occasions in his life, especially when he was younger, way back before he'd met even Axel and Olivia. They didn't see him eat the carrots, but they vanished from his plate one by one, and he supposed that was good enough for them.

Reuben liked carrots, anyway.

* * *

After dinner, they all made their way back to the treehouse, loaded down with blankets and pillows and, at Axel and Gill's insistence, sweets. They blocked the windows with banners and lit the fireplace with Jesse's flint and steel (the same one they were going to use to light the Nether Portal to escape the Witherstorm... that was an odd thought).

They told scary stories first. Axel's was about a mutant creeper monster that ate the scientists that created it. Olivia's had been about an Enderman befriending a talking cake, and didn't really have any scary feature to it at all. Maya came up with a pretty good one about the ghost of a girl that had died at birth stalking her twin sister and eventually killing her so they could be together.

This one had terrified Gill so much that he couldn't tell his own story. Petra told one about a murderer that tortured young girls and bathed in their blood because she was under the belief that it made her prettier. Aiden came up with one about a couple going camping in the woods and hearing strange noises in the night, which eventually led to a man standing motionless at the edge of the woods, watching them.

It took a while for Jesse to come up with one, but he eventually decided on a man running into a cave in the middle of the night in search of his kidnapped son, only to discover it strangely vacant of monsters, and that he was constantly being watched by a pair of pupil-less white eyes.

He didn't think it was all that good, but it had made Olivia cling to Axel and Gill pass out, so he supposed it was alright.

Lukas's was by far the best. He came up with one about a man living in a cabin in the middle of the woods, a day and night trip from the closest village, with his three dogs. He told how the man had run out of food one night, only for an odd creature with a long tail to come through a hole in the wall. The creature escapes, but the man was able to cut off its tail and eat it. However, the creature kept coming back, singing about him having its 'taily-po,' no matter _what_ he put in front of the hole. Every time he sent his dogs after it, one wouldn't come back, until, eventually, there were none left.

It ended with a woman from the village riding on a horse to his cabin to see if he was alright a few days later, only to the man's stomach torn open and hear a creature singing about having it's taily-po back as she raced back to town. They may or may not have started clutching each other by the end of it.

They played truth or dare next, which ended with Gill vomiting out the window from eating too much candy in one go and everyone clutching sore arms and grimacing, while Petra grinned victoriously.

Eventually, they began to fall asleep. Reuben was one of the first to do so, curled about against his stomach and snoring softly, and Jesse couldn't help but follow shortly after.

He dreamt about playing with Reuben, awarding him carrots every time he did a trick. His friends were there as well, doing their own thing, stopping to watch them play every now and then.

But then things changed. He threw a carrot in the air for Reuben to catch, but it bounced off the piggy's head and sunk into the floor. Then hands, wispy black and ice cold, rose from the ground and grabbed at his pig, then his friends, and he screamed for them to let them go, but they were being dragged into the floor.

He tried to run to them, but his feet were glued to the ground. He looked down, a chill running up his spine when he realised the same black hands were holding him in place, stopping him from moving, but they weren't pulling him down like they were his friends. He reached for them, yelling, but he was too far away-

Jesse shot up, heart pounding like a drum in his chest. He sat there for a long moment, panting quietly, and looked around.

He was still in the treehouse. His friends were fast asleep all around him, curled into balls or sprawled out on the floor. Axel's mouth was wide open as he snored, and Petra's pickaxe was on the floor beside her head, in easy reach.

Reuben raised his head, blinking blearily and making a questioning noise. Jesse shook his head, forcing himself to calm down. He sat there for another moment, before pushing off his blanket (he couldn't remember falling asleep with one) and climbing to his feet.

With his pig following, he stepped over Aiden and Olivia and opened the trapdoor. He picked up Reuben, expertly climbing down the ladder with him under his arm, and, as quietly as possible, closed the trapdoor behind him.

It was bright outside, which was a bit disorienting since it felt like the sun should just be coming up or something. He wasn't sure he'd ever be used to the sun constantly being up. He wondered if there were any caves with monsters in them here...

With no other place to go, he walked back to the mansion. The place seemed deserted, so he assumed he was the only one up. After all, it could be the middle of the night, for all he knew.

He paused in front of the archway leading into the empty watching room, considering just sitting on the couches for a little while. After a moment, he decided against it and continued on, in the direction of the kitchen. He wasn't all that hungry, but he supposed he could have a cup of tea or something.

He turned the corner- and ran right into Ivor.

"Oh, s-sorry," Jesse stuttered, having almost tripped over Reuben, "You okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you," said Ivor, brushing off his robes. He straightened, raising an eyebrow at him. "What are you doing up at this time?"

Silently, Jesse shrugged. For a brief moment, it looked as though Ivor's eyes had softened, but it was gone so fast Jesse was almost certain he'd imagined it.

"You haven't, ah..." the potionologist glanced at the walls, "You haven't encountered anything... odd?"

Jesse shook his head, "No, I... just had a nightmare, is all."

Ivor gave an understanding nod. They fell silent, and just when Jesse was about to awkwardly say goodbye and continue his way to the kitchen, Ivor cleared his throat and hesitantly gestured towards the hall he'd been heading towards, to where the basement door was.

"You can... come sit with me, if you like," at the surprised look that came across Jesse's face, he shrugged, "I wouldn't mind some company."

"I..." Jesse blinked, "Okay. Sure."

Ivor nodded, hesitated, and then began to walk back towards the basement door. Jesse glanced at him, then towards the kitchen, before shrugging and following him.

In his makeshift lab, one of the potion stands bubbled away. Ivor went over to it, taking a few ingredients he probably got from the kitchen and placing them on the table. Jesse sat down in a seat next to an empty cauldron, Reuben lying down at his feet as he watched curiously.

"What are you making?" Jesse asked. Ivor glanced at him, before returning to his work.

"A healing potion," he explained, starting to cut up one of the ingredients, "Just in case."

Jesse nodded. What with the black hands and whoever was watching them running about... healing potions were far from a bad idea, at this rate. And that's disregarding the fact that there might be a murderer obsessed with white pumpkins among them.

"What do you think they are?" he asked, after some silence, "The... the hands."

Ivor hummed, brow furrowing, and threw something into one of the cauldrons, "I don't know. I've theorised that they could be the mansion itself... but I'm not all that certain."

"A living mansion?" said Jesse, eyes widening at the prospect, "How is that even possible?"

" _Everything_ seems possible in this place, Jesse," Ivor pointed out, pausing in his work to look at him, "And... well... that's not always a good thing."

The silence returned. Jesse sat back in his seat, watching as Ivor filled an empty bottle with the thick, bubbling substance that was in the cauldron and place it on the potion stand. It was an odd colour, a light blue mixed with lilac purple. The other one on the potion stand was the complete opposite; a deep red that almost seemed to glow, steam slipping passed the cork.

Ivor glanced at him as he began to cut up another ingredient. His interest must have shown on his face, for he looked from the ingredient he was cutting, then back to him, a thoughtful look entering his eyes.

"You ever make a potion before?" he asked.

Jesse shook his head, "No, I haven't."

"It's handy knowledge," Ivor continued, starting to chop up the ingredient again, "You've seen what potions can do. Getting into that palace back in Sky City would have been exceptionally harder had you not had a potion of invisibility."

Ivor paused, glancing over at him again. He hesitated, choosing his next words carefully, "It would be... handy to have an extra pair of hands..."

Jesse straightened, raising an eyebrow at him, "You want to teach me how to make potions?"

"To an extent, yes," Ivor confirmed, throwing the chopped ingredient into the cauldron, "We don't know _what_ these things are. We don't know why they've decided to bring us here. Why they've decided to show _us_ , of all historic events and people, the chaos that will happen in the future," he sat down his knife, turning to the boy with a frown, "We've had decently good endings, so far. The Witherstorm was defeated, even with all the... you know."

Jesse looked down at Reuben, heart clenching at the reminder. His little pig was curled up on the floor, eyes drooping, unaware of the attention that had been drawn to him. Unaware of what could be his fate.

"You think we're here for a different reason," Jesse stated. Ivor nodded.

"To an extent," he said, "Although I have my doubts, however, I do think the episodes are our actual future. But... there must be another reason we've been brought here."

Jesse bit his lip, chewing on it, "Do you think we're in danger the longer we stay here?"

"Yes," Ivor sighed, "Those... black hands... that person watching us... they didn't show up until later on. Everything seemed fine when we first got here."

He picked up his cutting knife again, pulling another ingredient closer, but he didn't cut it, "I'm starting to fear that the longer we stay here... the worse it's going to get."

Jesse's frowned deepened. They stayed silent for a long moment. Then Jesse got to his feet, walking over to the bench where Ivor was cutting the ingredients. The potion bubbling away in the cauldron smelt of cooking fish and spoiled milk.

"What do I do?" he asked. Ivor's lips twitched.

"Roll up your sleeves and go wash your hands. You can help me cut the potion ingredients," he pulled out a second knife.

"Try not to cut off your fingers."

* * *

Once he'd done what Ivor said, the potions expert told him what each of the ingredients was. For each healing potion, they needed one Nether Wart, a Glistening Melon and water. Ivor handed him a knife and told him to cut the Nether Warts and Glistening Melon the _exact_ way he'd showed him, and then to add them into the cauldron one at a time.

"What game do you think we're going to do next?" asked Jesse, as he cut up a Nether Wart. From where he was rummaging through a chest, Ivor shrugged.

"Hard to say," he said, "Magnus and Ellegaard were pestering Otto about it through all of dinner last night. He said something about telling us at breakfast."

"Okay," muttered Jesse, throwing the chopped ingredients into the cauldron, "Maybe we should... stop with the games? You know, just get these episodes over with."

Closing the chest, Ivor shook his head, making his way over to the brewing stand, "And how would we do that? For whatever the reason, we can't tell them _anything._ We just can't. So what would we tell them if they asked why we want to cancel these games?"

"That we want to focus on the episodes?" Jesse suggested. Ivor paused, considering this, then sighed.

"Won't work. Magnus and Ellegaard won't rest until we have a winner."

"But I thought they liked each other?" asked Jesse. Ivor snorted.

"Of course they like each other. Won't stop them hating each other, though."

"That... doesn't make any sense."

"I'm aware. However, _they_ don't seem to realise that."

Jesse snorted, Ivor coming over and scooping the bubbling substance up in empty bottles. He corked them one by one and placed them on the brewing stand, taking off the red one while he was at it.

"What's that one?" Jesse asked, pointing to the red potion. Ivor glanced at it.

"Blood replenishing potion," he answered, pocketing it, "I'll teach you the basics of that one

next."

Before Jesse could say anything in response, the stairs creaked. Their heads snapped towards it, freezing where they stood. Jesse almost expected it to be the person that had been watching them yesterday, but this thought was banished the moment a large figure came into view.

Facemeat poked his head around the corner, made eye contact with them, then squeaked and vanished around the corner again, "You can't see Facemeat!" he declared, "Facemeat not here!"

"Uh... okay," Jesse said, sharing a confused look with Ivor. The potionologist shrugged at him.

"So, um," Ivor said, turning back tot he cauldron, "For blood replenishing, you need-"

The stairs creaked again. They turned to find Facemeat frozen halfway down the last flight. He stood there for a moment, then ran down them, each step groaning in protest at his weight, and dashed behind a narrow bookshelf, shoulders jutting out and clearly visible.

"Facemeat not here!" declared the bookshelf, "Continue with your puny lives!"

"... Right," said Ivor, slowly. He placed a hand on Jesse's shoulder, steering him towards the staircase, "You know what? Why don't we go get some wheat while the potions brew."

"Good idea," said Jesse. He looked over at his sleeping pig. "Reuben! C'mon, boy!"

Yawning, Reuben got to his feet, squealing as he trotted after them. The bookshelf hummed to itself.

"Wheat. Facemeat knows where the wheat is."

Ivor rolled his eyes. Jesse hid a grin.

* * *

"There you are, Jesse," yawned Petra, plopping into the seat next to him and grabbing a piece of toast off the plate, "We were wondering where you'd gone off to."

Jesse shrugged, swallowing his food, "I, uh, woke up earlier and decided to come down here."

Petra paused in buttering her toast to frown at him, cocking her head to the side, "Uh huh."

He stopped mid bite, looking over at her. They stared at each other for a long moment. Thankfully, Jesse was saved by Lukas and Olivia coming in, yawning and stretching.

"Morning, guys," said Lukas, rubbing the crust out of his eyes, "There you are, Jesse. Where'd you go off to?"

"I got up a few minutes ago," Jesse lied, "I was hungry, so I came up for breakfast."

From where he was eating porridge from across the table, Ivor raised an eyebrow at him, but said nothing.

"Oh, okay," said Olivia, sitting down on Jesse's other side, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing fine, 'Liv," he assured, "Want some toast?"

Everyone else began to come into the kitchen, some by themselves and some in small groups. Soon, the kitchen was full of the clink of spoons on bowls and the crunch of buttered toast between teeth. A few looked like they'd had a rough night, particularly Sparklez and Lizzie.

From the other end of the table, there was the clink of a spoon on glass, "Attention! Attention, everyone!"

The chatter died down, heads turning to look at Otto, who had got to his feet, "Could I please have everyone's attention? Thank you."

There was a brief moment of silence as Otto made sure he had everyone's attention, "It is my pleasure to announce," he said, "That the first round of the next game will be played today immediately after lunch."

Chatter began to pick up again. Otto clinked the glass again, a polite demand for silence.

"I will not, however, be revealing the game itself," he gave a rather pointed look in Ellegaard and Magnus's direction, who looked as though they were about to protest, "Only that it will be a mental challenge, rather than a physical like Release."

They finished up breakfast and made their way to the watching room again, sitting in their usual seats. That navy blue blanket from yesterday was still there, and Petra wrapped it around his shoulders seemingly automatically.

Soren pressed play this time. The screen came back on to the deep chuckle of the White Pumpkin, Jesse running down a dimly light passageway. He skidded to a stop at the corner, in front of a long staircase, eyes narrowing upon spotting the White Pumpkin at the top.

"Oh, boy," muttered Lukas, "Once again, Jesse is separated from everyone else."

"That," said Petra, "Is becoming very annoying."

 _"Try and keep up,"_ the White Pumpkin said. He jumped forward, landing on top of a pressure plate on the edge of the stairs. There was the shift of pistons, a mechanical groan, and Jesse looked up to see the ceiling directly above him shifting out of the way, revealing multiple rows of dispensers.

"Run!" yelled Olivia.

Eyes widening, Jesse dashed forwards and up the stairs, just as the dispensers spat a stream of arrows, tips glowing a poisonous green as they embedded themselves into the floor, where he'd been standing not a moment before.

Axel let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He also hadn't realised he'd practically pulled Jesse into his lap again and was partly suffocating him, but that wasn't important.

Onscreen, Jesse came to a stop at the top of the stairs. Ahead, at the end of the hall, passed a part of the floor that was made out of oak planks instead of stone, stood the White Pumpkin.

"Why aren't they running?" asked Maya.

Behind their cracked mask, the White Pumpkin's eyes narrowed. Jesse's jaw set, and he ran towards them.

 _"Look out!"_ they laughed, hitting a lever near the floor

The wooden part of the floor began to open up just as Jesse reached it, causing him to fall into a two block hole. Straightening, the black sand trailing off his gloves, Jesse frowned, _"Soul sand?"_

"What kind of trap is that?" asked Dan.

Behind him, there was an abrupt glow, and a familiar, deadly hiss. Jesse's eyes widened, and he looked over his shoulder to see lava creeping towards him.

"Oh," Dan said, rather weakly, "Oh, I see now."

"Axel," Jesse gasped, "Axel, I _can't breathe_."

With the soul sand clinging to his boots and weighing him down, Jesse wadded to the other side, grunting as he struggled to lift his legs, the lava creeping ever closer. He reached the edge of the pit, where obsidian met wood, and, mustering all of his strength, punched through the wood with a single hit.

This gained many relieved sighs. Nell was on the edge of her seat again, grin so wide her face looked in danger of splitting. The only thing that was stopping her from squealing was the look Em was sending her.

Jesse jumped up, out of reach of the lava. Directly in front of him, the White Pumpkin remained where they were, tossing an Ender Pearl up and down in their hand, _"Your luck's about to run out."_

"Grab them!" shouted Gill.

Almost as though he had heard him, Jesse ran towards them, but too late. The White Pumpkin threw the Ender Pearl, which clanged somewhere out of sight, and vanished in a spray of purple sparks.

Jesse skidded to a halt, just in time to see the White Pumpkin suspended above a flight of stairs, waving at him before they fell out of sight. Without a moment's hesitation, he darted towards the stairs, running down them just as the White Pumpkin ran further down the passageway.

"Come on, Jesse!" shouted Nell, unable to contain it any longer, "You can do this, brah!"

The White Pumpkin skidded around the corner, pulling out their enchanted diamond axe, Jesse hot on their tail. They ran at what appeared to be a wooden wall, a dead end, but with a single hit of their axe it was gone and they were leaping through the newly made hole, into the living room.

"Was that Ivor's portrait?" asked Ellegaard, spine straightening.

"I think it was," said Gabriel, frowning. Magnus looked from Gabriel to Ellegaard, then from Ellegaard to Gabriel.

"You don't think that means he's... ?"

Soren shook his head, "No, no, certainly not," he faltered, "I... I think."

Jesse ran after him, jumping from the portrait and landing on one knee. Chest heaving, he pushed himself to his feet, just as the doors burst open and a wide eyed Lukas came through.

"It's Lukas!" Petra grinned. Olivia, who had, at some point (probably during the part where Jesse was close to being burned alive), buried her face into the redhead's arm, poked her head out at the exclamation.

Upon spotting his friend, Lukas immediately ran up to him, Jesse's panting becoming more known, _"This guy's..."_ he panted, _"This guy's fit."_

There was another deep laugh, and their heads snapped over to see the White Pumpkin running up some stairs and vanishing through a dark archway. Jesse pointed after him, _"There!"_

 _"Jesse! I'll cut them off!"_ Lukas said, already running after them with a yell.

"Get 'em, Lukas!" cheered Petra.

Jesse ran up the stairs after them, turning just in time to see Lukas vanish up another staircase. Chest heaving, Jesse stumbled after them, coming to the top of the stairs to find the room beyond practically pitch black.

Axel's grip on Jesse tightened, actually pulling him into his lap now. Reuben gave a small squeal from where he was buried in Jesse's arms.

"Axel," whispered Lukas, "I think you're suffocating him."

"What?" Axel asked, face terribly pale. Lukas inched closer, tapping one of the arms currently strangling their friend.

"You're _suffocating_ him," he repeated. Axel blinked, looked down at the slowly reddening Jesse in his lap, and immediatly relinquished his grip. Jesse took in a lungful of air, slumping against his larger friends chest.

"Thanks," he panted.

Onscreen, Jesse hesitated at the doorway, before slowly beginning to creep inside, _"Lukas?"_ he called, automatically whispering.

In front of him, only able to be seen because of the large window, where the rain poured outside, a figure swayed.

"Oh no," groaned Olivia, burying her face back into Petra's shoulder, "Oh no, oh no, oh _no_."

The lights flickered back on, causing Jesse to squint as they assaulted his eyes. He opened them immediately, the figure turning to face him with a groan, the screen going up to reveal the White Pumpkin's cracked mask, _"Jesseee..."_

"Get them!" shouted Clutch, "Pound his face into the mud!"

Jesse's eyes widened, and with a yell, he ran at them- _"Wait!"_ \- and tackled them to the ground.

The White Pumpkin mask flew off. Jesse sat up on their chest, blinking in shock, _"Lukas?!"_

On the floor, Lukas grimaced, _"Hey."_

The audience blinked.

"Hold on," said Sparklez, "Where's the White Pumpkin?"

"Lukas was swaying quite a bit there," Petra frowned, "Think the White Pumpkin hurt him?"

"Well, it looks like they've dazed me, at least," Lukas muttered, "But where'd they go? I thought I was right behind them."

They got up from the floor, Lukas picking up the White Pumpkin's mask and frowning at it, _"Give me a moment,"_ he said, _"I'm trying to figure this one out myself."_

"Well," said Soren, "He doesn't look hurt, at least."

Lukas shook his head, looking up at Jesse, _"Okay, yeah. This looks pretty bad."_

 _"What happened, Lukas?"_ Jesse asked, _"I thought you were chasing the White Pumpkin!"_

 _"Uh, yeah, I was,"_ said Lukas, _"And I almost had them, until, y'know, he took my by surprised and stuffed this pumpkin on my head,"_ he held up said white pumpkin.

"Oh," Gabriel blinked, "But where did they go? Is there another door in there?"

"I don't see one," muttered Ellegaard, frowning.

Petra and Ivor came running in, skidding to a stop, the others right behind 's eyes widened, _"W-What's going on here?!"_

 _"No!"_ gasped Ivor, face paler even more than usual upon spotting the pumpkin in Lukas's arms.

 _"Gasp!"_ Stampy exclaimed, pointing at the blonde and jumping up and down, _"You caught the White Pumpkin! Grab him! Quick!"_

"Wait," Lukas's eyes widened, " _What?_ "

"Ohhhh, crap," said Axel, mouth popping open, "Oh crap, oh crap, oh _crap._ "

 _"On it!"_ Stacy said, she and Cassie grinning as they approached.

"This," Magnus said, "Is _very_ bad."

Stampy winced, "I'm _so_ sorry, Lukas!"

Eyes widening for the third time since entering the room, Jesse moved to stand protectively in front of Lukas, holding in arm out to block him.

 _"Get out of our way, Jesse,"_ said Cassie.

 _"Yeah,"_ said Stacy, _"It's all out in the open now. You can't defend your friend any longer."_

Stacy covered her mouth with her hands, a mortified look crossing her face, "I am _so sorry_."

Jesse turned around, grabbing the pumpkin from Lukas's hands, before turning to face them again, _"Come on, guys, think about it. Lukas would've never had the time!"_

"Yes," said Olivia, having emerged from Petra's shoulder, "Yes, listen to Jesse! He can talk them out of this, right? Right?"

"I hope so," Jesse muttered.

 _"That's not exactly much assurance,"_ said Stacy, _"You two have been constantly running around the mansion with no one watching you."_

 _"Yeah!"_ Stampy agreed, _"For all_ we _know, you're his little accomplice or something!"_

"Have you _seen_ Jesse?" asked Petra, "I mean, just _look_ at him!"

They looked at the boy in Axel's lap, wrapped in a blue blanket, hugging a pig and smiling nervously and decided, right there and then, that this boy would be reluctant to harm a fly.

"Yeah," said Stampy. rubbing his hair beneath his hood, "Yeah, I see what you mean."

Onscreen, Jesse and Lukas looked at each other. The blonde winced, shuffling so he was hiding behind him a little more. Stampy moved closer.

 _"It's the facts, Jesse!"_ he said, _"Lukas was at one of the buttons. These..._ horrible _things only started happening when_ your _group arrived,"_ he pointed at Petra and Ivor, who started at the sudden attention.

Jesse pocketed the pumpkin head, Stampy's glare falling a little, _"And now... Lizzie's gone too."_

Lizzie grimaced at the reminder, sinking in her seat. Stacy put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

A silence came upon the group, Petra and Ivor turning their eyes to the floor. Cassie walked over to the window, planting her hands on her hips, Winslow jumping up on a bush next to her, _"I say we throw him outside and let nature take its course."_

"What?" Lukas gaped, face paling, "No, no, no, don't do that!"

"They can't hurt Lukas!" squeaked Olivia, "He's- He didn't do anything wrong!"

An arm wrapped around Lukas, pulling him to the side so that he was squished against Jesse and pressed against Axel's side, half on and half off his lap. The larger boy didn't even seem to realise he'd done it. Lukas blinked, mouth opening in shock.

 _"W-What?"_ Stacy stuttered, the group staring at her with wide eyes. Petra's had narrowed. _"O-_ Outside _outside?"_

 _"Where all the googlies are?!"_ exclaimed Stampy.

 _"No!"_ Jesse yelled, eyes hardening. Beside him, Lukas had gone a few shades paler. _"You can't do that!"_

 _"Yeah, uh,"_ said Dan, speaking up for the first time, scratching at his blonde hair, _"I don't know. I still have my suspicions about Lukas, but Jesse_ did _save me."_

"Yeah," said real Dan, "Thanks for that, by the way."

Onscreen, he sent Jesse a grateful look, giving a small shrug, _"I don't feel right about chucking your friend to the zombies."_

 _"Hmph,"_ hummed Ivor, hands going to his hips, _"Brace stance."_

Magnus frowned, "You know, I actually can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not."

Jesse let out a relieved breath, _"Thank you! See? You all heard Dan, right?"_ Dan bit his lip, looking at Stampy, who raised an eyebrow at him.

Over by the window, Cassie shook her head, still looking far from happy, _"Fine."_

Lukas sighed, _"Thank you."_

 _"Don't go celebrating yet,"_ she continued, moving to stand in front of them, _"We've still got to do_ something _with you so you're not roaming around freely."_

The real Cassie winced, "Sorry about this, Lukas," she said, "I, uh, you can't blame me though, right?"

Lukas shook his head from where he was squished against Axel's side, "Uh, no, I-I'm just glad you're not feeding me to the zombies."

 _"What?"_ Lukas said, rolling his eyes and unaware of how Jesse was currently trying to turn Cassie to ash with his eyes, _"Like lock me up in a closet or something?"_

 _"There was a closet in the main hall!"_ Stampy cut in, the small grin that had been on Lukas's face immediately falling, _"With a_ lovely _metal door. Seems like the_ perfect _place to lock someone up."_

"Uh... what?" Lukas squeaked, unconsciously leaning closer into Axel. Petra and Olivia shared a wide eyed look, and Axel had turned to glare at Stampy, who was trying very discreetly to hide behind Dan.

Lukas gave a nervous laugh, _"Uh, wait, I was mostly joking."_

 _"I guess that's fair,"_ said Cassie, ignoring him completely, _"But I'm keeping guard because I still don't trust him."_

Lukas and Jesse looked at each other, the blonde's eyes begging for help. Biting his lip, Jesse looked from Lukas to Cassie, the redhead crossing her arms.

 _"That cool with everyone?"_ she asked.

"No!" said Gill.

 _"That's not happening unless one of us goes along too,"_ Jesse declared.

 _"It's fine, Jesse,"_ Ivor spoke up, earning startled looks both on and offscreen, _"I'll watch over Lukas."_ He moved to stand behind the blonde, placing a hand on his shoulder.

 _"Awesome,"_ said Lukas, although by the look on his face there was nothing at all awesome about this.

"Wait," Soren said, " _Ivor's_ volunteering? I thought he didn't even know Lukas's name."

Ivor sent him a deadpan look, "My memory is not _that_ bad, Soren."

Onscreen, everyone regarded Ivor with looks of surprise, but the potionologist said nothing of it, simply sent a hard look in Cassie's direction, _"Come on, Cassie."_

He began to walk away, an enraged look coming over Cassie's face. Lukas hurridly followed after Ivor.

 _"Don't go getting any funny ideas,_ blonde guy _,"_ Ivor snapped, _"This isn't because I like you or anything."_

 _"No,"_ Lukas said, lips twitching, _"'Course not."_

 _"Be quiet,"_ Cassie cut in, trailing behind him, _"Prisoners aren't supposed to talk."_ Meowing, Winslow ran after his owner.

"Thanks, Ivor," Lukas spoke up, still huddled against Axel and Jesse, "I, uh... I appreciate it."

Ivor grunted in response. Gabriel rolled his eyes in amusement.

 _"Okay..."_ said Petra, turning to Jesse, _"What are we supposed to do now?"_

Jesse crossed his arm over his chest, setting his other elbow on it and tapping at his bottom lip, a gesture the audience had come to establish as him thinking deeply. Petra continued, _"We need to figure out how we're going to clear Lukas's name. And I'd like to do it_ sooner _rather than later. It seems like_ some _of these people-"_ she sent a scowl at the remaining guests, who were spreading out across the room, _"-Are getting a little_ stir crazy _."_

"Wow," Isa blinked, "You're quite upset about this."

"Well, my friend was just accused of _murdering two people_ , so..." Petra shrugged, a scowl on her face as she leant against Axel's other side, accidentally on purpose dragging Olivia with her, "Yeah, I'm a _little_ upset."

"At least Ivor's looking after him," Jesse pointed out.

"Ah, yes," Petra rolled her eyes, "The creepy bearded guy that created a giant three headed monster that tried to _eat the entire world_."

"I'm _right here_."

 _"Somehow,"_ said Jesse, hands dropping back to his side, _"The White Pumpkin was able was able to escape this room when Lukas chased them into it. We need to figure out how they did that."_

Petra nodded, _"Sounds like a plan to me."_

"I'm sorry about accusing your friend," Cassie whispered into Aiden's ear, making him jump in surprise, "I, uh, I know _now_ that he's not actually the White Pumpkin, but onscreen-me doesn't know that."

"It's fine, Cass," Aiden whispered back, "You were just being cautious. Jesse will find out who the _real_ White Pumpkin is and all this will blow over."

Onscreen, Petra moved over to lean against the archway near the door Ivor, Lukas and Cassie had just left ouf of. Jesse looked around, before walking over to a full body portrait of the White Pumpkin, this time in some kind of suit, sitting in a chair with a potion bottle in their hand.

"This guy _really_ likes putting of portraits of themself," Lizzie hummed.

"Yes," Otto muttered, glancing at Cassie, "Perhaps it has meaning."

Spotting Stacy standing in from of the neighbouring portrait, Jesse walked over to her. Sensing his presence, Stacy turned around, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at him, _"What do you want?"_

 _"You've been aggro on accusing Lukas,"_ Jesse pointed out, brow furrowing, _"Seems a little suspicious."_

Stacy rolled her eyes, _"Not nearly as suspicious_ as _Lukas."_

The real Stacy winced.

Jesse's eyes narrowed, _"Where were you when I was chasing the White Pumpkin?"_

 _"Baking cookies,"_ Stacy answered, _"I get a sweet tooth when I'm nervous."_

The Order glanced at each other. She seemed truthful.

Onscreen, Jesse stared at her with narrowed eyes for a long moment, before crossing his arms, slowly shaking his head, _"Don't go_ anywhere _, Stacy."_

Stacy scoffed, turning back around, _"Sure."_

Hesitantly, Stacy awkwardly cleared her throat, "I am _so_ sorry about that."

"It's fine," Jesse waved her off, "I think we're all frustrated at this point. And probably terrified."

"No kidding," muttered Olivia.

Jesse left Stacy by the portraits, making his way over to where Dan and Stampy were sitting next to each other on the couch. Taking a seat on the couch across from them, he said, _"Dan, I know you're innocent. But_ you're _still a suspect, StampyCat. I've got some questions."_

The real Stampy groaned, slumping against Dan, who sympathetically patted him on the back.

 _"Seriously?"_ Stampy groaned.

 _"Where were you when the chase with the White Pumpkin was going on?"_ Jesse asked. Stampy's eyes darted to the side.

_"I... I don't wanna say."_

"What? Why not?" asked Maya. Stampy, realising what his onscreen-self was thinking, groaned again and buried in his face in Dan's neck, flushing red. The blue haired boy blinked at him.

 _"Aw, come on, Stampy,"_ said Dan, smiling assuringly and lightly nudging him in the ribs, _"You're just making yourself look more guilty. Where were you?"_

Stampy sighed, _"Fine, I was sitting in a corner, humming to myself. It calms me down."_

Magnus snorted, but was quick to cover his laughter when Ellegaard sent him a look.

Jesse raised a small eyebrow at him, _"Uh huh,"_ he paused, as though considering something, then shook his head and got to his feet, _"Okay, I'll leave you guys to it."_

Stampy and Dan nodded.

_"Uh huh."_

_"Sounds good."_

Jesse took a walk around the room, but nothing out of place seemed to catch his eye. He came all the way back to Petra, stopping in front of her, _"How are things with you?"_

 _"Oh, you know,"_ said Petra, eyes hard, _"Just peachy. Stuck in a house with a mass killer, one of my best friends is the current top suspect."_

This earned a few winces from the audience.

"Yeah," muttered Lukas, "Peachy."

Jesse winced. Petra glared at the floor for a moment, before her gaze softened, if only slightly, _"It was really nice of Ivor to step up like that, though. Didn't think he had it in him."_

 _"Yep, Ivor's awesome,"_ Jesse smiled, hands going to his hips, _"Glad he's on our side."_

Ivor blinked in surprise at the compliment, unsure how to respond. Soren grinned, nudging him in the side, earning a half-hearted glare.

Petra was silent for a moment, the smallest of nods, _"Me too."_

"Awwwww," cooed Maya. Petra, in all of her great maturity, chucked a pillow at her.

 _"Okey, well, I vote we get back to it,"_ Petra continued, _"Don't want to leave poor Lukas in that closet for too long."_

"Yeah," Lukas winced, "Yeah, I-I'd appreciate that."

Jesse nodded, before continuing his treck along the wall. He came to a stop back by the three portraits, humming as he regarded the one to the far left. He walked passed the White Pumpkin portrait to the one on the right, coming to a stop next to Stacy and frowning at it thoughtfully.

Sensing her raised-eyebrow-gaze on him, he turned to look at her and shrugged. Stacy rolled her eyes.

Walking over to the White Pumpkin portrait, Jesse frowned at it, before stepping up onto the table in front of it. Despite this, the top of his head only reached the White Pumpkin's painted chin.

"And people wonder why I call him Tiny," Magnus whispered loudly. Ellegaard, Gabriel, Soren and Ivor hushed him at the same time.

He looked it up and down, drew his first back and punched through it. It collapsed, popping off the wall, revealing another, bigger secret passageway.

Gasps erupted around the room, both onscreen and a few offscreen. Petra launched herself off the wall, Dan and Stampy shot to their feet and Stacy gasped.

 _"Woah,"_ said Jesse, _"Another secret passage."_

The screen turned around to reveal double iron doors in front of him, with three picture frames on the right wall with what appeared to be random items inside them.

"What are those?" asked Axel, frowning, "Another trap?"

"I'm not sure," muttered Olivia, "A puzzle, maybe?"

The others crowding around the new opening, Jesse walked further into the passage. He turned to the picture frames with a small hum. The first one had a cobweb in it, the second a tipped arrow and the third a block of sand.

 _"Well, this looks promising,"_ he muttered, _"I wonder what order these need to be in?"_

Ellegaard frowned, then her eyes widened, "Oh! I get it!"

"What?" asked Gabriel, leaning forwards to raise an eyebrow at her. Ellegaard gestured to the screen.

For a moment, Jesse tapped his bottom lip thoughtfully. Then he took the tipped arrow in hand, frowned at it, and switched it to his other hand so he could pick up the cobwebs, replacing it with the arrow.

The doors groaned and clicked. Jesse hummed, _"Okay, that seems like a step in the right direction."_

"Unless this is all a trap," Milo pointed out. Olivia groaned, returning her face to Petra's shoulder. The innkeeper winced at the glares he received, leaning away from the group on the floor.

"I, uh... my apologies."

Onscreen, Jesse switched the cobwebs to his other hand and picked up the sand, placing the webs in the picture frame they'd just been in. Like before, the doors gave a mechanical click.

 _"Hm, yeah, that seems right,"_ Jesse muttered. Finally, he put the sand in the middle picture frame, and, with one last mechanical click, the doors flew open. The boy grinned. _"There we go. Awesome."_

Seeing as how it hadn't been a trap after all, Jesse's friends sighed in relief, Axel loosening his hold on the boy in his lap. Jesse sucked in a lungful of air, grimacing as he rubbed sore ribs.

Grinning widely, Jesse and Petra walked through the doors, revealing a massive pit. A crafting table sat on either side of the archway.

 _"Oh, wow!"_ Stampy exclaimed, he and the other two coming up behind them, _"You got it open!"_

 _"Yeah, you guys should stay here,"_ said Petra, _"It could be dangerous."_

 _"No, I_ totally _want to follow you into your friend's creepy secret passageway,"_ said Stacy, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lukas winced, both from the statement and from Axel's hold tightening around him. He wasn't going to complain, though. It was... nice. How the larger boy had gone from glaring at him to hugging him when his onscreen-self was in danger.

Jesse's eyes widened. Beside him, Petra growled.

 _"Argh, seriously?"_ she said, _"You really think_ Lukas _did it?"_

 _"You haven't proven that he didn't yet,"_ Stacy countered.

 _"Technically true,"_ Stampy pointed out.

Stacy and Stampy both winced, hiding their faces in embarrassment.

 _"Hey, come on, cool it,"_ Jesse cut in, _"We're all in this together, aren't we?"_ Petra sent him a small grin.

 _"Depends,"_ said Stampy, crossing his arms, _"Figured you'd be on your little buddy's side."_

The real Petra face palmed, sighing. Stampy sunk further into Dan's side, who wrapped in arm around him.

 _"Ugh, you know what? They're not worth it,"_ Petra declared. She turned around, marching into the new room. _"Come on."_

Jesse watched her go with crossed arms, sent the three a small look that wasn't exactly a glare but wasn't all that friendly either, before turning around and following her. Stacy, Stampy and Dan looked at each other- the currently blonde haired boy the only one that didn't look in any way angry- and made their way back into the sitting room.

"Well," said Ivor, "That went well."

"Oh, the drama," Hadrian said, grinning as he leant back in his seat, "Can almost taste it on your tongue."

Jesse and Petra came to a stop at the edge of the hole, Jesse's eyes widening as they were shown just how far down it went. You couldn't even see the bottom.

 _"Wow,"_ he whistled, _"That is_ deep _. Guess it leads down to... whatever the White Pumpkin calls home,"_ he looked to Petra, _"I wonder how they get down there."_

 _"Maybe in addition to walking through walls,"_ Petra snapped, _"They can_ fly _for all we know! Ugh!"_ She turned around, Jesse looking startled at the sudden aggression.

"Wow, okay," said Lukas, blinking, "You're... _really_ upset about this."

"No kidding," muttered Petra, scowling alongside her onscreen self. Axel and Jesse sent her a worried look.

She came to a stop, crossing her arms, _"It's just..."_ she sighed, _"I'm_ really _worried about Lukas. Those people think they're all safe,"_ she turned around again, moving to stand in front of Jesse, _"But the White Pumpkin is still running around and they could strike again at any minute!"_

Axel released Jesse to wrap his arm around Petra- and Olivia, since they were practically cuddled against each other at this point- and dragged them both into his side, much like what he'd done with Lukas.

Petra raised her head to blink at him, surprised, but then that surprised melted into a grateful smile. He smiled back.

 _"Not to mention,"_ Petra continued, _"All those people back there have been_ so _ungrateful, so petty..."_ she shook her head, teeth clenching, _"Argh! It's so_ frustrating! _"_

Stampy, Dan, Stacy and Lizzie shared a guilty look. Sparklez looked a little awkward, obviously not wanting to take sides.

 _"Hey, Petra, I understand, okay?"_ said Jesse, holding up his hands a little, _"I'm with you."_

Petra sighed, _"You're right. I know you're right..."_ she let out a breath, _"Sorry, Jesse. I just really needed to get that off my chest."_

"It's fine," said the real Jesse, almost automatically. The real Petra rolled her eyes at him, lips twitching.

Onscreen, Jesse nodded in understanding, _"We're gonna get through this,"_ he turned back to the pit, _"Let's start by figuring out how we're gonna get down there, huh?"_

"You are very good at talking your way through things, Jesse," said Harper. Jesse shrugged.

"At times, I guess."

"Yeah," said Petra, sending him a teasing grin, "Remember when Ivor startled you back in episode one and you almost blew the deal?"

Jesse sighed, "Yes, I remember. Thanks."

 _"What've you got in your inventory?"_ Jesse asked, turning to face her again, _"Didn't you have all those wood blocks?"_

Petra looked to the side, an almost sheepish look crossing her face. She reached into her pockets and pulled out- not blocks- but sticks, setting them down on the floor between them. Jesse blinked at them slowly, then raised an eyebrow at his red haired friend.

 _"Sorry,"_ Petra said, giving a small, sheepish shrug, _"I was witting earlier. Nervous habit."_

"Huh," Olivia blinked, "I wasn't sure you _ever_ got nervous to actually have a habit like that."

Petra gave a small shrug, the best she could when she was squished between Axel and Olivia, "I haven't actually done it for a while, but it's something I've done before."

 _"Well, luckily,"_ said Jesse, bending down and picking up the sticks, _"Those should do just the trick."_

His head turned, and he gave one of the crafting tables a grin. He began to walk over to it, Petra planting a hand on her hip, _"You thinking ladder?"_

Jesse nodded, _"Yeah."_

Petra leant over to look down into the pit, shaking her head, _"We're gonna need a lot of 'em."_

Jesse's smile fell. He looked down at the crafting table in front of him, before his eyes were drawn to the second crafting table next to the other door. He looked back at Petra, a smile tugging his lips, _"I'll race ya."_

Petra blinked, looking over at the other crafting table, and grinned, running up to it, _"You're on."_

The screen showed Jesse placing the sticks in their respective slots. They shook, merging together to form a ladder.

Jesse held it up, _"Done!"_

 _"Do- aw, man,"_ Petra groaned, although she was smiling, holding up her own ladder. She gave a small laugh, scratching at her ear and sending Jesse a grateful smile, _"Thanks. I needed that."_

"Anytime," said Jesse, as though she could actually hear him. Olivia twisted, reaching up so she could ruffle his hair.

 _"Alright, we've got a lot more of these to make,"_ Jesse said, pocketing the ladder. Petra nodded.

_"Let's get to work."_

The screen sped up, showing Jesse crafting ladder after ladder. Finally, he turned around, grinning, and knelt in front of the pit. He pulled out one of the ladders, placing it on the wall of the pit, _"Okay, that's one down."_

 _"Lots more to go,"_ Petra declared, hands going to her hips and grinning. Jesse let out a sigh.

He turned around and began climbing down the ladder, Petra directly above him. He stopped every moment to pull out a ladder and place it down, the two friends descending into blackness.

"You don't think they're gonna find the White Pumpkin down there, do you?" asked Stampy.

"If they do," Nell grinned, "They'll just kick his _butt!_ "

Em rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Nell."

The screen came back on to Jesse and Petra reaching the bottom of the pit, in what appeared to be some sort of regular cave, made up of stone and dirt and random ore.

 _"See?"_ said Jesse, turning around as he took in the place, _"Told you we'd make it."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Petra said, following from behind, _"Just hope this works."_

"It's a good thing you guys had enough ladders," said Lukas, "I'm not sure what you'd do if you ran out."

"Probably go look around the mansion for more," Jesse shrugged, "But, yeah, it's a good thing we didn't have to do that. It would waste time."

 _"Think we're gonna find the White Pumpkin down here?"_ asked Petra, as they began to walk down the hall, _"With all these secret passageways..."_ Petra turned around, so that she was walking backwards, back to back with Jesse, _"It's so hard to tell where they might be."_

"Urgh," Axel grimaced, "Yeah, please don't remind me."

 _"I'll be honest,"_ said Jesse, carefully making his way down the hall, _"I hope we do. And this time they're not walking away with just a scar on their mask."_

Axel sent Jesse a look. He gave a sheepish grin in response.

 _"Brutal,"_ Petra grinned, turning back around as they turned a corner, _"I like it."_

"Of course you do," muttered Isa, although she was smiling.

They turned another corner, Jesse frowning, _"Hey, do you hear... ?"_

There was a series of faint, hungry groans. Petra tensed, _"Lots and lots of zombies? Yeah. I do."_

"Oh, joy," muttered Aiden. Cassie was watching the screen with a frown, biting her thumb nail.

Petra sniffed, grimacing, _"Ugh. Starting to smell 'em too."_

 _"Ugh, ditto,"_ said Jesse, making a face, _"Gross."_

They crept onwards, water dripping from the ceiling. Iron bars came into view, earning a few curious looks from the audience. Jesse raised an eyebrow as he came level with it, but upon spotting nothing inside, began to continue walking.

Then rotting, slimy green hands banged against the bars, causing him- and quite a lot of the audience- to jump away with yelps of surprise. The zombie groaned, trying to reach for him with its mangled hands, but it could hardly get its wrists passed the bars.

"Cells?" Sparklez frowned, "Why are they in cells?"

 _"Well,"_ said Petra, casting a weary eye towards the monsters, _"That explains all the monster noises."_

They crept on, passed more and more cells filled with groaning zombies, crowding around the bars and trying to reach for them. Jesse came to a stop to send a weary look into one of the cells, Petra moving on. He followed after her, around a bend, and blinked as he spotted something in the final cell.

 _"What in the world is_ that? _"_ he asked, pointing to some kind of black cage-block, burning with dull embers and a miniature zombies spinning in its middle.

Soren, Isa, Harper, Hadrian, Otto and Mevia's eyes widened and, almost without thinking, they shared a shocked look. Then, in a perfect unison, their heads snapped to Cassie.

This confirmed it, then.

She'd always loved her monster spawners.

In the cell, a zombie puffed into existence. Jesse jumped, _"Woah. It's some sort of, like, zombie spawner."_

"Smack on," muttered Hadrian.

 _"Does that mean the White Pumpkin actually_ made _the sea of zombies outside?"_ asked Petra

"Wow," breathed Lizzie, "That's... _wow_."

 _"That's what it looks like,"_ muttered Jesse. Petra turned away, a worried look crossing Jesse's face as he regarded the caged zombies. He shook his head and made his way after Petra.

"You don't think that means the White Pumpkin's gonna set a bunch of zombies on them?" asked Olivia, worriedly wringing her hands together, "Or- Or throw them into the cells with them?"

"Olivia," Lukas said, having gone quite a few shades paler, " _Stop._ "

The two came to an open area. Petra pointed up at a tube made of yellow stained glass, what appeared to be items going up it, _"What's that?"_

Jesse didn't seem to have an answer. They walked further into the room, to where a small lake sat. From the ceiling fell more items, landing in the water.

Maya blinked, "A loot pool? Like Soren's grinder?"

Frowning, Jesse knelt in front of the pool, _"I think this is where people's stuff after those hoppers upstairs suck it up."_

 _"You're right,"_ Petra said, eyes widening in realisation. She pointed to the stuff. _"I think that's Lizzie's."_

The real Lizzie swallowed, nervously biting her nails. Her friends sent her concerned looks.

Much like all the way back at Soren's Fortress, Lizzie's stuff was sucked into hoppers in the floor, reappearing one by one in the yellow tube.

 _"Okay,"_ Petra frowned, _"But where's the loot going from here?"_

 _"Hopefully right to the White Pumpkin,"_ said Jesse. His eyes were drawn to a tunnel that was level with the end of the tube, emitting a faint light.

"What the heck's that?" asked Magnus, as though any of them actually had an answer.

 _"Hey,"_ said Jesse, getting to his feet, _"You see the light coming out of that tunnel too, right?"_

 _"Huh?"_ Petra blinked, looking up, _"Oh, yeah. And it doesn't look like it's blocked off like all the, uh,"_ the screen panned out a bit, revealing similar tunnels all along the walls, but blocked off by iron bars, zombies groaning from inside, _"Zombie-filled ones."_

"That is a _lot_ of googlies," muttered Stampy. Dan noded in agreement.

 _"If we can get up there,"_ said Jesse, he and Petra beginning to walk closer to the tunnel, _"I think we might be able to follow the loot to wherever it's going."_

 _"Well, that's awesome,"_ muttered Petra, grinning, _"Nice find. How do you want to get up there?"_

Jesse came to a stop in front of a large mound of dirt. He grinned. _"Grab some dirt, Petra. We're going climbing."_

The screen sped up as Petra and Jesse dug up the dirt, before they abruptly shot over to in front of the tunnel, towering up side by side and coming to a stop once they were level with it.

 _"Okay,"_ said Petra, arms aloft in an attempt to help stop herself from falling, _"I think we can jump from here."_

"Wh-Why did you build it so far away?!" asked Axel.

"I think the bit in front of the tunnel is raised," Petra pointed out, "Although I can't really see it properly."

From the tunnel came an angry hiss, a spider appearing. Jesse and Petra yelled, just as it leapt at them. However, they were too far away, but it angled itself and instead latched on to the side of their dirt tower.

"Jump, jump, jump!" chanted Olivia, squeezing Petra's arm so hard the redhead was starting to wonder if she was cutting off her blood circulation.

With a yell, Jesse leapt from the dirt tower, landing safely in the tunnel. The spider came up at Petra's heels, who gasped and leapt after him before it could attack her. However, her haste to get away had made her jump sloppy, and she yelled as her foot slipped on the edge of the tunnel.

"Petra!" exclaimed her friends. Many of the other watchers gasped, sitting on the edge of their seats. Axel's arm around Petra tightened.

Jesse darted forward, grabbing Petra's hand just before she could fall off, leaving half of her body dangling above a drop that would at least leave her greatly injured.

"Oh god," Olivia groaned, burying her face into Petra's shoulder, "I can't watch."

The spider, hissing in annoyance, climbed back down the dirt tower, out of sight. Jesse grunted, feet digging into the ground, struggling as slowly pulled Petra back up.

With one final big tug, he pulled her to safety, a relieved breath leaving his lips, _"Got'cha."_

Most of the audience sighed in relief. Gabriel slumped against his seat, hand going over his heart, slightly surprised by how frightened he'd been by the scene.

Petra grunted, putting her hands on her knees as she panted, _"That was... almost embarrassing,"_ letting out a breath, she straightened, and the two began to make their way down the tunnel, Petra sending him a grateful look, _"Thanks, Jesse."_

_"No problem."_

"That," said Lukas, "Was _way_ too close."

"You can say that again," Maya muttered.

The screen switched to Petra and Jesse turning the corner, silently walking down another tunnel, dimly lit by torches. At a strange noise, Jesse and Petra came to a stop at another turn, frowning.

 _"Weird,"_ Jesse said, _"Almost sounds like..."_

The noise sounded again. Petra's frown deepened, _"... Cats?"_

Magnus blinked, "... Cats."

"That's... weird..." Sparklez frowned, adjusting his sunglasses, "Why would the White Pumpkin have cats?"

Slowly, Jesse peeked around the corner- and came face to face with the White Pumpkin.

Startled screams ignited around the room. Gill leapt back and bonked heads with Maya, Stampy scrambled into Dan's lap, Nell latched herself onto Em's arm, the Gladiators clung to each other in a group hug, the group on the floor leapt into Axel's lap properly, Isa and Milo held on to each other, Reginald jumped to his feet and drew his sword, the momentum of Harper's startled jump almost sent her chair toppling over, the Order were clinging to each other, Sparklez fainted, Lizzie's heart was in her throat, Stacy had covered her eyes, Hadrian and Mevia had ended up bonking heads, Otto looked as though he were about to have a heart attack, and Aiden was hugging Cassie so hard she was turning purple.

With a terrified scream, Jesse swung his fist, knocking the White Pumpkin's head straight off their neck and sending them toppling backwards. Jesse and Petra stood frozen, wide-eyed, probably thinking for a brief moment that he'd accidentally decapitated them.

Their eyes trailed away from the fallen armour stand, over to where there was some kind of growing station, white pumpkins forming on blocks of dirt.

 _"It's some sort of... growing station,"_ muttered Petra, as a white pumpkin popped into existence, _"Weird."_

"They're getting really deep in now," muttered Stampy, fidgeting nervously, "What are they gonna do if they find the White Pumpkin? What if they can't beat them and have to escape?"

"Yeah," Dan winced, "That... that would be bad."

Jesse came to a stop at the end of the growing station, where a carved White Pumpkin sat perched on an armour stand.

Then footsteps sounded behind them, and the two friends spun around to face the fallen armour stand, the shadow of an approaching figure looming on the wall.

"The White Pumpkin!" shouted Gill, clinging to Maya like a lifeline, "It's the _freakin' White Pumpkin!_ "

"A-Axel?" Petra gasped. Axel didn't seem to notice, unaware that he was practically strangling Jesse and Petra from how tight he was holding them- and, since they were also in his arms, Lukas and Olivia.

 _"The White Pumpkin must have heard us!"_ Jesse whispered, he and Petra drawing their swords.

The shadow drew closer, the audience holding their breath in anticipation. Jesse and Petra raised their swords, ready to spring into action, as the White Pumpkin turned the corner- and Stampy yelled in shock, jumping backwards as he came to two enchanted blades pointed at his chest.

"Stampy?" Stacy blinked. Then, louder, _"Stampy?!"_

"He's the White Pumpkin!" yelled Slab, eyes wide behind his bandages, pointing a finger at a potted plant. Facemeat screamed, scrambling away from said plant, and fell off the couch.

 _"StampyCat?!"_ gasped Petra, voice in a loud whisper.

 _"Boy, you gave me a fright!"_ Stampy breathed, placing a hand over his heart, _"What are you doing down here?"_

 _"What are_ we _doing down here?!"_ Petra exclaimed, an angry look entering her eyes.

 _"Yes,"_ said Stampy, oblivious, _"It looks terribly suspicious, you know."_

"You... I thought you knew they went down the pit?" Soren frowned.

"They must have left," hummed Ellegaard, "And thought they'd done so as well. They didn't know about the ladders, after all."

"Yeah," Magnus frowned, sending a narrowed-eyed glanced over at the YouTubers, "But what's _he_ doing down there?"

 _"Yeah,"_ Petra deadpanned, _"It does."_

 _"We're trying to find the White Pumpkin,"_ Jesse explained, after a moment of hesitation. Stampy's eyes widened.

_"Oh, I'm glad you haven't run into him yet."_

They stared at him for a moment, before glancing at each other. Stampy blinked, and an understanding crossed his face, _"Come on, you guys,"_ he said, slipping between them and walking further into the room, _"I_ can't _be the White Pumpkin. I'm StampyCat! I'm no..._ murderer _!"_

Despite being underground, lightning flashed dramatically, causing Stampy to blink at the ceiling in surprise. Jesse and Petra looked at each other. Stampy continued.

_"I needed to find you because I have something important to tell you!"_

"Really?" Gabriel frowned, "What?"

Jesse sheathed his sword, he and Petra coming closer, the redhead keeping hers out. Stampy glanced at his feet, nervously wringing the sleeves of his hoodie.

 _"I have something to confess,"_ he said, _"Something I haven't told_ anyone _."_

"Oh... kay..." Petra frowned, "Where's this going?"

Petra frowned, _"Where is this going?"_

Petra blinked, "I just said that."

Stampy looked from Petra to Jesse, then from Jesse to the floor. He took a deep breath, reached into his pocket and was abruptly illuminated by a green glow of an enchanted flint and steel.

"The flint and steel!" exclaimed half the audience. From where Aiden's arm was wrapped around her shoulders, Cassie sat up straight, eyes widening behind her glasses and almost seeming to glint in the light of the room.

Dan's head snapped to the boy currently buried in his side, mouth popping open, "You- _You_ stole the flint and steel?!"

"I-I did?" Stampy gaped, "O-Oh my gosh, I-I _did_!"

 _"Nnnnh, I stole it from Dan!"_ Stampy confessed, Jesse and Petra gaping at him, _""It was just supposed to be a joke, a harmless prank,"_ he turned around, hands trembling as they clutched at the flint and steel in a white-knuckled grip, _"But then- well,"_ he turned to face them again, eyes starting to shine oddly, _"You've seen what happened!"_

 _"Wow,"_ Petra blinked, putting a hand on her hip, _"Who'd thought?"_

"Okay," said Ellegaard, slowly, "So... Dan found the flint and steel."

"And Stampy Guy decided it would be funny to steal it from him as a joke," Magnus finished. Stampy made a face at the 'Stampy Guy' comment.

"He was probably planning on sneaking it back into Dan's house," Sparklez concluded, "You know, to bewilder him or something."

Stampy wined like a kicked cat, burying his face in his hands, "I'm so _sorry_."

Dan sighed, pulling him into a hug, "It's fine, Stamps. I'm not mad."

"Really?" Stampy sniffed, looking up at Dan with teary eyes. Dan rested his chin on the other boys head.

"Really."

 _"I knew people wanted it,"_ Stampy continued, _"But I had no idea that-that_ this _would happen! I-It's terrible!"_

 _"But why didn't you tell anyone?"_ asked Jesse. Stampy flayed his arms about, the flint and steel leaving behind faint trails of green light.

 _"I was_ scared _, okay!"_ he exclaimed, _"People started_ dying _and then..."_ his voice trembled, and he swallowed thickly, _"I didn't want them to think that_ I _did it."_

"That... doesn't make any sense," Reginald frowned, "The White Pumpkin's doing this to _find_ the flint and steel. If anything, you'd just be targeted next."

Both Stampy and Dan paled at the prospect. The abruptly redheaded boy tightened his arm around the other.

Onscreen, Jesse twisted a little to look at Petra, who was staring at Stampy with a raised eyebrow, as though she'd come to the same conclusion as Reginald.

 _"I may be a thief,"_ said Stampy, _"But I'm no killer! But that White Pumpkin_ is _and they're killing people for it! And now,"he turned around, despair entering his voice, "We're down in their lair!"_

Aiden winced, "Yeah, that's... pretty bad."

 _"I was thinking..."_ Stampy came to a stop in front of the carved pumpkin perched on the armour stand, the glow of the flint and steel casting his face in shadows as he looked down at it, _"Maybe I should just..._ give _it to the White Pumpkin."_

"Woah, what?" said Dan.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Lizzie, "I mean... what if they just kill you anyway? To... get rid of witnesses."

 _"What?"_ said Petra, Stampy turning to face them again.

 _"Just... maybe that would make it all stop, right?"_ asked Stampy, looking at them hopefully _, "Maybe?"_

 _"I think you should give it back to Dan,"_ said Jesse, shrugging a little, _"It's only fair."_

"I, uh," Dan winced, "I'm actually not all that sure if I _want_ it when there's an insane killer murdering anyone they think might have it."

"That- That is true," Stampy frowned. Dan glanced at him, eyes widening.

"Wait, but won't this mean that _you'll_ be..." he trailed off, going suddenly pale, and shook his head, "Nevermind, just go give it to me."

"What?" Stampy blinked, "But you just said-"

"Forget what I said!" Dan cut him off, his grip on the other boy becoming almost painfully tight, "Just go give me the stupid thing before they find out _you_ have it!"

 _"Yeah,"_ Stampy sighed, _"Yeah, you're right, that's better."_

There was another, muffled meow. Stampy blinked at the noise, trailing after Petra and Jesse as they moved on to investigate. They came to a halt before a pair of iron doors, a torch on the left wall and a lever on the right.

"Oh, great," sighed Axel, "I wa hoping they'd turn back now."

"Why would we do that?" and the white sked Jesse, tilting his head up so he could look at his friend in the face, "We haven't found the White Pumpkin yet."

"Exactly," Axel muttered. He didn't elaborate.

 _"That looks like a 'lair door,'"_ declared Petra, pointing at it with her sword, _"If ever I saw one."_

Jesse's eyes narrowed on the lever, and he flipped it, the doors bursting open immediatly. Drawing his own sword, Jesse followed Petra inside, the two friends coming to a stop underneath an archway of wooden fences.

The room beyond could hardly be called a room, but rather a cavern. Light shone from the far above ceiling, the floor a mismatch of stone and dirt and random ore. Torches and lit redstone lamps were placed about almost at random.

"Wow," Gill cocked his head to the side, "That kinda looks like Soren's fortress. You know, where those statues were?"

Soren and Cassie glanced at each other, but were quick to return their gazes to the screen.

 _"Oh, wow,"_ breathed Jesse.

 _"Yeah,"_ muttered Petra, _"Creepy."_

 _"I would_ not _put this in my top ten places I've ever been,"_ declared Stampy.

"You can say that again," muttered Olivia.

The screen switched around to show three calico cats, one sprawled out atop a double chest and the other two sitting atop a stone wall. _"Well,"_ said Petra, coming to a stop a little ways from the cats, looking over her shoulder at them, _"There's where the meowing's coming from."_

 _"Don't worry,"_ said Jesse, sheathing his sword, _"We'll get out of here as soon as we find something that proves the White Pumpkin's identity."_

"Yeah, um, okay," Lukas winced, unconsciously shifting closer to Jesse, "Just hurry. _Please._ "

Onscreen, Stampy made a weak little noise that could have been a cross between a sigh and a groan.

Jesse's eyes trailed over to the other side of the room, where there was what appeared to be a very tall bookshelf, a portrait and some chests. He walked over to the bookshelf, absentmindedly tapping his finger against the books spines, _"Let's see here... 'Legend of the World Portals,' 'Basic Portal Theory,' 'Portals an You'... wow,"_ he took a step back, raising an eyebrow at the shelves, _"They're all about portals. That's pretty obsessive."_

"I think that might have something to do with why the White Pumpkin wants the flint and steel in the first place," Olivia hummed thoughtfully, "I mean, they've certainly have a thing for portals."

"More like an obsession," muttered Petra.

Jesse made to walk away, but something else caught his eye. Frowning, he stepped closer, finger automatically going to the chosen book, _"'Walking Among the Endermen.' By-"_ in his shock, he shot away from the shelf, mouth dropping open, _"_ Soren?! _"_

"Soren?" echoed Ellegaard, turning to her friend with wide eyes, "How did one of _your_ books in the basement of a mass murderer?"

"I, uh," Soren's eyes darted over to Cassie, who quickly returned her own eyes to the screen, "I'm not sure."

Ivor, however, had spotted this exchange. He frowned, looking from Soren to Cassie. A dreadful feeling was spreading through his chest, as though a giant block of packed ice had just been thrown at him.

How odd, that the White Pumpkin seemed to almost take after the architect, despite it being impossible for them to have ever have met him.

 _"How did_ that _get here?"_ Jesse shook his head, deciding to file it away for later. He made his way over to the chests, hoping to find something useful inside, but his steps soon slowed as he realised what the signs beside them said.

 _"Oh no,"_ he sighed, as he walked passed the signs, the words TorqueDawg, CaptainSparklez and LDShadowLady blaring at them like neon signs, _"Here's where everyone's stuff gets collected."_

Swallowing, both Sparklez and Lizzie paled terribly, looking as though they were about to vomit. Lizzie sunk in her seat, not even seeming to notice Stacy wrapping her arm around her shoulders. Sparklez looked away from the screen, his breathing laboured and eyes clenched shut.

In the final chest, twin hoppers sat atop them. From a hole in the wall, Lizzie's inventory came pouring out in a rush off water, sinking into the hopper and right into the chest. Behind him, Stampy sighed.

_"Those poor people."_

Unable to look at the chests much longer, Jesse hurriedly turned away and began marching in the direction of the bookshelves. However, his eyes found the portrait and he came to a stop in front of it, eyes widening a moment later.

 _"Petra,"_ he said, his friend turning to look at him, _"Did you see this?"_

She joined him a moment later, blinking in surprise, before her brow creased in a frown, _"That's the portal hallway."_

 _"Yeah,"_ said Jesse, _"Looks like the White Pumpkin's been there too."_

"More portal stuff," Maya frowned, "This all a bit of a... coincidence, isn't it? What are the odds that you went through the portal that took you _here_ when you could have chosen literally any other?"

The audience shared startled looks. No one was really sure how to answer her.

Jesse and Petra split off again, the boy making his way to the other side of the room, where the three cats were. He looked about, before his eyes trailed over to where Petra and Stampy were standing, and he made his way over to them.

 _"You guys doing okay?"_ he asked.

 _"I'll be honest with you,"_ Petra said, voice hushed, _"I'm pretty worried about Lukas. If the White Pumpkin isn't down here... they must still be upstairs."_

Lukas blinked, surprised that she was so worried about him. Sure, he was _friends_ with them now, and he cared about them a lot, but... he still wasn't sure if they cared about him as much as he cared about them.

They would always choose one of the others over him, you know?

 _"And I thought I was okay,"_ said Stampy, _"Because I was numb and feeling no emotions at all, but,"_ he shook his head, swallowing as he fiddled with the sleeves of his hoodie, _"I'm beginning to suspect it was actually shock."_

 _"Don't worry, we're gonna crack this wide open,"_ Jesse assured.

"Yeah," said Magnus, "Hopefully before the White Pumpkin cracks _you_ guys wide-"

Both Ellegaard and Gabriel elbowed him in the ribs at the same time, leaving him hunched over on himself and clutching at his sides, grimacing.

Spotting the wide cavern near the Dead Chests, Jesse made his way over to it, coming to an underground lake dotted with slippery mud. The screen switched to show the fishes swimming about in the water, Jesse looking down at them from above.

Seeing nothing of use, he turned around and walked back into the lair. He passed Stampy and Petra, coming to the sleeping cats, humming thoughtfully as he looked at some cobwebs strung between a bookshelf, _"Cobwebs. Should be able to score some string from those."_

Turning his attention to the chest with the cat sleeping on it, he moved to stand in front it, smiling, _"That chest_ definitely _seems important."_

"Does it?" asked Hadrian. Mevia, who had become invested in the screen, shushed him.

 _"Okay, kitty, kitty,"_ said Jesse, shooing the cat off, _"Can you scoot out of the way, please?"_ the cat hopped off with an irritated meow, _"I need to get in the chest."_

He clicked it open, lifting it up- only for the cat to reappear, its weight forcing it closed again, and lie back down.

 _"No, bad kitty!"_ Jesse said.

Petra snorted into her hands. Axel shared a grin with Lukas, Olivia hiding her own smile in Petra's shoulder. Jesse looked about at them, confused, and looked down at Reuben for answers. The pig simply gave him a piggy grin.

 _"Ugh, stupid cats,"_ sighed Jesse, turning around, _"Need something to distract it so I can get that chest open."_

"Or," said Hadrian, causing both Isa and Harper to sigh at the same time, "You could just kill the stupid thing."

"What?!" squeaked Cassie, looking _horrified_ at the suggestion, "Don't do _that!_ "

"Yeah, that's," Magnus frowned, "That's pretty dark, man."

"That kitty is _righteous_ ," Nell declared.

"Even if... troublesome," said Milo.

Looking at the cobwebs strung between the bookshelves, Jesse drew his sword and used it to tear them down, pocketing the string he got from it. Tapping his bottom lip, he looked around, then began to walk to where there was a small are of equipment.

 _"Looks like a typical brewing stand,"_ he muttered, upon spotting said brewing stand, _"Must be where the White Pumpkin made the tipped arrows that killed TorqueDawg,"_ he looked over at Stampy and Petra, _"Didn't Lizzie say she taught Cassie and Stacy how to make those too?"_

 _"Oh,"_ Petra blinked, eyes widening, _"Yeah. Yeah, she did."_

"Wait a moment," said Aiden, straightening, "Dan's not the White Pumpkin because we say them in the same room. Stampy's not the White Pumpkin because he's the one with the flint and steel."

Maya's eyes widened, "That means the White Pumpkin..."

"Can only be Stacy or Cassie," Gill finished.

The audience heads snapped from Cassie, sitting with Aiden's arm around her shoulders, to Stacy, who had a comforting hand on both Lizzie and Sparklez's knees. The white and blue striped shirt wearing girl was staring at Cassie with a newfound fear that hadn't been there before.

"We don't know that," Soren cut in, a bit unexpectedly, a _bit_ hurriedly, "For all we know, the White Pumpkin's blackmailing one of them. After all, _Dan's_ the one that pressed the button, so they didn't have to be sitting at the table."

"That's... considerable," Ellegaard admitted.

 _"So that's the potion part,"_ muttered Jesse, _"But what about the arrows?"_

He moved to stand in front of the small chest directly next to the brewing stand, kneeling in front of it as he pushed it open, _"I'm guessing this chest should have... yep,"_ he pulled out a bundle of sticks, _"We've got sticks."_

 _"Anything else?"_ asked Stampy, as Jesse pocketed the sticks and continued rummaging through the chest.

 _"Oh, wow,"_ breathed Jesse, pulling out a stack of dark green orbs, _"And Ender Pearls! Sweet! Must be how the White Pumpkin got down that elevator shaft!"_

"Wow," Olivia breathed, "You actually get to _hold_ an Ender Pearl!"

Gabriel hummed, raising a small, amused eyebrow at her, "It's strange. It almost feels as though you should have already experienced what is happening onscreen."

"Yeah," Magnus leant back in his seat, accidentally on purpose putting his arm around Ellegaard's shoulder, "It's weird after seeing you do all this, you're still just a bunch of dorks living in a treehouse."

They sent him a deadpan look. Well, Axel grinned at him, but you get the idea.

Pocketing the Ender Pearls, Jesse turned to the crafting table, humming thoughtfully. He looked from the cat lounged across the chest to the cavern he'd been in earlier, before pulling out the sticks and string and place them down one by one.

Like always, the ingredients shook and merged together. They formed into a fishing rod.

 _"Oh, to get a fish!"_ Stampy said in realisation, as Jesse pocketed the fishing rod, _"Cat's_ love _fish!"_

 _"Yeah,"_ said Jesse, _"And I saw one in the pond that'll be perfect."_

Hadrian rolled his eyes, "Going through all this was unnecessary."

"Hadrian," said Otto, frowning at him, "They don't have respawn there. Killing a cat is unnecessary."

The man snorted, rolling his eyes, but said nothing in retort.

Passing Stampy and Petra again, Jesse returned to the cavern, grinning as he pulled out the fishing rod. He threw it into the water, the end bobbing up and down. Not a moment later, a fish latched onto it, and Jesse reeled it back in as quick as he could.

 _"Ha!"_ he grinned, his prize dangling from the end of the rod.

 _"Wow,"_ said Petra, as the boy returned, _"Nice catch, Jesse."_

 _"Thanks,"_ Jesse smiled, hands going to his hips as he looked over to where the cat was, _"Bet that cat'll love this."_

Cassie frowned, biting her lip. Wasn't that the chest she kept the portraits in? Surely they'll find no use of them?

Jesse made his way back over to the cat, stopping a few feet away, _"Okay, here kitty,"_ he called, dangling the fish, _"Get the fishy."_

Nose twitching, the cat raised its head, getting up upon spotting the snack. Jesse sat the fish down with a victorious gin, the cat hoping down and stretching, before making its way over.

 _"There you go,"_ Jesse muttered, _"Jeez-"_ Meows abruptly filled the room, and his head snapped to the side to reveal _hundreds_ of calico cats on the wall, noses twitching and ears perked at the smell of fish.

"Oh my god!" gasped Petra, "That is a _lot_ of cats!"

"Jeez!" exclaimed Axel, eyes wide, "And they all _look_ the same!"

"This... okay," said Magnus, blinking, "I'm not sure if this makes the White Pumpkin _creepier_ or less so."

"I... neither can I, actually," Maya muttered.

 _"Ah!"_ gasped Jesse, as the cats leapt from their perch and he abruptly found himself in a mess of hair and meows, _"Many cats! So many cats!"_

He tumbled backwards, trying hard not to step on any of them, and was able to make it to safety.

 _"Ugh,"_ Petra groaned, she and Stampy approaching, _"Cats give me the creeps. No offence, Stampy."_

 _"None taken,"_ said Stampy, cheerfully. Then, leaning towards her a little and covering his mouth as though he were about to tell her a secret, he whispered, _"I'm not really a cat."_

Several members of the audience snorted at that. Dan shook his head, lips twitching, remembering that comment from earlier. He pulled Stampy closer, who wondered when his hair had turned pink.

 _"At least,"_ said Jesse, skirting around the cats to reach the chest, _"I can finally get in here now."_

"Let's hope it's what you need," muttered Isa,

Pushing the chest open, Jesse began rummaging through it, Stampy and Petra coming up behind him. He blinked in surprise. _"It's full of...portraits."_ he pulled one out, _"Loads of them."_

Magnus groaned, "Portraits? Really? This has just been a massive waste of time!"

"Wait," Ellegaard said, "There might be more."

Climbing to his feet, Jesse turned to the bare wall beside the chest and placed the portrait on it. Eyes widening, he stepped back- it was of Petra, exactly the same as the one in the living room, apart from the large, blaring red X over it.

Petra's mouth popped open, eyes widening- and then she gave a little squeak, her air supply slowly being cut off by the arm wrapped around her.

"Axel?" she gasped, "Wanna, uh, loosen up a bit, buddy?"

"Wha- oh," Axel loosened his grip, smiling apologetically, "Sorry."

 _"Oh, I don't like that,"_ muttered Petra, _"I guess they already had all the X-ed out ones ready to go."_

 _"Yep,"_ confirmed Jesse, returning to the chest, _"Besides Petra, we've got Dan, Stacy, Stampy, Lukas, Ivor and- oh, hey, there's me."_

"You sound _far_ too casual about this," Lukas muttered, shifting closer to Jesse. They were practically squished together in Axel's lap now.

Olivia made an agreeing noise, although she had returned her face to Petra's arm.

"Are you alright, Ivor?" asked Gabriel, bending forward a little to look at his friend.

"Yes," said Soren, "How are you feeling?"

"Hm?" Ivor blinked, surprised, "I'm fine."

"Really?" Magnus asked, clearly not believing him, "No coughing fits?"

"You _will_ tell us if it happens again, right?" asked Ellegaard. Ivor hesitated, but nodded.

 _"But what does it all mean?"_ asked Petra, as Jesse rejoined them, _"The cats... the crossed out portraits..."_

 _"Yeah, the portraits,"_ Jesse frowned, thoughtfully tapping his bottom lip and walking away a little, _"There was one person that didn't have a crossed out portrait."_

"There was?" Dan blinked, "Was there?"

 _"Someone,"_ he turned around to face them again, eyes going to the hoard of cats munching on the single fish, _"Who's a known cat person."_

"Who? Stacy?" asked Gill.

"No, Stacy prefers dogs," Sparklez said.

Petra and Stampy turned to look at the cats as well, before returning their gazes to Jesse.

 _"Okay..."_ said Petra, _"So who did it?"_

 _"Yes,"_ Stampy said, excitedly, _"You figured it out?"_

Jesse walked away a little again, tapping his lip like has so much during this episode, _"The White Pumpkin,"_ he turned to face them, _"Is Cassie Rose!"_

"What?" gasped Aiden, "But- How can _she_ be the White Pumpkin?"

"This is crazy," said Cassie, hugging Winslow closer, fingers trembling ever so slightly, "The only cat I've ever owned is Winslow!"

They looked from her to Aiden, to the boys arm wrapped around her shoulders. Lukas and Jesse looked at each other with sad eyes.

 _"She's the murderer,"_ Jesse declared. Then there was the flash of lightning, the clash of thunder, the three guests leaping out of their skins as the cats shot up with startled meows, racing to and fro in their fright.

 _"Oh, man,"_ muttered Petra, eyes wide, _"You're_ totally _right!"_

 _"I don't believe it,"_ Stampy whispered.

 _"Uh, not only is she the White Pumpkin,"_ said Petra, looking over at the many cats scattered about, some of which had returned to munching on the fish, _"But she owns way,_ way _too many cats."_

 _"Well, come on, you guys,"_ Jesse said, _"It's time to prove Lukas's innocence,"_ the screen zoomed in on his face, and he gave a grin, _"And catch us a White Pumpkin."_

The screen went dark.

The audience came to a stunned silence. Aiden slowly withdrew his arm from around Cassie's shoulders, who was staring at the floor and biting her lip. He shifted to face her properly, face asking- no _begging_ her to tell her that this wasn't true.

"Cassie?" he whispered, "Is... is this true?"

Every eye was on her now. Hands trailed towards swords, but none were drawn. They were waiting for her to make a move, to say something, to perhaps leap to her feet and draw that diamond axe and give a murderous laugh before trying to kill them all on the spot.

But Cassie didn't do that. She closed her eyes, aware of the pricking tears that latched onto her eyelashes, and confirmed in a voice so quiet they had to strain to hear her, a single word that sent Aiden's heart plummeting to his stomach and shattering into shards.

"Yes."

Soren closed his eyes, unable to look any longer. Stampy gasped, breath hitching, and buried his face into Dan's chest, who's hair was now a blazing, angry red, his glare on the girl he had begun to consider a friend a harsh ray of hatred and betrayal.

Stacy shook her head, disgust on her face, wrapping protective arms around Lizzie and Sparklez, both of who were refusing to look at the redhead across from them.

Hadrian, Mevia, Otto, Isa, Soren and Harper were some of the few who weren't sending the girl looks of hatred, betrayal of disbelief. They looked vaguely disappointed, as though they had been latching onto a small hope that she hadn't been the one to do it, that Soren's blackmail theory had been true.

Shaking his head, Hadrian leant back in his seat and crossed his arms, "Should've known."

Axel shifted, gently sliding Jesse, Lukas and Reuben onto the floor beside Petra and Olivia, so that he was sitting between them and the confirmed murderer. He was giving her a vicious glare, arm raised protectively as though to shield his friends from her in case she actually _did_ decide to try and murder them all.

Maya and Gill hastily got to their feet, backing away from the girl they'd been sitting next to for almost the entier episode. But Aiden remained where he was, staring at her with oddly shiny eyes, shoulders slumped. Cassie didn't look at him, didn't look at anyone, just kept her eyes shut as though it would make all this go away, holding Winslow closer with trembling hands.

Reginald glanced at Isa and Milo, unsurprised to discover Isa with a protective arm in front of Milo. He gave a small sigh, steeled himself and got to his feet, almost everyone's heads snapping towards him.

He drew his sword as he approached the couch, the tiny girl's shoulders tensing at the sound, but she made no move to defend herself. Aiden looked torn between leaping away and leaping in front of her.

"Cassandra Rose," Reginald said in his best 'Captain of the Guard' voice, pointing his golden sword at the murderer in front of him.

"You are under arrest for the murder of three people."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you accuse Dan, Stacy or Cassie after discovering the portraits? Let me know in the reviews!


	53. Breathe With Me

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Fifty-Three: Breathe With Me**

* * *

The mansion had no proper jail, but this didn't stop them from converting the downstairs bathroom into a makeshift cell. With Reginald and Gabriel standing outside the door, Cassie sat on the toilet, face buried in her knees. They'd taken her cat.

She hadn't said a word since confirming herself as the killer. She hadn't fought back nor protested as they shoved her into the bathroom. She didn't look for a way out. Because what was the point? She was trapped here, in this blasted mansion, even if she got out the room. Maybe she'd die here. Alone. Powerless.

Just like she's always feared.

The doorknob turning tore her from her thoughts, but she didn't raise her head. She half expected to get a sword through the side, an arrow in the back, a pickax to the head. Maybe they'd set her on fire and watch as she screamed and screamed and rotted in an unforgiving hell.

But none of these things happened. Whoever had entered didn't even speak. Didn't touch her. But she could feel their eyes boring into her skull like a pair of twin lasers, drilling into her brain, scratching at her scalp.

Finally, it became too much and, slowly, she raised her head. Goosebumps prickled up her skin, a sting behind her eyes. He was just staring at her, a stone sword forgotten at his side.

Cassie's brain had been a whirling spiral from the moment she'd been left alone in the makeshift cell (how long has it been? An hour? More?). What she'd tell him when she eventually saw him again. How she'd tell him that she was sorry, that she was desperate, that she just wanted to go _home_.

And yet, now that he was here, her mind was blank. Her tongue was frozen in her mouth.

The silence stretched, shifting into awkwardness. Aiden broke eye contact to look at the floor, confliction and unease entering his green eyes. Cassie looked away as well, trying to regain herself. Her hands trembled, even as she curled them into fists.

"I... did they hurt you?"

The question startled her, and she blinked, taken aback. She must have misheard him, for why would you ask a monster if it were hurt?

"Did... what?"

"Did they hurt you?" Aiden repeated, clearer and with more force. Cassie stared at him for a moment longer, brain struggling to comprehend the question. Slowly, she shook her head. Maybe he was hoping the answer was yes.

"No."

A flash of relief came across Aiden's face, but Cassie was almost sure she'd imagined it. Maybe he wasn't actually here, maybe she was imagining everything. She'd seen people that weren't there before.

"Good," Aiden muttered. He looked down, blinking as though realising for the first time that he had a sword in his hand. He hesitated, looking from her to the sword, before sighing and sheathing it.

They stared at each other. Cassie wasn't sure to what say- hell, she wasn't even sure if he was actually there or if he was just some illusion created by her twisted mind. Aiden- real or not real- didn't seem to know what to say either.

She looked away, bottom lip between her teeth, "I'm sorry."

"Are you?" Aiden's voice was quiet. She expected him to explode, to scream, to shove her away and never speak to her again. She wasn't sure if his timidness was better or worse.

When she said nothing, Aiden sighed, "I... I like you, okay?" he admitted, Cassie's eyes widening, "And- And I thought maybe... you did too."

"I did," she said, immediately, "I _do_."

Aiden's mouth twisted. He glanced away, to the door, as though wondering if he should leave. But he didn't move.

"You lied to them," he continued, "So easily. You looked Jesse right in the eye and told him you knew nothing. You accused Lizzie and- and _Lukas_ , you _framed_ Lukas and locked him in a frickin' _closet_ -"

"I know," Cassie cut him off, throat tight and a burn behind her eyes, "I _know_."

Aiden went quiet again. His eyes shone oddly, but it might have been the light. Cassie looked away again.

"I haven't done any of it," she said, voice thick with unshed tears, "Not yet. But I was planning to- I _would have_ done it," she laughed, a dead, humourless laugh, "And I guess that's good enough, isn't it? I haven't done it yet, but I might as well have."

The silence was thick, and while it wasn't suffocating, it stretched for an uncomfortably long time. Cassie was beginning to think that he'd left- be from the door or just simply dissipated- when he spoke again. A single word, a million questions.

"Why?"

Cassie opened her eyes, not remembering when she'd closed them. Her hair had fallen into her face, a red curtain that hid half her face.

"I wanted to go home," she admitted, "I... I just wanted to go _home_. Back to my family."

She saw his eyes soften and looked away. Wrung her cold hands together.

"You could've asked for help," he whispered. He was closer now, although she couldn't remember when he'd moved. "What you did... what you're planning... it's not necessary, Cassie."

The sting behind her eyes intensified, her throat tightening even further, as though someone had come up behind her and wrapped a belt around her throat, "You don't know that," she croaked, "I- I can't trust people. Not like I used to."

"How come?" asked Aiden, looking genuinely confused now, "What happened to make you so... so _distrustful_ enough that you'd go as far as to murder people who considered you their _friend?_ "

"My life hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows, Aid," Cassie muttered, ignoring the liquid pooling at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over, "Things... happen. Bad things," she glanced at him with her shiny eyes, wondering if he would drive the sword through her gullet if she asked nicely enough, "And a little girl can only take so much."

The door opened, causing them both to jump, startled. Gabriel's eyes widened.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked, stepping into the room and reaching for his sword, "Aiden, I swear-"

"Wait, wait!" Aiden said, as Cassie leapt to her feet, hastily wiping the tears from her eyes, "She wasn't-"

The entire room seemed to tilt, a short yell leaving Cassie's throat as she was toppled backwards. Aiden landed on top of her, forcing the air from her lungs. Gasping for breath, she looked up just in time to see Gabriel gaping at them from the middle of the bathroom, before the wall slammed closed and they were encased in darkness.

* * *

Aiden scrambled to his feet, only to stand stock still upon realising he couldn't see an inch in front of him. Blindly, he reached down, hand connecting with Cassie's wrist.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Ye... Yeah," she gasped, as though still catching her breath, "I'm... I'm fine."

He helped her to her feet, keeping a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to help steady her. Aiden looked around again, squinting, but still remained sightless. Despite this, he pulled out the stone sword he'd taken from the armoury, fully expecting monsters to come charging at them.

He'd been in thick darknesses before. But this was like a darkness he'd never seen. It was suffocating, everywhere, it almost seemed _living_. It sent terror shooting up his spine in a wracking shiver. He pulled Cassie closer, so that they were back to back, fingers entangled in twin death grips.

"I can't see anything," Cassie muttered, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Aiden answered. It was _cold._ Goosebumps prickled up his skin. Had there been a light, he was certain he would have been able to see his breath in puffs of white. "Maybe there's a light switch."

He doubted his own words, and he was sure Cassie did too. But she didn't comment, and they began inching towards the wall, hands remaining interlocked.

With their free hands, they splayed their palms on the wall, the one that had closed behind them. Aiden shivered, startled by how cold it was. Cassie, however, only stiffened.

"Can you feel anything?" Aiden asked, moving his hand up and down in search of a button or a lever or _anything_ , really. Cassie might have shaken her head, but he wasn't sure.

"No. It must be away from the actual trap or something."

Trap. Of course she'd know.

He shoved that thought to the depths of his mind. Now wasn't the time.

"Okay," Aiden said, "Left or right?"

Cassie was quiet for a moment, "Right."

With a nod he realised only a moment later that she couldn't see, Aiden began to lead them right, his hand- which still had the borrowed stone sword clutched between its fingers- never leaving the wall.

It was bare and, if anything, seemed to get colder the longer he touched it. The darkness was unnerving him, his heart thumping in his ears. Surely, in a darkness this thick, monsters would spawn? The only reason they didn't spawn in the mansion was because it was always day, so did that mean they spawned in secret rooms like this one?

"Keep your guard up," Aiden said, voice a hushed whisper, "There might be monsters here."

"I thought they didn't spawn at the mansion?" Cassie whispered back. This room must be big, because they had yet to find a corner.

"As far as we know," Aiden explained, "But we could be wrong. We haven't seen any since coming here."

"They took my axe," Cassie said. Aiden bit his lip.

"Just... stay behind me, then."

They kept walking, feeling along the cold wall. They must have been in a long hallway or something, or a really big room, as they were yet to find even a corner. Aiden was getting colder by the minute, and he could feel Cassie huddling closer, beginning to shiver. How can the rest of the mansion be so warm and yet have places as cold as this?

Abruptly, Cassie came to a stop, forcing Aiden to stop with her. He twisted to look at her, although he couldn't even see her vibrant hair in this darkness, concern coming across his face.

"Cassie?" He whispered. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed appropriate. "What's wrong?"

"I-I'm not sure," Cassie whispered back, "Did... did you hear something?"

Aiden didn't answer, straining his ears, squinting as though it would magically give him night vision. The darkness combined with the silence was almost maddening, and he was relieved for the hand currently holding his own in a death grip. Perhaps a bit more than he should be, when the hand belonged to a masked killer.

"I can't hear anything," he said, finally.

"I could have sworn..." Cassie inched closer, practically huddled against him, "I thought I heard footsteps."

Aiden was silent again, listening intently. But there was nothing but his own heart, a pounding drum in his chest.

"It must have been your imagination," he concluded, "I don't hear anything."

Cassie made a small noise, as though unsure. Aiden returned to the wall, but not without a wary glance over his shoulder, although he remained blind.

They continued inching along, when the tip of Aiden's sword connected with something other than freezing stone, the thunk of wood. They came to a stop. Heart leaping hopefully, Aiden tapped the wood with the tip of his sword, then did it again, a little harder- and the portrait popped off the wall.

Light immediately poured into the passageway, forcing Aiden's eyes shut from the sudden assault. Blinking as his eyes adjusted, he grinned a relieved grin. Behind him, Cassie laughed.

"Thank Notch!"

They stumbled out of the portrait hole, into what could only be the upstairs hall. To their left, out of sight from around the bend, was the birch door to the library.

"We're upstairs?" Aiden gaped, "How? We didn't even touch any slabs," he faltered, turning to look at Cassie, "Did we?"

"I don't-" Cassie cut herself off with a startled scream, a chicken appearing on her head in the flap of wings and a spray of feathers. Aiden screamed as well, jumping out of his skin and very nearly slicing Benedict in half with his sword.

With Cassie's beanie firmly clutched in her beak, Benedict fluttered down from the girls head, leaving her hair a tangled mess and her glasses dangling from one ear.

"Holy _crap_ -" Aiden gasped, hastily fixing Cassie's glasses, "Are you okay?"

"What- Did she just _steal my beanie-_ "

Then, with a joyful squeal, Reuben came bounding around the corner with Winslow clinging to his back for dear life, ears flat against his head. The little piggy ran circles around the two, who were so startled they could only gap, before dashing after Benedict.

"Winslow!" Cassie exclaimed, face immediately lighting up at the sight of her cat, "Oh, my little kitty!"

Aiden lunged at Benedict, grabbing for the beanie, only for the chicken to whip her head around and toss Cassie's beanie towards the rampaging pig with a cat on his back. Reuben leapt into the air, causing Winslow to meow in what sounded almost like a screech, and caught the beanie in his mouth, darting down the hall.

Benedict flapped widely, smacking Aiden in the face and causing him to automatically release her. She ran after Reuben and Winslow, Aiden spitting feathers as he scrambled back to his feet.

"Hey!" he called, "Get back here!"

"Winslow!" shouted Cassie, as Aiden darted after them, "Here, kitty, kitty! Come to Master!"

Aiden lunged at Reuben, yelping when he bounded out of the way with another joyful squeal. He grunted, landing on his shoulder and rolling, hitting a partly open door and causing it to bang against the wall.

Groaning, Aiden pushed himself up, rubbing a sore spot on his head that he'd hit on the floor. Cassie ran forwards, almost tripping over Benedict, and knelt next to him.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Aiden said, ignoring the way his chest was fluttering like a pair of butterfly wings, "Let's just get your-"

Cassie's beanie landed directly in front of them. They blinked at it, startled, and looked up just in time for the closet door to slam closed.

A silence came upon them. Then, at the same time, they sprung to their feet and banged into each other. Cassie struggled passed him and slammed into the door, hand going to the handle in the dim lighting- she twisted it, desperately, and the lock jingled.

Cassie swore, banging her hands on the door. Aiden came up behind her, pushing on the door, but it didn't budge.

"Hey!" he shouted, "Hey, let us out! Let us out!"

They received no answer. The hall outside remained silent.

Once more, Cassie breathed a swear word. It was hard to tell in the dim lighting, but her fists, curled against the wood of the door, almost seemed to be trembling.

Aiden took a step back, pressing his fingers to his forehead. He looked down, blinking upon realising he was standing on Cassie's beanie.

Bending down, he scooped it up, dusting it off. Hesitantly, he held it out to her, "Here's your beanie."

Cassie glanced over at him, face looking rather pale. Swallowing, she nodded in thanks and took it back, pulling it over her red hair.

For what must have been the hundredth time that afternoon, a silence came upon them. Aiden bit his lip, looking around at the cramped closet. Weakly, he kicked the door, as though hoping it would burst open upon contact. Of course, it remained shut.

"Great," Cassie laughed a dry, humourless laugh, "From one cell to another. Trap, trap, _trapped_."

Her breathing was becoming rather harsh. It sounded as though the air had been forced from her lungs and she was struggling to catch her breath. Aiden sent her a concerned look he wasn't sure she caught.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, why do _you_ care?" Cassie snapped, causing Aiden to take a step back in surprise, back pressing against the wall, "I'm a goddamn murderer, remember?"

"Yeah, well, so am I," Aiden snapped back. Cassie looked up with a frown, chest heaving. Aiden bit his lip, mouth drying, and took a deep breath.

"So am I," he repeated, slower, "I set monsters on innocent people who didn't even know what they _were_. You honestly think they all made it out alive?"

Cassie stared at him for a long moment, before giving another huff of a humourless laugh, "That's different."

"How so?"

"You didn't _know_ them," she said, "They weren't your _friends_. You didn't even kill them _directly_ , you just sat on a throne and listen to them _scream!_ "

"I kicked Lukas over the edge!" Aiden screamed at her, causing her eyes to widen in surprise, "I kicked Jesse, the Founder and one of my oldest friends over the edge fully expecting them to _die!"_ his fist connected with the door, causing it to shudder in its frame and his knuckles to crack. His ragged breathing was loud in his ears, the prick of tears behind his eyes.

A moment passed. Aiden dropped his throbbing hand back to his side, staring at the floor, glowering. It took him a moment to realise Cassie's breathing was increasing, and he turned to see her with her head in trembling hands, hunched in on herself.

"Cassie?" he said, eyes widening, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Cassie shook her head, shoulders trembling. She slid to the floor, curling into a ball, gasping, "I-I can- ca- can't _breathe_."

"What?" Aiden knelt in from of her, hands aloft as though to touch her, but he hesitated, "What is it?"

Instead of answering, Cassie buried her face in her knees, hands over her ears, as though she was being blasted by a sudden burst of skull shattering noise. Panic was beginning to rise in Aiden's chest, heads held in front of him, but unsure what to do with them.

Abruptly, there was a knock on the door, a familiar voice coming through, "Hello? Is someone in there?"

"Jesse!" Aiden exclaimed, shooting to his feet and pressing himself against the door, "Is that you?"

"Aiden? Why are you in the closet?"

Behind him, Cassie gave another shuddering gasp, trembling all over. Aiden tangled a hand in his hair.

"We- We got locked in. I... I think Cassie's having a panic attack or something."

" _Cassie?_ " Jesse repeated, "What is _she_ doing in there?!"

"Kind of a long story, just get us out!" Aiden said, "The animals shut us in!"

"The... the animals? You mean Reuben and Benedict? And Winslow? What do you mean they shut you in? _How_ did they shut you in?"

"I don't know!" Aiden exclaimed, starting to get frustrated.

"Okay, okay!" said Jesse, "I'll, uh, I'll try to find the key or something."

"Hurry!"

He heard footsteps running in the opposite direction. With that, Jesse was gone.

"Okay," Aiden muttered, more to himself than Cassie, "Okay, okay, okay."

He knelt in front of Cassie, wondering what to do, how to calm her down. He'd never had a panic attack- or anxiety attack or whatever it was she was having (he remembered Maya telling him once that they were actually very different things)- himself before, nor has he ever been in the presence of someone having one.

He briefly considered hugging her, but decided against it. That would only cause her to panic more.

"Hey, uh, Cassie? Cass?" he said, bowing his head slightly in an attempt to make eye contact, "It's, uh, it's okay, alright? We'll get out of here soon, Jesse's going to get the door open."

"Then what?" Cassie asked, sounding as though she'd just ran about thirty miles, "Throw me into another confined space for our rest of our stay at the mansion deluxe?"

"I won't let them," Aiden assured, "Especially when you're this claustrophobic," he faltered, "That... _is_ what's wrong, right?"

Cassie gave another humourless, out of breath laugh, neither confirming nor denying his suspicions. Aiden glanced to the side, in the direction of the door, wondering how long Jesse was going to be.

"I'm here," he said, "I'm right here, Cass."

Slowly, he took her hand in his, causing her to stiffen. He guided it to him, splaying it over his chest, forcing himself to take deep, steadying breaths.

"Breathe with me, alright?" he said, like he'd seen Lukas do with Jesse what felt like a century ago, "Deep breaths, Cass."

Cassie took in a deep, shuddering breath, letting it out slowly like Aiden was. His hand tightened around hers, but not too much.

"Breathe with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand there we go. Hope I did alright on the anxiety attack, that was my first time writing one. It wasn't from Cassie's perspective either, and I'm not sure if that helped me write it or not...
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed! They'll be continuing the episode next chapter.


	54. Freedom's Calling

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Fifty-Four: Freedom's Calling**

* * *

It felt like forever before the closet door opened to Jesse's wide eyed gaze, but in reality, it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes, half an hour at the most. The boy didn't question him as he helped a trembling Cassie out into the hall, to which Aiden was grateful.

"Do you want me to get Ivor?" Jesse asked, quietly enough so that only Aiden could hear, "He can give her a calming potion."

Silently, Aiden nodded. A calming potion sounded like just the thing Cassie needed.

Jesse nodded back, before he vanished around the corner in search of the potionologist. Aiden helped Cassie down the corridor, in the opposite direction Jesse had gone, towards the library.

He wasn't sure why, but the room had become a sort of safe haven for him, despite his poor reading abilities. The library was almost always quiet, and while many of the bookworms spent every break they had in there, Aiden had claimed a small secluded corner as his own. He was left alone in the library.

It was in this very same secluded corner, in a double seat beneath an arc of bookshelves against the far wall, that he sat Cassie. The girl swallowed, face a pasty pale, and pulled her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Silently, Aiden sat next to her, being careful not to touch her even though all he wanted to do was pull her against his chest in a hug.

Jesse came back a few minutes later with Ivor in tow. The potionologist took one look at Cassie and dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out a sky blue potion and shoving it into her trembling hands, "Drink."

Cassie hesitated for only a moment, before she downed the potion. Wiping her mouth, she handed the bottle back to Ivor and curled into a ball, resting her chin on her knees. The trembling began to lessen.

The door opened, and Aiden's head snapped towards it. He blinked, frowning at the ginger architect that had appeared in its frame. Soren glanced at him, Jesse and Ivor, before promptly ignoring them and making his way up to Cassie, who seemed to be beginning to calm some. The architect's expression made Aiden blink in surprise; he looked worried.

"Are you alright?" Soren asked, voice surprisingly soft. Cassie looked up at him, nodding slowly.

"Y-Yeah," she cleared her throat, "I'm good."

Soren shifted, as though he were about to put his hand on her shoulder, but seemed to decide against it. Awkwardly, he dropped his hand back to his side, hesitated, then turned to Aiden.

"What happened?"

"We got locked in the closet," he explained, trying to hide his surprise at the man's concern for someone he'd just met (he almost snorted; he was one to talk), "She, uh, panicked."

"Claustrophobia," said Jesse in realisation. It wasn't really a question, but Aiden nodded anyway.

Ivor looked from Jesse to Soren to Cassie to Aiden, then snorted, turned on his heel and marched out of the library, muttering something Aiden didn't catch. Jesse blinked after him, lip between his teeth.

"You sure you're okay, Cassie?" he asked, after a moment. Cassie looked almost as though he'd just given her an electric shock, eyes wide behind her glasses. When she didn't say anything, Jesse shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting to where Ivor had vanished through the door.

"I'll, uh..." he cleared his throat, "I'll be going, then."

He hesitated, looking from Aiden to Cassie, before turning around and following after Ivor. They watched him leave, the door closing softly behind him.

An almost awkward silence came upon them. Cassie and Soren were looking anywhere but at each other, Aiden's eyes snapping between them.

"Okay," he muttered, after a moment, "Do you two... know each other?"

"No."

"Yes."

Cassie and Soren blinked at each other, startled, before they turned back to Aiden.

"Yes."

"No."

Aiden's frown deepened, "Uh... alright."

A faint tint of pink covered Cassie's cheeks. She turned her head away.

"I'll, uh," Soren cleared his throat, "I- I do believe Gabriel had, uh, had asked for my assistance," he glanced away, "So..."

"It's fine," Cassie said, a little too quickly. Something odd flashed across Soren's face.

The architect was silent for a moment. Then he sighed, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder and giving it an almost comforting squeeze. He pulled away not a moment later and vanished through the doorway.

"What was that about?" asked Aiden. Cassie shook her head.

"Not important."

He raised an eyebrow at her, not buying it. She wouldn't look at him. Aiden sighed.

"Alright."

* * *

In all honesty, Jesse wasn't surprised when Aiden argued at the suggestion of Cassie being kept in her makeshift cell while they continued with the episodes. The boy fought tooth and nail, and was somehow able to convince them to let her stay, as long as she was kept away from any potential weapons and kept under a watchful eye.

Jesse himself didn't trust Cassie, but he didn't _hate_ her, per say. Lizzie, Sparklez, Stacy, Dan and Stampy had, understandably, been rather upset when they agreed to let Cassie stay. Lizzie and Stacy had stormed away, while Dan and Stampy attempted to console a terribly pale Sparklez.

He spotted Aiden saying something to Maya and Gill. The two seemed reluctant, but nodded, Maya saying something back. Aiden left them on the couch, dragging what had been Milo's armchair over to Cassie's, where he sat next to her. She sent him a shaky smile, but it was quick to fall from her lips as she turned away. Aiden sent her a concerned glance, but said nothing of it. Winslow curled up in his owner's lap, purring loudly as she tangled her fingers in his fur.

Jesse joined his friends on the floor, ignoring how they were sending the redhead weary looks, while Petra was outright glaring. Axel was sitting to the far left, acting as a human barrier between Cassie and his friends. Behind him, Magnus snatched up the remote and jabbed it at the screen.

It came back on to show Stacy standing next to a seated, purple-haired Dan, as behind them Jesse, Petra and Stampy exited the secret passage. They turned to face them, Stampy glancing at Jesse, _"I'll go round everyone up."_

With that, he ran ahead and vanished down the stairs. Stacy and Dan watched him go with raised eyebrows.

 _"What's going on?"_ asked Stacy.

 _"Yeah,"_ said Dan, as they moved to stand in front of the two, _"You were gone an awful long time. What's going on here?"_

The real Stacy scowled, crossing her arms and sending Cassie a not all that concealed glare. Dan curled his fingers around Stampy's, giving it a comforting squeeze. The other boy squeezed back.

 _"Did you even find anything?"_ Stacy questioned.

 _"We found the White Pumpkin's lair,"_ Jesse explained, hands going to his hips. Behind him, Petra crossed her arms. _"Right beneath us."_

 _"What?"_ Stacy gasped, sharing a startled look with Dan, _"Really?"_

"Yup," muttered Petra.

 _"Yeah,"_ their heads snapped towards the stairs so fast their hair whipped, Cassie appearing with an almost _blank_ look on her face, Winslow at her feet, _"Very interesting."_

The real Jesse squeaked when Axel's arm wrapped around him, having been too invested in the screen to anticipate it. He loved his friend, but he was seriously wondering if he should have sat on the other side of the blanket instead.

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes slipped over to the open secret passageway, a sore thumb against the wall. His eyes hardened as they returned to Cassie.

 _"No sign of Cassie,"_ Stampy said, abruptly reappearing, _"But-"_ he squeaked upon spotting the redhead directly in front of him, jumping back and almost tumbling down the stairs. Lukas and Ivor appeared behind him.

"I hope this goes down well," Ellegaard muttered, only loud enough for the original Order to hear, "Who knows what she's capable of outside her traps?"

Magnus gave a quiet snort, "She's probably useless at fighting. All brains and no brawn, know what I mean?"

"Don't be so quick to underestimate her," Ivor hissed, "You saw what she did to Reginald."

"Ivor makes a fair point," Gabriel hummed, "They may still be in tremendous danger."

Soren bit his lip, looking away. Ivor raised a small eyebrow in his direction.

Cassie had, almost accidentally, ended up in the middle of a small circle. Her face was still mostly blank, nothing but a small eyebrow raised as she regarded them. Jesse took a step forward.

 _"Are you going to tell them?"_ he asked, _"Or should I just do it?"_

Almost terrifyingly convincing, Cassie crossed her arms, shifting her weight to one foot, and gave Jesse a deadpan stare, _"I've got no idea what you're talking about."_

"We'll see about that," muttered Lukas, eyes narrowing on the screen. Jesse glanced at him from where he was squished against Axel's side.

 _"Jesse,"_ said Petra, voice hard and arms crossed, _"Go on."_

 _"Is this going,"_ Ivor said, the gears in his brain spinning as he stroked his beard, _"Where I think this is going?"_

"Probably," answered the real Ivor, earning an amused look from Gabriel.

 _"Well, Jesse?"_ prodded Cassie, ignoring the potionologist. Jesse shook his head.

 _"Go on, Cassie,"_ he said, _"Tell them."_

Stacy shared a look with Dan, frowning, _"Tell us what?"_

 _"It sounds like Jesse's trying to make you think that_ I'm _the White Pumpkin,"_ declared Cassie, as though the mere idea was preposterous. Although no one voiced it, the audience couldn't help but think of how terrifyingly good she was as this.

Maya glanced at Aiden, then Cassie. As though it had abruptly decided it wanted to be a rock, Maya's heart dropped to her stomach. She knew Aiden liked her, and had suspected- before it turned out she was the White Pumpkin- that Cassie had liked him back, but now...

She was just too good an actress. Maya couldn't tell when she was lying or telling the truth.

She just hoped Aiden didn't get hurt in the crossfire.

 _"That's impossible,"_ Dan declared, shaking his head and giving a small laugh, as though he were waiting for someone to jump out and say this was all a big joke, _"No way. Nooo way."_

The real Dan suddenly found himself unable to look at the screen. His heart was tight in his chest, his grip on Stampy's hand white-knuckled and possibly bruising, but he couldn't bring himself to loosen his grip. Stampy's own knuckles were starting to turn white as well, and, at the back of his mind, Dan registered his nails pricking his skin.

He couldn't bring himself to care.

 _"Yeah, Jesse,"_ said Cassie, arms still defensively crossed, _"I'm afraid you're going to have to do better than that. Look at the facts: we caught_ Lukas _with that pumpkin head,"_ the screen momentarily switched to Lukas and Ivor, the former wincing at the reminder and the latter shaking his head, almost glaring at the accused redhead, _"Right before poor Lizzie was taken out."_

Lizzie grimaced, face going a few shades whiter. Stacy sent her a worried glance, wondering if Dan still had that spare bucket on him in case the other girl threw up. She certainly looked like she was about to.

Onscreen, Cassie walked out from the semi-circle that had been formed around her, standing by the couches as Winslow jumped up onto a bush to be head-level with her, _"I think they're just lying to protect him."_

"This again?" scowled Petra.

 _"Cassie's making a lot of sense right now,"_ Dan said, Jesse doing that thing where one arm was crossed over his chest while his other tapped his bottom lip beside him, _"Do you have any evidence to back you up?"_

"At least _someone's_ keeping a level head," muttered Isa. Reginald nodded in agreement.

 _"There's something that's been bothering me for a while now,"_ Jesse admitted, starting to pace in a small circle, the others gathered around him, watching, _"Something that happened in the Great Hall shortly after TorqueDawg was hit with that trap."_

Olivia blinked, "Really? You never mentioned anything bothering you."

"When does he ever?" asked Lukas, just loud enough for Jesse to catch it. He wisely decided to ignore him.

 _"What's that?"_ asked Cassie.

 _"Go on, Jesse,"_ said Lukas, giving his friend a reassuring smile, _"You've got this."_

 _"Where is this going?"_ Stacy asked.

 _"Sh,"_ Ivor hushed her, _"Let Jesse finish."_

Magnus gave a small snort, keeping his voice low so only Ellegaard could hear, "He sounds like a teacher or something."

Ellegaard's lips twitched, "I think it's something a little more than that."

He shot her a questioning look, but the engineer simply shook her head, still smiling, and gestured to the screen.

Onscreen, Jesse came to a stop in front of Cassie, finally ceasing his walking in a circle, _"Cassie Rose was already in the room. No one else there. And TorqueDawg's picture was somehow_ crossed. out _."_

Stacy and Dan's eyes widened at the declaration. Their heads snapped to Cassie, who scrambled to reply, _"That- That doesn't prove anything!"_ she jabbed a finger at the blonde they'd decided to lock in a closet earlier, _"Lukas is still_ way _more guilty looking!"_

"A bit quick to reply there, wasn't she?" muttered Gabriel. Ivor nodded in agreement. Soren very carefully kept his eyes on the screen.

 _"Well,"_ said Jesse, starting to do his pace-in-a-circle thing again, _"What about what came next?"_

"Huh?" Maya blinked, "What came next?"

"The..." Petra cocked her head to the side, brow furrowed, "Interrogations?"

"Secret passageways?" Isa suggested.

 _"When we were down in the basement, we found some_ very _interesting items."_

"Oh, nevermind," said Isa.

 _"Items for the White Pumpkins evening..."_ Jesse paused in front of Cassie again, probably trying to think of the right word, _"Festivities."_

Hadrian snorted at the word choice. Otto shushed him.

 _"And there was one,"_ he was back to pacing, _"Very significant detail."_

"There was?" asked Milo. Then, blinking, "Oh, yeah, there was."

 _"What was this evidence?"_ asked Lukas, more to himself than Jesse.

 _"Sh,"_ Petra, this time, hushed him, _"I think Jesse's about to tell everyone."_

"Why is everyone sushing everyone?" whispered Axel, as though afraid someone would sush _him._ Jesse shrugged, lips twitching.

 _"The White Pumpkin had portraits all read to go, pre-X'd out,"_ Jesse explained, _"One for each of us..."_ he came to a stop, eyes hard, and pointed an accusing finger at the redhead, _"_ Except _for Cassie."_

Gasps erupted around the room. Ivor looked as though he'd just read a massive plot twist, _"Ooh, that's good."_ Petra, grinning and arms crossed, nodded in agreement.

 _"You're doing great, Jesse,"_ she whispered to him, _"Now go in for the kill,"_ she faltered, _"Metaphorically."_

Magnus snorted, "I like how you have to actually tell him not to kill her."

It wasn't intended to be vicious, but the words made Cassie flinch anyway. Aiden gnawed nervously on his lip. It was Jesse. The most merciful guy he's ever met.

He wouldn't kill her. Punish, yes, but not kill.

Right?

 _"But it was the last piece of evidence, dear friends"_ Jesse continued, after giving Petra a small nod as he continued his circle, _"That helped me_ really _figure out who we were dealing with here."_

"Oh?" hummed Otto, intrigued. He considered, briefly, if he should add something like a murder mystery to the games, but, glancing at Soren, Lizzie and Sparklez, decided against it.

 _"Cats,"_ declared Jesse, as Winslow cleaned himself off to the side, _"Dozens of calico cats. And they all look just..."_ hard eyes met Cassie's green- almost strangely red- ones, _"Like,"_ he came to a stop in front of her, _"Winslow."_

A heavy silence came upon the room, as tense as the strings of a guitar. It was as though they were underwater, no one daring to breathe. Suffocating, to the extent of dizziness, hearts tight in their chests and backs so straight you'd think metal rods had replaced their spines.

No one breathed.

Glancing at Winslow, onscreen Cassie inched to the side so that she blocked him from view, face as passive as always, an almost blank mask that could have been mistaken for calmness, _"An amusing story, Jesse. But if you saw all these supposed cats just like mine... then what colour_ is _Winslow?"_

Simultaneously, as though they were one, the audiences heads turned to the calico cat nestled in Cassie's lap. He didn't seem to notice their stares, chest rising steadily with each breath, curled into a loose ball with his owner's fingers buried in his mismatched fur.

Jesse shared a look with his friends. It was a bit of a desperate move on Cassie's part, her whole murderer secret resting on Jesse remembering the colour of her cat. Surely even if Jesse _doesn't_ give them the right answer, they'd just be able to take them down in the lair to show them.

But that would waste a lot of time, and who knows if they'd even be willing to go with them? Cassie would probably find a way to place the blame on Lukas again, or even Jesse himself, or _all four_ of them.

No. They had to convince them.

 _"Shouldn't be a problem if you saw a_ hundred _."_

 _"Cats?"_ said Lukas, slowly, looking as though he couldn't believe this was where their current topic of conversation was going, _"Really?"_

 _"Sh!"_ Ivor hissed. Lukas defensively held up his hands, almost flinching away in surprise.

Honestly, Magnus was snorting a _lot_ during these things. Ellegaard shushing him in an almost exact replica of Ivor's onscreen shushing almost made him burst out laughing.

Onscreen, Jesse crossed his arms, _"Winslow is black, white and orange."_

Eyes, having at some point drifted back to the screen, once more snapped towards the cat in Cassie's lap. Axel couldn't keep the grin off his face when he realised Jesse was right. Soren swallowed bile and closed his eyes.

Cassie stepped away, revealing her cat as he licked at his white paw with an equally white mouth, the left side of his face orange, while the right side black. Stacy and Dan looked at each other, eyes wide.

Then Dan's eyes narrowed, jaw clenching as he crossed his arms to send his once-friend a hateful glare. Stacy stepped forwards, face desperate, begging, voice almost cracking, _"Cassie... is this all true?"_

The real Stacy closed her eyes, because _yes. Yes, it is._ And she was just too stupid to _see it._

 _"This whole thing,"_ said Jesse, stepping up so that he was almost right in Cassie's face, who's blank mask was starting to crumble, _"Has been about your crazy scheme to get a portal key, hasn't it? Killing_ whoever _gets in your way!"_

His voice was creeping on the verges of a shout by the end. He was glaring, a heated glare that was hardly ever on his face, the one that he only reserved for those that truly deserved it.

Lukas bit the inside of his cheek. He's been seeing that glare in these episodes far more than he liked.

Everyone was glaring at Cassie now. Dan, Stacy and Stampy looked as though someone had stabbed them just short of the heart and left them to bleed to death. Ivor, Lukas and Petra looked victorious, almost smug.

Jesse didn't smirk. He didn't tilt his head to the side and tell her she was a monster. He didn't draw his sword and run her through like an annoying zombie that had come too close to the gate.

His face was hard, his glare heated, and yet void of hatred.

Aiden shook his head. Only Jesse would ever be able to pull something like that off.

Onscreen, Cassie's eyes darted to the side, before darting back to meet Jesse's. She looked panicked, scared, like a trapped ocelot about to run. Then the expression melted from her face like snow next to glowstone, her muscles relaxing, that _blank, blank, blank_ sheet of paper that covered her face _(or was that just her face?)_ back in place.

Panicked red dulled to blank green, never looking away from the heated glare that turned to surprised, wide eyed green. Cassie raised her hands, slowly, and began to clap. A slow mantra that was so loud it hurt their ears, goosebumps prickling upon skin.

Abruptly, Soren realised he couldn't breathe.

 _"How very clever, Jesse,"_ said Cassie, voice as dead as her dead _, dead_ eyes. Faces were paling, both onscreen and offscreen, a chill settling in the room despite the sun's ever beaming gaze from the window.

 _"Well, I guess that's it, then,"_ Cassie said, as though commenting on the weather, turning around so that her back was to them, _"You caught me. I_ am _the murderer."_

Lightning flashed and thunder cackled, casting Cassie's blank face in shadows. She shifted her weight to one foot, crossing her arms, back still to the people who had up until this point considered her their friends.

 _"I just don't believe this,"_ Stacy muttered.

 _"I know,"_ Stampy said in a hushed voice, as though they were kids talking in class when they weren't supposed to- or maybe because he was afraid Ivor would shush him, _"I was shocked too."_

 _"I'm relieved,"_ Lukas admitted, _"But... also surprised."_

 _"Always the quiet ones,"_ Ivor muttered.

Magnus glanced at him, registering at the back of his mind that he was holding Ellegaard in a death grip. Although that wasn't to say she was holding on to him just as tightly.

"So," he chuckled; it sounded forced, even to his own ears, "Does that mean you're a murderer too."

Ellegaard dug her elbow into his ribs.

 _"But what did any of us ever do to you?"_ Jesse asked. Cassie turned around, face still terrifyingly blank, and shrugged, as though he'd just asked her if she thought it was going to rain today.

 _"Directly? Nothing,"_ she said, _"But you idiots had the one thing I most desperately needed,"_ she moved so that she was in Jesse's face, so close their noses were almost brushing. She was taller than him by at least three inches, and Jesse's back straightened almost unconsciously.

"Axel," Jesse muttered, as his friend's grip on him, once more, became rather painful and, well, _breathtaking_ wasn't exactly the _wrong_ word. However, Axel seemed to have gone temporarily deaf.

Then, all at once, the blank sheet of paper was gone. Cassie's face twisted, eyes flashing red, and was abruptly out of Jesse's personal space entirely, _"I've been stuck in this stupid world, with its_ stupid _two moons,"_ she spat the word as though it were a swear, briefly getting in Stampy's face, who flinched away before she marched away, _"For_ years! _Trapped. With a portal_ right under my nose _but no key to open it."_

She passed Stacy and Dan, meeting their glares head on, before returning to her previous position. She'd circled Jesse, as discreet as it was, and no matter how unintentional it seemed, Petra couldn't help clenching her jaw.

 _"That is,"_ Cassie continued, _"Until I finally heard that this worlds portal key had been found,"_ she turned, facing them again, the anger gone and replaced, once more, by the blasted, blank sheet of paper, _"I knew it was one of you. So I tried my best to earn your friendship. Figure out who had it."_

"You've been planning this."

It was said so quietly that, had the room not been so deathly silent, no one would have heard it. Cassie turned, slowly, to meet the gaze of a pale faced Capitan Sparklez. He looked sick, as though he were about to fall over at the weakest burst of wind. Something settled on Cassie's chest, something that weighed about a thousand pounds, but when she looked down there was nothing there.

"You've been planning this from the moment we met you," Sparklez said, taking a deep, shaky breath. His friends shot him looks of concern, and Stacy put a steadying hand on his shoulder. "From the moment you came to my party and- and shook my hand-"

He gasped, as though he couldn't breathe, eyes glistening. Cassie tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

 _"Cassie, how could you?"_ Dan asked, eyes wide with disbelief, _"We shared cookies together!"_ he looked at Jesse, as though the meer thought was gut-wrenching _(it was, when you think about it), "Cookies!"_

 _"You really think that's an excuse?"_ asked Jesse, hands moving to his hips as he and Cassie glared at each other, _"You're pathetic, Cassie. It doesn't excuse all the horrible things you've done."_

The real Cassie tore her eyes from the screen, blinking rapidly. She knew.

By god, she _knew._

 _"Spoken just like a person who has no_ idea _what it feels like to be stuck somewhere you don't belong!"_ Cassie snapped.

"They're trying to get home too, you know," whispered Aiden, the redhead stiffening next to him, "Jesse would've helped you."

"He's not the only one to pass through," Cassie whispered back. Aiden waited for her to elaborate. She didn't.

 _"We need to do something with you,_ Cassie Rose, _"_ said Stacy, saying her name almost mockingly, like it was an insult, or a lie itself. Maybe she was questioning everything- even her so-called 'friends' name.

She was a good enough liar, after all.

 _"I vote we build an obsidian prison and surround it with lava!"_ declared Stampy. The real Cassie's breath hitched in time with onscreen Winslow's sudden hiss.

 _"No, no, no, no,"_ Cassie chanted, trembling as she backed away from him, terror flashing across her blank sheet of paper, _"I won't let you do that- I can't-_ no!"

"Cassie," Soren whispered, heart clenching. Ivor glanced at him, but didn't say anything.

The murderer's head snapped towards Jesse, a look of pure _hatred_ crossing her face, _"This is all_ your _fault!"_ she screamed, _"You did this to me!"_

Jesse gasped involuntarily, a small intake of breath that was a lot louder than he was comfortable with. Reuben twisted in his arms to look at him, snorting with big, concerned eyes. Axel's arm tightened around him, smothering half his face in the other boy's side. His friends were sending him worried, wide eyed looks.

"Jess?" Axel murmured, bowing his head slightly so he was closer to his friends face, "You okay?"

He tried to answer, but his tongue wouldn't respond. Jesse snapped his mouth shut and nodded, throat tight. His friends shared a look.

Onscreen, the group of seven was slowly advancing on Cassie. Winslow hopped down from the chair and dashed out of sight with a meow as his owner backed away, face contorting in her rage. Cassie reached over her shoulder and drew her axe, enchanted diamond casting a faint blue glow on her fact, held in both hands and raised in front of her. Jesse drew his own sword in response, his own enchantment more of a blue-purple, where as Cassie's had a white tint.

 _"I'll fight all of you!"_ Cassie declared, almost hysterically, still backing away, _"Each and every one of you! I'll-"_ she gasped, as the rug beneath her fell away, arms flaying as she fell, although a firm hold remained on her axe. Not a moment later, sand fell from the ceiling, burying her.

Sparklez's face, impossibly, went a few shades paler, mouth popping open and eyes so wide they didn't look like they belonged on his head. Aiden gasped, on the edge of his seat, coming very close to leaping out of it. Soren froze, heart stopping and breath catching. Isa covered her mouth, hand tight around Milo's. Otto and Mevia's mouths were wide open, their eyes meeting. Hadrian leant forwards.

 _"Another trap!"_ yelled Stampy, already by the wall of sand, fingers digging into the grains, _"Come on, we need to dig her out!"_

Dan and Lukas were already doing the same, Ivor and Petra nowhere in sight. Stacy scowled, _"After everyone she's hurt?"_ she scoffed, turning away and crossing her arms, _"She can dig herself out."_

"Stacy!" gasped Stampy, "She'll- She'll _die!_ "

Stacy glared at the floor, "Maybe she should."

Cassie flinched so hard Winslow jumped, raising his head and meowing blearily. Aiden ground his teeth, not wanting to glare at Stacy and reluctantly settling with glaring at the screen.

Stampy's mouth opened and closed. Dan placed a hand on his shoulder. After a moment, the boy sighed and slumped against the purple-haired guy's side.

 _"She did terrible things,"_ Dan said, digging alongside Stampy, _"But no one deserves_ this _!"_

Jesse glanced at Stacy, before shaking his head and rushing over to the dwindling pile of sand. Gloved fingers clawed at the grains, digging, digging, digging, until Jesse suddenly came to a halt, eyes widening.

From the remaining sand rose an arrow, a lever- Stampy and Dan stopped too, the boy with the cat hoodie gasping as he jabbed a finger at the floor, _"Wait, look!"_

The diggers straightened, Petra and Ivor running over. An Ender Pearl, a pufferfish, a small pile of redstone dust- they hadn't finished digging.

"Oh my god," muttered Maya.

Aiden shook his head, tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. He reached over the small space between the two armchairs and pulled a stock-still Cassie into a bone-crushing hug, her blank face shifting into one of surprise. Perhaps she would have returned the hug, had her arms not been pinned to her sides, although she told herself otherwise. Winslow raised his head, annoyed.

Soren swallowed thickly, blinking rapidly. He ducked his head, ignoring Ivor's eyes drilling into the side of his head, and had to resist the urge to leap to his feet and pull his- the girl into a hug similar to the one Aiden was giving her.

She was dead. She was going to die.

_He could have done something._

_"I can't believe it,"_ murmured Stampy, _"She's gone."_

 _"What a way to go,"_ said Ivor, tilting his head to the side. Petra let out a long breath.

_"Yeah. Guess in all the chaos she... forgot where her own traps where. Wow."_

Hadrian had a slight frown on his brow. His eyes flickered from the screen to Cassie, still getting her bones crushed by Aiden. Odd. How very, very odd.

He couldn't see her axe.

 _"That's awful,"_ Lukas whispered.

Cassie's eyes darted over to the real Lukas, shock making them widen. Why was he... she'd tried to accuse him of murder. She'd locked him in a closet. She would have killed him without a second thought- was _planning_ to kill him from the moment she spotted him from the window.

What the hell was wrong with him?

 _"Poor Cassie,"_ Jesse sighed, _"She did some terrible things... but no one deserves to be trapped away from home like that."_

Aiden pulled away, looking almost as surprised as Cassie herself. The girl was gaping at the boy as though he'd grown two- no, _four_ heads. And maybe a few extra pairs of arms. And eyes.

Hadrian's eyes glinted almost curiously. Otto glanced over at him, dread spreading through his chest. Mevia was very carefully keeping her eyes on the screen.

Gabriel huffed a small laugh, nudging Ellegaard and gesturing with his head over to Ivor. The potionologist's lips were tilted upwards in an almost _fond_ smile, although it fell the moment he realised they were smiling at him- Magnus snickering, while Soren didn't even seem to notice their antics. Ivor glared.

 _"If only she'd just asked us for help,"_ Stampy sighed, eyes flashing with regret, _"We could have avoided this whole thing."_

Cassie's jaw clenched, eyes studying her trainers. She could feel Aiden's eyes boring into the side of her head, but she didn't look at him, nor Soren.

She's asked for help before.

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes were drawn to the large windows, the sky slowly turning a light purple as a pinkish-red lit the bottom. _"Hey,"_ he said, softly, _"It's morning."_

Olivia let out a long, relieved sigh, "Finally."

Jesse jumped up onto the table in front of the window, Lukas hopping up to stand beside him. The two boys watched as, down bellow, the sun lit the monsters on fire, bodies spasming as they groaned loud enough for them to hear. One by one, they puffed into dust.

"It's over," Dan whispered, slumping against Stampy in relief, "It's _over."_

"Yeah," Stampy muttered, burying his face into Dan's shoulder, "Looks like it is."

Jesse and Lukas got down from the table, Stampy looking around at the room's occupants- the only survivors, _"I guess... I guess that's it, then."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Stacy gave a small, relieved laugh, _"We're free."_

 _"And we're_ alive!" Ivor exclaimed, _"Let's not waste it standing around. There could be traps_ everywhere _in here!"_

Quite a lot of faces paled at the prospect. Axel's arm, which had slackened slightly with the coming of dawn, immediately tightened. Jesse grit his teeth, but didn't protest.

Nodding, the group began to filter out of the room, steps hurried. The screen panned down to the half dugout trap, the enchanted axe still out of sight.

With a small sigh, Olivia slumped against Jesse, as though all the energy had abruptly been sucked out of her. Petra scooted closer, moving so that she was behind the slightly shorter girl, and leaned against Axel's broad shoulder, pulling Lukas towards her and wrapping and arm around him. Jesse buried his face into Reuben's neck, closing his eyes and letting himself just _breathe._

It was over. His friends were alive.

Guilt gnawed at his chest, having been forgotten, which only caused it to increase.

If only he could say the same for a few others.

The top of the mansion appeared, the pink-tinted clouds drifting lazily overhead. The screen came down slowly to reveal the back of the mansion, burning zombies puffing out of existence, leaving behind only a stack of charred, rotten flesh.

The twin iron doors burst open, Jesse leading the way out onto the balcony. The sun, big and orange in the early morning, painted the sky in a hue of pink and purple, chasing away the darkness of the night.

 _"Ah,"_ Ivor sighed, _"I've never been so happy to smell rotting flesh."_

Bellow them, more zombies fell over and poofed.

Magnus chortled, "Well, that's not something I'd ever thought of."

 _"Yeah, that is,"_ Jesse grimaced, pinching his nose, _"Yikes, that is pretty rank."_

 _"I feel bad thinking about the people who aren't here to smell it,"_ Dan sighed, announcing his, Stacy and Stampy's presence, _"TorqueDawg, Sparklez, Lizzie... and Cassie, I guess."_

Another surprised look flashed across Cassie's eyes, gaze briefly darting over to Dan, who was very purposefully not looking at her. Sparklez and Lizzie were staring at their hands, sick at the reminder of their deaths.

 _"Aw,"_ Stampy sighed, _"That's a good point."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Dan winced, _"I didn't mean to depress anyone. I just can't stop thinking about them."_

 _"I tried my hardest,"_ Jesse muttered, although he didn't look as though he believed his own words, _"But there was nothing I could do."_

Axel, Lukas, Petra and Olivia nodded in agreement. Jesse bit his lip, foddling Reuben's ears and not looking at them.

_There was nothing I could do._

_Liar._

_"Oh, we all know that,_ _Jesse,"_ Stampy assured, _"It's not your fault."_

 _"Lucky for us that portal brought you here,"_ Dan hummed.

 _"Speaking of which,"_ Ivor butt in, coming up behind Jesse, _"I have no idea how to begin finding our exit portal."_

"Oh," Gill winced, "I'd forgotten about that."

 _"Well, Cassie said it was right under her nose, right?"_ asked Stampy, as Jesse moved away from the group to get a better look at the backyard.

 _"That's true,"_ he said, thoughtfully, _"Maybe it's nearby."_

He looked around, squinting, and his eyes were drawn to the very back, across a short bridge- a golden archway, lit by twin torches, _"Hey! Whaddya know, there it is!"_

Mevia eyes narrowed, "That's... weird. I think there's something wrong with it."

"Wrong?" echoed Petra, eyebrows shooting to her hairline, "What do you mean?"

Jesse and the others descended the long staircase to the ground, the gleaming gold of the archway in the distance. Ivor grinned widely.

_"A fabulous coincidence!"_

_"So,"_ said Stacy, she, Dan and Stampy turning to face them, _"I guess this is goodbye, huh?"_

 _"Yeah,"_ Lukas said, as he and the others turned to face them, _"Just let us know if you ever accidentally find yourselves in_ our _world."_

 _"That's real nice of you,"_ Dan smiled, _"But I don't think we can really portal_ hop _without a portal_ key. _"_

Stacy, Dan, Lizzie, Sparklez and Stampy glanced at each other. The boy in the cat hoodie winced, shrinking into Dan's side.

 _"Oh, well,"_ Jesse shrugged, crossing his arms and sending a small, pointed smile towards an abruptly nervous looking Stampy, _"I think Stampy's got you covered there."_

Dan frowned, confused, then his eyes widened in realisation, Stacy's eyes narrowed on the nervous boy beside her. Dan's head snapped towards Stampy, _"_ You _stole the portal key from me?!"_

The real Stampy flinched. Dan pressed a reassuring hand onto his shoulder, hugging him closer.

 _"It was just meant to be a prank,"_ Stampy ranted, pulling out the green glow of the enchanted flint and steel, _"A harmless prank, and I am so sorry, so very,_ very _sorry."_

Dan crossed his arms, glaring. Stacy sent him a small, raised eyebrow, _"Yeah, come on, it's_ Stampy. _You know he would never actually try to_ hurt _anyone._

 _"And so the drama continued,"_ Ivor muttered into Jesse's ear, scowling, _"Fascinating."_

Ellegaard rolled her eyes, "Hey, I know you like those drama novels I leant you."

"You did no such thing!" Ivor bristled. Ellegaard's lips twitched.

"Of course. I must have hallucinated the whole thing."

"Most probably."

 _"Hey, it's cool, guys,"_ Jesse said, _"You can share it! Make, like, your own Order of the Stone."_

The group blinked once, then again at each other. Dan tilted his head to the side, "Yeah, that... is actually a pretty nice idea."

"I guess," muttered Lizzie, scratching her neck, "We never actually considered _sharing_ the enchanted flint and steel."

Sparklez grinned, the first actual grin they'd seen in a long time, and many of his friends felt a pang of relief at the sight, "Yeah! We can be the- the Order of the YouTubers!"

Ivor blinked, "The Order of the _what?_ "

"That sounds so awesome!" Nell cheered. She faltered, "What's a YouTubers?"

Onscreen, Dan glanced at Stacy, then Stampy, a considering look crossing his face, _"Yeah, alright. I guess I could live with that."_

 _"Yes,"_ Stampy gushed, _"That's a wonderful idea!"_

Jesse, hands on his hips as he surveyed the new trio, grinned. There was a pause, the two groups standing almost awkwardly. After a moment, Stacy cleared her throat.

 _"Well, I'm not great at goodbyes,"_ she said, backing away, _"So I'm actually just going to start walking home,"_ she turned around, still looking at them over her shoulder and gave a small wave, smiling, _"Thanks for everything."_

Dan blinked after her, then turned back to the Order, _"Yeah, me too. Travel safe you guys."_

That said, he waved and began to followed Stacy. Stampy pocketed the flint and steel, grinned widely at them and waved, _"Byeeeee!"_ Spinning on his heels, he dashed after his friends, arms waving from side to side in his joy.

The real Dan hid a smile in Stampy's hood.

 _"What a strange, strange bunch of individuals,"_ Ivor commented, as Jesse, Lukas and Petra waved goodbye.

The new Order of the YouTubers looked at each other, before shrugging and deciding not to take it personally. In full honesty, they were too emotionally drained to care all that much at the moment.

The group turned and began to make their way to the golden archway, Ivor trailing after them. The run rose higher, as Dan, Stacy and Stampy left their line of sight.

"I take it that's it?" asked Lizzie, "None of us will be appearing again?"

"I don't know," Gabriel hummed, stroking his chin, "The Blaze Rods had only appeared in the very first episode, before you arrived, but they reappeared later on. Perhaps the same is for the rest of you."

"And us," Magnus pointed out, gesturing to Gabriel, Soren, Ellegaard _(he pushed away the thoughts saying that he shouldn't bother counting her)_ and himself, "We haven't been seen since they-" he pointed to the group on the floor, "-became the New Order."

 _"Cassie whats-her-name was talking about being trapped here,"_ Ivor said, as the group walked along the cobblestone path leading to the golden archway in the distance, _"From another world."_

Cassie scowled at the 'what's-her-name,' albeit half-heartedly.

_"What if she was one of the Old Builders?"_

The scowl fell from her face in an instant, a blink of surprise. She glanced over at Hadrian, Mevia, Otto, Soren, Isa and Harper, who had turned to look at her, before quickly returning her eyes to the screen.

 _"Portal keys, other worlds..."_ Petra shook her head, _"It all adds up, I guess."_

 _"I know!"_ Ivor grinned.

The real Ivor was looking at Cassie with a lot more interest now- a lot of people were, actually. But her face was a blank sheet of paper again, dead green eyes staring at the screen. Aiden bit his lip, wondering if anyone in the room would make a decent therapist.

 _"Man,"_ said Jesse, _"That's too bad, if it's true. Seeing as she turned out to be, y'know, the White Pumpkin and all."_

 _"Yes..."_ Ivor murmured, _"Hadn't thought about that."_

 _"I just can't believe that we finally met someone who_ might _be an Old Builder,"_ said Petra, as they approached the archway, _"And she's a pumpkin-wearing serial killer. Typical."_

 _"Well,"_ Ivor shrugged, gesturing to the archway, _"Here we are. Would you care to do the honours, Jesse?"_

"Old Builder or not," Axel said, speaking up for the first time in a while, "I'm just glad you guys aren't anywhere near her anymore. Or her Murder Mansion."

"Yeah," said Lukas, scratching his blond head, "I gotta agree with you there."

The group huddled in front of the archway, Jesse pulling out their own, blue flint and steel. He clicked the two pieces together and a column of blue flame sprang into life in the centre of the archway- only to vanish a second later.

All at once, the tension was back, like a blanket thrown over their heads. They shared weary looks.

"Uh... why didn't it light?" asked Milo, nervously. Harper shook her head slowly.

"That... is bad."

 _"Huh?"_ Jesse blinked, his smile falling away to a look of bewilderment. He turned to face his friends, who looked just as startled. _"That's weird..."_

A meow almost seemed to tear through the air, just as Winslow appeared at the top of the archway. Jesse's eyes widened, and he turned to gape at the cat, _"Winslow?"_

 _"That's strange,"_ Ivor muttered, _"I thought-"_

The ground bellow them began to tremble and fell away, Jesse's hands flaying- and the flint and steel flew out of his grip and into the air, the screen slowing down, as Jesse began to fall, eyes wide and mouth open.

Then, all at once, it sped up again, and they fell down and out of sight. The flint and steel spun in the air, before following after them.

Winslow tilted his head to the side, meowing as he stood from his sitting position. Then he leapt after them, vanishing down the trap, the golden blocks of the fake portal gleaming in the rise of the sun.

Then the screen went dark.

The silence was suffocating. Jesse's mouth was wide open, his eyes watching the flashing circle at the bottom corner of the screen. He realised, abruptly, that he wasn't breathing, and that his lungs were burning, and gasped for air like a dying man.

The gasp was louder than he'd anticipated, and it shattered the silence so thoroughly that Cassie flinched and Magnus nearly conked heads with Ellegaard. Axel was on his feet, although Jesse couldn't remember him retracting his arm, hands tangled in his black locks.

"What the _hell,_ " he ground through clenched teeth, "Did you _do?_ "

It was directed at Cassie, even though he was staring at the screen. The girl pushed her glasses further up her nose, staring at the floor. Axel's head snapped towards her, a furious look in his eyes.

_"What the hell did you do?!"_

She flinched again. Jesse was standing now, Reuben on a pillow at his feet (when had he got up?). He placed a hand on Axel's arm, eyes wide, "Axel, calm down-"

"Calm down? _Calm down? She just killed you!_ "

"You don't know that!" Jesse insisted, "We don't know anything about the traps outside, we thought they were all just inside, it- it could just be a passageway or-"

"I'm alive."

The words died on Jesse's lips. He turned to face Cassie, who was staring at them, eyes wide, mouth open ever so slightly. She looked almost surprised, with all eyes on her, as though she hadn't meant to speak.

"I..." she swallowed, mouth suddenly dry, "I'm alive."

An odd noise came from Soren, who slumped in his seat as though every muscle in his body had decided to melt. Gabriel, Magnus and Ellegaard shared a concerned look. Ivor cocked his head to the side, not looking away from Cassie.

"You're alive," he repeated, as though for clarification. Cassie, for some reason finding herself abruptly unable to speak, nodded.

Ivor stared at her for a long moment. Then, with a heavy sigh, he sat back in his chair and gestured to the screen.

"Let's hope we are too, then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you say when confronting Cassie? Let me know in the reviews!


	55. Above the Endermites

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Six: A Portal to Mystery**

**Part Fifty-Five: Above the Endermites**

* * *

The blackness didn't come away like they'd expected. Instead, screaming erupted from the speakers, and they caught the brief flash of eyes before there was a painful _thud!_

Olivia winced at the noise, burying her face into Jesse's arm, heart thundering in her chest. She wondered, as her stomach churned, if she was about to watch her friends die.

Groaning. Two pairs of eyes blinked into existence, followed by another, and then one more, closer to the screen. A voice that could only be Ivor's spoke, a little slow in his confusion.

_"What… happened?"_

_"I can't see a thing,"_ came Petra's voice. Then, almost as soon as she'd said that, the lights came back on. The four jumped, eyes automatically closing at the abrupt assault. They were standing in the middle of some sort of dirt bridge, surrounded by black walls of obsidian.

They looked up, as more lights flickered on, revealing multiple bridges- sandstone, quartz, terracotta- high above them. The top was nowhere in sight. They'd fallen a very long way, long enough to injure.

Lukas swallowed, trying to see if any of them looked hurt. With the lights out, it would have been impossible to see if they'd flashed red.

 _"Well,"_ said onscreen Lukas, _"That's… ominous."_

 _"Do you hear that?"_ asked Ivor, suddenly, voice hushed. Jesse inched towards the edge of their dirt bridge, not unlike the one they'd made to get to Sky City was seemed like a century ago. He looked down, down, and the lights below him burst into life, revealing thousands and thousands of tiny, hissing, wriggling monsters.

 _"Endermites!"_ Ivor exclaimed.

"Oh god," breathed Gill, hands moving to tangle in his hair, "Oh _god_."

"Er… what are those?" asked Milo, warily. Isa gnawed on her bottom lip, wincing as she remembered her own encounters with the tiny beasts.

"Nothing good," she said.

 _"And there it is, Jesse!"_ the group's heads snapped around, looking up to a ledge, where Cassie stood in a dark blue jumpsuit, _"You're trapped. Stuck!"_ she giggled then, a small giggle that got louder and louder and turned into a hysterical laugh.

"Ooooh, boy," muttered Magnus.

_"Just like how I've been stuck in another world."_

_"Oh, please,"_ said Jesse, sending her a careless smile, _"I've gotten out of_ way _worse than this, Cassie."_

Dan blinked, "Have you?"

"Well," said Maya, slowly, "There was the whole Witherstorm thing, running for your life, almost getting killed by Magnus the Rogue," she sent said rogue a look, who he grinned back sheepishly, "Surviving the Nether, the End, Soren's Grinder, his…" she made a face, "'Artificial Happy Land,' the Far Lands… uh, Aiden going crazy and making you guys criminals for, what, a day?"

"Uh, yeah," Jesse scratched his ear, "I think the Witherstorm was worse than Cassie's Murder Mansion."

"This is coming up as a close second, though," muttered Lukas. Olivia winced.

 _"Ha,"_ Cassie smiled, _"I admire your bravado. I don't know how much time you've spent with Endermites, but,"_ Jesse looked back down at the Endermites, scrambling over each other, hissing and spitting as they tried and failed to eat away at the bedrock, _"The poor things are eternally hungry."_

"Heh, yeah," Axel gave a painfully obvious forced grin, "I know how they feel."

Petra snorted.

 _"I would throw the flint and steel up here,"_ Cassie continued, the screen switching to Jesse as he shoved his hands into his inventory, a flash of panic crossing his eyes as he began to pat himself down, _"Before I drop you down to find out how sharp their teeth are."_

Axel's forced grin fell, face paling considerably. Olivia's bottom lip was between her teeth, gnawing at the flesh nervously.

 _"Uh, guys,"_ Jesse whispered, only loud enough for his friends to hear, _"I dropped the flint and steel when we fell. I have no idea where it went."_

"This is bad," declared Lukas, white as snow, "This is very, very, _very, very_ bad."

"She won't actually drop them down, right?" asked Nell, a nervous smile on her lips, "I mean, Jesse'll get 'em out of this," her smile faltered, wide eyes meeting the real Jesse's, "Uh, right, bra?"

"I'll think of something," Jesse assured, because he _always_ did, he _always_ found a way out or a third option or- or something. Maybe he'll be able to convince Cassie to come with them, to go through the portal together. Or maybe there's some kind of puzzle he'll solve, or they'll have blocks on them and be able to build their way out.

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, biting so hard it actually hurt a bit, "I'll think of something," he repeated. Because he had to. He didn't care about himself- he can get torn limb from limb by millions of vicious, tiny teeth for all he cared- but he'd never forgive himself if his friends met the same fate.

 _"Tick tock, tick tock, Jesse,"_ Cassie called down, impatient, _"What's it gonna be? The flint and steel or your_ lives _?"_

"Uh… lives?" Stampy squeaked, weakly.

"Axel," Jesse gasped, "I can't _breathe_."

His larger friend jumped, forcing himself to loosen his grip immediately and sending the shorter boy an apologetic look, "Sorry, dude. Again."

 _"Give me the flint and steel,"_ said Cassie, _"And I'll let you go free."_

Harper raised a sceptical eyebrow, "Really?"

Ivor leant closer to Lukas, covering his mouth to whisper, _"I don't believe her."_ Petra shot him a glare.

Magnus snorted. This time, it was Gabriel that shushed him.

 _"And just because_ I _hate this place doesn't mean it's so bad,"_ Cassie continued, having either not heard or was ignoring him, _"I'm sure you're_ way _dumber than I am. You'll probably acclimate and learn to love it."_

"He's not dumb," Petra hissed, surprising Jesse. She shot Cassie a venomous look, causing the girl to swallow and quickly look away.

 _"Hey, I'm sure we can make a deal, huh?"_ Jesse tried, _"How about we share?"_

Aiden shook his head. He was starting to admire Jesse more and more.

He almost snorted out loud. If only his past self could hear him.

 _"Share?_ Share? _"_ Cassie repeated, face twisting into a look of rage, eyes flashing red, _"What, you wanna walk through some portal happily holding hands and stab me in the back later?"_

"No!" Jesse exclaimed, eyes widening, "I- I'd never do that!"

Cassie looked unconvinced, but didn't say anything. Hadrian was frowning, that odd glint back in his eyes. He almost looked astonished.

 _"Nope,"_ said Cassie, voice taking on a bored tone, _"This is taking too long,"_ she pulled out a white mask, holding it high and regarding it almost lovingly, _"I'll just let the Endermites eat you and fish it out of your inventory."_

"Don't!" shouted Maya, as though they could hear her, "They don't have it!"

Cassie took the mask in both hands, holding it above her and slid it down over her head. Yellow irises appeared in the black holes of the eyes, the deep, metallic voice of the White Pumpkin replacing Cassie's entirely, _"It'll be the best fishing trip ever!"_

Gasps erupted, both onsceen and off. Magnus and Ellegaard clutched each other, Nell yelped and leaped into Em's arms, Stampy squeak and scrambled into Dan's lap, Sparklez's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went limp in a dead faint, Milo jumped and almost toppled off the couch, Soren clung to Gabriel, looking as though he were about to vomit, and Axel had somehow ended up with all four of his friends half on and half off his lap.

The White Pumpkin turned away from the ledge, making his way towards a bench where a single lever was seated, Winslow licking his palm beside it. _"Winslow, my pet,"_ she said in her deep, demonic voice, _"Activate the trap!"_

There was a pause. Winslow glanced at her, before returning back to his paw, uninterested. The White Pu _mpkin grumbled, pressing a palm to her mask, "Want something done right you hafta…"_

Trailing off, she marched to the lever, before turning to glare down at the trapped group bellow, _"Prepare for your_ death _!"_

"No!" said Clutch, frantically shaking her head, "No, don't do that!"

With a mechanical laugh, Cassie turned and shoved the lever. The bridge trembled, then began to split away from the middle, Jesse on one end and his friends on the other, _"Guys!"_

"Again?!" shouted Lukas, right in Jesse's ear. The boy winced.

 _"Jesse!"_ Ivor shouted back, coming dangerously close to toppling over the edge from the constant rigged movements as the bridge (or would it be bridges now?) retracted.

 _"Come on, Winslow,"_ said the White Pumpkin, starting to walk away. Winslow meowed, before following after her.

"I can't watch," Olivia whimpered, covering her eyes.

Ivor and Petra dashed to the iron doors at the end of their bridge, banging their fists against it in a desperate attempt to get it open, Lukas' head snapping left and right as he tried to find another escape route.

Breaths coming out in ragged gasps, Jesse ran to his own doors, tugging the frozen handles and banging a fist against the iron, probably bruising his hand despite his gauntlets, _"Stupid. Door!"_

"Dear lord," Gabriel sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head back, unable to watch any longer. Call him a coward _(he was)_ , but he couldn't bring himself to watch. Not if they ran out of time. Not if they fell. Not if it showed them puffing into dust. Not Petra, not Ivor or Jesse or even Lukas. Not them.

 _"It's no use!"_ Ivor yelled across the ever growing gap between them and Jesse; Lukas had pulled out a stick and was whacking it against the doors behind him, _"Without a lever or button, we'll never get these iron doors open!"_

Jesse looked up at the ledge Cassie had vanished from, eyes sparking, _"Hold on, guys,"_ he reached into his pocket, _"I'm gonna get up to the control panel!"_ And pulled out an Ender Pearl.

Nell whooped, loud and sudden, right in Em's ear. The burly girl jumped and, be it in surprise or annoyance, shoved her off her lap and onto the floor.

Eyes narrowing in concentration, struggling to take aim with the constant shift of the ever-retracting dirt bridge, Jesse pulled his arm back- and tossed the Ender Pearl at the ledge. It went soaring, spinning in a wide arc, and then bounced off the edge with an almost delicate _cling!_

Then the pearl vanished, and Jesse appeared in its place in a burst of purple and magenta sparks. Gravity took hold a second later, pulling him down to the starving Endermites directly beneath him; Jesse's arm shot out; latched onto the edge, fingers straining, shoulder almost dislocating, and dangled above a drop that would lead to certain death.

Reuben squealed loudly, almost hysterically, at the sight of his onscreen owner. Petra shouted a curse word, her arm painfully tight around Jesse's arm. Olivia's eyes were squeezed stubbornly shut, holding her breath. Axel's arms- yeah, both this time- were so tight around Jesse that he was having trouble drawing breath. Lukas had his hands over his mouth.

Onscreen, Jesse gasped, looking down and regretting it immediately, _"That is…_ disorientating _."_

Cassie's lips twitched, "You get used to it."

With trembling arms, Jesse hauled himself over the edge, grunting. Letting out a breath as he left the danger of falling into a hoard of Endermites behind, he turned determined eyes towards the single lever on the bench.

Now that he was out of immediate danger, a series of sighs repeated around the room. Axel's arms went a little slack, but his hold remained tight. Reuben whined into Jesse's chest, and the boy stroked his head in what he hoped was a soothing gesture.

Jesse ran to the lever, pulling it and straightening on his tippie toes a little to see his friends. The retraction of the bridges had increased.

 _"Uhh, it just started going faster!"_ yelled Lukas.

Jesse couldn't breathe. When had he stopped breathing? He almost didn't register Magnus' loud curse, which Ellegaard surprisingly didn't scold him for.

Onscreen, Jesse sent the lever a glare, as though this was all its fault, _"She booby-trapped her_ booby-traps _? That is so,"_ he drew his sword, _"_ Paranoid _."_

With a single swipe, the lever popped off the bench and flew into Jesse's hand. He began to run to the edge, but skidded to a stop when the White Pumpkin spoke seemingly from nowhere.

_"What? Thought you could do it, just like that?"_

Stampy squeaked, clinging to Dan with trembling fingers.

Jesse's eyes snapped left and right, sword raised. Then his eyes darted upwards, just in time to see Cassie leaping from one of the higher bridges, axe raised, _"Trying to get 'leverage'?"_

Gill blinked, mouth open, "Was… was that a _pun_?"

Jesse blocked her blow just in time, stumbling backwards from the force- _"Gimme the key, Jesse!"_ \- and Cassie swung again, axe spinning with her body. Jesse leant backwards, the axe scraping the tip of his nose and leaving behind a small bead of blood.

Unconsciously, the real Jesse raised his hand to his nose. He couldn't breathe. _He couldn't breathe._

Before she could swing again, Jesse locked his sword with Cassie's axe and _shoved_ , sending her flying over the edge. An Ender Pearl appeared in her hand, then vanished, and she was gone in a blast of purple sparks. Her axe fell towards the Endermites.

Not looking to see where she'd went, Jesse dashed towards the edge- _"Guys?"_ \- only to see there was no one there, the bridges gone apart from a small floating island in the very centre, and panic seeped into Jesse's voice, _"No!"_

_"Hey, Jesse!"_

His head snapped to the side, the iron doors directly below him, to see Petra, Lukas and Ivor standing on a terrifyingly small ledge, the potionologist dangling over the edge.

Jesse gasped in a breath of air, relief washing over him like a blanket. _They were alive, they were alive, they were alive._

 _"Guys!"_ Jesse gasped, relief clear on his face as he knelt on the edge of the platform, his grip white-knuckled around the lever, _"You're all alive, thank goodness!"_

 _"Yeah,"_ said Petra, a tad breathless from her near-death experience, _"For now."_

 _"Don't worry, I found a lever!"_ Jesse declared, waving said lever. Lukas smiled up at him.

_"Throw it down!"_

_"Okay, get ready,"_ said Jesse, standing up. He hovered for a moment, before tossing the lever over the edge- the audience held their breath- and right into Petra's arms.

_"Got it!"_

_"Okay, you guys get to safety,"_ Jesse said, glancing over his shoulder most probably in search of Cassie or any sign of the flint and steel, _"I need to find that flint and steel."_

"Great," mumbled Lukas, "He's alone again."

Before they could give him an answer, Jesse was off, running up the stairs onto another dirt bridge- and he skidded to a stop, the White Pumpkin glaring at him from the other side.

 _"You're not a fast learner, are you?"_ she asked.

"Get out of there!" shouted Olivia, tugging her green beanie further down her head, twisting the fabric in her hands.

Then the White Pumpkin was running at him, the screen briefly slowing down, and in either a moment of desperation or outright stupidity, Jesse leapt from the bridge, soaring high over certain death by tiny teeth, and landed on a column of dirt.

Axel let out a sudden breath, pressing his large palm to his forehead, "Oh god, please don't do that again."

Jesse turned just in time to see an Ender Pearl clang against a different stack of dirt, right across from him, Cassie appearing in its place not a moment later. She straightened, the last of the purple sparks blinking out of existence, _"I grow tired of this game, Jesse."_

Nell, still on the floor and currently clinging to Em's leg, swallowed.

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes caught a glow of blue, and he turned to the bridge- to see the flint and steel sitting in its centre, Cassie's yellow eyes widening as she followed his gaze.

"There it is!" exclaimed Milo, jabbing a finger at the screen.

 _"The key!"_ the White Pumpkin gasped, head snapping back around to the wide-eyed Jesse, _"You didn't have it either?!"_

"Hurry, Jess!" shouted Lukas.

 _"Well, now,"_ Cassie reached into her pocket, pulling out another Ender Pearl, _"It's_ mine _!"_

"Cassie, _no-!_ " Soren shouted.

 _"Nope!"_ shouted Jesse, pulling out his own Ender Pearl and aiming for the bridge- only for a Pearl to bounce off the side of his head, Cassie suddenly replacing it directly next to him in a burst of purple sparks, sending his own Pearl in the completely wrong direction-

"JESSE!"

 _"No!"_ And Jesse was gone, skidding on a different ledge, the White Pumpkin's mechanic laugh following him. He watched as she leapt from the ledge onto the bridge, dashing towards the flint and steel. Jesse's teeth clenched.

 _"No,"_ he repeated, even though she probably couldn't hear him, pulling out another Ender Pearl, _"We are going_ home _!"_

Cassie turned onto the bridge, the flint and steel right in front of her- and Jesse threw his pearl, the screen slowing down as it went straight for the back of Cassie's mask, and Jesse threw his fist back as though about to punch something and leapt forwards, right off the edge-

A burst of purple sparks, and he was tackling Cassie to the ground, the flint and steel just out of her reach.

Jesse jumped when a hand abruptly whacked him over the head, and he turned with wide eyes to meet Petra's glare, "Don't," she growled, " _Do_ that."

 _"No!"_ Cassie yelled, thrashing as she struggled to throw Jesse off, who almost appeared to be holding on for dear life, _"You can't do this! I've waited too long!"_

 _"It's,"_ Jesse grunted, _"_ Mine _, Cassie! I won't let you have it!"_

Then, abruptly, they stilled. They watched, eyes wide, as a meow met their ears, and Winslow sat down directly in front of the flint and steel. He raised his paw and began to lick it.

"The… the cat?" Magnus blinked.

Winslow looked over at them, tilting his head to the side, before his attention was drawn down to the flint and steel. Meowing, he nudged it with his paw, ears perking up when it made a little clinking noise.

 _"No!"_ Cassie shouted, _"No, no, Winslow! Don't touch that!"_

"Oooooh, no," said Em.

But Winslow ignored her, purring as he batted at the flint and steel, closer and closer to the edge.

 _"No, no, no!"_ chanted Cassie, _"No, Winslow! Bad kitty! Stop it!"_

"This is why I don't like _cats_ ," hissed Petra, hands curling into white-knuckled fists in her lap, unable to look away from the screen. Her heart was in her throat.

 _"Winslow!"_ Cassie gasped, voice on the edges of desperation. The key terribly close to the edge of the bridge now. _"Good boy- sweet kitty! Bring that to Master!"_

"That's so creepy," whispered Stacy, more to herself than anyone else. It _was_ kinda creepy, with the modified voice and all.

 _"Please bring it to Master!"_ Winslow batted it again, _"Don't do that!"_

 _"Here, kitty, kitty!_ " called Jesse, _"Here, kitty, kitty!"_

The real Winslow raised his head, blinking blearily at the screen, before deciding he didn't care and curling back up in his owner's lap. Cassie sighed.

Onscreen, Winslow meowed, cocking his head to the side as he stared at them, tail flicking. Then he kicked the key over the edge.

 _"Nooo!"_ Cassie- both onscreen and offscreen- screamed, Jesse already on his feet and watching with horrified eyes as the flint and steel bounced off a mound of dirt, falling towards the sandstone bridge directly above the retracted dirt one.

Jesse glanced to the side to see Cassie already on her feet, about to throw an Ender Pearl, and he lunged at her a moment too late, knocking her to the ground. The Ender Pearl went flying, clinking against the sandstone.

Cassie laughed hysterically, before suddenly vanishing, leaving Jesse to get a rather unpleasant faceful of dirt. In a burst of sparks, Cassie reappeared on the bridge, just in time to catch the key.

 _"Ah, there you are,"_ she purred, the glow illuminated her white mask, _"After all this time, I'm_ FREE _!"_

Aiden swallowed, eyes darting between Cassie and the pale group on the floor. The girl's eyes were glinting hopefully.

If only she believed Jesse wasn't a bad guy.

Cassie walked to the end of the bridge, flint and steel clutched protectively in her hands, _"Winslow? Where'd you go?"_

There was a meow, and the calico cat appeared off to the side, jumping down a few columns. Cassie sighed, _"What have I told you about wandering off?"_

Behind her, Jesse landed, sword drawn, _"You should give that back, Cassie."_

 _"No,"_ she hissed. A lever snapped downwards. _"I'm afraid not."_

The sand- not sandstone after all, but proper, grainy sand, somehow staying aloft- began to tremble. Jesse gasped and ran towards Cassie and Winslow, the edges vanishing at his heels, and the front was gone too- he leapt at the last moment, too far, too far, the Endermites hissing and snipping beneath him-

He grabbed onto the ledge, dangling. The sand hit bedrock, and the Endermites pounced. The blocks were gone in an instant.

"Oh, dear god," breathed Maya. Honestly, Jesse was just coming to expect the death-squeezes.

Grunting, Jesse slowly hauled himself up, pushing his sword up first so he didn't have to hold onto it. Panting slightly, he stumbled to his feet and raised his blade. The White Pumpkin paused, glowered and turned around.

 _"I'll give you one thing,"_ she spat, _"You are_ incredibly _tenacious!"_

Jesse brought his arm out, blade flat against his chest- a pose everyone was starting to recognise as his battle stance- and dashed towards Cassie, the screen slowing down- and the White Pumpkin clicked the key together, a blue column of fire sparking into life directly in front of the boy, sending him stumbling backwards with his shoulder smoldering, a hiss of pain from his lips.

"He's hurt!" exclaimed Reginald.

Multiple eyes snapped to the real Cassie, glares all around. Ivor looked as though he were attempting to drill holes into the side of her skull. Even Aiden's jaw clenched, but he didn't look away from the screen.

Cassie swallowed, shrinking in her chair. She wished she had her mask.

It was so easy to hide behind a mask.

Onscreen, the White Pumpkin laughed her mechanical, hysterical laugh- and she was in front of Jesse, although no one had seen her move closer, and there was a spark of blue as she clicked the flint and steel together- and triplet columns of fire burst into life, so close that Jesse began to sweat instantly, blocking his only exit.

"No!" shouted Lukas, the only thing stopping him from leaping to his feet being Petra's arm around his shoulders.

 _"That's Netherack, Jesse,"_ Cassie declared, smugly, breathing harsh in her excitement, _"It stays on fire forever!"_

Shouting erupted around the room, loud and ear bleeding. Jesse flinched and slapped his hands over his ears, shrinking into Axel's side. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Reginald on his feet, golden sword drawn, marching towards Cassie, face twisted into a look of fury-

"SHUT UP!"

Everyone froze. Harper looked around at them with hard eyes, fuming, hands curled into fists at her sides.

"Thank you," she said, in a much more inside-appropriate voice, "Now can we all please just sit down, shut up and watch the episode? Hm?"

Abruptly, almost everyone looked like children that had just been scolded. Mumbling quiet apologies, they seated themselves- even Magnus. Ivor stared at Harper for a moment, eyes wide, before sitting down as well. He looked dazed.

Harper smiled thinly and sat down as well, "Thank you."

Onscreen, Cassie made her way to a different lever, where Winslow was sprawled out on his side lazily, _"Well, Winslow, that's the last of the obstacles,"_ she declared, _"We're finally going home!"_

She flipped the lever, laughing loudly as the stonebrick wall retracted to reveal the real portal, cobwebs dotted around it.

"The portal!" gasped Lizzie.

 _"Come on, Winslow,"_ said Cassie. He didn't move.

Jesse peered through the flames, dry blood on his nose and shoulderpad smoking, but he seemed to be having trouble. Then, his eyes turned upwards, to spot Petra on a ledge directly above the arch leading to the portal, golden sword drawn.

Gabriel grinned, "It's Petra!"

Blinking, Jesse sheathed his sword, head turning a little further up, to a different ledge right above him, where Lukas knelt with a bucket of water in his hand.

"He has water!" exclaimed Nell, jabbing a finger at the screen, "Go kick some White Pumpkin butt!"

 _"Winslow,"_ said Cassie, starting to sound a little bit irritated. Jesse leant over the edge to watch. _"Winslow, come on."_

"No, kitty!" said Gill, "Stay!"

Winslow remained where he was. Cassie sighed, kneeling next to him, _"Oh, for the love of- you know I love you but you make me_ very _tired sometimes."_

 _"Hey, Cassie!"_ Jesse called. The girl sighed, casting him a glare.

_"What?"_

_"Aren't you gonna say goodbye?"_ Jesse asked, cocking his head to the side, _"Seems pretty rude to leave someone in a death trap without even saying goodbye."_

"What's he doing?" asked Aiden.

 _"I don't know what you're playing at,"_ said Cassie, getting to her feet and striding towards him, _"But I'm bored with it."_

The words had barely left her mouth when Petra yelled, jumping down from above. Cassie twisted, yellow eyes widening, and Petra's sword slashed across her mask.

The White Pumpkin flashed red, toppling backwards, a crack running down her mask not unlike the one Jesse had dealt to her old one. The flint and steel went flying from her hands.

"YES!" Nell screeched, leaping to her feet and throwing her hands in the air.

Not a split-second later, Lukas tipped his bucket, sending a cascade of water down towards Jesse. The boy clung to the ground to stop himself from being forced over the edge, the blue fire extinguished.

The flint and steel clattered over the edge, Jesse jerking to catch it, too slow-

 _"What's going-"_ and Ivor appeared, fingers wrapping around the flint and steel. He blinked dumbly at it, then his eyes widened and he grinned, _"Ha! I've got it! Excellent! I did it!"_

Magnus snorted. He was starting to wonder if he was doing that every time his old friend was onscreen. From Ivor's irritated glare, he'd come to the same conclusion.

Jesse let out a relieved sigh, a still grinning Ivor clambering the rest of the way up. The White Pumpkin staggered to her feet, fury in her demonic voice, _"You're_ all _dying now!"_

Petra lunged with her sword, but too late- Cassie ran towards Ivor, the potionologist paling- _"Uh, no thank you!"_ \- and he threw the flint and steel across the short gap between him and Jesse, the screen briefly slowing down.

 _"Got it!"_ Jesse exclaimed, hand curling around the key. Cassie skidded to a stop only an inch from Ivor, turning narrowed yellow eyes to the boy.

The real Ivor muttered a quiet curse.

The White Pumpkin dashed forwards, body low- and Jesse clicked the flint and steel together, igniting a column of blue flames, Cassie running right into it. She went soaring upwards, mask alight, arching right over Jesse's head, _"Noooo!"_

And she fell, right over the edge.

Aiden's breath hitched- _he wouldn't kill her, he wouldn't kill her_ \- and suddenly he was seeing the cobblestone ledge jutting out of the side of the Founder's garden, with rain pouring from the heavens and lightning flashing all around them, and Jesse's blade coming down and slashing through his stomach, spilling guts, shoving him right over the edge after his own sword, falling down to the ground where he would miss the lake no matter how big it was, what Jesse could have done, what he _should_ have done.

_His mouth was dry. He wouldn't kill her. He wouldn't kill her._

_Why didn't he kill_ me _?_

Jesse turned, narrowed eyes watching to make sure she didn't climb back up. He shifted the second piece of the flint and steel to join the other in his different hand, before pocketing it.

Down below, on that little dirt island, all that remained from the bridge, Cassie went into a coughing fit. She tugged the flaming mask from her head, eyes watering and glasses fogged, and threw it down into the Endermite's pit, the tiny beasts lunging at it as though they had seen something so delicious in their whole lives.

 _"Well, Jesse,"_ she said, a small spot on her jaw shiny with burns, soot blackening her cheeks and forehead, _"I bet you're_ reeeal _proud of yourself,"_ on the ledge, Jesse, Petra and Lukas appeared, soon followed by Ivor a little further back, _"Look at me! Stuck again! Out of Ender Pearls!"_

The real Cassie paled considerably, breath catching in her chest. No. No, no, _no, no, no._

 _"And that's where she wanted us to end up,"_ said Ivor, glaring down at the redhead.

 _"Trapped,"_ Cassie continued, talking more to herself now, _"In my own trap. Ha,"_ she looked down, no humour on her face, _"Of course. Of course."_

 _"I'm really sorry it had to be this way, Cassie,"_ Jesse called down to her, regret flashing across his face, _"I wish it could've gone differently."_

Cassie looked up, a defeated look on her face. She sighed, casting her eyes downwards again, _"Me too."_

Something like hope sparked in Soren's chest, throat swelling, his eyes flashing over to Cassie, who was staring at the screen with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.

They stared at her a moment longer. Then, without a word, Petra turned, Lukas and Ivor making to follow. Jesse hesitated, watching the trapped girl, then turned as well.

_"Wait!"_

Jesse halted, looking over his shoulder. Petra shot him a warning look, thoughts most likely along the lines of trap.

 _"At least don't leave me here alone,"_ Cassie said, watching him with shiny, begging eyes as Jesse approached the edge again, _"Give me my cat. My dear, sweet Winslow."_

"You're actually leaving her?" Hadrian questioned, looking faintly surprised. The real Jesse flinched, as though he'd just accused him of a terrible crime.

"It's not like he has much choice," Lukas pointed out, shooting the man a look that wasn't quite a glare but was pretty close, "You can't save people who won't let you save them."

At the sound of his name, Winslow approached the edge as well, watching his owner with big eyes. He sat down at Jesse's feet.

 _"My best…"_ Cassie's words caught in her throat, _"My_ only _friend. Please."_

The audience was silent. Cassie was crying, though she didn't seem to notice, silent tears dripping down her cheeks, hand firmly buried in her kitty's fur. Isa was chewing on her lip, and while it didn't bleed, little pink beads rose from ripped layers of skin when she stopped.

It wasn't like giving her Winslow would help her escape or give her the ability to actually hurt someone. But if Cassie truly was out of Ender Pearls and had no blocks or any hidden secrets or tools to get out of the trap, she would more than likely starve to death or end her suffering by jumping into the Endermites.

By giving her Winslow, Jesse was basically dooming the cat to the same fate. He'd never be able to get off the island by himself, even if he didn't starve. But Jesse knew where Cassie was coming from, same with Isa, and while none of them liked to admit it, if they were about to be trapped on a four block island of dirt above an infestation of hungry Endermites to either starve or commit suicide, they would have definitely found themselves longing for their animal companions.

Jesse was quiet for a long time. Then, finally, he sighed and bent to pick Winslow up, _"Heeere, kitty. Here, you pain-in-the-butt kitty."_

Cassie's face lit up immediately, eyes still shining brightly in the dim lighting, _"There you are, Winslow! Who loves you? Come to Master!"_

Lip between his teeth, Jesse tossed Winslow off the edge- Cassie lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him before he could fall into the Endermites, burying her face into her kitty's fur, _"There you are, there you are! You and me, together, just like it was always meant to be."_

Jesse gave his head a small shake, although something strange flashed across his eyes, something that had many audience members thinking back to when he'd spotted that little herd of pigs in the previous episode. He turned, following his friends, Cassie's voice trailing after him, resigned, accepting.

_"Trapped… forever… just me and my little Winslow."_

The real Cassie closed her eyes, pulling her cat closer and burying her face into his fur, much like her onscreen self had been doing not moments before. Her hands trembled, tears matting Winslow's mismatched coat, but she was silent. Aiden scooted closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in quiet comfort.

Jesse felt sick. Sure, she'd killed people, would have killed them all, and she was a terrible person… but there was something sad about her. Something that made his chest ache and his stomach churn at the same time.

She'd just wanted to go home. And he'd stopped that from ever happening.

Lukas, Petra nor Ivor said anything as Jesse led them towards the portal. The boy was, a bit surprisingly, the one to break the silence; no one mentioned the slight tremble in his voice.

 _"Wow,"_ he breathed, as they came to a stop before the archway, _"So she kept the real portal down here all this time."_

 _"Unless this one is a trap too,"_ Ivor pointed out.

 _"I don't know if even_ she'd _be that paranoid,"_ said Lukas, although he appeared sceptical. The glow of the flint and steel cast his and Jesse's faces in shadows as he pulled it out of his pocket.

_"Only one way to find out."_

"It's not a trap, right?" asked Maya, glancing over at Cassie, who still had her face buried in Winslow's fur. For a moment, she thought she wasn't going to answer, but then she shook her head.

"No," Cassie gasped, voice thick with tears, "No, it's not."

A few people released breaths they hadn't realised they'd been holding.

Onscreen, Jesse knelt in front of the empty portal and clicked the flint and steel together. There was a blinding flash of light, a green hue, and the portal glowed, a match to this worlds key.

"Ooooh," Stamped muttered, eyes wide. Dan and Lizzie looked at each other, grinning widely.

The group slowly blinked open their eyes, having automatically closed them when they'd been assaulted by the sudden light. Ivor grinned, a hand going to his hip.

_"So good so far."_

_"Yeah,"_ said Petra, tense shoulders loosening, _"No trick floors or arrows or anything."_

 _"Okay, sure,"_ Lukas said, still sounding unsure, _"But who's going first?"_

"You don't think it's actually a trap, do you?" asked Olivia, wringing her hands nervously. Petra's eyes flashed over to Cassie.

"I'm not sure."

 _"We're a team,"_ Jesse declared, standing up and twisting to face them, " _We all go together."_

Ellegaard smiled, "That works."

_(Better than him deciding to go by himself.)_

His friends looked at each other, then back at Jesse and, in unison, nodded their agreement. Jesse nodded back, then turned around to face the portal once more, the green glow on his face, _"Ready? One-"_

 _"-Two-"_ they said together, _"Three-"_

Then they ran, Jesse vanishing through the portal with Lukas and Petra hot on his heels. Ivor skidded to a stop, twisted to look behind him and winked, _"Adventure!"_

And he was gone too.

"Wow, wait," Magnus said, straightening in his seat, "Can he see us?"

"That wouldn't make any sense," muttered Gabriel, "How would he be able to see us?"

"Well, who knows," Harper's lips twitched, "He might just be one for theatrics."

Ivor's cheeks dusted pink, and he abruptly found the ceiling to be very interesting.

"Well," said Em, as the screen darkened, "Is that it? End of episode or whatever?"

"Probably," Otto hummed, "Now, how about we have some-"

"Wait!" gasped Gill, jabbing a finger at the screen, "It's coming back on!"

Indeed, it was. The familiar words _Next time on Minecraft: Story Mode_ decorated the previous darkness, except this time there was no Jesse-Voice to read it aloud. It melted away to reveal the Portal Hall, lit by the greens and blues and reds and whites of the portals.

From the side came a smiling Captain Sparklez.

"Sparklez!" gasped half the audience.

"He's _alive?_ " exclaimed Stampy, "How is he alive?!"

"I-I don't know," stuttered Lizzie. She turned to look at the self-proclaimed captain, who was gaping at the screen as though it had decided to leap off the wall and start tap dancing.

 _"Alright,"_ said Not-Dead-Sparklez, hands going to his hips, _"What's going on, dudes? It's_ me _, Captain Sparklez."_

"Yeah," muttered Dan, slowly, "That's… that's him, alright."

 _"Next time on Minecraft: Story Mode,"_ Sparklez turned, starting to stroll along the length of the hall and taking on an almost narrator-like voice, the screen following, _"After defeating the dreaded White Pumpkin, will Jesse and the others find their way back to the Portal Hallway?"_

"How does he know they defeated her?" asked Mevia, only be shushed a bit harshly by half the audience.

"Wait," Lukas frowned, "What does he mean by _back_ to the Hall-"

Cue more shushing.

_"And will it lead them home? Or, instead, are they destined for more perilous adventures?"_

"My thoughts are more along the lines of _how the hell is he alive?!_ " shouted Magnus.

"Magnus!" exclaimed Ellegaard, "We. _Don't. Know._ "

 _"Well, I guess I'll never know,"_ Sparklez continued, coming to a stop and sounding a bit too cheerful considering the topic he was breaching, _"Because I got pounded into the floor by a ton of sand!"_

The real Sparklez blinked dumbly at his onscreen counterpart, his face telling that the screen was still tap dancing.

"I mean," said Magnus, "Has he been alive the whole time? Was the trap fake?"

"We saw his inventory," pointed out Ivor.

"Yeah, but how do we know it was _his?_ " Magnus asked, "We don't know what he had on him. That stuff could have _totally_ been just a load of random loot. Didn't we see gold ingots? Who brings gold ingots to what was, to his knowledge, a house party?"

"Magnus," Gabriel sighed, "Would you _shut up?_ "

 _"I guess you saw that, right?"_ asked Sparklez, _"I'm in the middle of an_ amazing _speech and_ boom! _"_ he fell to the ground, the screen panning down to show him propping his head up with his hand, _"I've suddenly become part of the floor."_

"If Sparklez truly wasn't killed," said Isa, turning to look at the self-proclaimed Boom Master, "Then why was he spared? Why kill TorqueDawg and ShadowLady, but not him?"

Magnus faltered, "I… did not think of that. Gimme a… gimme a…" he frowned, trying to think up a counter. He turned hopeful eyes to Ellegaard, who very maturely rolled her eyes.

"She could have thought he knew who had it," she supplied, "He was the one that realised this was all about the flint and steel in the first place."

Aiden gnawed on his lip, turning to Cassie hesitantly, "Did… would you?"

She seemed to consider it for a moment, sniffing as she wiped the tears from her face, "Uh… I-I don't know. Maybe? This is at least six months into the future."

"And wasn't it Dan that pressed the button?" Olivia asked, wincing when Dan flinched and paled, "She couldn't have possibly known he was going to sit in that exact spot and that Dan was going to press the button at that _exact_ time. It's not enough for her to fake his death when he'd only _just_ told them why he thought they were there."

 _"I mean, dude,"_ Sparklez climbed to his feet, _"You saw that, right?_ "

"Sadly," murmured Sparklez. The screen still appeared to be tap dancing before his eyes.

 _"How much worse can it get? First, they choose_ not _to invite me on their adventure-"_

"You died," Petra muttered, earning a snort from Lukas, who slapped a hand over his mouth, mortified. She smirked at him.

 _"-And the next thing I know, I'm part of the floor,"_ Sparklez shook his head, _"Anyway, one thing's for certain, with or without me, this is going to be an amazing adventure."_

He gave them one last smile, before turning around and walking back down the Portal Hallway. The screen faded to black.

A silence came upon the room. Awkwardly, Slab coughed.

"Sparklez?" said Stacy, casting her friend a concerned look, "You okay?"

"Uh," Sparklez blinked; rubbed his eyes, pushing his glasses up his forehead, "I think I… _really_ need a nap."

"I think," said Isa, "A break would be sufficient."

"For how long?" asked Stampy. Then, realising he'd been in Dan's lap for who-knows-how-long now, squeaked and tumbled to the floor.

Harper covered a smile, "How about the rest of the day? I don't know about you lot, but this room's giving me a headache."

"I can make you a headache potion," Ivor offered, earning surprised looks from, well, pretty much everyone who knew him. Harper blinked, then smiled.

"That's nice of you. I might take you up on that."

"Well," Magnus stood, hands going to his hips, and looked around at the other watchers.

"Who's making lunch?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you give Cassie her cat or walk away? Let me know in the reviews!


	56. Cluedo, Part One

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Fifty-Six: Cluedo, Part One**

* * *

"She's not to be left alone at any time, under any circumstances."

"Of course."

"She's not allowed anywhere near weapons."

"Understandable."

"She's banned from the armoury, lab, Boom Room, attic and basement."

"The basement? Why- ?"

"Ivor's claimed it as his potions lab," Gabriel explained, as Otto flipped through his booklet. The dark skinned man nodded and jotted something down.

"What about the attic?" asked Aiden.

"The attic's cluttered," said Petra, shrugging, "I've found a few old swords and tools in some of the chests."

"Okay," Aiden said. He turned to look at the redhead these restrictions were being applied for. "Is that okay?"

Cassie met his eyes for only a moment, before she returned them to the floor, "Not like I have much of a choice."

Aiden winced, but didn't try to deny it. Whether either of them liked it or not, it was true. Cassie didn't have a choice. It was either this or get locked up in a spare room until who knows when.

"We'll take turns keeping an eye on her," declared Otto, finally looking up from his book and sending a point look towards Aiden, "I'm sure you'll want to be one of the people to do that, correct?"

Aiden nodded silently. Otto scribbled something down.

"I don't know about you," Lizzie spoke up, a faint scowl on her face, "But I'm not exactly keen on being the one to keep an eye on the girl who plans to kill me in the future."

Cassie flinched, chin against her chest. Gabriel glanced at her, before turning to Lizzie.

"It's fine," he assured, "We don't _all_ have to take shots."

"Aiden has the first watch," said Otto, before his eyes darted over to a certain ginger architect, who had been rather quiet for a while now, "Soren... you can gave second watch."

Ivor blinked, then frowned faintly, "Why Soren?"

Soren shook his head, "It's fine, Ivor. I don't mind."

The potionologist stared at him for a moment, eyes narrowed in something like suspicion. He turned back to Otto. "Alright."

"Third watch is Isa and slash or Reginald," continued Otto, "And fourth is... what about you, Jesse?"

Jesse blinked, taken aback, "Me?"

Otto shrugged, "Well, yes. Give it a try?"

"Uh, sure," Jesse said, before his friends- who looked very much like they were about to pound him into the ground at the moment- could tell him no, "I can watch Cassie."

"Fantastic," Otto wrote something in his book, before snapping it shut and pocketing it, "Aiden, you watch her for four hours, then Soren will take over. Now that that's sorted, I do believe I have a game to set up. If you'll excuse me."

Without further elaboration, Otto turned and left the room. Magnus and Ellegaard, who had both perked up at the reminder of the upcoming game, deflated in disappointment upon losing the chance to (at least attempt) squeeze some information out of him.

"Jesse," Petra hissed, elbowing her friend sharply in the ribs, "What the hell?"

"What?" asked Jesse, wincing as he rubbed his newly bruised ribs, "He asked!"

"That doesn't mean you had to _accept!_ "

"You may learn how to fight in the episodes," said Lukas, gentler than Petra, "But you're not exactly a... vicious warrior. Have you ever even _touched_ a diamond sword?"

"I've... used a golden axe," Jesse tried. From his friends deadpanned looks, it was not the same.

He sighed, "Look, guys, it's fine. It's not like I'm going to be wandering the passageways all alone with her."

"Not to mean offence," they jumped, twisting around to find Ivor right behind them, dark blue eyes sparking in amusement at their reaction, "But I agree with your friends. You have, what, a wooden sword?"

Jesse's cheeks coloured, "It's a good sword."

Olivia's lips twitched, "The one you called stupid?"

With all of his great maturity, Jesse made a face at her. Olivia pulled one right back.

"Well, I'm going to start making lunch," Stacy spoke up, drawing the remaining occupants of the rooms attention to her. She looked at the boy in the cat hoodie. "Wanna help, Stampy?"

Stampy blinked, then smiled, "Sure."

"Great," Stacy grinned, turning her eyes to everyone else, "What do you want?"

"Uh... stew?" suggested Milo; it was a rare treat in Sky City, one his family had only been able to get every other Christmas. Stacy seemed to consider it, then nodded.

"Mushroom stew it is. Come on, Stampy," she led the boy towards the kitchen. Dan sent Stampy a parting smile, which he returned, face a shade pinker than usual.

"Petra," Gabriel called, "Would you like to spar with me?"

"Oh, sure," Petra grinned, leaping to her feet and already making her way to the armoury, "If you want your butt kicked."

Gabriel laughed, "We'll see about that."

"Have fun, Petra," said Jesse. Petra gave him a thumbs up, before vanishing with Gabriel into the hall.

Aiden shifted from foot to foot, casting a hesitant look at the blank-faced Cassie, "Do you, uh, wanna go up to the library."

Cassie stared at him for a moment, a blank sheet of paper, and shrugged, "I don't mind."

The ex-bully glanced to the side, unsure, "Um... okay."

He stood there for a moment, looking like the most awkward person in the universe, as though wondering if he should say something else but not knowing what to. Finally, he gave up and made his way out into the hall, pausing in the doorway when Cassie didn't follow.

The girl stared at the floor for a moment longer. Then she picked up Winslow, placed a kiss on his head, and followed Aiden.

Shortly after their departure, everyone else began to trickle out, the room suddenly becoming suffocating. Jesse spotted Olivia going off with Ellegaard and Harper in the direction of the lab, and Axel was chatting excitedly to Magnus as they dashed off to the Boom Room.

Abruptly feeling alone _(hands, fingers, clawing at his clothes, cold, cold, cold),_ Jesse looked about in search of Lukas, spotting his blond friend making his way towards the stairs, presumably after Cassie and Aiden. Jesse couldn't really blame him for not wanting to leave the two alone right now, although he had his doubts about Cassie actually wanting to hurt Aiden.

Then again, she was invisible ink on a blank sheet of paper.

Deciding to follow _(just in case)_ , Jesse began to make his way after Lukas, Reuben trailing behind him as always, when a throat cleared behind him and he jumped in surprise. Twisting, he came face to face with an uncomfortably close Hadrian.

"Hey, Jason," Hadrian smiled, all teeth and gums, before Jesse could even begin to contemplate where the hell he'd _come_ from, "Mind if we have a little chat, sport?"

He wasn't given time to answer; wrapping surprisingly strong fingers around Jesse's elbow, Hadrian dragged him down the hall and passed the staircase, towards the empty second living room. Reuben squealed his protest and trotted after them, snorting angrily at the purple-suited man.

Hadrian pushed Jesse inside, not exactly rough but not gentle either. He turned to shut the door, but Reuben barged through before he could close it fully, forcing himself between Hadrian's legs and bounding towards Jesse.

Hadrian sent the piggy a scowl, and closed the door with a bit more force than necessary. Jesse jumped.

"Did you know," said Hadrian, watching Reuben with hard eyes, "That Reuben is actually the name of a pork sandwich?"

Jesse's heart stopped, his mouth void of spit. He stared at Hadrian with wide, shocked eyes, bile rising to the back of his throat. Hadrian finally tore his eyes from his pig, who looked just as shocked, and flashed Jesse a smile.

The boy swallowed, trying to righten his breathing. He bent down to rub Reuben's head as though it were the most important task in the world, sick to his stomach, and couldn't have kept the tremble from his voice even if he'd tried, "What- What did you want to talk about?"

"Just wanted to ask you a... little quesiton."

Jesse glanced up, a sudden unease shifting in his chest when he realised the man was blocking the door. Hadrian's hands were clasped behind his back, and he was regarding him with an odd look in his eyes. Jesse licked his dry lips.

"Oh?"

"You seem like the valiant type," Hadrian continued. He cocked his head to the side ever so slightly, watching Jesse over the top of his glasses, like a bird catching sight of a wriggling worm. "I want you to answer as truthfully as possible. A simple 'yes' or 'no' answer."

"Okay," said Jesse, slowly. Reuben pushed his nose into his palm, shooting the older man a hateful glare. "What's the question?"

"Three questions, actually," Hadrian said, leaning against the door casually, "Say something happened. You and a friend- any friend at all- are, I dunno, trapped, lets say. You're trapped. You're about to die. Except you can save your friend. Or," something flashed across his eyes; maybe it was the lighting, "You can save yourself."

Jesse's stomach churned. He felt a little sick.

"So here's the question," Hadrian continued, "Would you sacrifice yourself to save your friend? Die, dead, no coming back, six feet under, just so they can live instead?"

"I... yes," Jesse croaked; then, louder, "Yes."

Hadrian raised an eyebrow, "You'd let yourself die?"

"If it meant saving them."

"Hm," the man hummed, seemed to contemplate his answer. Then he continued. "Alright. Now say it was someone else- not a friend, but a complete stranger. You know nothing about them, whether they're good or bad, boy or girl, whatever. Would you die to save them?"

Jesse stared at him for a moment, wondering, at the back of his mind, why he was being asked this. Reuben oinked, nudging his knee. Jesse placed a hand on top his head.

"Yes."

"Yes?" Hadrian repeated. Jesse nodded. The man shrugged. "Okay, then. Last question. Same situation. Except, this time, it's not a friend _or_ a stranger. It's an enemy. Cassie Rose level enemy, completely insane, enjoys murder sprees, incredibly creepy, the like," Hadrian leant forwards, bending at the waist, so that he and Jesse were nose to nose, "Would you die to save a monster?"

Jesse was silent. The 'no' was on his lips, yet it tasted foul on his tongue. Hadrian was inches from his face, so close he could count every wrinkle. The blood drained from his cheeks when he realised that he couldn't say no.

Scratch that. He wouldn't.

"Yes."

Hadrian's eyebrows raised to his hairline, seeming surprised but not as overly shocked as Jesse himself, "Yes? You're sure?"

Finding himself unable to speak, Jesse nodded. Hadrian stared at him a moment longer, eyes searching (for what, he didn't know), before he hummed slightly and straightened.

"Alright," he flashed the boy a smile, "Thanks for answering my questions, sport. I appreciate it."

Hadrian turned, hand on the door knob, when he paused. He looked over his shoulder. "Hey, mind not telling anyone about this, yeah? Thanks, Jason."

And he was gone, leaving Jesse kneeling on the floor with his pig in his lap. He swallowed, blinking back the unexplainable wetness prickling his eyes, and hugged Reuben against his chest, taking in a shaky breath, wondering why he was trembling. It was just some questions. Some stupid questions that didn't mean anything.

But it wasn't the questions, not really, although they did leave a slight tremble to his fingers. The sandwich comment was worse, made him feel sick, made him hold Reuben as tight as he had when he'd realised he could _die in the near future. But it wasn't that either._ No. No, it was something else.

Jesse closed his eyes. Took a deep breath.

_Jason._

* * *

Lunch wasn't very eventful. Jesse sat between his friends, content to just listen to Axel and Olivia bicker over something unimportant, or Petra chat away about how she came _this_ close to beating Gabriel the Warrior- because whether or not he lied about defeating the Ender Dragon, he was pretty skilled with a sword and most of their spars actually ended in ties.

In fact, the meal would have been just fine, had there not been the constant stares drilling into his skull. He was quick to find out where the stares were coming from. One was Cassie, who would snap back to her uneaten stew the second she realised she'd been caught. The other was Aiden, who would turn red and shove a spoonful of his lunch into his mouth.

The last was Hadrian. Unlike Cassie and Aiden, he wouldn't blush or turn away. Instead, he'd smile widely, all teeth and gums. Jesse was the one that looked away. Hadrian didn't.

It was because of these stares that he lost his appetite hardly halfway through. He wanted to get up and leave, wanted to find some secluded corner and just sit there for awhile, but that would be rude, it would concern his friends, they'd probably insist he stay. They'd only just sat down.

So he waited a while longer, trying to ignore the staring. Aiden stopped after a while, and while Cassie eventually did to, she'd still send him the occasional glance. But Hadrian didn't. Not for long, anyway.

When he deemed the timing to be at least a tad acceptable, Jesse stood, threw some excuse he didn't really remember about going up to the library, and was gone before his friends could protest, cold stew abandoned on the table and Reuben dashing after him.

It was only when he'd reached the top of the stairs the he realised his mistake. Jesse stood, frozen, breath caught in his throat, eyes darting along the walls, floor, ceiling, in search for just a wisp of black. Just a hint of frost, just a hint of chill.

But the black hands didn't appear. Something nudged the back of his legs and Jesse yelped, nearly tumbling back down the stairs head over heels, and spun around so fast he almost gave himself whiplash.

Reuben blinked big, brown eyes up at him, giving a small, concerned noise. Jesse placed a hand over his thumping heart, breathing ragged.

The stairs creaked, and Jesse froze, back straightening. He held his breath, expecting the black wisps to appear around the corner- but instead his eyes locked with deep blue.

"There you are," said Ivor, raising his eyebrows a little when Jesse very obviously slumped in relief. He made his way up the rest of the stairs. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," Jesse said, hating the slight stutter. He was fine. He was completely fine. He hadn't even spotted a _hint_ of darkness. So why did his legs feel like jelly.

Ivor must have seen it too, for he looked unconvinced, "Really. You're sure?"

Jesse nodded hastily, not meeting his yeah, "Yeah."

The potionologist shook his head a little, brow furrowing, "You didn't... see them, did you?"

"No," Jesse murmured. Relief flashed across Ivor's face.

"That's good," he said, "Are you going to the library?"

Jesse hadn't been planning on actually going to the library, despite his feet having taken him up the stairs. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't actually been planning on going anywhere. He nodded, "Yeah."

"Well," Ivor walked passed him, "Come on, then."

Jesse blinked dumbly, startled. Ivor stopped a little ways down the hall, looking over his shoulder at him and raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Are you coming or... ?"

"No, no, uh," Jesse's cheeks tinted red, and he hurried after him, "I-I'm coming."

Ivor's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything. They walked to the library side by side, and upon arrival, Jesse made a beeline towards the far shelf, which he knew housed a few books that had caught his interest the previous break.

He tugged one off the shelf- _A Wither Against the World_ \- and seated himself at one of the tables, Reuben curling up at his feet. Out the corner of his eye, he spotted Ivor looking through a different shelf. Despite himself, Jesse found himself relieved with the man's presence, which surprised him a little. He'd been certain, back down in the kitchen, that he'd wanted nothing else but to be alone.

Eventually, Ivor joined him at the table, flipping through some kind of journal of sorts. The silence was comfortable, only broken by the brief flip of pages. For the first time in a while, the black hands didn't occupy his mind.

Jesse was halfway through the fourth chapter when he heard voices from the hall. His eyes locked with Ivor's, and in unison they turned to the door, just in time for it to open.

"Here we are," said Otto, carrying a thin box in his arms. He sent Ivor and Jesse a smile. "Good, you two are here. We can get started."

"Are you actually going to _tell_ us what we're going to do now?" asked Magnus, impatiently. Although Ellegaard didn't say anything, it was clear she agreed.

"In time," Otto said; Jesse was surprised he hadn't snapped at them, from all the bugging they've been doing lately, "Would the team leaders please come forth?"

Petra stepped forward, and expectant eyes turned to Jesse. The boy blinked, marked his place, and stood.

"Right, then," continued Otto, once they were both in front of him, "This game will be in three rounds, each played by different people. You will choose two other members of your team to play, then three different ones the next two rounds. You two _must_ play at least one round, be it this one or another."

"We'll just play this one," said Petra, shrugging. Jesse shrugged as well.

Otto nodded, pulling out his bound notebook and scribbling something down, "You just have to choose two more members of your team," he explained, "Then I'll tell you the rules. Anyone else is welcome to come and go as they please."

Jesse waited for some more information, but Otto didn't provide it, instead taking to burying his nose in his book. He shared a raised eyebrow look with Petra, before they turned to face their teams, watching expectantly. The library was by no means small, but it felt a bit crowded with everyone there none the less.

"What are we even doing?" asked Dan, breaking the short silence. Otto spoke, not looking up from his book.

"I'll tell you once you've picked two teammates."

"But how do we know which ones we should pick when we don't know what we're doing?" asked Petra. Otto finally looked up from his book, sending them a smile.

"That's the point."

They stared at him for a moment. Then Jesse sighed, "I guess I'll take Lukas and Axel. No offence to everyone else."

"None taken, Jesse," Lizzie assured, "I think I'd like to join Sparklez in a nap anyway."

"Okay," Petra's hands went to her hips, eyes scanning her own team critically to the point where some of them actually began to look a little nervous, "I'll take Dan and... Aiden."

The two boys shared a surprised look, but obediently came forwards. Otto nodded happily, scribbling away in his book.

"Perfect," he said; he jabbed his quill at the thin box he'd placed on one of the tables, "We're playing that."

Almost in unison, the two teams inched closer to get a better look. Petra raised a small eyebrow.

"Cluedo?"

"We're playing a board game?" asked Ellegaard, sending an unimpressed look in Otto's direction. The man shook his head, grinning widely, eyes glinting.

"Not just _any_ board game. _This_ one," he pointed to the box, "As I discovered, is far more than just your ordinary board game."

"Really," said Petra, sceptical, "And how's that?"

Otto shook his head again, grin widening ever further, "You'll see."

The group shared a look, some amused, most curious and a few chosen few just plain annoyed. Lukas stepped forward, took the thin box in hand and opened it.

There was absoloutley nothing special about it. At all. The blond pulled out the board, unfolding it to reveal the 2D mansion printed across it. The playing cards were packed neatly in multiple stacks, secured by yellow rubber bands, and a pile of check-lists were kept together by a paperclip.

Lukas frowned over his shoulder at Otto, who was almost _giddy_ with excitement, "What's so special about this?"

"Besides the astounding organization," Maya butted in, "Honestly, every board game I've ever owned has _never_ been as neat as that. It always ends up in a mess no matter what I do."

"You'll see," Otto repeated, earning a few irritated eye rolls, "Pick your characters: Green, Plum, Peacock, Scarlet, Mustard or White."

Petra tackled Peacock- the blue character- immediatly. Axel, a bit predictably, chose Green, although he spotted a flash of disappointment across Aiden's face. The ex-bully settled on Mustard, the yellow character. Lukas chose White, and Dan eventually picked Scarlet- who was, of course, the red character. That left Jesse with Plum; purple.

Except, he noticed, they weren't choosing the little figurines they'd move around the board, but the character cards, which told you about each characters special ability and info that honestly wasn't all that relevant to the actual game play, but whatever. Before he could question the lack of figurines, however, Otto was pulling colour-coded wrist bands out of his pocket.

Well, then.

"Mevia and I found this in the attic," he explained, as he passed around the coloured bands, "We decided to play a game, and when he realised that it was..." he laughed, shaking his head, " _Different_ , you could say, we knew we had to put it in the next game. Oh, and we've tested it out a few times," he added, hastily, "So it's _completely_ safe."

"Uh... okay," said Dan, slowly. Reuben nudged his head against Jesse's leg, the boy bending to let the curious pig sniff at the purple bracelet around his owners wrist.

"Are you actually going to _tell_ us what we're doing or... ?" Petra trailed off, eyebrow raised. Axel shrugged, tugging on his green wrist band.

"You can be really mysterious when you want to be, Otto," he said. Otto beamed at him.

"I don't understand how it works- well, I don't understand how anything works here really," Otto admitted, "But I have made sure and am _certain_ that this is safe. See this?" he pointed to the indoor pool room in the very middle of the board; it looked slightly elevated compared to everything else, "It's a button. I'm going to push it and I don't want anyone to panic, alright?"

Ivor frowned, something like worry crossing his face as his eyes flashed to Jesse, "I'm not-"

Otto pushed the button.

Jesse's wrist band beeped- as did the others- and Reuben squealed, the device having been inches from his face, and leapt into his owners arms. Jesse had barely caught in when he was abruptly blinded by blasts of light, as though he'd been tossed into a sunset, and he was falling and it felt as though he were in a suit of armour that was slowly getting smaller and smaller and smaller.

Then, all at once, everything stopped. Jesse gasped in a lungful of air, eyes snapping open, although he couldn't remember when he'd closed them. Reuben was still in his arms, his pink head snapping left and right in utter bewilderment. It didn't take long for Jesse to realise why.

They were no longer in the library, but a long, dark hall. The floor was made up of black tiles, all apart for the one Jesse currently stood on, which was purple. Behind him was a wall, but straight ahead the hall branched off in two separate directions.

Abruptly, his wrist band buzzed and Jesse jumped, almost dropping Reuben in the process. It cackled and spat for a moment, before Otto's voice came through.

_"Hello? Can you hear me? Ha, yes, it's working!"_

"Otto?" Jesse gasped, "Where the _hell_ did you-"

_"Look up!"_

Blinking, Jesse did so- and gasped again. There was no ceiling, but instead a wide, clear dome bigger than the Hall back home. It didn't look like it was made of glass, more of a force field than anything else.

Jesse came very close to dropping Reuben again. His friends, impossibly large, were gaping down at him from the other side of the dome.

He was his figurine.

 _"Welcome to the game, folks!"_ Otto's voice came from his wrist band, but he could see the man's impossibly big mouth moving above him, _"Who's ready for a murder mystery?"_

 _"Murder mystery,"_ Dan's voice buzzed through Jesse's wrist band; he gave a small, humourless laugh, _"I'm not too sure about that."_

Above, Otto winced, but continued anyways, _"When it's your turn, a pair of dice will appear in front of you. The goal is to get to the rooms, say who you think the killer is, what the murder weapon was and the room- which has to be the room you're in, by the way- and the person to your right has to show you one of their cards if they have one of the things you said. If they don't have it, then we go around to the next person until someone can show you a card."_

 _"And how are we supposed to do that,"_ said Lukas, voice slightly mechanical sounding, _"When we're on the other side of the mansion?"_

 _"That's one of the best parts!"_ Otto gushed, _"Your wrist bands are connected. Your cards and check-lists are entierly digital, and we'll be communicating for the whole game. There are two chatrooms. One that everyone is in and one that only you and your teammates are in. Remember to push the little black button to switch between chats."_

Jesse held up his wrist, shifting Reuben to one arm. Sure enough, a small black button was on the band. While small, it wasn't exactly invisible, and Jesse wondered how he hadn't noticed it earlier.

_"Your cards are transferring now."_

A hologram shot up from the top of his wrist, and Jesse flipped his arm back down to look at it properly, eyes wide. Five cards popped up- Mustard, bat, poison, hall, theatre. So that meant none of them were involved in the 'murder.'

 _"You each have five cards,"_ Otto continued, _"No one has the three correct ones, and no one knows the three correct ones besides myself. When you think you know what they are, you have to get to the pool and say so. If you're right, you win. If you're wrong, you're out and everyone else continues,"_ he paused, as though letting that sink in, _"You have to figure out who the murderer is, what the murder weapon was and what room it was done in. The murderer can be any of you, whether you know it or not, and you are allowed to accuse yourself."_

 _"What?"_ Ivor's voice came through this time, and Jesse looked up to find the bearded potionologist sending Otto a look, _"That makes no sense."_

Otto shrugged, _"Just a game. If you land on one of the tiles with a question mark on it, then you'll pick a question card. If the question card's a clock, however, you keep it. If you get eight clocks, then you're out."_

Jesse was fairly certain that getting the clocks and making the wrong guess in the pool meant you got 'murdered.' He could see why Otto wasn't using that particular wording, though, and was thankful for it.

 _"I have the dice,"_ said Aiden, _"Should I roll now or... ?"_

 _"Yes, yes, roll now,"_ Otto said. There was a pause, where Jesse shifted Reuben in his arms so that he wasn't in danger of falling (he knew Otto had said this was safe, but excuse him for being weary), before Aiden spoke again.

_"Four."_

"Move four steps then," said Jesse. He blinked. "Or... tiles."

 _"Heh, there you are, Jesse,"_ Axel said.

 _"You are certain this is safe?"_ asked a voice that could only be Gabriel's. Sure enough, when Jesse looked up, the warrior was there. He appeared to be talking to Otto, who nodded.

_"Positive. Mevia and I have made certain."_

_"What if someone, like, stands on the board or something?"_ Nell questioned. Otto froze, eyes darting down and (possible, anyway) meeting Jesse's wide ones.

_"Lets... not test that."_

Twin dice, a little bigger than normal, appeared in front of him. Jesse glanced up at Otto, before sighing and picking up the dice.

* * *

"I think," said Jesse, standing in the spy and scrolling through his holographic check-list with Reuben sitting at his feet, "That it was... White, with the pistol, in the spa."

 _"Hey, come on, man,"_ Lukas joked.

 _"Umm... here,"_ said Dan. Not a second later, the pistol card popped up. Jesse nodded once and checked it off his list.

"Your turn, Petra."

The redhead rolled, the number six appearing at the bottom corner of Jesse's screen. Petra whooped.

_"Alright, question mark!"_

_"What's it say?"_ asked Axel.

 _"Ah, crap,"_ Petra groaned, _"I got a clock."_

Jesse's lips twitched, before his wrist band vibrated to show he was being called to his team's private chat. He pressed the black button, glancing at the still up screen to watch Axel take his turn.

 _"I've got an idea,"_ said Lukas. Jesse raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

_"What if we tried to make them think we knew what one of the things are. You know, say it every time we make a rumour, like we're certain it's right."_

"Okay," said Jesse, considering, "But then how are we going to find out what the right one is if we're only ever saying one we know's wrong?"

 _"We narrow it down,"_ Lukas said, _"See the weapons? It's either the dumbell, knife or axe. Every now and then, one of us can say we think the murderer used one of them, but we always go back to a weapon we know isn't right."_

 _"It'll have to be one_ we _have then,"_ Axel spoke up. Jesse glanced at the screen; his friend had moved to the guest house. _"One we haven't shown anyone else."_

"I haven't had to show anyone the poison, I don't think," Jesse said, "We could use that."

 _"Okay, Axel,"_ said Lukas, _"Make your rumour and say you think poison's the weapon."_

_"Got it."_

They went on like that for a while. Jesse moved from the spa to the dinning room, where he crossed paths with Aiden, who smiled in greeting. They weren't allowed to attack each other or anything of the sorts (this was mental game, after all, unlike Release), not that Jesse had wanted to. Although he was sure Petra wouldn't have minded doing something like that.

He came to a stop a few tiles down from the patio, turning his attention to his hologram as Dan rolled. He was fairly certain the room was the observatory, but it could also be the guest house. He wasn't sure about the character or the weapon, though.

His screen binged; Dan had landed on a question card.

 _"It says,"_ Dan's voice buzzed through, _"Go to a room and make a rumour, then make another. So I can make two rumours in one go?"_

 _"Looks like it,"_ hummed Lukas.

Jesse glanced up at the dome above them, something he had been doing frequently since the start of the game. It was a little unnerving to have a bunch of giant faces staring down at you. Like gods watching mortals play a game.

 _"Okay,"_ said Aiden, tearing Jesse from his thoughts, _"I think it was Peacock, with the trophy, in the hall."_

 _"Who uses a trophy as a murder weapon?"_ asked Axel, _"I mean, it's a little ironic if the person loves the trophy, you know?"_

"I don't think that's how you use irony, Axel," Jesse said, as Lukas showed Aiden one of his cards; Peacock, probably. Since they're a team, they know each others cards.

Things continued like this, the two teams moving around the board, going from room to room. They claimed the poison as the murder weapon often, and soon the other team began to catch on. Whenever Jesse had to show them one of his cards, he was forced to avoid the poison, but, thankfully, he's always had something else he could show them. So far, anyway.

"Hey, Jesse."

Jesse jumped, startled at the absence of the buzzing. Reuben squealed happily, bounding across the hall to rub himself against Petra's legs. For some reason, while Jesse and the other players were confined to the tile they were standing on, Reuben was free to roam.

"Oh," Jesse breathed, pushing away the image of black, cold fingers, "Hey, Petra."

Petra bent down, rubbing Reuben's head. Her blue wrist band displayed her own holographic screen, but Jesse was too far away to see its contents.

"You know, this is pretty fun," Petra said, looking up to meet Jesse's eyes, "I mean, not as fun as Release, but I'm enjoying myself," something strange flashed across her eyes, but it was gone so quick Jesse was sure he'd imagined it; the redhead tilted her head, "How you doing?"

"Oh, I'm-" _Reuben's the name of a pork sandwich_ , "... Fine."

Petra frowned, "You faltered."

"Did I?"

"Yes," Petra said firmly, "You did."

"No, I didn't."

_"Yes, you did."_

Again, Jesse jumped, having forgotten he still had the chats open. He sent the wrist band a dirty look.

 _"I've got it!"_ Dan abruptly exclaimed, _"It was Mustard, on the patio, with the poison!"_

Jesse clicked on his Mustard character card; Dan cursed softly.

 _"Darn it,"_ he said, _"Could've sworn I had it."_

 _"Wait,"_ Aiden said, _"If Mustard's not the murderer... than it must be White!"_

Jesse blinked, turning his attention to his check-list. Aiden was right. All the other characters were ticked off.

 _"And it_ must _have been done on the patio,"_ said Lukas, _"Or the spa."_

"And the murder weapon was either the poison or the rope," Petra concluded. She'd straightened to her feet and was tapping away at her screen. Jesse glanced at his own, biting his lip. His team knew the murder weapon.

 _"We need to get to the pool and try one combination,"_ said Aiden, _"And if it's wrong, another teammate can go in and say the right one."_

 _"Okay,"_ Axel's voice crackled in the static, _"But who's closest to the pool?"_

In a near perfect unison, Jesse and Petra's heads swivelled to one of the doors leading into the pool. They looked at each other; Petra was closer.

_Well, crap._

The dice appeared in front of Jesse then, and he grabbed it, feeling Petra's eyes on his head like a pair of lasers- and everyone's eyes above him, actually. He rolled, holding his breath- and landed a six.

 _"Yay, Jesse!"_ cheered Axel. Jesse counted out the tiles to the closest door leading to the pool, quickly finding the fastest way, and ended up right next to Petra.

The dice appeared in front of the redhead, and she rolled immediately. It landed on four. Petra was three tiles away from the door.

"Crap," Jesse muttered. Petra flashed him a wide, mocking grin.

The others did their rolls, everyone slowly trying to head towards the pool, but no one was close enough to make it in one roll. A lot quicker than before, the dice was in front of Jesse again.

 _"Come on, Jesse!"_ Lukas cheered through his bracelet. Feeling rather pressured, Jesse took a steadying breath, tried to ignore Petra's knowing grin, and rolled.

Six again.

Axel whooped, _"Just one more!"_

They had two dice, so the lowest you can score is a two; something that Jesse didn't think was that much of a likely number as he watched Petra pick up the dice. He gnawed on his bottom lip to the point where it began to feel a little raw. Reuben sat himself at his feet, tilting his head curiously to the side as he watched.

"Come on, come on, come on," Petra muttered; she rolled.

It seemed to take forever for them to land. The dice clattered and span around the tiles, hitting each other, bouncing away. Then, finally, painfully slowly and yet jarringly fast, they came to a stop.

One and one.

Petra only moved two.

"What?" the redhead gasped, gaping at the dice until the vanished over to the next player, "You're _kidding me!_ "

 _"Oh my god!"_ gasped Axel, _"Did that happen? That actually happened!"_

 _"Of all the..._ how? _"_

Abruptly, Petra whipped around, pointing an accusing finger at Jesse. The boy tried to jump back in his surprise, only to smack his head off the invisible force-field-thing keeping him to his tile.

"Did you do something?"

"What?" Jesse gasped, head smarting, "No!"

 _"Yeah, come on, Petra,"_ said Axel, _"It's Jesse. Even if he_ did _cheat, he'd feel so guilty about it he'd confess immediately."_

"Yeah, exactly," Jesse paused, "Was that insulting?"

 _"Not if you don't see it as insulting,"_ Dan spoke up.

The dice went around again, and within moments they were back in Jesse's palm. He rolled, not even bothering to look at the number, and stepped into the pool.

The most amazing thing about the boardgame was that, somehow, the entire board had gone from a 2D image to a full blown, proper mansion, just without the ceiling. The water in the pool was real (or at least looked real), and there was the sterile smell of clorine thick in the air. There were even some benches off to the side, complete with fluffy white towles. Jesse decided not to dwell on it- or anything in the mansion really.

He'd just end up with a headache anyway.

"Okay," he muttered, pulling up his screen, "I think it was White, with the rope, in the... spa. In the spa."

A yellow folder appeared on his screen. Jesse took a deep breath through his nose, letting it out slowly through his mouth. He clicked on it.

_White._

_Rope._

_Patio._

"Dammit!" Jesse cursed.

 _"What?"_ his wrist band cackled with Lukas' voice, _"What is it?"_

"I got it wrong," sighed Jesse, "It's the patio."

 _"Yes!"_ Petra cheered; he heard her from both his bracelet and from just outside the door. Jesse shook his head.

"Great," he said, turning around, "Now I'm-"

The small blades slid through his stomach, tearing his black, borrowed shirt. Jesse stared in numb shock at a black, wispy head void of nothing but a too-wide mouth. The monster cocked its head to the side, as though curious, as though it's hand- for the blades were in fact its fingers- were not burrowed into his skin. It grinned, an evil, too-wide grin made up of sharp, jagged teeth the length of a short sword.

Then, all at once, he was being stretched. It was like he was in one of those medieval torture machines where you were tied up by your wrists and ankles and stretched to the point where your limbs can't handle the strain and are ripped in two. It felt like that, except his spine had been added in as well.

Jesse tumbled to the floor, his whole world spinning. Slowly, his gaze refocused, and he was met with the familiar sight of the library.

Ever so slowly, Jesse pushed himself up onto his elbows, eyes darting down to his stomach- to find it completely unharmed. No blood. No clawmarks.

Just a torn shirt.

"Terrifying, isn't it?"

He looked up, to find Otto grinning at him, hands on his hips, "I nearly had a heart attack the first time; had be quite certain I was dead. But it's just apart of the game, completely harmless. The, ah, 'true murderer,' you could say."

Jesse's eyes trailed down to Reuben, who was stumbling to his feet, nose twitching as he blinked blearily. Then, his eyes locked with Ivor's, who was pale, terribly pale, as though he'd just been told a horrific secret.

One they couldn't tell anyone.

Jesse leant to the side and vomited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... yeah. To be honest, I hadn't originally intended it to end like that, but, well, inspiration struck.
> 
> Team A won, by the way, since Petra was so close to the door and Jesse didn't say anything about getting the weapon wrong. So he's the only one that got 'killed.' The same thing would have also happened had one of them gotten eight clocks.
> 
> So, yeah. This is how you make writing a board game more interesting.


	57. Smiling (Trembling)

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Fifty-Seven: Smiling (Trembling)**

* * *

Distantly, Jesse realised that he was being helped to his feet. People were talking, and he had the sense that they were frantic. His arm was pulled over a pair of shoulders and he was practically dragged over a short distance where his feet seemed unable to cooperate, before being seated in one of the library chairs.

The shouting was really starting to hurt his head. He raised his hand, which he noticed with faint surprise was trembling, rubbing his temples in an attempt to cease the pounding behind them, but it was useless. Something rough and wet was wiped across his mouth, and it took him a moment to realise someone was wiping the vomit from his face.

"Jesse? _Jesse!_ Are you alright?"

Jesse blinked, struggling to righten himself. His friends had returned from the gameboard; Olivia was dabbing vomit from his shirt with a wet cloth, while Ivor ruffled through his potions bag. Almost every pair of eyes were on him, while the rest were sending his pile of sick looks of disgust.

Lukas had been the one to speak, and his brow furrowed deeply when Jesse didn't answer. He pressed his hand to Jesse's forehead, brushing his hair out of his face, feeling his temperature.

"I don't think you have a fever," Lukas murmured; this only seemed to make him more worried, though, "Did you eat something bad?"

"Wait," Axel butt in, "You haven't been feeling sick the entire time, have you? You could've said something, dude."

Jesse shook his head, gently batting away Lukas' hand, although he still felt like he was about to throw up again, "No, no... I, uh, it was just really disorientating being... regrown and... all that."

"You're trembling," Lukas pointed out.

Suddenly, a bottle was thrust under his nose. Jesse blinked dumbly at it for a moment, before taking it in a quivering hand and sending Ivor a questioning look.

"It's a Potion of Neausa," Ivor explained, "Should help calm your stomach."

"Oh. Thanks." Jesse downed the potion in one, pleased to find that it tasted of warm honey rather than old socks. He released a small breath when the tightness in his stomach loosened, and the trembling lessened, but didn't go away completely. There was a small tug on his shirt, and he looked down to find Olivia frowning at the fresh holes. Jesse swallowed at the sight of them, curling his hands into fists in an attempt to hide the increased shaking.

"We're going to have to find you _another_ shirt," Olivia sighed, looking up to meet his eyes, "This is the third set of clothes you've got ruined."

Jesse smiled sheepishly, although it shook terribly, "People just don't like my brilliant sense of fashion."

No one laughed like he'd hoped, but he did earn himself a few amused, albeit forced grins. Petra shook her head.

"We'll go up and find you some more clothes," she said, before her eyes flickered over to Ivor, "Do you want to check him over for us?"

Ivor raised an eyebrow at her, but nodded, "Yes, I was going to suggest that."

"That's nice and all," Mevia said, then gestured to the pile of sick on the carpet, "But who's cleaning that up?"

"I'll-"

" _I'll_ do it," Lukas cut Jesse off, sending him a look when he opened his mouth to protest, "You just go with Ivor to the basement."

"We'll see you there with the clothes," Olivia declared, standing, "Tell us next time you feel sick, okay?"

"But I haven't-"

But Olivia and Petra were already gone, and Axel and Lukas were asking everyone else to help them get some cleaning supplies. Jesse sighed, massaging his temples, and looked up when a hand rested on his shoulder.

"Come on," Ivor murmured, nudging him. Jesse obediently rose to his feet, following the potionologist out of the library; the man didn't remove his hand from his shoulder. Reuben trailed after them.

They didn't talk as they walked down to the basement, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was more of a deep-in-thought silence. And maybe the thought should have felt weird, but Jesse was glad Ivor didn't remove his hand. It was almost... grounding. Comforting, even.

He was still a bit surprised by how disappointed he was when Ivor eventually removed it upon reaching the basement. Jesse loosely crossed his arms, although it looked more like he was hugging himself, in an attempt to replace it. It didn't work.

"Come on," Ivor said, opening the door for him. Reuben trotted through first, snuffling, and Jesse followed him. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Ivor closing the door, before the potionologist began to make his way down after them.

The alcove was exactly the same as it had been the last time, apart from the ingredients being packed away. The potion he and Ivor had been working on earlier steaming on its stand as it brewed, and Jesse awkwardly wrung his hands together as Ivor busied himself with checking it to see how it was doing.

Finally, with something that could have very well been reluctance, Ivor turned to face him. The man was paler than usual, his fingers tapping a nervous rhythm on the desktop beside him. He glanced to the side, at the walls, and took a deep breath as though to steady himself.

"I thought you were going to die."

Jesse swallowed, picking up Reuben and nuzzling his head, holding the little pig tightly. He hadn't expected Ivor to address what could have nearly been a death experience, and while he was embarrased by the tremble in his voice, he wasn't surprised by it. "So- So did I."

"You're sure you're alright?" Ivor asked, stepping closer, eyes scanning, "That thing didn't hurt you?"

"I don't think so," said Jesse, quietly. He could still feel the frigid claws digging into his skin, but now that he thought back, it hadn't been enough to leave more than a few white scratched, if even that. "I'm just... shook."

"I can see that," Ivor sighed, concern flashing across his eyes, "You're still trembling."

He was right. Jesse's fingers were shaking so hard that they were practically blurs, even when gripping Reuben. His legs felt as though they had turned to jelly, his knees weak, and he was abruptly afraid of toppling over. Reuben stared at him with big, worried eyes.

"Sit down," Ivor instructed gently, turning to rummage through a chest, "Let me see what I've got."

Grateful, Jesse seated himself on the end of the white cot, although he was still struggling to cease the trembling in his hands. His breathing was becoming shaky, slowly turning into quiet gasps. Reuben squealed loudly when hot tears began to trail down Jesse's cheeks.

Then Ivor was in front of him, kneeling, one grounding hand on his upper arm, "Easy, easy. Drink this."

For the second time in under twenty minutes, a bottle was thrust under Jesse's nose. His hand was trembling too much for him to hold it properly, and he fumbled with it, some of the potion sloshing out onto his fingers despite the narrow opening. Ivor had the help hold it to his mouth so he didn't spill it down his front.

Jesse hardly registered the taste, but it was thick and warm like maple syrup, although it lacked stickiness, and tasted vaguely of strawberries.

Within moments, the trembling almost became nonexistent and he could actually breathe properly. Sniffing, cheeks tinting a faint shade of pink, Jesse scrubbed the tears from his face with his sleeve, not looking at the potionologist.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"Anytime," said Ivor, standing to put away the potion bottle, "That was a bit of a delayed reaction, but I'm not all that surprised. Should've expected it, really."

"But I threw up earlier," Jesse pointed out, shifting further back on the cot so he could pull his legs up, clutching Reuben in his lap almost as though he were a stuffed toy but a thousand times better, "That's not much of a delayed reaction."

Ivor waved him off, "Always possible to have another reaction. Although this one wasn't as severe," he turned to face him, and maybe it was just Jesse, but his eyes seemed to soften, "I'm surprised that was all you had before I got that calming potion in you. I would've started screaming the moment I saw that thing had it been me."

"It was right there," Jesse breathed, a weak shudder wracking his spine, "It- It was _terrifying_ , Ivor. It didn't even have a face, just- just this mouth with really long teeth and... and..." confusion flashed across Jesse's eyes, and he raised his head to locked gazes with Ivor, brow furrowed, "Why... why didn't it kill me?"

A silence came upon the basement. The potionologist tapped an almost nervous rhythm atop his desk, chewing on his lip as he thought. It was almost a full minute before he spoke.

"I'm not sure," Ivor admitted, "Maybe it's just playing with us- a Game of Cat and Mouse, you could say- or maybe it's just... waiting."

"For what?" Jesse asked. Ivor shrugged.

"For us to finished the episodes? Go crazy with paranoia?" he shook his head, "I don't know, Jesse. I've only glimpsed it, remember?"

Jesse's gaze dropped downwards, and he began to rub Reuben's head just to have something to do with his hands. His voice was no more than a whisper. "I know."

"We'll figure this out," Ivor declared, pushing himself away from his desk to stand in front of Jesse. The boy raised his head to look at him through his eyelashes; the potionologist's face was set in determination, "I... I promise."

He blinked, surprised- Ivor didn't really seem like the type of person to make promises _(what's easier to break than two little words?)_ \- but wasn't given a chance to answer. Jesse twisted at the sound of the basement door opening, quickly followed by the quiet chatter of voices.

Petra appeared first, folded clothes in her arms, and right behind her came Lukas, Axel and Olivia. They looked around for a moment, before their eyes landed on the little group in the corner, and they made their way over.

"Hey, Jess," Lukas smiled, "Feeling any better?"

Jesse nodded, glad that he didn't even have to lie, "Yeah, I'm good now."

Olivia paused, tilting her head to the side. She frowned. "Have you been crying?"

"Oh, uh," Jesse's hand automatically raised to his cheeks, which, will no longer wet, more than likely were covered in tear stains, "N-No, just, uh-"

"His stomach was cramping," Ivor cut him off, hands going to his hips, "And he probably felt as though someone had decided to shove barbed wire down his throat. I'm sure anyone would've cried."

Jesse's face burned when his friends turned wide eyes to stare at him. He very carefully avoided looking at them, scratching his hot neck awkwardly.

"Why didn't you tell us you were feeling sick?" asked Lukas. Jesse risked a glance at them and winced; their expressions were a mix of concern and why-the-heck-do-you-keep-secrets annoyance.

"It- It honestly wasn't that bad!" Jesse insisted, although they looked unconvinced, "The- The shrinking and- and growing thing just made it worse and... yeah..."

He winced, but they seemed to buy it. Petra sighed, holding out the clothes.

"Here," she said, "Yet another pair of clothes for Messy Jesse."

Jesse rolled his eyes, taking them off her, "Oh, haha."

"You're sure you're alright now?" asked Axel. Jesse nodded.

"I'm fine, guys," he assured, "Ivor gave me a potion and I'm all better now."

"Well... okay," Lukas sighed, "If you insist. Just tell us if you feel any worse, okay?"

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, of course."

"I'd like to monitor him, though," Ivor announced, earning surprised looks from all five of them, "Just in case."

"If you think that's best," Petra muttered, frowning a little, "You'll get us if he worsens?"

Ivor nodded. Petra nodded back, almost absentmindedly, and turned to look back at Jesse.

"I'll come down and see how you're doing soon," she promised, "Okay?"

"That's fine," Jesse said, fiddling with one of the holes in his shirt, "You guys can go do your own thing."

Olivia lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing in the form of a tight hug. Jesse jumped, nearly clonking heads with her, and released Reuben to return the hug.

"Get better soon," she said softly.

"I'm already better," said Jesse. Olivia shook her head, but didn't say anything, instead giving one last squeeze before pulling away.

They left then, promising to come back down shortly, that the rest of the original Order wanted to see them. While Jesse was a _tad_ disappointed that they were leaving, he didn't protest. He and Ivor had some things to discuss, after all, and they'd already established that it would be a bad idea to try telling anyone else about _it_ anytime soon.

Jesse slipped behind a bookshelf to change into the clothes his friends had got for him. They'd found him another pair of dungaree's, this one a slightly darker blue, and a white and orange striped shirt. He wasn't sure why they didn't just get him a shirt (his pants were fine, after all), but he decided to just go with it and pulled them on.

Ivor raised a small eyebrow when he came back in, but didn't question it. He took Jesse's old clothes and sat them in a chest, probably to just sit there for the rest of eternity, before turning to the potion brewing on the stand.

"It's just about ready," he declared, "Could you grab a few potion bottles?"

"Yeah, sure," Jesse said, turning to the chest and rummaging through it in search of said bottles. He grabbed them, before returning to Ivor's side.

"You don't think we'll actually need any of these, do you?" Jesse asked, as Ivor began to set up some kind of tube to pour the potions into their bottles. The potionologist glanced at him, mouth pressing into a grim line.

"I hope not."

* * *

Soren wanted to build something.

It was a nervous habit, he supposed. After years of being alone with nothing but his own architecture and teleporting monsters that would kill him if he so much as glanced at them, he'd become used to silence, used to building as he pleased.

It was only now that he realised just how _long_ it had been since he built something. Back in the End, he'd spend all day either building his 'Artificial Happy Land' (as the kids seemed to have dubbed it) or studying his Endermen.

Since there weren't exactly any Endermen about, Soren found himself gather materials from all around the mansion, although he avoided taking apart any of the mansion itself. That's why Lukas found him rummaging through a chest in the back of the kitchen with a handful of sand.

"Hey, Soren," the blond greeted, making the architect jump and spin to face him.

"Oh, Lukas," Soren sighed, tucking the sand away and sending his- _the_ kid a smile, "You startled me. Is Jesse alright?"

"He's fine," Lukas said, twisting his fingers together, "Turns out he was a bit sick earlier and the resizing thing made it worse. Ivor's keeping an eye on him," his eyes trailed down to the still open chest, "What're you doing?"

"Looking for materials," Soren explained, turning to close the chest, "I'm going to build a greenhouse. Would you like to help?"

"You're building a greenhouse," Lukas repeated. Soren hummed in affirmation. "Why?"

"Building takes my mind off things," he stated simply, "So, would you like to help or not?"

"Oh, uh," the blond blinked, then shrugged, "Sure."

Soren's face broke out into a wide grin and he shoved the sand into Lukas' hands, "Fantastic! You take these and smelt them into glass."

Lukas stared at the sand for a moment, Soren stalking over to another chest and throwing it open. Finally, Lukas shrugged, "Alright."

He smelted the sand like Soren had requested, turning them into blocks of clear glass, which they then proceeded to craft into glass panes. There was an almost constant stream of chatter, the two males throwing ideas back and forth as they gathered their materials and then made their way out into the garden in search of a place to build.

They found a spot further away from the mansion, west from the farm. They had to cut down a few trees, but soon they were greeted with a bare plot of land that was perfect for a decently sized greenhouse; a blank canvas.

The two builders got to work. They made the walls up of glass, lined with acacia wood. They had done most of the walls and Lukas was placing down the acacia doors when a hand tapped on Soren's shoulder.

He turned, blinking in surprise when he discovered the newcomer to be the kid that had tried to take over Sky City- Aiden. Lukas' friend.

The image of Lukas being thrown out into open sky, eyes wide in surprise upon finding no ground to land on, flashed across before the architect's eyes.

_Ex._

_Ex_ -friend.

"Er, hey," Aiden said, awkwardly twisting his fingers together. The boy had become a lot more... well, awkward, since the end of episode five. It was almost as though the sneering child that had snatched the remote from Jesse's hands and stretched out over Lukas' seat to make him sit on the floor had never even been him in the first place.

Soren briefly wondered if it was an act. Then, spotting Cassie over the boy's shoulder, decided it wasn't his place.

"Aiden?"

They turned to find Lukas walking towards them, acacia doors in place behind him, smiling. That smile fell a little, however, when his eyes landed on Cassie. He forced it back on, seeming to have decided to ignore her, and turned his attention back to Aiden.

"What's up?"

"It's Soren's turn to watch Cassie," Aiden explained, wincing a little when the forced smile on Lukas' face faltered, "I tried to ask Otto if I could just take his turn, but he's insisting we follow the schedule."

"It's fine," Soren assured, placing a reassuring hand on Lukas' elbow and internally wincing when he realised the kid was tenser than a bowstring, "I agreed, after all. We're not using redstone, just glass, dirt and wood. She can help us build."

Aiden's eyes roamed over the structure currently under construction, something like awe sparking across his face, "Is that a greenhouse? Or a sanctuary?"

"Greenhouse," Lukas confirmed, shortly. Soren sent him a concerned glance.

The ex-bully nodded slowly, still looking over their build. Finally, he forced them back to Lukas and Soren, "It- It looks great. Um," he scratched his neck, glancing back over at the silent Cassie Rose; a blank sheet of paper, "I-I'll see you soon?"

Something like a smile crossed Cassie's face, but it was small and was almost on the verge of a grimace, "Yeah."

Aiden nodded again, looked from Lukas to Soren, back to Cassie, then back to them. He opened his mouth, as though he were about to say something, but seemed to decide against it. With a small, awkward wave, he hurriedly vanished back towards the mansion.

The air was suddenly thick, to the point Soren was almost certain he could taste it on his tongue. Lukas shifted beside him, arms crossed and gaze on neither him nor Cassie. The girl's face was a blank mask again, head bowed as she studied her shoes. Winslow seated himself in a patch of shaded grass, sprawling out in preparation for what was most likely a nap.

Soren cleared his throat, shattering the silence and directing both of their attention towards him, "How about we get back to it, yes?"

Lukas' jaw clenched, the closest to aggression Soren had ever seen from the boy, and shrugged stiffly. When Soren looked to Cassie, she simply shrugged as well. He smiled, although he was very certain they could tell it was forced.

"Alright! Lukas, you get started on the glass ceiling. Cassie and I will finish the walls."

The chatter that had been ever present earlier seemed to have decided to go on a vacation. Lukas only spoke to Soren, asking him to hand him things even when Cassie was closer, and simply avoided the girl all together. Cassie wasn't that much better, although Soren wasn't sure if it was because she herself didn't want to talk to the blond or because she knew he wanted nothing to do with her.

Suffice to say, things were rather awkward.

The roof, a glass dome, was almost finished. Soren had climbed down to start to plan the interior, the two kids finishing off the last of the glass dome above him. He was just considering whether they should put the tulips on the _left_ and the oxeye's on the _right_ when they started shouting.

"-touch that! You're not allowed weapons, _Pumpkin_."

Soren's head snapped up, mouth dropping open, because that was _Lukas_. He watched as the blond snatched the stone shovel from Cassie's hands, blue eyes uncharacteristically hard. Cassie blinked, taken aback, then scowled.

"It's a _shovel_ ," she snapped, "And it was only handing it to you, _Ocelot_."

"You turned a pumpkin head into a voice modifying mask," Lukas pointed out, glaring right back, "I'm not trusting you with even a shovel, diamond or wood."

"Oh, like you're so perfect," Cassie hissed through gritted teeth, "I didn't have a choice, and I'm _trying_ to-"

"Choice? _Choice?_ Of course you had a choice! You _always_ have a choice!"

"Then why didn't _you_ choose to stop your friends from bullying Jesse, huh?" countered Cassie, Lukas' eyes widening, " _I_ was trying to get home, but you could've-"

"Don't you _dare_ bring Jesse into this!" Lukas cut her off, shooting up from his kneeling position. Cassie shot to her feet as well, eyes flashing red in the sunlight, mouth opening to retaliate- but she never got the chance.

Soren screamed a warning, but it was too late. Cassie's foot skidded on the edge of the glass, and she dropped, splitting open her bare leg, and toppled through the unfinished ceiling- Lukas lunged, flat on his chest, grabbing her hand, only to be pulled down after her.

The kids flashed red when they hit the ground, the unmistakable crack of bone deafening in the empty greenhouse. The dirt that Soren had been using to map out the interior design dropped from his hand, but he didn't even notice, didn't even care, because his heart was in his throat and his blood was rushing in his ears, and he was running towards the still forms of his kids without even realising he'd begun to move.

"Cassie! Lukas!" he skidded to a halt beside them, falling to his knees, a jolt of relief shooting through him when they groaned. Soren reached out, wrapping an arm around Lukas' chest and pulling him off of Cassie, which turned out to be a little difficult from how their limbs were tangled.

"Ow," Cassie muttered, moving to push herself up, glasses crooked on her face. Soren reached out and placed a firm hand on her shoulder, gently forcing her to lie back down. Lukas blinked open his eyes, face pasty pale from where he was leaning against Soren's chest, as though he were about to throw up.

That's when Soren noticed his forearm. It was bent at an impossible angle, almost as though it had been dented right in the middle. Lukas' hand was limp, fingers still, jutting out almost sickeningly. Realising that the blond was gaping at his arm and looked as though he were about to scream, Soren hastily covered his eyes, although he was well aware that it wouldn't do much.

"Oh my god," breathed Cassie. She was staring at Lukas' arm, glasses readjusted on her nose. Then her eyes strayed down to her leg, and Soren had to resist the urge to vomit.

It wasn't broken, but her thigh had been slashed open by a glass corner and was bleeding everywhere, staining her pale skin and the coarse dirt that had halted their fall. Soren swallowed.

"We need to get you two to Ivor," he said, shifting Lukas and carefully helping him stand. The blond swayed, pale, arm clutched to his chest. When Soren removed his hand from around his eyes, he found that the boy had squeezed them shut, appearing to be fighting a wave of nausea.

"Can you walk?" Soren asked. Lukas didn't answer for a moment, keeping his eyes closed, before nodding slowly. Biting his lip, Soren turned to Cassie, bent down and carefully picked her up.

Cassie hissed when he jostled her leg, but gritted her teeth and fell silent. Heart twisting in his chest and feeling as though _he_ were about to vomit, Soren looked to Lukas to make sure he wasn't about to fall over. The blond had opened his eyes, although was still far too pale, and was taking great care in not looking at his arm.

"Come on," Soren murmured, before beginning to make his way towards the (thankfully open) acacia doors, Lukas trailing after him.

The walk back to the mansion couldn't have been longer, and both Lukas and Cassie seemed to grow paler with every step. When they came to the stairs leading up onto the porch, Soren had to go slowly as to not jostle Cassie too much, and Lukas went slowly because, if he didn't, he'd probably fall back down and break his other arm. Soren was starting to suspect he'd hit his head as well.

The watching room was just down the hall from the front door, so Soren hurriedly led them there. It was empty, and someone had fixed the mess of blankets and pillows on the floor so it was a lot tidier (he wondered if Isa had done that).

He sat Cassie down on the Order's couch, grabbing one of the smaller blankets and pressing it to her leg wound. Soren took her hand and guided it to the blanket, "Hold it there, okay?"

Cassie nodded, putting more pressure on her leg. Realising Lukas hadn't sat down, Soren put a hand on his shoulder and led him to the couch, where he sat down at Cassie's feet, arm still clutched protectively against his chest.

"I'm going to go find Ivor," he said, already making his way towards the hall, "I'll be _right_ back," he paused in the doorway, turned back around and pointed a finger, "Do _not_ fight, understand?"

Shame coloured their cheeks, and they nodded. Satisfied with this, Soren left at a quick pace in search of his old friend.

He really wished his heart would get out of his throat now.

* * *

"See, you have to pour it in slowly, otherwise it'll mix with the gel on the inside of the glass," Ivor explained, adjusting Jesse's fingers so he was holding the tube transferring the potion from the brewing stand into the bottle, "And if it does that, you won't be able to reuse the bottle."

"Okay," said Jesse, tilting the tube like he'd been shown, "Like this?"

Ivor studied the position with a critical eye, then gave a single nod, smiling when the potion began to trickle in, "Yes, perfect! Excellent work, Jesse."

Jesse beamed at the praise, watching as the bottle filled to the top. He retracted the tube, making sure to leave it sticking upwards to avoid any spillage. Ivor took the potion from his hands and corked it, before holding it up to the lighting and smiling almost proudly, the odd mix of light blue and lilac purple casting shadows in his face in a faint glow. Jesse wondered why Ivor would be proud about making a single potion; he's probably made hundreds of others that are way more difficult.

"Simple and perfect," Ivor hummed, setting the bottle on the table beside the other two, before turning that oddly proud smile to Jesse, "You did brilliant, especially for a first time."

Jesse blinked, surprised, lips twitching, "You think?"

Ivor's smile widened, but, before he could answer, they heard the door open, quickly followed by hurried footsteps. At the same time, they turned to face the stairs, just in time for a slightly dishevelled Soren to come skidding around the bend.

"Ivor!" the architect gasped, "I need your help."

"With what?" asked Ivor, taken aback.

"Cassie and Lukas were helping me build and they fell and now Cassie's bleeding and Lukas' arm is broken-"

"Lukas is hurt?" gasped Jesse.

"-They're in the watching room-"

"You left Lukas alone with _Cassie_?" Ivor hissed, dashing towards a chest and throwing it open. Now it was Soren's turn to look taken aback, if only for a moment.

"What else was I supposed to do?" he asked, almost snapped, "Lukas looks like he's about to pass out and Cassie can't walk-"

"Lukas passed out?!"

"-Besides, it's not like she can do- Well," a thoughtful look crossed Soren's face, "Okay, so _maybe_ she'd still be able to kill him, but I highly doubt she will-"

"What do you mean _maybe_?!"

"Soren, _shut up_ , you're scaring Jesse," Ivor snapped, and usually Jesse would've been offended, but he was a bit too horrified to care at the moment.

The potionologist straightened with his satchel in hand, and then he and Soren were darting up the stairs, Jesse hot on their heels with Reuben trotting after them. Within moments, they were skidding into the watching room, cutting off a conversation between Lukas and Cassie (about what, Jesse wasn't sure).

"I swear," Ivor grumbled, taking the blanket from Cassie's leg to inspect it, "You all are just determined to go through my medical supplies."

"Hey, Jesse," Lukas greeted, a lot paler than he usually was, clutching a disgustingly dented arm to his chest, "Feeling any better?"

"All better," Jesse assured, sliding onto the couch beside him and grimacing at the sight of his arm, "What happened?"

"Uh," Lukas winced, "Yeah. I fell through a window."

"Onto me," Cassie butted in. Lukas sent her a deadpan look.

"To try and stop _you_ from falling."

"Yes, well," Soren stepped forward, arms crossed and eyes hard, "You two shouldn't have been fighting in the first place! What were you thinking? I told you to be careful, and deciding to argue with each other was _not being careful_!"

Jesse gaped at the architect, before his head snapped to Lukas, even more surprised by the way he was shamefully ducking his head. His eyes briefly snapped to Ivor, who looked just as surprised from where he was cleaning Cassie's gash.

"You," said Jesse, slowly, "Were actually _fighting_ with someone?"

Lukas' cheeks colouring was all the answer he needed. Jesse grinned.

"Wait until I tell Petra."

"Hey," said Ivor, sticking a bandage over Cassie's leg and moving over to Lukas, "At least it wasn't Jesse this time."

This earned a small laugh from Lukas, although the comment only seemed to make Soren scowl.

"Ah, yes," he said, voice thick with sarcasm, " _My_ kids getting hurt rather than yours is so much better."

Jesse, Lukas and Cassie's heads snapped towards him, eyes wide. Ivor looked up from where he'd been inspecting Lukas' arm, blinking in surprise, then he glared.

"Yes, Soren," he said, "It's better because my kid is the one that is _always_ getting hurt. It doesn't mean that I'm happy _yours_ got hurt, but it's a refreshing change."

Their heads snapped between Ivor and Soren, eyes wide and mouths open. The potionologist and architect glared at each other for a moment, but then seemed to register their stares and turned to face them. Finally, they realised their own words, and they whirled around to face each other again with the same expression as the three kids.

The silence stretched on, no one knowing how to react, what to say, whether to deny it or get up and hug them. It was broken by Ivor clearing his throat, not meeting any of their eyes and instead focusing all of his attention on Lukas' arm.

"I'm going to reset it," he declared, which only made the blond pale more. He knew it would have to be done, but this was his first broken bone, so come on.

"Uh," Jesse cleared his throat awkwardly, realising only a second later that Ivor had done the same not a moment before, "How about we count to-"

The bone snapped into place with the most sickening sound Jesse had ever heard. Lukas yelped, more out of surprise than pain, although that wasn't to say it didn't hurt. Even Cassie winced at the sound.

Ivor proceeded to wrap the arm in a cast, complete with a sling that kept it glued to Lukas' chest. Thankfully, it was his right hand, rather than his dominant left.

"There we go," Ivor said, sitting back to admire his handiwork. He buried his hands into his bag again, coming up with two identical potions that glowed a dull, orange hue- Pain Relief Potions, Jesse realised.

"Drink these," said the potionologist, handing them the potions, "They'll help with the pain."

Lukas nodded and downed his immediately, whereas Cassie hesitated, studying the potion with an almost suspicious eye. Finding nothing wrong, she downed it too.

"That arm's going to take at least a few weeks to heal," said Ivor, gesturing to the casted limb, "I can give you a Replenish Potion, like I did with Jesse's ankle, but I'll have to brew it first and we have to let it heal on its own for a little while."

The blond nodded, colour finally returning to his face, "Alright."

"As for you," Ivor turned to Cassie, "Same goes. Replenish Potion, but has to heal on its own for a little while first. You can walk, but I wouldn't recommend running, and you should sit down often."

Cassie gave a small, mock salute that surprised the four males, "Yes, sir."

"There you guys a- Lukas! What happened to your arm?"

They turned to find Olivia standing in the doorway, staring with wide eyes at the blond's new fashion choice. Lukas gave her a small, reassuring smile and shrugged, which was a rather awkward action with the sling.

"I fell through a window."

"What?" Olivia gasped, " _Why_?"

Lukas actually looked a little offended, "I didn't do it on purpose."

"They were helping me with a build," Soren explained, "And fell off the top. Ivor's fixed them up now."

Olivia's eyes trailed over to Cassie, surprising coming over her face, "Oh," she quickly snapped back to Lukas and Jesse, "So you're okay now?"

Lukas nodded, giving her another smile, "Yeah, just have to wear _this_ stupid thing for a while," he gestured to the sling. Ivor sent him a look.

"That's the best sling I've ever done, I'll have you know."

"Well, dinner's ready," Olivia announced, walking up to the couch and placing a hand on Lukas' shoulder, "Be more careful next time, okay?"

"Don't worry, I will," Lukas assured, "Let's go eat."

Olivia returned his smile.

"Did you know Slab and Clutch actually make really good pies?"

* * *

Slab and Clutch did, indeed, make really good pies.

It was the most Jesse had eaten in a while. They'd made mushroom and beetroot pie for dinner, and apple and cinnamon for dessert. Cassie was sitting between Soren and Aiden, since it was still Soren's turn to keep an eye on her and Aiden was reluctant to leave her after her injury.

Petra had taken one look at Lukas' cast and smacked him over the head. When Lukas explained how he'd fallen through the glass ceiling of the greenhouse he and Soren were building, Axel looked as though he were getting a splitting headache and muttered something that sounded a lot like 'stupid cinnamon rolls.'

Dinner was soon finished, and both Jesse and Lukas were told to sit down when they made to help clean up. When Jesse asked why _he_ wasn't allowed to help, Petra helpfully reminded him of how the library still stank of sick.

"Those pies were really good," Lukas said, conversationally, as he passed a crumb covered plate to Ellegaard, "I'll have to ask Slab for the recipe."

"You make pies?" asked Jesse. Lukas shrugged.

"Yeah, it's something to do when it's too miserable outside to build," he leant back in his seat, "You ever baked anything?"

"Not really," Jesse hummed, thinking back, "I've done the occasional cakes, but never pies. Although Olivia's told me she really likes my pasta."

"Pasta?" Lukas echoed, attention captured. Jesse nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, my gran taught me how to make it. She told me it was the family recipe or something."

Lukas cocked his head to the side, something curious sparking in his eye, "Hey, you've never told us anything abou-"

"Jesse?"

The boy turned, locking eyes with Axel. His large friend gestured to the door, where Magnus was waiting with surprising patience (for however long).

"I'm going off with Magnus," he said, "We're going to try and launch ourselves up the wall with TNT cannons. Will you and Lukas be alright here?"

"We'll be fine," Jesse assured, "Just... try not to break anything. Ivor's not happy that everyone keeps getting hurt."

"He'll be fine," Magnus waved him off. He faltered. "Probably."

"That," Ellegaard said, appearing in the kitchen doorway and sending the Boom King a deadpan look, "Is _not_ reassuring."

"Yes, well..." Magnus trailed off, struggling to come up with a comeback. Ellegaard raised an expectant eyebrow at him. Magnus' eyes snapped towards Axel, then back to the engineer.

"Run!" he shouted, so suddenly that Jesse jumped in surprise, before darting passed Ellegaard and out into the hall, Axel hot on his heels. They were gone within moments, the redstone engineer gaping after them in disbelief.

Gabriel slid through the door a moment later, frowning confusedly over his shoulder. He turned his frown to the remaining occupants of the kitchen.

"Why are Magnus and Axel running?"

Ellegaard shook her head, "I've decided not to question it anymore."

She looked away from where Magnus and Axel had departed, eyes landing on Olivia. A smile crossed her face. "Olivia, care to join me in the lab?"

Olivia brightened, "Of course! Are we continuing with that project?"

Ellegaard hummed in confirmation, already leading the girl out into the hall. Olivia briefly paused in the doorway to send a quick wave to her friends, before vanishing after her idol.

Gabriel watched them go, before he turned his attention to Petra, "Would you like to spar in the armoury with me?"

A grin crossed Petra's face, "Improvised weapons?"

Gabriel smiled and nodded, "Improvised weapons."

Petra's grin widened, and she hurriedly put away the last of the plates, before jogging after Gabriel, shouting a goodbye to Lukas and Jesse over her shoulder. Then she was gone, leaving Jesse and Lukas alone in the kitchen.

Lukas adjusted his sling so it wasn't digging into his neck, glancing around the kitchen. His eyes trailed back to Jesse. "So... if your pasta is so good, why don't we make it?"

Jesse blinked at him, "Huh?"

"Why don't we make it?" Lukas repeated, "We can have it for lunch tomorrow. That way no one will have to make it and we'll have more time for the episode."

Jesse stared at him for a moment longer. Then he nodded, lips twitching into a smile. "Yeah, okay."

Lukas smiled back, getting to his feet, "Great. Let's get to it, chef."

They pulled out a pot from the cupboard and an unopened bag of pasta from the pantry. Jesse climbed up onto the counter so he could reach the top cupboards, rummaging through them and pulling out various ingredients.

He jumped down with the ingredients in his arms, setting them on the counter as Lukas balanced the pot in the sink and turned on the tap. Jesse told him the recipe as they worked, getting out the right equipment and ingredients, laying everything out on the counter.

The boy tipped the pasta into the boiling water atop the furnace, laying the wooden spoon across the top. He was explaining how the salt added a nice aftertaste to the tomato sauce, but only when done correctly, when there was a knock on the door.

"Soren?" Lukas blinked, putting down the bowl he'd been mixing the sauce in, "I thought you were finishing off the greenhouse?"

"I was," Soren confirmed, stepping further into the room and briefly taking in the ingredients spread about everywhere (he decided not to comment on the tomato paste splattered across the ceiling), "But Cassie had an idea on how the flower pots should be placed, and we wanted to your input. It'll only take a moment."

"Oh, uh," Lukas looked over at Jesse, who was stirring the pasta, hesitating. Jesse's mind briefly flashed back to the earlier game, the vomit on his breath and the tremble in his fingers, the cold, cold hands reaching for him with nothing but a too wide, too sharp mouth for a face. The spoon stilled in the pot.

"I'd rather not leave Jesse by himself," admitted Lukas, turning his attention back to Soren, "Not with the, uh... whoever's been watching us from the portraits."

Soren blinked, eyes darting the out of place birch wood on the far wall, as though he'd been reminded of an unpleasant detail. He cleared his throat a little. "Ah, yes... that. It _would_ be unwise to stay alone."

Jesse opened his mouth to say that he _technically_ wouldn't be alone, because he'd have Reuben with him, but nothing came out. Realising that he didn't actually want Lukas to leave, even if it was only for a few minutes, he closed his mouth and focused his attention on stirring the pasta.

"I could watch him."

His heart stopped beating.

Hadrian smiled, hands clasped behind his back from where he stood in the kitchen doorway. Lukas and Soren shared a surprised look, before the hesitation returned to Lukas' eyes.

"I'm not sure..." he trailed off. Hadrian waved him away.

"Please, I insist. You'll only be gone for, what, fifteen minutes? Less? I'll just sit at the table until you get back, it's no problem."

 _Say no,_ Jesse silently pleaded, _Say no, say no, say no._

"Well..." Lukas shrugged his one shoulder, still looking unsure, "If you're certain, I guess-"

"Great!" Hadrian smiled widely, all teeth and gums, and put a hand on Lukas' good shoulder, guiding him towards the door, "Now go do your thing! I can't _wait_ to see this build of yours once it's done."

Lukas smiled bashfully at the comment, Hadrian retracting his hand from his shoulder. The blond turned to look at Jesse.

"I'll be _right_ back," he declared, as Soren began to lead him out into the hall, "Remember to add the salt in eight minutes!"

Then he was gone, a protest on Jesse's tongue, the door hiding their retreating forms. Something pressed against his leg and he looked down to find Reuben hiding behind him, shooting the older man across the room a weary glare.

_Did you know Reuben's the name of a pork sandwich, Jason?_

Swallowing thickly, Jesse forced his attention back to the pasta, acting as though stirring it took all the concentration in the world. He could feel Hadrian staring at the back of his head. His grip was white-knuckled on the wooden spoon.

"You know," said Hadrian, because of _course_ he'd start speaking, of _course_ he wouldn't accept the silence, "I've actually been asking around about the episodes- you know, the ones I wasn't here for."

Jesse had to resist the urge to look behind him, instead clenching his jaw and staring, hard eyed, at the softening pasta in the boiling water. He heard Hadrian moving somewhere behind him, perhaps to sit at the table like he'd told Lukas he was going to do, perhaps to stand right behind Jesse.

"And no matter _who_ I talked to," Hadrian continued, "No matter _what_ they think we're here for, your friends all agreed on one thing: you were valiant. Brave. You stared danger in the eye and spat in death's face."

Hot breath, on the back of his neck. Jesse's heart was loud in his ears, so loud he was almost certain the older man could hear it thumping away in his chest. Reuben made a deep rumbling noise, his piggy version of a growl that sounded a lot more like an angry squeaky toy.

"If there's one thing they agreed on, it's that you _fought_. You fought even though you could have died, you fought to protect your friends and often launched yourself into danger just so they wouldn't have to instead," Hadrian paused. Goosebumps were dotting Jesse's arms, despite the heat of the furnace. Spittles of boiled water shot from the pot and burnt his hand, but he didn't move, didn't react, afraid that the slightest movement would trigger something vastly unpleasant.

He was afraid of what that might be.

Hadrian leaned closer, so close his beard brushed against Jesse's head, his lips inches from his ear, "You killed Cassie Rose."

Jesse whirled around, heart in his throat and eyes wide, coming very close to hitting heads with the man. He shook his head, struggling to breathe, "I didn't."

"Oh, you did," Hadrian insisted smoothly, smiling as though they weren't talking about murder, "You most certainly did. Poor girl's been left above a hungry pit of Endermites until she either starves or decides to jump into them to end her suffering," he cocked his head to the side, a mock-sad look on his face, "Quite a cruel way to go, isn't it? And you decided to sentence her innocent cat to the same fate too."

"I didn't kill her," said Jesse, but his voice cracked and it came out weak. Hadrian shook his head, almost appearing _amused._

"Now, now, Jason," he said lightly; Jesse flinched at the use of his name, something that Hadrian's eyes sparked at, "There's no point in denying it. You _killed_ Cassie Rose."

He stepped closer, so that they were nose to nose, Reuben squealing a short protest. Hadrian ignored the pig, head cocked, something a lot darker shadowing his eyes. It wasn't the lighting.

"You killed Cassie Rose," he repeated, softer this time, "You killed one of _us_."

Jesse's eyes widened even further, confusion briefly barging through his fear, but then Hadrian was leaning even _closer_ , so close that he could only see his eyes properly, and the confusion was banished in place of terror.

"You killed," he continued, in that same soft tone, "The very same girl that _I_ failed to end. That's impressive. Very, very impressive."

Jesse couldn't breathe. He was too close. Far too close. "You," he choked, "You tried to... to kill Cassie?"

"Yes," Hadrian shrugged casually, smile returning when Jesse shrunk away, only to jerk back when his skin brushed against the boiling pot, "It had been time to get rid of her. She gave us all the creeps, anyway. But," his smile fell, "We failed. She escaped. We didn't bother trying to look for her, there was no point."

"You're sick," Jesse really wished that hadn't come out as a whimper, but it had. Hadrian's smile came back.

"The point is," he continued, "You killed someone that should've turned you into _ash_ with a mere flick of her wrist. You killed someone who not even _we_ could kill. And so that means you could kill _us_."

"What are you talking about?" Jesse asked, voice strangled, choking on his own breath, "I don't even know who you _are_. Why would I want to kill you?"

Hadrian shook his head, as though he were a small child that had just come up with the silliest of things, "See, that's it, Jason. You don't know who we are. Not yet. But I have a feeling you will."

His smile was gone. Instead, his face was hard, cold, a face that was almost as bad at the one he'd seen in the gameboard. There was no joke in Hadrian's expression, his locked firmly with Jesse's. Reuben whined at their feet, but he went unnoticed.

"That's why," said Hadrian, slowly, as though making certain he heard every word, every syllable, "I've decided that we should simply change things before we're even sent back. I mean, why not, right?"

Jesse's heart was in his throat. Then Hadrian's smile was back, so suddenly he was starting to consider, at the back of his mind, that the man was bipolar.

"You're a threat to me, Jason," Hadrian said, still smiling, "So I want you to help me kill you."

Silence rang throughout the kitchen. Hadrian leant back, clasping his hands behind his back again, regarding him with that small, menacing little smile in place. Jesse stared at him, frozen in his shock, brain struggling to process the demand.

"Why?" Jesse croaked, after what could have been a full minute. Hadrian shrugged.

"Oh, you know. I don't think you're one to agree with the little game I've got going on back in my world, you've already met and killed _one_ of us, although I should actually thank you there, but it means you've got the potential to kill the rest of us, so... yeah. It's nothing personal, Jason," Hadrian assured, smiling at the gaping boy, "Really. But, you know how it is: business is business."

"You're insane," said Jesse, shaking his head, "Why- Why would I even _agree_ to this?"

"Dunno," Hadrian's smile widened, "Maybe because I'll kill your friends."

A horrible chill wracked Jesse's spine. He swallowed, abruptly realising his throat was dry. He shifted so he was blocking Reuben.

"You hurt them," he said, almost growling, "And I'll make you regret it. There are other people in the mansion who'll help me."

"Ah, yes," Hadrian rocked on his heels, "But I know much more about the mansion than anyone else here, don't I?"

Ice ran through Jesse's veins. Black hands, clawed fingers, frost and ice and _cold_ , a face with nothing but a mouth full of jagged teeth, dark wisps of shadow in place of skin. At the back of his brain, he realised he was trembling.

"So," Hadrian clapped his hands together, "Do we have a deal?"

Jesse's throat was tight, his tongue lead in his mouth. His legs had been turned to jelly, his knees weak, tremors wracking his whole body. Then, ever so slowly, he nodded his head.

"Deal," Jesse whispered.

"Perfect!" Hadrian smiled broadly, patting Jesse on the shoulder and grinning at the boy's flinch, "We'll speak more on this later," his eyes darted to the furnace behind him, "I do believe it's time to add that salt."

Jesse didn't want to turn his back to the man. So he reached behind him for the salt, almost dropping it from how much he was trembling. He didn't look away from Hadrian even as he seated himself at the table, leaning back in his chair and smiling as though he'd won the lottery. Jesse was pretty sure he put too much salt in.

He very nearly melted into a pile of goop on the floor when the kitchen door opened, announcing Lukas' return. Hadrian stood from his chair, simply smiling when the blond thanked him for staying with his friend. The man locked eyes with Jesse, and his smile widened further. He winked at him, then he was out the door and out of sight.

"Sorry I took so long," said Lukas, moving to stand beside him. A concerned look crossed his face. "Hey, are you alright? You're really pale."

Jesse shook his head, releasing his white knuckled grip on the wooden spoon and sinking to the floor. Reuben bounded into his lap immediately and Jesse clutched him to his chest as though he were a large teddy bear, burying his face into his back.

Lukas dropped to his knees beside him, hand landing on his shoulder, blue eyes wide, "Jesse? Jesse, what's wrong? Are you hurt? What is it?"

Jesse shook his head again, clenching his eyes shut and forcing himself to _breathe,_ "I-I don't feel so- so good."

"What? Are you going to be sick?" Lukas asked. Jesse shook his head again.

"Okay, uh," Lukas glanced towards the door, "I- I'm going to go get Ivor, okay? I'll be _right_ back, I promise."

Lukas stood and was gone within moments, running out the door in search of the potionologist. Jesse opened his eyes, face still buried in his piggy's neck, struggling to _breathe, breathe, breathe,_ vision blurred with tears.

He took a deep breath.

_Reuben's the name of a pork sandwich._

And broke down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this turned out longer than I was expecting it to be. Longest chapter yet, guys!
> 
> I'm just going to say this now: some future scenes regarding Hadrian and Jesse's little deal will be rather dark. I mean, the man's blackmailing a teenager with quite a few self-worth problems into letting himself be killed. It's going to get dark, and I'll be putting warnings in the top AN's when necessary, but don't worry: that won't be often.
> 
> Onto other matters. Did anyone notice how both Soren and Lukas said 'I'll be right back' in this chapter? I noticed it while editing and I found it kinda cute, no matter how unintentional it was. Thought I'd point it out.
> 
> Okay, so. They'll be starti


	58. Portal Mania

**_Movie Mode_ **

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Fifty-Eight: Portal Mania**

* * *

Isa trailed a fine finger along the spines of the books. Behind her, Cluedo sat on the table, packed away until the next game. The stink of vomit had finally been vanquished from the room, although there was now the faint smell of cherry perfume, so thick in some places that it got caught at the back of your throat and left you gagging.

She tugged _Decibels_ off the shelf, intrigued by the description inscribed on the back. The Founder turned to make her way to one of the many seats about the library, preferably away from the suffocating cherry perfume, when she paused. Near the back, scowling at the thin tome in his lap, sat Milo.

The messy man hadn't seemed to have realised she was there. Isa's bottom lip went between her teeth, chewing- something she was doing a lot lately. Her eyes darted over to the empty table off to the side, then back to Milo. Making up her mind, she sighed softly through her nose and made her way over to him.

"You know," she said, lips twitching in a slight smirk when the dishevelled man jumped, "Glaring at the book isn't considered reading it."

Milo's cheeks dusted a faint pink, and he shifted where he sat, "Yes, well... the characters stupidity was showing."

Isa nodded in understanding, sitting down beside him and propping open her own book, "Sometimes stupid decisions can make the story more... realistic. I do know what you mean, though."

Milo nodded mutely, ducking his head and glueing his eyes to the pages of his book. Shrugging it off, Isa turned her attention to her own book and began to read.

They sat in silence for awhile, broken only by the soft ticking of the clock above the door and the occasional flutter of a turning page. Isa was coming to a close on the first chapter when she glanced at Milo, surprised to discover that he had returned to scowling. She looked down at his open book. He was still on the first page.

Isa raised an eyebrow, "You're supposed to turn the pages."

"I know that," Milo snapped, ears going red. Isa's brow furrowed.

"Then why are you still on the first page?"

"Because- Because I... ugh..." he trailed off, gesturing uselessly and not meeting her eyes. Isa cocked her head to the side, still frowning, and glanced down at his book again.

"Hey, we're reading the same book," she pointed out, Milo looking up in his surprise, "How about I read out loud and you can follow along?"

"Oh, uh..." Milo blinked, "Sure?"

"Great!" Isa flipped back to the first page, not truly minding reading it again (it was good, although she _did_ want to know what happened next). She began to read aloud, watching out the corner of her eye as Milo returned his attention to the book.

In full honesty, Isa wasn't sure what to call the man beside her. He wasn't the random citizen she'd originally thought him to be, nor was he the idiotic idealist she'd considered him as throughout most of episode five. But he wasn't just an acquaintance either, not anymore. And yet Isa was reluctant to consider him a friend, for a reason she was unsure of.

She sped through the first chapter and was soon partway through the second. It was here that she, once more, looked to Milo. Only to find him staring glaze-eyed at what was certainly not the second chapter.

"Do you want me to keep reading?" Isa asked, unsure if he was bored or not. Milo's head snapped around to face her, cheeks going red upon registering her question. He cleared his throat, coughing awkwardly into his shoulder.

"If- If you don't mind."

Isa smiled and continued reading.

"It's alright," she said, once she'd finished chapter two, "If you never learnt to read."

"It's not that," Milo mumbled, pushing one of his suspenders up his shoulder; it immediately fell back down, "I get the gists of it, I just have... trouble, sometimes."

Both of Isa's eyebrows raised this time, "'Sometimes'?"

Milo shrugged, winced, then sighed, "I'm dyslexic."

"Oh," Isa blinked, then shrugged, "Alright, then."

The dishevelled blond sent her a bewildered look, "You're... alright with that?"

Isa shot him a frown, "Why wouldn't I be?"

As though realising he'd spoken out loud, Milo's blush returned and his eyes snapped back to the book in his lap. He gave the smallest, most awkward shrug the Founder had ever seen. "I-I dunno, I just assumed..."

"Well, you assumed wrong," Isa declared, straightening slightly, "Just because you find something difficult that I find easy does not make me think any less of you, no matter who you are."

Milo nodded slowly, looking pleasantly surprised. Isa smiled at him, which he returned with a slightly smaller one, before she turned her attention back to the book in her lap. The Founder of Sky City read on, her voice a gentle ring in the otherwise quiet room.

She paused only once, for a brief moment, when she felt a heavy head on her shoulder. Then Isa continued, although this time with a happy little smile on her lips, which she would later deny had ever been there in the first place.

She read on.

* * *

"You're sure?"

"Yes," Ivor sighed, annoyed, "I'm sure. Now _out_."

Jesse watched as Lukas muttered a soft goodnight, before he vanished up the stairs. The boy shifted on the cot, curling into a small ball and clinging to his pig. The floorboards creaked as Ivor approached, but Jesse didn't raise his head.

"Jesse?" Ivor said softly, kneeling in front of him and placing a hand on his shoulder, "What happened? Did... did it show up again?"

Taking in a shaky breath, Jesse shook his head, "N-No, just- just don't f-feel so good."

Ivor frowned deeply, hand trailing up to feel Jesse's forehead. After a moment, he brought it back down to his shoulder and slid it beneath his shirt to feel his back.

"You don't have a temperature," he muttered, "When did you start feeling bad?"

Jesse gave a small shrug, "Little- Little while after dinner."

"Hm..." the potionologist retracted his hand, standing and regarding the boy with a furrowed brow, "You can spend the night here. I want to keep an eye on you, in case it worsens."

Stomach too twisted and throat too tight to argue, Jesse nodded. He crawled beneath the white blankets on the coat, Reuben curling up against his stomach. Ivor layed a hand atop his head, tangling his fingers in the boys' locks _(my kid)_ , before he pulled away.

But although Jesse's groggy mind begged for sleep, it did not come to him. Ivor dimmed the lights, and Jesse could hear the faint clinking of potion bottles, the gentle snores of Reuben against his stomach, the rise and fall of his piggy's chest beneath his hand.

_I want you to help me kill you._

He should tell someone. He _needed_ to tell someone. Ivor was right there, watching over him, _protecting_ him even. Jesse got as far as opening his mouth, Hadrian's deal on his tongue, when he paused.

_I'll kill your friends._

But his friends could protect themselves. They would _know_ they'd have to protect themselves if Jesse told them. Even if they couldn't, he's sure the Order would do something, because whether or not they were liars, they could hold their own.

_I know more about the mansion than you do._

Did that mean he knew about the black monster? All the passageways? The person in the walls? But Hadrian had been the one to point them out- point out their odd tapping. Why would he do that if he already knew they were there?

It could be apart of some elaborate plan. It could be a bluff. It could be a recent development. Or it could be something else.

Jesse closed his mouth.

He lay awake in the semi-darkness, resisting the urge to toss and turn for fear of disturbing Reuben. It could've been an hour later, it could've been two, but eventually a hand brushed away his bangs to feel his forehead and Jesse flinched away, eyes snapping open, expecting wisps of black, icy cold, a fanged smile- but, instead, he saw Ivor, hand aloft and blue eyes wide.

"Are you alright?" the potionologist asked. Jesse slumped against the mattress, heart pounding against his ribs, and, finding himself unable to talk, nodded. Ivor, however, frowned.

"Why aren't you asleep?"

Jesse shrugged, burying his face into his pillow and watching Ivor with itchy eyes. The potionologist's frown deepened, and he reached forward again, pressing his palm against the boy's forehead.

"You still don't have a temperature," he noted, trailing a thumb over one of the bags beneath Jesse's eyes, "Are you nauseous? In pain?"

Jesse shook his head.

"Sore throat?" asked Ivor. Again, Jesse shook his head. Ivor blinked, then frowned further.

"Alright," he muttered; glanced over his shoulder, "I'm going to go get you a drink. Something to help you sleep."

Ivor walked over to his workbench, and Jesse watched as he fiddled with something he couldn't see properly. There was the popping of a kettle, a spoon stirring and clinking against glass, and then Ivor was returning with two mugs of cocoa in hand.

He gave one to Jesse, who sat up only slightly to avoid waking Reuben, accepting his cup with a grateful smile. Ivor dragged a chair over to sit beside him, nursing his own mug.

Jesse drank, relishing in how the warm drink soothed his tight throat, the taste of chocolate on his tongue, milky and laced with something else he couldn't quite put his finger on. He opened his mouth to ask Ivor what it was, but all that came out was a jaw-breaking yawn.

His only half finished drink was tugged from his hands, and he was gently pushed back down onto the cot. Jesse hardly registered the blankets being pulled up to his chin, nor the fingers combing through his hair.

He just buried his face into his piggy's neck and greeted a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Jesse trudged his way upstairs after Ivor the next morning, wiping the crust from his eyes and still feeling as though he were half asleep. So it took him a minute to realise he was being tackled in a bone-crushing hug by Olivia and not a two armed squid that had learnt to breathe air.

"-so worried!" she exclaimed, directly into his ear, "Lukas told us you were spending the night in the basement so Ivor could keep an eye on you and that we shouldn't disturb you-are you feeling better now?" Olivia pulled away, feeling his forehead for a temperature, anything out of the ordinary, "You look like you're about to fall over."

"I gave him a dreamless sleep potion," Ivor explained, Jesse's brain too fogged to realise he should probably feel betrayed, "He was having trouble sleeping. It's already starting to wear off."

"You've been having trouble sleeping?" asked Petra (when did she get here?), "Why didn't you tell us?"

It took Jesse a minute to realise they were waiting for an answer. He attempted to blink himself awake, but failed miserably. "What?"

Lukas appeared beside him- since when could Lukas teleport?- and huffed in faint amusement, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and guiding him down the hall, "Come on, sleepy head. Let's get you some breakfast."

Jesse may or may not have fallen asleep at the table at some point, but by the time he was absentmindedly chewing on a slice of buttered toast someone had handed to him, he was starting to wake up more. But his brain was still too groggy and slow for his liking.

The high pitched scream that decided to attack his ears certainly did the trick.

His half eaten toast fell to its plate, startled eyes turning to the kitchen door. There was a yelp off to the side, where Lukas had spilt his tea down his front, and a yell near the fridge where Aiden had smacked his head with Petra's. At his feet, Reuben leapt up, squealing and bumping his pink head on the underside of the table, causing Jesse's juice (hey, he had juice) to tip over and spill.

Petra was already out the door, and Jesse fumbled to follow her, tripping over his own feet and nearly falling flat on his face. He skidded to a stop in the archway of the watching room, bumping into a frozen Petra, who snapped out of her dazed state to steady him. Axel appeared beside them.

"Nell!" he gasped, "Why'd you scream?"

Nell, standing, gaping, in the middle of the watching room, face pale and pasty, mouth open wide and eyes enlarged in her horror. She raised a trembling hand, pointed an unsteady finger- right at the portrait of a sheep.

For a moment, Jesse was confused, his muddled brain taking too long to properly register what he was looking at. Then Petra spun around and began looking up and down the hall, and Jesse followed her gaze.

His mouth fell open.

The portraits were back on the walls.

Every. Single. One.

"Holy crap," Axel breathed. Lukas, Ivor, Aiden, Maya, Olivia and Gill came running up to them, seeming to have figured out the same thing they had. Jesse's head snapped back to Nell, who was hurriedly backing out of the watching room to join them in the archway, as though afraid something would leap out at her if she stood alone _(bullseye)_. His eyes trailed back over to the sheep portrait.

"This is so creepy," muttered Maya. Gill, Aiden and Lukas nodded in agreement.

"We should go back to the kitchen," said Ivor, pushing his way forward a little and putting a hand on Jesse's shoulder, gently guiding him away from the room, "Wait for everyone else to show up for breakfast."

"Yeah," Petra blinked, slowly, bewildered eyes jumping from portrait to portrait, before finally settling on Ivor, "Yeah. Good idea."

They returned to the kitchen, a bit hurriedly, almost packed together. Ivor didn't remove his hand from Jesse's shoulder until the door had closed behind them.

The chatter that had filled the kitchen only moments before had vanished entirely now, replaced by an apprehensive silence. Whatever appetite Jesse had grown overnight was gone as well, and he busied himself with cleaning up his spilt juice; his half eaten toast was ignored.

The door flew open, banging loudly against the wall, the force of it sending it flying back and very nearly smashing the newcomer right in the face. Magnus, hand clamped firmly around Ellegaard's wrist, shouldered it open again and slammed it shut behind them, as though afraid leaving it open would beckon something unwelcome.

"The portraits are back up," Ellegaard gasped, sweat beading her forehead, eyes darting around, "Who- Who put the portraits back up?"

"We don't know," Ivor informed, tapping a nervous finger on the flap of his potions satchel, "We only just noticed a few minutes ago."

"I saw it," Magnus declared, shooting an uneasy look over his shoulder, "Them- it- whatever. Watching us from one of the hallway portraits."

"You did?" Ellegaard asked; apparently, this was news. He must have just muttered something about the portraits, grabbed her and ran. Magnus nodded, slowly. He had yet to let go of her wrist.

Olivia shook her head, sitting down next to Jesse, "I don't like this. It's... it's creepy."

"Maybe it's telling us to... hurry up?" Gill suggested, face flickering in confusion, as though he were remembering a fading dream, "Maybe- no, that- that didn't happen..."

"It could be, actually," Ivor said, eyes briefly locking with Jesse's, "Or... maybe they don't want us to mess about with the mansion."

"But who's _they_?" asked Petra. Ivor shook his head.

"Soren, Cassie and I built a greenhouse," Lukas frowned, "If they don't want us taking down the portraits, how will they react to that?"

"Well," said Maya, twisting her fingers, "I- I'm sure it's fine. I mean, it's not like it's an actual _part_ of the mansion, you know? Maybe they won't mind?"

Lukas hummed, chewing on his lip and turning his frown to the tabletop, "Maybe."

Everyone else began to show up. Some came running, bewildered, asking about the portraits and where they'd come from. Others didn't even notice until they were pointed out. When Magnus told them about the eyes he'd spotted watching him and Ellegaard, many people became unnerved even further.

"Should we take them down again?" asked Stampy, nervously shifting from foot to foot from where he was practically glued to Dan's hip. There was a long silence, everyone looking from one person to the other, unsure of the answer.

"They'll probably just show up again," Harper said, tapping her bottom lip, brow furrowed, "But someone _had_ to have done it while everyone else was asleep."

"What, you think someone's messing with us?" asked Stacy, crossing her arms, "Like, a traitor or something?"

"Traitor isn't the word I'd use," Harper's frown deepened, "But this _could_ be a practical joke."

"I say we look at the kids," Jesse's back went ramrod straight, any lingering tiredness vanishing, his blood going icy cold in his veins. Don't look. Don't look at him. Just don't. "I mean, I doubt any of us would do something like this. We're not _that_ childish, right?"

"Wait," across the table, Petra cast a glare off to the right, "You think _we_ put the portraits back up? Because we're younger than you?"

"Well, yes," he could almost hear Hadrian's shrug, "None of us certainly did it."

Everyone else was staring at Hadrian, but Jesse firmly kept his eyes on his hand, rested atop the table. There was a little brown freckle on his knuckle.

"You can't simply accuse them without evidence," Gabriel said, hands going to his hips, eyes hard as he moved to stand almost protectively behind Petra, "For all we know, it's the person in the walls that put them back up."

"They put _all_ those portraits back up, overnight, without waking anymore?" asked Hadrian, "Very unlikely to be able to do so by one's self."

"But not impossible," Ellegaard declared, "They could have started while we were still watching the episode, going from random places. It could be that no one noticed."

"Yeah. And besides, we're trapped in eternal day and watching the _future_ through a rectangle that we can pause and unpause at the push of a button," Magnus pointed out, crossing his arms, "I don't think someone putting up a load of portraits overnight- if we can even call it that- is something I'd consider impossible anymore."

A silence came upon the room. Jesse, who had looked up at the two, returned his gaze to the freckle on his knuckle. It was the only freckle on his hand.

"Well," said Soren, crashing through the silence and sending it shattering into a billion shards across the floor, "I suppose... we should start the new episode."

"The quicker we finish these things," Lukas said, "The quicker we can leave this whole thing behind us."

 _And the quicker we forget_ went unsaid.

A few of them grabbed something to eat- some toast, a bowl of cereal, Stampy grabbed a cake- and they made their way up to the watching room. Soren didn't stray far from Lukas or Cassie, and Aiden was speaking quietly with the mentioned redhead, so close their shoulders were brushing. Magnus and Ellegaard were both walking with Axel and Olivia, and yet seemed unwilling to severe their own interlocked hands. None of them seemed to mind.

A hand tapped his shoulder, and Jesse jumped, spinning around so fast he almost got dizzy. His heart stilled when he met Hadrian's smiling face.

"Hey, sport," he said, voice lower than usual; Jesse glanced behind him, to where everyone else was continuing on their way to the watching room, not noticing them, "You haven't told anyone about our little deal, have you?"

Jesse turned to face him again. At his feet, Reuben gave his piggy version of a snarl (which was, admittedly, rather pathetic). "I... no. I haven't."

Hadrian beamed. Goosebumps shot up Jesse's arms. "Great! Perfect. Well, I'd like you to meet the Gladiators in the garden during lunch, alright? Don't tell anyone where you're going, either."

Jesse swallowed thickly, "Why?"

"Oh, you know," Hadrian shrugged, still smiling, "Can't have anyone putting two and two together, can we?" he laughed, as though he'd just told a really good joke. Hadrian skirted around Jesse and his snarling pig, making his way after the others, before he paused and looked back. "And Jason? Remember what I can do if you decide this isn't worth your time."

He vanished through the archway, into the watching room. Jesse spotted Gabriel, with his arm looped around Petra's shoulders as they grinned widely at whatever their conversation topic was, going in after him. Ivor paused just behind the two, noticing Jesse, and shot him a questioning frown.

_Breathe, breathe, breathe._

Jesse bent down and picked Reuben up, hugging him to his chest as though he were a pink teddy. Ivor waited for him, still frowning a little, but didn't say anything as they entered the watching room- once more filled with portraits.

He sat down on the blanket, surrounded by his friends. He hugged Reuben closer, burying the bottom half of his face into his head, eyes glued to the screen. Someone pressed play.

Don't think about it.

Don't tell anyone.

Just don't look at him.

 _"Previously on Minecraft: Story Mode,"_ said his own voice. The black of the screen melted away, to show the enchanted flint and steel, nestled in Jesse's gloved hands and illuminating Ivor's pale face.

 _"That glow..."_ the potionologist said, _"That enchantment is the work of a very old group of builders, a group so old they even existed before the Order of the Stone!"_

Jesse turned wide eyes to Lukas and Petra. The image faded out, replaced by a kneeling Jesse, clicking the flint and steel together. There was a blue blast, sending all four of them sprawling onto their backs, the portal igniting in a blast of blue swirls. The flint and steel clinked against the ancient stone, rolling away.

Aiden winced, remembering just where it had ended up. Cassie glanced at him.

It changed, this time showing a bewildered-looking Jesse, scratching unsurely at his neck. The screen began to pan out as he, Ivor, Petra and Lukas began walking, revealing portal after portal after portal, greens, reds, blues, whites, pinks and yellows, down a hallway so long the group were mere specks by the time it blackened.

"Wasn't that exactly the same as the last one?" asked Lizzie. Dan shrugged at her.

The screen began to pan down, the darkness penetrated by spikes of torchlight, once more revealing the hallway. There was no one there this time, the silence heavy, with nothing but the multi-coloured glow of each portal.

Then there was the _whoosh_ of an activated portal, and it switched to reveal Jesse, a glass helmet around his head, skidding out of a deep sea blue portal and hurriedly jumping to the side. He was almost immediately followed by Lukas, sporting his own helmet identical to the other boys, who was quick to leap to the side as well. Then came Petra, with her own helmet, running- and then Ivor screamed as he was launched out after her in a ginormous wave, knocking the redhead to the floor, and went shooting through the opposite, blue glowing portal.

Magnus blinked, startled. Then he burst out laughing, doubling over, slapping his knee. Ivor sent him a glare, which hardened when he realised Soren, Gabriel and Ellegaard were holding back their own grins (and failing miserably).

Petra got to her feet, looking over at Jesse and Lukas as they tore their helmets from their heads and dashed after the potionologist. The redhead groaned, tugging off her own helmet, and ran after them, _"Not again!"_

The familiar title _Minecraft: Story Mode_ appeared in the centre of the hall, Lukas and Petra vanishing through the deep blue portal off to the right with a splashing sound that probably meant they would not be getting dry anytime soon. Music began to play.

"Yes, I _love_ these bits!" Magnus cheered, grinning widely, still a tad breathless from his earlier laughing fit. Nell nodded in agreement, an almost identical grin on her face.

"I know, right? They're _so_ rad."

The screen swished to the side, showing Lukas, Ivor and Petra standing in a semi-circle, almost appearing confused.

"Hey, where's-"

A green portal in the background whooshed, and Jesse, a rather unique (and alive) squid hat attempting to eat his head, came blindly dashing out with a loud scream, _"Get it off me! Get it off!"_

He ran right into a white portal and vanished.

Axel blinked, "Oh."

"Oh my god," gasped Olivia, covering her mouth in an attempt to hide her wide grin, "How did that even happen?"

Jesse winced, the only one that wasn't grinning or snickering; he was _not_ looking forward to that.

Ivor grinned at Lukas, who looked as though he were suppressing his own smile, although it did crack a bit when he met the potionologist's eyes. Behind them, Petra sighed, pressing her palm to her eye and shaking her head.

They ran after him.

The screen swiped about again, this time to show Jesse, once more screaming, darting out of a green portal (thankfully lacking his living squid hat). He skidded to a stop, just as Petra, Ivor and Lukas- also screaming- ran out of the portal in a spray of bats, squeaking and flapping and nipping with tiny claws.

"Bats!" exclaimed Gill. Mevia shuddered.

"Ugh, I _hate_ those things."

Petra fell to her knees, ducking her head and blindly swinging her arms in an attempt to keep the cave dwellers away. Jesse dashed down the hall, while Ivor ran in circles. They had a brief close up of Lukas' side as he up to the screen and disappeared down the other end of the hall.

There was another swipe, a blur of different coloured portals, and they were coming to a halt at a lovely pink one. Jesse and Ivor exited, looking completely bewildered, and were followed closely behind by a rather annoyed-looking Petra. There was another whoosh, signalling someone else coming through, but when Ivor glanced behind him he yelped, Petra's eyes briefly widening before her expression once more settled into an irritated stare. Jesse turned around and blinked.

Instead of Lukas, before them stood a suited man with a moustache and top hat, looking about at them in something like surprise. He gave a small wave.

"Who... who's that?" asked Isa. Reginald slowly shook his head.

"I have no idea, ma'am."

Jesse's surprised stare turned into something that _could_ have been a glare, but could have also been an irritated look that rivalled Petra's. He walked forward, taking the man by the shoulders and turning him around, and promptly shoved him back through the portal.

"Ah, well," Gabriel raised an eyebrow, "We must not like him, then."

The young hero stuck his hand through the pink swirls, like one does when reaching down the side of the couch in search of a dropped object, and dragged out a shocked and rather terrified Lukas.

 _"What just happened?!"_ he shouted, eyes bigger than dinner plates. Petra groaned loudly in obvious annoyance, stomping passed a howling Ivor.

"Wait," Milo said, holding up a hand and looking about the room in absolute confusion, "Was that man Lukas?"

"How could that man be Lukas?" asked Sparklez, "He had a top hat."

"And a moustache," added Soren.

"Then who was he?" Milo questioned. Isa put a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't think we'll ever find out."

The screen swished about again, this time showing Petra, Jesse and Lukas standing among a flock of white, woolly sheep in front of a white portal. They were frowning, Jesse doing that little thing where one arm was across his chest while his elbow rested on it, hand tapping his bottom lip, that the audience had long become accustomed to linking with him thinking deeply.

Then, seemingly have given up with logic, Jesse began pushing and shoving through the sheep, as though searching for something. Petra, annoyed, rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, while Lukas simply looked lost.

Then, Ivor, yelping, leapt from the sheep, spitting out tufts of wool, robes crinkled and hair tangled. Jesse sent him a deadpan stare, Petra glared and Lukas grinned rather evilly.

The real Ivor blinked, "Do I get turned into a sheep?"

"I think you might have done something stupid," Ellegaard concluded, "Probably insulted Lukas or something before doing so, from the way he was grinning at you there."

Gabriel leant over to Soren, "Remind me not to get on your kids' bad side."

Soren's cheeks tinted pink. How the hell did he find out about that?

Another swish, and they were looking at a green portal, except, this time, it was facing upwards. A gloved hand, the exact same glove Ellegaard was wearing, shot out, gripping and clawing almost desperately at the edges of the portal.

"Wait," Cassie frowned, "How's that portal-"

Jesse hauled himself out, grunting from the effort and, releasing a breath of relief, stood. Only to suddenly flip backwards and land flat on his face with a short yell, the screen flipping around the show the portal was actually facing sideways like all the others.

"Oh. Nevermind."

Jesse backed away from the portal, watching as Lukas, Ivor and Petra climbed out the same way he had, defying gravity as they straightened right on the wall. Then it took them in a vice-like grip and sent them falling, yelling, to the floor.

Lukas winced, "Yikes. How's that even possible?"

"Different world," Olivia muttered, utterly amazed, "Different physics."

Swiping, a white portal. Petra, head and shoulders covered in a layer of snow and frost, the clumps of white clinging to her boots, came marching out, a scowl itched onto her face. She was followed by Lukas, in the same condition, except shivering violently, hugging himself in a desperate attempt to heat up.

 _"Brrr,"_ he shivered, _"Ice lakes."_

This gained him a few sympathetic winces; it didn't take much to piece two and two together.

Ivor appeared behind him, frost clinging to his dark hair, hand thrown passed his head with a snowball clutched between his fingers- Lukas turned just in time to duck, and the snowball went soaring over him, hitting Petra directly on the back of the head.

Gabriel sent the real Ivor a look. The potionologist grinned sheepishly.

"Oops?"

Petra turned around to face them, teeth clenching and eyes ablaze, _"Ow!"_

The two males grinned sheepishly, Ivor tucking his hands behind his back and Lukas pointing a finger at him. The portal wooshed and Jesse, also covered in snow but grinning so wide his face looked in danger of splitting, appeared, laughing.

"Well," said Lukas, smiling, "At least _someone_ seems to be enjoying themselves."

The real Jesse smiled as well, absentmindedly petting Reuben. It rarely snowed where they lived, and the few times it did or the even fewer times when they went to someplace snowy, he always found himself loving it.

Especially watching Reuben burrow through the snow like some kind of snow rabbit. His little pig loved it as much he did.

Passing Lukas and Ivor, Jesse grabbed Petra's hand and dragged her down the hallway, although she continued glaring at the other two, _"Come on."_

A swoosh, a blur of portals, and it stopped in front of a dark orange one, fire crackling in the two top corners. The screen panned closer, the orange swirls brightening, a deep rumbling igniting, like an active volcano about to explode.

And explode it did.

In a burst of soot, ash and black smoke, Jesse, Petra, Ivor and Lukas came flying from the portal, the screen slowing down to show them in mid-air, faces and armour covered in soot. Then it sped up again, the music stopped and they landed, face first, onto the floor, little sparks of flame dancing around them.

"Why," said Harper, slowly, "Would you think going through _that_ portal was a good idea?"

"Maybe Jesse got another squid on his head," joked Petra. Jesse whacked her with a pillow.

"It looks cool," Axel admitted, "But I seriously hope you guys didn't willingly go into it. That's a _very_ bad idea."

Slowly, and with various groans, the group struggled to their feet, attempting to dust soot off their clothes. Jesse coughed. _"That was crazy!"_

"Yes. Crazy. The fact that you even considered going through that portal was crazy."

"We _just_ said it might've been an accident."

Axel crossed his arms, "I have my doubts."

 _"Why would there even_ be _a fire world?"_ Jesse asked, shaking his head- then he gasped, eyes widening. The screen switched around to show Lukas, pants aflame, a confused look on his face that quickly turned to one of panic as he began to spin, like a dog chasing its tail.

"Lukas' on fire!" gasped Olivia. The real Lukas' hand went to the rear of his pants, face panicked as though he were afraid he truly was on fire. Magnus stifled his snickers, but not good enough seeing as how Soren sent him a glare.

Jesse began to pat out the flames, the blonde dancing in place. Finally, the fire was extinguished, and Lukas released a relieved breath, _"Thanks, guys."_

"Oh, come on!" Magnus said, when Soren continued to glare at him, "It's _funny_!"

Cassie's lips twitched. Well, he wasn't _wrong_.

Onscreen, Lukas pulled out a book, flipping it open and jotting something down with a quill. Jesse put a hand on his hip, watching.

 _"I marked that one down as 'Fire World,'"_ the blonde declared.

"Oh, well, that's..." Harper paused, "Accurate."

"If he has kids," Clutch whispered, so only Slab and Facemeat could hear, "I'll feel sorry for them if he gets to name them."

 _"Wow,"_ said Petra, arms crossed, tongue practically dripping with sarcasm, _"How'd you come up with_ that _gem of a name?"_

Many of them blinked, taken aback. Lukas turned surprised eyes to the real Petra, who looked just as surprised as he did. Noticing his gaze, she gave him a sorry look.

"Well," muttered Otto, "She's annoyed."

 _"Okay,"_ said Lukas, raising an eyebrow at her and tucking his book away, _"Did I miss something here?"_

 _"Yeah,"_ Jesse cocked his head to the side, frowning, _"What's up with you?"_

 _"What's_ up _with me? What's_ up?Petra near growled, _"I-I'm tired of all this useless portal-hopping trying to find our way home! 'What's on the other side of_ that _portal?'"_ she asked, taking on a mocking tone, _"'A lake of fire and netherack? Awesome! Let's go there!'"_

"Well... she has a point," Olivia said, twisting her fingers, "You guys've probably been at it for a while now."

"And it also looks like we _did_ go into the Fire World willingly," Lukas winced, "Yeah. Not our best move."

 _"That doesn't sound like the Petra I know,"_ said Jesse, crossing his arms, eyebrows raised, _"She_ loves _fighting against impossible odds."_

 _"When I_ have _to, sure,"_ Petra stated, _"But I don't want to fight just for the sake of fighting!"_

Stacy blinked, "Huh. Really?"

"I like fighting and adventuring," admitted Petra, "But I don't go rushing into danger just for the sake of it."

"Yeah," hummed Maya, tapping her lip, "I see your point."

Jesse seemed to contemplate that for a moment, glancing over at one of the many lines of portals- then his eyes widened, _"Lukas, you're on fire again!"_

Lukas gasped, then yelped, spinning about to reveal his pants were- indeed- on fire again. Petra groaned as he proceeded to try and pat it out again.

Magnus burst out laughing again. Soren sighed.

 _"See... ugh, this is what I'm talking about,"_ she said, _"We're stuck in a rut- go through a portal, avoid dying long enough to get back to this_ stupid _hallway-"_

 _"Wash, rinse, repeat... yes.,"_ Ivor cut in, speaking up for the first time. He turned to regard the orange swirls of the fire portal. _"It would be nice if whoever made these left some sort of signs. Guideposts."_

Hadrian, Mevia, Otto, Isa, Harper and Soren glanced at each other. This exchange went unnoticed.

 _"All the portal frames_ do _look kind of different,"_ Jesse pointed out. Lukas, no longer on fire and breathing slightly harsher than usual from the unpleasant experience, nodded.

 _"You're right,"_ he gestured to the fire portal, _"This one totally has a fire vibe. That- That skull back there is the White Pumpkin... there's- there's a system!"_

"Yeah," Ellegaard muttered, "And weren't those dark blue ones both water worlds or something?"

"But the one Jesse ran out of with the squid was green, wasn't it?" pointed out Ivor. Ellegaard frowned thoughtfully.

"Hmm... squids mean water, but... I don't know. We haven't seen enough to actually figure out the actual system."

Onscreen, Petra huffed, spinning around and marching away. Her friends watched her retreating back with startled eyes.

 _"Petra, where are you going?"_ asked Ivor.

 _"There may not be guideposts,"_ she said, still walking away, _"But_ someone _must be able to tell us how to navigate these stupid portals."_

"Where is this going?" hummed Otto quietly. Hadrian's eyes narrowed on the screen.

Petra came to a stop at a portal ignited with swirls of red, its archway made up of redstone blocks. She turned, hand going to her hip, as her friends joined her. _"Okay, this one's redstone. Redstone means smart people. Hopefully smart enough to help us find the way home."_

Olivia raised an eyebrow, "Uh... okay?"

"I mean, it doesn't really matter," Stampy pointed out, "They're just going through random portals anyway, right? At least with this one, they've got some idea of what they're looking for, even if it's not there at all."

"That's true," said Ivor, slowly, "But what if we've decided to go through portals of a certain colour? We could have lead by now."

"If you had a lead," said Maya, "Wouldn't they have mentioned it by now?"

"Besides," Sparklez said, "Even if you _don't_ find anything through that portal, it's worth a shot, right?"

 _"At the very least, it's gotta be better than 'Fire World,'"_ Petra declared. Ivor shot the portal a sceptical look.

_"Seems a bit flimsy."_

_"Petra, I promise you, we'll find the portal home,"_ Jesse assured, coming to a stop in front of his redheaded friend. Petra rolled her eyes, sending him a deadpan look.

_"It's that or die trying, right?"_

"Well... yes, basically," said Magnus. He grunted when Ellegaard decided her elbow should be more acquainted with his ribs.

 _"So what are you saying, huh?"_ asked Lukas, _"That you've made up your mind? You're just going through this portal and that's it?"_

 _"Maybe I am,"_ Petra said, voice as hard as her eyes, _"Maybe I'm saying that I'm tired of Jesse calling the shots every. Single. Time."_

A startled silence came upon the audience. Ivor's mouth fell open. Magnus rather dramatically covered his mouth, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like a swear, followed by a 'she _didn't_.'

The real Petra was gaping at her onscreen self, and her shock turned to pure mortified when she saw Jesse flinch, as though he'd been physically struck. Axel's arm was around him almost immediately, the large boy sending her a look she knew fine well she deserved.

"Well," muttered Hadrian, eyebrows raised to his hairline, "That was... rather unexpected."

Onscreen, Jesse stared at her, mouth opening and closing. Lukas' lips formed a near perfect 'o.'

 _"Whoa,"_ he murmured. Ivor nodded.

_"Yes. Whoa."_

"I... sorry," Jesse said, heads snapping around to face him. His head was bowed, almost curled in on himself, clinging to a concerned Reuben and looking even smaller than usual with Axel's large arm draped over him, "I-I didn't realise... sorry."

Petra shook her head, heart twisting, "No, Jesse- I- I'm being stupid! You're just trying to help and- and more often than not, your decisions are the best way to go anyway, so... so just... I'm sorry."

Jesse shrugged, still not really meeting their eyes, "It- It's fine, Petra, I'm glad- glad you pointed it out. I won't do it- won't do it again. It's fine."

"Jesse..." Olivia trailed off, not knowing what to say. She shared a helpless look with Axel.

"It's not fine!" To their surprise, it was Aiden that got to his feet, firmly meeting Jesse's startled gaze, "It's _not_. You've done nothing but help, and she has the nerve to say _that?_ It's. Not. Fine. _You're_ not fine, even though you pretend to be!"

They gaped at him. Then Isa smiled.

"Yes," she said, locking eyes with Jesse, "Your decisions saved my people. Gave us the chance to live. Had you not taken control... I fear what might've happened."

"Yeah, and that whole Witherstorm thing?" Magnus gave a short laugh that didn't really hold any humour, "The entire _world_ would've ended if it weren't for you."

Jesse frowned, mouth twisting as he lowered his eyes to the floor again, "I- I chose to run off with Petra instead of helping Ivor and Lukas. I chose to go after the White Pumpkin instead of helping Dan and Lizzie. I chose between you and Ellegaard and got her _killed_. I got Lizzie _killed_. I couldn't even save my own _pig!_ "

The silence that followed was thick, suffocating, drowning them. No one dared to breathe. Every pair of eyes was on the boy on the floor, who glared at the ground with shiny eyes as though it were the cause of all his problems, all his decisions, all his faults. As though glaring would make everything just _go away._

_You killed them all._

He hadn't even realised he was cold until a warm arm pulled him into Axel's side, although he couldn't remember when he'd removed it. Lukas was squeezing up next to him, burying his face into his shoulder and practically clinging to his arm. Olivia more or less sprawled herself over Axel's lap to reach them, wrapping her fingers around his hand and squeezing. Petra appeared next to Lukas, reached over and wrapping an arm around them both, resting her forehead against the top of Jesse's head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, eyes rather shiny in the torchlight, "I'm so, so, _so_ sorry."

"None of that's your fault," murmured Axel, and Jesse didn't even realise he was crying until Lukas reached up and wiped away his tears, "It's never your fault. It'll never _be_ your fault. Understand?"

No. No, he didn't understand. But he nodded anyway.

A hand tugged at Ivor's wrist. He turned to face Soren, becoming briefly confused upon discovering his friend was further down than he expected, before he realised that he had, at some point, stood up. Reluctantly, Ivor sat back down, not looking away from the group huddled on the floor.

"Are you going to talk to her?" Soren asked, keeping his voice low so only they could hear him. His eyes were on Gabriel. The warrior shook his head, frowning.

"I think she knows she shouldn't have said that," he said, "But... we'll touch on the topic."

Ivor repressed a small sigh. He should probably talk to Jesse too. The kid really needed a confidence boost.

He was sure everyone else would agree with him.

Onscreen, Jesse finally took a small step closer to his friend, something odd flickering across his eyes, as though he were unsure of his own words, _"Please, Petra, try to be rational-"_

 _"Oh,"_ Petra cut him off, anger crossing her face, _"Now you're calling me_ irrational _?!"_

Even though he was practically buried in his friend's group hug, Jesse tensed, breath hitching. In his lap, Reuben whined.

"Yes," Petra growled, glaring at her onscreen self as though she could actually hear her, "Yes, you _are_ being irrational."

 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"_ Lukas stepped forward, standing between the two and holding up his hands as though afraid they'd decide to attack each other, _"Everybody, calm down!"_

"Yeah, that's- that's a good idea," muttered Olivia.

 _"I'm sure Jesse didn't really mean that,"_ the blonde raised an eyebrow at the boy, _"Right, Jesse?"_

Ivor scowled, "Seriously?"

"Jesse didn't do _anything_ ," Petra insisted, giving the real Jesse- who was still hunched over himself- a pointed look, "He had every right to call me irrational."

Jesse sighed, _"I'm sorry, Petra. I think I just got... carried away."_

"He's got nothing to be sorry for," declared Axel, shooting Lukas a frown, "Why'd you make him apologise?"

Lukas winced, giving a small shrug, "I think I was just, you know... trying to keep the peace? I mean, Petra seems really annoyed right now, so I doubt calling her out on it will do any good."

"Just because she's annoyed doesn't mean she should take it out on her friends," said Gabriel. Petra winced, avoiding his eyes.

Onscreen, Petra's gaze softened and she sighed as well, _"I accept your apology."_

 _"See? It's okay!"_ Lukas said, smiling and looking rather relieved, _"Friends being friendly! Eeeeeeverybody being cool."_

Maya couldn't have helped her snort even if she'd tried. Axel patted Lukas on the head, earning a playful scowl as the blonde attempted to righten his hair.

 _"Petra,"_ said Jesse, _"If you really think that's the portal is the one we should go through..."_

 _"I do,"_ Petra said, giving a single nod. Jesse shrugged, nodding in turn.

_"Then that's what we're going to do."_

"That was all very unnecessary," muttered Ellegaard, only loud enough for the rest of the original Order to hear, "I mean, I'm sure Jesse would've gone with the idea whether or not Petra had insisted. They seem to be going through random portals anyway."

"They're frustrated," Soren pointed out, "Well, _Petra's_ frustrated anyway. I think at this point, they all just wanna go home and come back for more exploring later on."

"Yeah," Magnus said, "I mean, Axel and Olivia are probably worried sick by now."

"The rest of us as well, probably," Gabriel hummed. He didn't mention that Ellegaard certainly wasn't. "We must know they're missing by now, surely?"

"We haven't seen Soren since he ran off near the end of episode four," Ivor pointed out, Soren wincing at the reminded, "But... yes. Probably."

Petra smiled, _"Thanks, Jesse."_

Then she turned and walked through the swirls of red. Jesse went through after her, followed by Lukas and lastly Ivor. Silence reigned the hallway, with nothing but the gentle buzz of the portals, the faint crackle of red electricity. The screen went dark.

Harper cocked her head to the side, frowning, "That's... odd."

"What is?" asked Stacy. Harper shook her head, almost appearing confused.

"I... nothing. It's nothing."

Ivor raised an eyebrow at her, "You're certain?"

Harper hesitated, but nodded, "I... think so. I mean... yeah. I'm sure it's nothing."

They shot her a few sceptical, curious looks, but no one questioned her further. Cassie, however, was staring at the screen with a furrowed brow.

There was only one time she'd heard a portal have an electric charge.

And that portal had been destroyed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you say to Petra? Be rational, I'm the leader or it's for your own good? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Well. That happened. Who's ready for some PAMA?


	59. Crimson Stare

* * *

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Fifty-Nine: Crimson Stare**

* * *

The darkness of the screen melted away to reveal a sandy dune, a brighter than usual sun blazing away in the sky. Petra and Jesse appeared out of thin air, followed not a moment later by Lukas and Ivor, spraying sand in every which direction, getting in their eyes and mouths and uncomfortable places that would not go away for a while.

"Oh, great," groaned Petra, "I _hate_ sand."

The group of four climbed to their feet, taking in their surroundings. Dunes rose in every direction like terracotta mountains, cacti dotted around, the sky a yellow melting into blue as the sun rose. Most of the sand was orange-red, but they'd landed right in the middle of some sort of white-yellow, badly made road.

"Well," said Axel, frowning, "That's not very... redstone-y."

Harper squinted at the screen for a long moment. Then she went terribly pale, hand going to her mouth and eyes widening in horror, "Oh no."

"What?" asked Ivor, shooting her a questioning frown, "What's wrong?"

The inventor shook her head, looking completely _horrified_ , "This is bad. This is very, very bad."

Everyone was looking at her now, frowning in confusion. Jesse glanced back at the screen. "Is that your world?"

Harper swallowed thickly, fingers trembling, looking as though she were about to vomit. Silently, she nodded, stiffly, eyes glued to the screen. Ivor's frown deepened, worry gnawing at his chest.

"Is your world... bad or something?" he asked. Harper breathed shakily.

"Ye-Yeah, I... I suppose you could say that."

Onscreen, the group spread out a little, attempting to see if they could spot any sign of- well, anything. Jesse sighed, turning back to them. _"Well, so much for that 'redstone hunch.' I don't see any."_

The real Petra deflated a little. She'd been hoping that her being irrational would at least give them a proper lead to get home or something.

 _"Well, there's got to be some_ somewhere, _"_ Ivor pointed out, casting a glare around the biome. He did not like sand.

 _"Yeah, I feel like every worlds gotta have redstone,"_ said Lukas, tugging out his book from earlier and flipping through the pages, _"Hang on, lemme see here."_

Maya blinked, cocking her head, "What _is_ that?"

"I think he's been keeping track of the worlds they've been to," hummed Isa, "Smart."

Lukas' cheeks coloured.

 _"Hey, Lukas, I've been meaning to ask you,"_ said Jesse, regarding the book with interest and tapping his bottom lip, _"What's that?"_

"Oh," laughed Olivia, "There you go."

 _"Oh, ah, it's just a... you know, a book,"_ Lukas helpfully pointed out, laughing a tad nervously.

"No way," Magnus drawled. Ellegaard shushed him.

 _"That I picked up back at the White Pumpkin's place,"_ he continued, _"It's all about different biomes and stuff."_

"Huh," muttered Mevia. She didn't elaborate.

Jesse smiled, _"Great idea, Lukas."_

The blond turned to look at the so far silent Petra as Jesse turned away, probably to see if he can spot a village or something, _"How, uh, how are you doing, Petra?"_

Petra sighed, _"So much for my hunch with that redstone portal, huh?"_

"Hey, not like we were getting anywhere with our random portal hopping," pointed out Jesse. Petra hummed, mouth twisting downwards.

"I guess..."

 _"No 'advanced civilization' anywhere,"_ Petra sighed, _"I just really thought that redstone meant something."_

"If this is your world," said Stampy, looking at Harper, "Can't you tell us if there actually _is_ a redstone city of sorts?"

"Yeah," Ellegaard said, casting interested eyes towards the still rather pale inventor, "Redstonia's one thing, but an entire world dedicated to redstone? It sounds amazing."

Harper twisted her fingers together, unsure, "Well, uh, it's... complicated. Crown Mesa had the... potential to be an advanced civilization but... um..."

"Something happened," Lukas clarified, eyes widening, "Something... bad?"

Harper glanced down, breathing shaky, "Yeah. Something... something bad."

They shared worried looks.

 _"Keep an eye out for the exit portal,"_ Jesse said, turning to face them again, _"I don't want to get stuck here if the worst happens."_

"That's... kinda concerning," said Gill, frowning, "Wonder what you've faced in the other worlds to have him say that."

 _"Ah,"_ said Ivor, crossing his arms, _"You mean pumpkin-faced killers, surprise fire worlds, monsters..."_

Gill blinked, "Besides that."

 _"Yeah, any of that stuff,"_ Jesse said, hand going to his hip. It was actually rather hard to tell if he was joking or not. _"Who_ knows _what this world has in store for us."_

Harper winced, "Nothing good."

"You're _really_ starting to make me worry," declared Olivia, twisting on the floor to frown at her, "What is it that they're going to run into? I'd appreciate a heads up."

Harper opened her mouth to answer, but faltered, fingers nervously twisting. She swallowed. "It's... it's really complicated, okay? And... rather terrifying."

"Oh... kay..." said Jesse, slowly, "I mean... it can't be worse than the White Pumpkin, can it?"

Harper's eyes darted to the side, "Well..."

"Wait," Em's eyes widened, "It _is_ worse than being hunted down by a serial killer?"

The inventor didn't give a verbal answer, but the 'yes' was clear on her face. Axel groaned.

"I'm gonna have grey hairs by the end of this."

Ivor walked over to the white-yellow trail of sand, tapping his chin thoughtfully, _"Hm. Would you look at that,"_ he looked left and right, where the trail vanished into the distance both ways, _"Sand."_

Mevia raised an eyebrow, "You're just noticing that?"

 _"Looks like some sort of road,"_ hummed Lukas, kneeling to get a better look at the out of place sand, Ivor following the trail back to them. The screen panned out, a mocking look coming over the potionologist's face.

_"You gonna write about it in your little journal?"_

Magnus made a noise that sounded a bit like a dying ocelot, accidentally hurting the back of his throat in the process. Lukas looked unimpressed, which only seemed to make everyone else find it funnier.

 _"Hey, it's not little,"_ declared Lukas, shooting him a frown, cheeks dusting pink, _"But yes, probably."_

Gill snickered. Lukas shot him a look.

 _"Can either of you see where it goes?"_ asked Jesse, holding up a hand to block the sun. The road went out of sight.

 _"Looks like this canyon we're in is blocked at the end,"_ Lukas pointed out, frowning over his shoulder at the dead end, _"It's gotta lead somewhere."_

There was a brief silence. Jesse glanced towards the dead end looming on the horizon, then to the hazy air, the trail of sand vanishing into the distance. He turned to face his friends again, hands on his hips. _"Well, we're not gonna find out where it goes by just standing around on it."_

 _"Jesse's right,"_ declared Petra, beginning to lead the way down the trail and gesturing the others to follow, _"Come on."_

"Well," murmured Ellegaard, "At least she's not being prickly anymore."

"Let's see how long that lasts," whispered Magnus. Gabriel frowned at him.

Onscreen, the group began to walk in silence, looking around in search of anything that wasn't a cactus, sand, clay or terracotta.

"This whole place looks deserted," observed Lizzie, glancing over at a still pale Harper, "Is there no resources or something? Are you afraid they won't be able to survive?"

Harper shook her head, "No, no, this- this is much worse."

"The Witherstorm was a giant, black, flying, three-headed monster that could suck anything up to its mouth just by _looking_ at it and was practically made up of tentacles," pointed out Maya, "What could _possibly_ be worse than that?"

"What's worse than dying in the end of the world," said Harper, expression dreadful, "Is living, but not."

Axel frowned at her, "Uh... what?"

"That doesn't make any sense," declared Dan, "How can you live but _not_ live at the same time?"

Harper sighed, running her fingers through her greying hair, "Just... just watch."

 _"Sand,"_ said Jesse, eyes scanning their surroundings as they walked, _"Clay. And more sand."_

"Yeah, not the most exciting of worlds so far," Magnus said. Olivia winced.

"Let's hope it stays that way."

Suddenly, Jesse came to a halt, the others stopping and nearly bumping into him. The boy frowned, the screen switching around to show an empty hill of terracotta and clay, _"Hey, what was that?"_

Em squinted at the screen, "What was what?"

 _"Ha!"_ Petra exclaimed, breaking out into a wide grin, _"There_ are _people here!"_ Then she was gone, leaving her friends behind.

"A person?" blinked Lukas, brow furrowing when he realised Harper had paled considerably, "Is that bad?"

Harper released a shaky breath, hands curling around the fabric of her dress, "It- It depends. It could be me or... something else."

Ivor raised an eyebrow, "'Something else'?"

 _"Petra, wait!"_ called Jesse, running after her. Lukas and Ivor looked at each other.

The screen cut to Jesse reaching a mound of clay, where a kneeling Petra was. He slowed to a stop behind her. _"Petra?"_

The redhead shushed him, _"Get down."_

"This can't be good," murmured Ellegaard.

Jesse knelt beside her, frowning at the uneasy expression on his friend's face, _"What is it?"_

Petra pointed over the mound of clay, voice hushed, _"Look."_

He did so- to reveal a lone zombie, stumbling rigidly through an empty clearing, something bulky flashing red on the back of its head, _"Whoa."_

"What... what _is_ that?" asked Olivia, squinting at the screen, "It... kinda looks like redstone."

"On a zombie?" Sparklez said, frowning at the screen, "I've never heard of redstone being mixed with mobs."

"I know, right?" gushed Nell, eyes practically sparkling, "It's so _rad_ , bra!"

 _"Right?"_ Petra whispered. The zombie stumbled around, unaware of the two heroes watching them. It's then that the audience noticed the odd beeps and crackles coming from it, its groans mechanical, as though it were a drone.

"Is it... a cyborg?" asked Ellegaard, frowning, "Half robot, half mob?"

"That's so cool," breathed Nell, gaping at the screen in awe, "A _cyborg zombie_."

"Uh... yeah..." Lukas said, slowly, "Not... not when it might be able to _kill_ us, but... yeah..."

 _"What in the world is that on the back of its head?"_ asked Jesse. Petra tore her eyes away from the strange monster to look over her shoulder at him.

 _"I don't know anymore than you do, pal,"_ she said. The screen switched around to show the zombie again, the two heroes able to be seen over the mound of clay. _"Maybe that's this worlds 'thing'? Zombies and monsters come out in the daytime?"_

"The would be awful," declared Maya, "We'd only able to safely come out at night."

"But it would also mean they wouldn't spawn in caves," Stacy pointed out, "I mean, I don't exactly want to never see the light of day again, but you've gotta admit that's something good."

"True," Maya admitted.

 _"Wouldn't be any crazier than anything else we've seen,"_ Petra said. Jesse winced.

_"Oh, I hope not. That would be the worse 'thing' ever."_

_"Oh, come on!"_ Petra exclaimed- best she could while keeping her voice down, anyway, _"Worse than fire world or the psycho pumpkin's mansion?"_

The real Jesse opened his mouth, paused, then closed it. Lukas hid a grin.

The two were silent for a moment, watching the odd monster stumble about. Then, as though coming to a decision, Petra rose to her feet and cracked her neck twice. Reaching over her shoulder, she drew her golden sword, its enchanted blade gleaming in the rising sun.

"Oh no," Harper said, paling considerably, "Oh no, no, no, don't do that!"

"What?" Gabriel blinked, eyes widening, "Why? She can take that thing, can't she?"

Harper shook her head frantically, tugging at her hair and making a noise that sounded a bit like a dying cat. Ivor was on the verge of getting up to see if she was okay.

Petra ran, leaping off the edge of the clay hill and spinning midair. She landed, spun in a roundhouse kick that connected with the zombie's shoulder, then brought down her sword and slashed at the thing on the back of its head.

Then the zombie spun around, groaning that loud, mechanical groan- to reveal bright, crimson eyes.

"Wow!" gasped Clutch, scrambling back and causing the couch to topple over, sending her, Facemeat and Slab to the floor with a deafening _bang!_ Lukas leapt up- from either the red eyed monster or the couch falling over- and accidentally elbowed Petra in the mouth, while Axel screamed and sent Olivia sprawling onto the blankets, Reuben squealing loudly in Jesse's ear. Cassie and Aiden were both standing, the former having reached for an axe that wasn't there, while Reginald was on his feet with his sword drawn, standing protectively in front of Isa and Milo.

"What is that?" asked Magnus, clutching Ellegaard so close that it actually hurt a little, "What the hell is _that?!_ "

Jesse straightened from his own crouch, staring wide eyed as a gaping Petra backed away from the crimson eyed monster. It gave another mechanical groan, reaching for her with oddly rigid limbs. _"There's something weird about this zombie!"_

"No kidding!" shouted Sparklez, hand over his heart. On the blankets, Lukas was apologising to a grimacing Petra, who was massaging her lips (thankfully not burst, but still sore). Gabriel's grip on Soren's elbow was so tight the architect was certain it would leave a bruise.

Petra whacked at the monster, and the flashed red- but it didn't even stumble back, didn't even flinch, just continued its rigid treck towards her. She slashed at it again, but the same thing happened, the crimson eyed zombie remaining entirely unphased.

 _"I could actually use a hand!"_ Petra called, not taking her eyes off the monster. It lunged at her, and Petra narrowly avoided its grasp, hitting it with her sword again. It flashed red, groaned, but continued its relentless attacks. _"It doesn't make any sense,"_ the redhead gasped.

"Oh my god," gasped Olivia, eyes wide as she covered her mouth from where she was still sprawled on the blankets, "Oh my god, oh my god, _oh my god_."

 _"Don't worry, Petra,"_ said Jesse, _"I got your back!"_

"No, no, no!" Harper chanted, frantically waving at the screen as though hoping they would actually be able to hear her, "Run away, run away!"

But Jesse did not run away. He ran forward, leaping from the same ledge Petra had, barrel rolling through the air. He landed on his feet and drew his sword, grinning, _"This should be a piece of cake-"_

Zombie turned to him, staring at him with its unnatural crimson eyes, and gave a mechanical _roar_ that made even the audience's ears throb.

"Well," whispered Milo, so only Isa could hear, not taking his eyes off the screen as he rubbed his ringing ears, "At least he gains _some_ confidence."

Isa nodded in agreement.

The monster came at Jesse, who took a quick step back and lunged forward, slashing at the zombie's face. However, it simply straightened, and Jesse's eyes widened much like Petra's had, _"Oh... kay..."_

Harper groaned, dropping her head into her hands. Ivor would have pat her back had he been able to reach her.

 _"Yeah, that-"_ he swung, struck, a flash of red, but the zombie didn't even seem to feel it, _"That doesn't seem right."_

"This is bad," groaned Stampy, clinging to Dan's arm, "This is bad, this is bad, this is _very, very, bad_."

Jesse swung again, and again, backing away each time to stay out of the seemingly invincible zombie's range. Then, jaw clenching, he lunged forward and slashed downwards with brutal force, and this time the zombie _did_ make a pained noise, falling flat onto the floor. Jesse stabbed it right in the back before it could even consider standing, and it puffed into dust.

"It's dead," Ellegaard sighed, slumping in relief, "It's dead."

"What _was_ that thing?" asked Gill, turning to Harper, "What was up with its eyes? Why wouldn't it die?"

Harper shook her head, looking drained, tired, as though she were about to collapse, "I... it's complicated."

Breaths coming out in short pants, Jesse sheathed his sword, moving to stand beside Petra. Before either could say anything, Ivor's voice cut through the short silence.

 _"It was just_ one _zombie,"_ he said, walking up to them with Lukas at his side, both looking rather confused, _"What was the problem?"_

"Besides the fact that it couldn't take damage?" asked Magnus. Ellegaard rammed her elbow into his ribs.

 _"Nuh-uh!"_ Petra said, shaking her head, _"That thing was, like, 'Super Zombie'! Stronger, tougher, faster."_

Lukas crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at her. Ivor's hands went to his hips. Suddenly, Petra looked rather worried.

 _"I hope there's not something wrong with me,"_ she said, twisting her fingers together, which was rather difficult with gauntlets, _"Because that would be really, really inconvenient."_

"Wait," Lukas frowned, "Is she... is this about her Wither Sickness?"

Petra paused, then frowned as well, "I don't know. Maybe?"

Soren sighed, shaking his head and keeping his voice low when he spoke, so only the original Order could hear him, "I knew they'd have _some_ sort of PTSD. Was only a matter of time before it came up on screen."

"But _is_ this PTSD though?" asked Ellegaard, "I mean, I'm sure _anyone_ would be worried about a crippling illness with a rather miraculous cure coming back."

"They went days without sleep, food or water," Gabriel pointed out, "Their whole world was being destroyed. Jesse witnessed his best friends death and probably thinks if he'd just stretched a little further, tried a little harder, he would've been able to save him. Lukas lost his friends, got them back, and then they decided they hated him."

"All that combined?" Soren's mouth twisted grimly, "They're bound to have a form of PTSD. Nightmares, at the very least," he glanced at the silent Ivor, "Jesse especially."

Onscreen, Lukas' frown deepened, finger tapping his cheek, _"Definitely seems weird..."_

 _"I don't think there's anything wrong with you, Petra,"_ declared Jesse, a look of relief flashing across both onscreen and offscreen Petra's face, _"That was definitely the zombie."_

 _"Super strong zombies, huh?"_ Lukas sighed, _"What in the world is up with that?"_

"Maybe daylight makes them stronger?" suggested Lizzie. Stampy paled at the prospect.

"Yeah, lets... lets no go into that."

There was the sound of heavy, stumbling footsteps. The group looked to the side- and their eyes widened in horror, faces paling. The screen switched around, to reveal a whole _group_ of crimson eyed zombies, groaning mechanically in perfect sync.

Nell screamed, clinging onto a pale Em's beefy arm, who was too busy gaping at the screen to notice or care. Soren looked as though he were about to faint, and Ellegaard buried her face into Magnus' shoulder. Milo squeaked, snatching up Isa's hand and holding it in a death grip.

Ivor and Lukas hurriedly scrambled to stand beside Jesse and Petra, who drew their enchanted swords, standing protectively in front of the other two. _"Well,"_ said Petra, face having lost all colour, _"That seems about right."_

 _"I don't know about you guys,"_ Jesse said, backing away and forcing the other three to back up with him, _"But I'd really like to figure out a better way to handle these super zombies."_

"Don't we all," muttered Maya.

The crimson eyed super zombies gave another mechanical, in sync groan. Jesse stumbled back on a patch of loose sand, tripping over his own feet and falling backwards with a short yelp.

"No!" shouted Olivia. Axel's grip on Jesse abruptly became suffocating.

The monsters were coming in fast, already inches from Jesse's feet. The boy gasped, and rolled to the side, out of their reach. He came back up on his feet, sword still in hand, right beside Petra.

"Oh Notch, that was close," muttered Lukas.

The four continued to back away, only to realise too late that they'd backed themselves up against a terracotta hill. Ivor made a noise that sounded a little like a wobbly stutter. The zombies were closing in, groaning in mechanical sync, crimson stare right on their faces. Jesse got into a fighting stance, blade flat against his chest.

Then the zombies came to a halt and slumped forwards.

A short silence came upon the audience. Hadrian and Mevia exchanged startled looks. Magnus' mouth opened, then closed. Stampy was in Dan's lap again. No one breathed.

 _"That..."_ said Lukas, slowly, his iron sword in hand, _"Was unexpected."_

Cautiously, Jesse dropped from his stance, casting confused eyes over the crimson eyed monsters. He glanced at his friends and decided to sheath his sword, _"Maybe they're just peaceful?"_

"Then why would that other one attack them?" asked Stacy.

 _"I bet they'd be even more peaceful if we kept as far away from them as possible,"_ declared Lukas. Neither he nor Petra had put away their swords. _"Just to be sure."_

"But what _are_ they?" asked Axel, unaware that the friend he was so worried about was currently struggling to breathe, "I mean, peaceful zombies? No offence, dude, but that sounds ridiculous."

With great care, Lukas reached over and poked one of the monsters with his sword, Ivor tapping his beard as he watched closely. The zombie swayed a little, but otherwise didn't react.

Harper frowned, chewing on her bottom lip and twisting her hands in her robe sleeves. It was thinking. Considering.

Maybe it would spare them.

She wasn't sure if that was good or not.

Jesse walked around to get a better look at one of the bulky devices on the back of a zombie's head, which continued to bleep and screech. He reached out with a careful hand, fingers just hovering above the blinking redstone, as though he were afraid they would burst into life again if he touched it. _"What on earth_ is _that thing?"_

"It certainly looks like redstone," said Ellegaard, frowning as she attempted to get a better look at the device from where she was sitting; if only she was actually _there_ , "But not like anything _I've_ ever seen."

"That's saying something," Olivia muttered.

 _"Definitely seems redstone..."_ Lukas frowned, _"Ish. Right?"_

Ivor stepped forward, bowing slightly to get a better look at the zombie's blank, crimson eyes, _"Fascinating."_

 _"Maybe those redstone things are what make the zombies so..."_ Jesse paused to think of the right word, _"Blank."_

"Yes," Isa said, not truly minding that she and Milo's hands were yet to unlink, "'Blank' certainly works."

Lukas had pulled out his book, and was scribbling something down, glancing up every few seconds at the seemingly broken zombie beside him, _"Makes sense to me,"_ he tucked the quill away and flipped the book shut, _"I'm starting to wonder if we should-"_

All at once, the zombies jerked up, spasming and yet standing still, blank faces towards the sky. A loud, ear shattering _ringing_ pierced the quiet, drilling into their skulls like a thousand tiny little drills, loud and mechanical, like a faulty speaker, drilling, drilling, drilling until their ears were near bleeding.

Startled screams erupted both onscreen and off, hands flying to protect sensitive eardrums, the screen blurring around the edges and pulsing as it swiped around the pained ground.

 _"What is that?!"_ screamed Lukas. Ivor frantically shook his head, as though hoping it would throw the piercing sound from his skull.

_"It's like it's- in my head!"_

"That _hurts!_ " shouted Maya, covering her own ears. Jesse gritted his teeth, hands stubbornly pressed against a panicking Reuben's ears instead of his own, tears beading the corner of his eyes. Eyes were clenched shut, heads bowed, shouting all over the room. They could hardly hear what was being said.

 _"I don't know what they're doing exactly,"_ Jesse shouted over the consistent, ear piercing ringing, hands over his own ears, _"But it is definitely time to get out of here!"_

 _"Fine by me!"_ said Lukas. Ivor sent to zombies a reluctant look, but sighed.

_"Fine."_

Jesse gestured for them to follow, shooting the crimson eyed monsters a weary glance. He began to creep around them, as though afraid any sudden movements would cause them to attack, and the other three began to follow- then the ringing came to an abrupt halt, and in perfect sync, the monsters turned around, groaned a mechanical groan, and began to march away.

Confused and startled looks were exchanged between the audience members, hands cautiously descending from still ringing ears. Jesse hadn't even realised he'd clenched his eyes shut until a hand came to his shoulder, and he blinked open teary eyes to meet Lukas' wide gaze, a faint ring remaining in his ears like a dying echo.

"Jess?" Lukas said, softly- well, at least Jesse thought it was softly. There was a chance that he was shouting. "You okay?"

Swallowing thickly, Jesse nodded. Lukas looked unconvinced. Then he pulled Jesse into a hug, shifting so they were leaning against Axel again, and rested his cheek on top of his friends' head. Axel's arm draped over their shoulders.

 _"They're leaving?"_ asked Ivor, gaping after the retreating monsters, _"Just like that?"_

 _"They're going back the way they came from..."_ Petra muttered. Lukas glanced about at them.

_"This might seem crazy, but... I feel like they're trying to lead us somewhere."_

"Yes, that _does_ sound crazy," drawled Cassie. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Sparklez flinched. An odd pang hit her in the chest, like a heavyweight. She laid her hand on Winslow's back, comforted by his gentle purrs.

 _"You're right,"_ declared Petra, hand going to her hip, _"That_ does _sound crazy."_

The real Petra's jaw clenched at the similarities between her and Cassie's statements. She didn't want to have _anything_ in common with that freak.

A short silence came upon the group, watching as the zombies marched away. Lukas shook his head, _"It just... doesn't make any sense."_

 _"Come on,"_ said Jesse, _"I'm really starting to think_ someone _is behind all this and I intend to find out who."_ He marched forward to in front of them a little, pointing a finger at the zombie's retreating back, _"We should follow them. See where they go."_

"Don't do that," groaned Harper, "Please, do _not_ do that."

"You are _not_ very comforting," said Soren. Ivor appeared to be a lot paler than usual.

 _"So,"_ Petra shrugged, starting to follow Jesse, _"Let's get moving."_

The super zombie's (Jesse counted six; if they were as tough as the first one, they would _not_ be able to take all of them down at once) trecked in creepy unison along the path, the screen panning back to reveal the adventurers following at a considerable distance, most likely for safety measures. The screen blackened.

"Okay," breathed Magnus, looking incredibly unnerved, "Those things are creepy."

"How do they interact like that?" asked Isa, not noticing the way Reginald was staring at her and Milo's interlocked hands, "It's so... unnatural."

"That thing on the back of their heads must connect to whatever's... controlling them, I guess," Stampy concluded, flushing a little when he realised Stacy, Lizzie and Sparklez were sending him and Dan grins. He was still sitting in the other boys' lap. "I-It must be, like... a signal."

"So... the zombies are under mind control?" asked Gill. Harper breathed a small sigh, fingers twisting nervously.

"It's... yeah, that's basically it," she admitted, gaining a few wide-eyed looks, "They were created to make mobs more... useful. Have them do the mining, the farming, the hunting for us."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here," said Petra, frowning at the inventor. Harper sighed again.

"Things went... wrong," she shook her head and raised her eyes to the screen, dread clear on her face, "You'll see."

Jesse shared a look with Lukas, running his fingers over Reuben's head, who leant into his touch. If things were as bad as Harper was making them out to be, if this problem was as high scale as the Witherstorm, then it could be that their future selves were walking right into some sort of trap. It would also mean that this world was practically destroyed- it appeared to be completely deserted so far, after all, but then again those types of biomes didn't have much else besides clay, sand, terracotta and dead bushes in them.

"Alright," said Aiden, turning to face Harper again, "How about you give us a straight answer for once. Don't say it's 'complicated,' don't say we'll 'see.' I want you to answer honestly."

Harper stared at him for a moment, gnawing on her bottom lip. Finally, she sighed and nodded, "Fine."

"Okay," Aiden's voice was quiet. He glanced at the group on the floor, locking eyes with Jesse, and something like an apology flashed across his face. Jesse frowned, confused, but then Aiden was turning back to Harper, face set. His question sent Jesse's heart spiralling to his stomach.

"Is there a chance one of them is going to die?"

The silence was suffocating. Hardly anyone was breathing. Aiden and Harper's eyes remained locked, staring. Axel's grip on Lukas and Jesse tightened a little.

It felt like an eternity before Harper opened her mouth, and at the back of his mind, Jesse wondered how the screen hadn't finished loading yet. The inventor's voice was quiet, almost as quiet as Aiden's had been, and she didn't look away from the ex-bully.

"It depends," she said, slowly, quietly, "They might anger it enough to do so. It might just decide to... make use of them. I'm not sure."

Silence reigned, a thousand times louder than the ear-bleeding ringing that had come from the zombie's redstone devices. Harper bowed her head to stare at her hands. Ivor opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

"Would you like to come sit with us?"

The inventor shot him a surprised look, having probably expected a very different and probably very complicated question. She opened her mouth to answer, but then faltered, a considering look crossing her face. She closed her mouth, briefly locked eyes with Soren, and slowly nodded her head.

Ignoring his friends' surprised looks, Ivor nudged Soren to tell him to scoot over, which led to all four of them squeezing against Magnus (who looked rather unhappy about being squished against the armrest, and yet rather ecstatic to be squished against Ellegaard). Harper hesitantly came over, sliding onto the couch between Ivor and Soren, and sent the potionologist a grateful smile.

Biting his lip, Jesse looked away, down at his little pig in his lap. He rubbed Reuben's head, hugging him close, and closed his eyes. _Breathe._

He wouldn't let them die.

Even if it meant dying himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you help Petra fight the super zombie or not? Let me know in the reviews!


	60. Welcome to Crown Mesa

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Sixty: Welcome to Crown Mesa**

* * *

Black gave way to a small hill of red sand, drifting to the sand to reveal Jesse, Petra, Lukas and Ivor still walking along the out of place trail. As they turned the corner, the group came to stop upon spotting some sort of village halfway up a mountain, the super zombies steadily marching along the road towards it. A long staircase was embedded in the side of the mountain.

"Oh, boy," muttered Harper. Soren cocked his head to the side.

"Is that a village?"

"Looks like it," hummed Lizzie, "Never heard of villages being in Mesa biomes before. The lack of trees can be annoying."

"You could say the same about desert villages, though," pointed out Dan, "You'd just have to build with the clay and terracotta."

The screen cut to the stairs, the zombies marching ahead. It panned down to show the four beginning to make their way up the steps, Jesse in the lead. It cut again, to Jesse reaching the top of the stairs, coming to a quiet little village.

"Huh," said Lukas, cocking his head in a similar fashion as Soren had not a moment before, "That place actually looks kinda... peaceful."

"Yeah, not what I was expecting," admitted Petra. Harper shook her head.

"Just wait."

 _"I don't see any people_ anywhere _,"_ Petra said, she and the other two following Jesse up the last of the stairs, casting a frown at their deserted surroundings.

"Oh, yeah," muttered Olivia, "Surely you should've run into someone by now?"

 _"The architecture is fascinating,"_ breathed Lukas, the screen briefly cutting out to show the four from a distance, _"All sand and clay based. It's... awesome."_

"Like father, like son," whispered Ellegaard, shooting a cheeky grin at Soren. The architect went bright red, but stubbornly kept his eyes glued to the screen. Harper shot him a partly curious, partly confused look, eyes darting from Soren to Lukas.

 _"Come on, guys,"_ said Jesse, twisting a little to look over his shoulder at them, _"Where there are buildings there must be people. Let's find 'em and see if they can explain what's going on."_

"Well... not necessarily," murmured Harper. Magnus sighed.

"That's getting _very_ annoying."

 _"And maybe they'll know where the Exit Portal is, too,"_ Ivor pointed out. With that, they began to make their way further into the seemingly empty village.

"Maybe this place is abandoned?" suggested Aiden.

"But then why's it in such good condition?" asked Lizzie, "And why did the super zombies come here?"

"It could be recently abandoned," Stampy hummed, frowning, "And the zombies could be, like... programmed or something. Still in working order."

"I guess," muttered Ellegaard. She shook her head. "If only I could get a better look at them."

"I'm sure we will," Ivor assured, "For science!"

"Uh... yeah," Harper winced, "Please don't do that."

Magnus groaned, "She's doing it _again!_ "

Onscreen, Petra abruptly broke into a wide grin, running off to the side with a small, excited jump, to where a pile of redstone blocks sat beneath a small hut, _"Hey! Told you guys there would be redstone!"_

"Doesn't really look like it's being used for anything," muttered Maya. Gill shrugged.

"Extras?"

 _"Nice!"_ said Lukas, stepping closer as Petra grinned proudly at her find.

 _"Speaking of redstone,"_ Ivor said, passing Jesse to stand at the bottom of a short set of stairs, revealing the group of super zombies standing inside a small open pen, devices blinking, completely unresponsive, _"I'd like to investigate those... things on the back of the zombies' head."_

"Oh, no," Harper groaned.

 _"Oooh, yeah,"_ Lukas piped up, following Ivor up the steps to stand in front of the pen, _"I want to see those too."_

"Uh..." Soren, worried by Harper's reaction, chewed on his bottom lip, "How about you... don't?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Ivor said, waving him off. Soren did not appear all that assured.

Ivor stepped into the pen, grinning widely as Lukas leant over the fence to get a better look. The redstone device bleeped and crackled.

"Don't- oh, come on," Harper sighed, as, onscreen, Ivor grabbed the chip, planted his foot on the small of the zombie's back, and began to struggle with it.

 _"Wait,"_ said Jesse, moving to joining Lukas at the top of the stairs and raising an eyebrow at the potionologist, _"What are you doing, Ivor?"_

 _"What's it look like?"_ asked Ivor, releasing the zombie to face Jesse, _"I'm going to rip this redstone thing out of this zombie's head. For science."_

"Is ripping it out a good idea, though?" questioned Stampy, "I mean, I want to know more about it too, of course, but what if it has defences or something?"

"If only Dr Trayaurus were here," Dan hummed, "I'm sure _he'd_ have some idea of what it is."

 _"They're... sleeping or something,"_ concluded Ivor, _"It'll be easy."_

"I think they should do it," declared Ellegaard, "They might not get the chance again."

Harper shook her head, "No, you don't understand, they _don't come off_."

 _"Okay, then just don't wake them up,"_ said Lukas, _"Just rip it off. Fast."_

"If they don't come off," said Milo, "Then I don't see what the big deal is. They'll just struggle, then give up, correct?"

"Would an enchanted sword work on it?" asked Ivor, turning to Harper, "I certain Jesse or Petra would be more than happy to lend me theirs."

Jesse blinked, confused, then remembered that his future self had an enchanted diamond sword. Moron.

 _"Uh,"_ Jesse frowned, glancing over at the 'sleeping' monsters, _"Don't you think that looks a little dangerous."_

"And yet you didn't say that when you saw the Fire World portal?" asked Axel, raising a brow. Jesse flushed a little.

"Hey, we don't exactly know that."

"Still went through it."

 _"More dangerous for this zombie than for me,"_ said Ivor, turning back around. He paused. _"I think."_

Gabriel facepalmed.

Shrugging it off, Ivor grabbed the redstone device again, returning his foot to the monster's back and _tugging_. He grunted, pulling, pulling, to the point where the zombie was leaning so far back its spine looked in danger of breaking, feet somehow remaining planted to the floor. Then there was the zap of electricity, and Ivor jerked violently, a shock running through his limbs, a short scream from his lips, and collapsed to the ground.

"Ivor!" gasped Magnus, earning a rather surprised look from the potionologist.

 _"Are you okay?!"_ gasped Lukas. Ivor shook his head, as though to throw something off, and scowled.

_"It's like it shocked me!"_

"Pretty sure it did," said Sparklez.

Jesse, seeing Ivor was relatively unharmed, slumped a little, _"Told you it looked dangerous."_

Despite himself, Aiden snorted, only to shrink in his seat a little when Ivor shot him a glare. Cassie inched closer to him.

 _"Yes, well,"_ Ivor huffed, climbing to his feet and brushing sand off his robes, _"At least we learned something new."_

"I guess," murmured Harper. He had no idea how lucky he was.

 _"They can't be removed,"_ declared Ivor, giving the redstone device that had decided it would be funny to give him a shock a glare, before turning away and exiting the pen, _"Not with our bare hands, anyway."_

Jesse stepped down the stairs, scratching his neck. His eyes caught something off to the side- a person, alone and dressed in some kind of black and red suit, walking along the path. _"Look! There's someone!"_

"Hey, a person!" grinned Axel. Harper covered her mouth, eyes wide.

The group clustered together, watching the passing person, seemingly unaware of their presence.

 _"Think he's friendly?"_ asked Lukas, voice hardly above a whisper.

"No," whispered Harper. Ivor and Soren shared a wide eyed look.

 _"Hello?"_ Jesse called, waving his arms a bit, _"Hel-lo?"_

The person continued walking, not even glancing at them. Ivor stepped forward, waving in an attempt to get their attention, _"Hello?"_

No response. The person walked out of sight. _"Nope,"_ Ivor said, _"Nothing for me either."_

"Ruuuuuuude," Nell whispered loudly.

 _"Maybe his hearing is bad or something?"_ suggested Jesse.

"Like _Decibels_ ," said Milo, grinning rather proudly. Isa covered a fond smile.

 _"Um, that makes sense,"_ Lukas muttered, brow furrowed, _"I guess."_

Jesse began to make his way after the person, turning around so he was facing his friends, backing away at the same time, _"Hang back a bit, guys. I'm going to go talk to him."_

Harper sighed, "Of course he is."

 _"Okay, just..."_ Petra's eyes darted over to the cyborg zombies, a faint worry crossing her eyes, _"Be careful."_

"Yeah," Olivia frowned, "This place is pretty creepy."

 _"Yeah,"_ said Lukas, unknowingly echoing Olivia, _"I mean, there's still a lot about this place that we don't know."_

"That too," said Axel.

The group spread out, Ivor and Lukas moving to stand together beside a sign, Petra taking stand beside a building a little further up. Jesse's eyes fell upon the sign and he walked up to it to get a closer look, bending a little to see it properly, _"'Welcome to Crown Mesa. Population,"_ he cocked his head to the side, voice taking on a surprised tone, _"1,063."_

Isa raised her eyebrows, "That's... surprising."

"If that sign is accurate," said Gabriel, "Then where are all the citizens?"

"That recently abandoned theory is still up in the air, then," muttered Lizzie. Stacy nodded in agreement.

Jesse straightened, looking around, but no one was in sight, not even the passing person from earlier. He shook his head, astonished. _"Over a_ thousand _people? Not anymore, from the looks of it."_

"No kidding," muttered Dan, clutching Stampy just a little bit closer.

He turned to look at Ivor and Lukas, lips twitching in a small smile, _"Guys."_

Ivor- to some of the audience's surprise- actually smiled back, _"Jesse. How goes the surveying?"_

 _"It goes,"_ Jesse gave a small laugh, shaking his head, _"Weirdly."_

Lukas adjusted his goggles, _"I'm convinced something strange happened to this place. I just..."_ he looked around, at the dead bushes and cacti and beautiful, empty buildings, _"Don't know exactly what yet."_

"Can't be worse than a murder mansion, right?" asked Maya in a whisper. Gill nodded in agreement.

 _"I'll let you know if I find anything,"_ Jesse assured, leaving them be. He walked around, stopping briefly to observe another stack of redstone blocks, before hesitantly continuing on to Petra upon finding nothing out of the ordinary.

 _"Hey, Petra,"_ he greeted, a unsureness tinting his voice, _"How's it going over here?"_

The real Petra's heart sunk to her stomach. _Idiot, idiot, idiot._

Petra shrugged, _"Fine, I guess."_

Jesse was silent for a moment, eyes darting to the side, _"Hey, um, I know things got a little tense back there before... are we- are we cool?"_

A sigh escaped offscreen Petra's lips, and she shifted a little bit closer to Jesse and Lukas, winding her hand around Jesse's and giving it a reassuring squeeze. The boy sent her a grateful smile.

 _"Yeah, we're cool,"_ Petra assured, smiling a little, _"Things were tense, stuff was said... but we're still friends and got through it."_

Jesse returned her smile with a rather relived one. Petra's softened.

 _"It's nice of you to check in though,"_ she said, _"Thanks."_

Ellegaard leant towards Gabriel a little, although it wasn't all that necessary considering how squished together they were, "You still going to talk to her?"

Gabriel seemed to consider for a moment, before nodding, "Yes. Despite Jesse having said relatively nothing of offence, she continues to speak as though they had both been in the wrong."

"Still," Soren butt in, "She seems to realise her onscreen self is in the wrong."

"That's because she has time to think and analyse," Ellegaard pointed out," And she's not angry. She probably knew she shouldn't be saying what she was when she was saying it, but she was too annoyed to care."

"We shall work on that," promised Gabriel. They said nothing in response.

 _"You got any theories about this place?"_ asked Jesse. Petra glanced around, then shook her head.

_"I dunno. Everything seems so... regular. Mundane."_

"Yes," muttered Milo, "It is quite odd, isn't it?"

 _"Maybe before those glowy head things came along, this was a normal place,"_ suggested Jesse.

Harper blinked, "That's... not actually all that far off."

"Okay, so the glowy head things have something to do with it," said Lukas, "Good to know."

Onscreen, Petra tapped her chin, considering this. Jesse glanced over his shoulder.

 _"I'm going to keep check this place out,"_ he said. Petra gave him a single nod.

_"See ya."_

Jesse wandered further through the deserted village, freezing when he spotted another 'super monster' pen. Frowning and cocking his head a little, he walked up the short steps to stand before the open gate, staring at the red eyed chickens sitting within.

Magnus blinked, "What."

 _"Wow,"_ muttered Jesse, _"Even chickens have those redstone things on their heads."_

Milo heard a quiet, sharp intake of breath from beside him, and shot Isa a concerned look. The Founder was clutching Benedict protectively to her chest, gripping Milo's hand in a death hold. He squeezed back in an attempt to reassure her, but he's not sure it worked.

The chickens clucked mechanically, much like the zombie's metallic groans, flapping their wings in perfect sync. Jesse's frown deepened. _"And it looks like they make them move in perfect unison... but why?"_

"Zombies I can understand," said Em, slowly, "Mind controlled zombies can be useful. But chickens? They can't even pick anything up."

"Yeah," Gill frowned, "What gives?"

Shaking his head, Jesse turned away from the metallic clucking chickens, beginning to make his way further down the road. Coming to a clay well, he glanced at it, stopped, and took a closer look, stepping up onto the edge. His eyebrows rose to his hairline.

 _"Their well looks totally dry,"_ he murmured, _"Where did all the water go?"_

Nell gasped quietly, covering her mouth a little and earning a few confused looks, "That's not a well, brah."

Jesse frowned at her, "How's it not a well?"

The blond girl shook her head, eyes dramatically wide, "No, it's, like, a _death pit_. They throw criminals down there to _starve_."

They stared at her. Em settled a heavy hand on her back.

"No more horror movies."

Deciding to add the mystery of the vanishing water to his ever growing list, Jesse continued down the path, to where the supposedly deaf person from earlier was rummaging through a chest.

"Don't go near him, don't go near him," Harper chanted quietly. Ivor was not finding that all that reassuring.

Jesse came to a halt, a small clay slab table separating him from the person rummaging through the chest, _"Um, hi there."_

The person didn't respond, didn't even glance at him. Awkwardly, Jesse scratched his neck. _"Um, hello?"_ the person closed the chest, straightening, _"My friends and I could just use-"_

Jesse cut himself off with a loud scream that caused the entire audience to practically leap out of their skin, only to yelp and gasp when they realised the person's eyes were crimson red, a redstone device blinking and bleeping on the back of his head.

"Oh my god," gasped Olivia, covering her mouth, "Oh my god, oh my god, _oh my god_."

"Well," said Magnus, voice cracking, terribly pale and with Ellegaard clinging to his arm, "That explains a bit."

"They chipped the people," breathed Lukas, mouth hanging open, "They _chipped_ the _people_."

As unphased as the zombies had been by his presence, the person walked passed the spluttering Jesse, who stared after him _(it?)_ with wide, horrified eyes, _"Who the- what- huh?!"_

"Get out of there," croaked Soren, "Get _out. Of. There._ "

On the back of his head, the device bleeped and screeched, a trembling Jesse staring at his retreating back. From behind the shocked hero, his friends came running, skidding to a stop in front of him.

 _"Conversation go any better up close?"_ asked Ivor, with a rather nervous sort of sarcasm, _"We couldn't really hear from back there."_

"Ivor," huffed Gabriel, "Not the time."

 _"We heard quite the... well,"_ Ivor took on a considerate tone, _"Not even a scream, more of a yelp."_

 _"There is something very, very wrong going on here,"_ Jesse declared, a tad breathlessly, eyes darting over to where the red eyed person had vanished, _"We need to help these people."_

Harper gnawed on her bottom lip, reluctant to accept the rise of hope in her chest. Jesse defeated the Witherstorm. He stopped Aiden and brought salvation to Sky City. He stopped Cassie Rose, as much as she was still struggling to accept the fact she'd gone as far as she had.

Maybe. Just _maybe_.

She hoped she gets to them first.

 _"But why?"_ asked Ivor, running pale fingers through his long hair, _"We could just find our Exit Portal. Leave this world behind us and pretend we never saw it."_

"What?" the real Ivor asked in response to the looks he received, "That thing shocked me!"

Onscreen, Lukas raised an eyebrow at him (much like offscreen Lukas was) when, behind him, a flash of green and brown skidded across the ground and shot up, dashing up some stairs into a building.

"What was _that_?" asked Dan. His eyes darted over to Harper, taking in her brown and green outfit. "Wait a minute- was that you?"

Harper looked rather relieved, which surprised a few people, "Let's hope so."

Jesse stared, tensed, as though prepared to leap into action. His friends were shooting him odd looks, not exactly concerned but getting close. Lukas took a small step closer. _"Jesse... ?"_

The young hero hesitantly turned back to them, pointing in the direction the person had run, _"Someone just ran into that house."_

"This is... concerning," muttered Lukas. Petra shot him an exasperated look.

"Isn't everything at this point?"

Lukas sighed, "True."

Ivor, Petra and Lukas looked at each other. The redhead uncrossed her arms, frowning. _"Really? I didn't see anyone."_

Jesse bit his lip, then shook his head and turned, starting to sprint towards the targeted house, _"Come on. Whoever they are... maybe they've got answers."_

Harper opened her mouth to say something, then faltered, "Uh... can I just apologise in advance?"

Jesse blinked at her, "What for?"

"Well..." the inventor winced, "Just in case I... you know... attack you."

"Attack us?" echoed Ivor, "Why would you attack us?"

Harper gave a weak little shrug, trying for a smile that looked a lot more like a grimace. She didn't give a proper answer.

Onscreen, Jesse halted his run at the top of a short staircase, crouching and peering through an open hole leading into the building. Inside the house, the person laughed, rummaging through a double chest.

 _"Yes, yes, there you are,"_ she gushed, pulling something out- a redstone device, disconnected, but its red centre still blinking, _"That's the ticket."_

"It _is_ her!" gasped Stampy. Stacy frowned.

"What's she doing with those?"

Harper waved her off, "Just- research."

By the door, Jesse's eyes widened. Slowly, he made his way up the rest of the stairs, regarding the woman with hesitant eyes, who continued to speak to herself.

_"Oh, these are perfect. Excellent."_

Nervously, Jesse coughed into his fist, _"Uh, hi?"_

Straightening with an armful of devices, HARPER looked over her should to face him, brow furrowed in confusion. Then she screamed, dropping the devices back into the chest and hastily backing away, eyes darting over to the open window as though entirely prepared to leap through it. Her voice trembled. _"That you, PAMA?"_

Mevia blinked, "PAMA?"

"Do I look like someone called PAMA?" asked Jesse, giving the real Harper a confused look, noting her rather violent flinch, "Are they, like, someone bad? I think it would be pretty weird if I look enough like someone that's evil to be mistaken by them."

"How can _anyone_ be scared of someone that even remotely resembles you?" asked Petra, poking him in the cheek, "You're too much of a cinnamon roll."

"What does that even _mean?_ "

Jesse stared at her, utterly confused, _"What?"_

Harper appeared taken aback, looking left and right as though she was struggling to believe what was happening, _"Okay, then. Okay,"_ abruptly, her face became hard, _"Who sent you?"_

"Huh?" muttered Ellegaard. Quite a lot of the audience look bewildered.

 _"I didn't survive this long to get picked off by some scrub,"_ Harper continued, backing away even further, _"Especially some weird-dressed little scrub like_ you _."_

"Hey," said Jesse, tugging at the strap of his dungarees. Ellegaard was giving Harper a look.

"That's _my_ armour, Harper."

"Oh," the inventor winced, "I, uh, yeah. I noticed that."

"That's not an apology," Magnus whispered, loudly enough for the whole room to hear. Ellegaard rolled her eyes.

 _"Come on, then,"_ said Harper, as Jesse looked down at Ellegaard's armour a tad defensively, _"Out with it."_

"You haven't even stopped talking," pointed Maya.

 _"Hey, nobody 'sent' me, okay?"_ he said, holding up his hands a little. Harper shot him a look of pure disbelief.

 _"You_ really _expect me to believe that?"_ she asked, _"What kind of fool do you think I am?"_

"This is... interesting," muttered Ivor, eyebrows raised to his hairline. He wondered if Harper had been acting that paranoid since she first got here. He wondered if she was _still_ acting that paranoid.

 _"Honest, I have_ no _idea who you are,"_ Jesse cut her off. Harper's hard expression melted.

_"I don't... you're telling the truth, aren't you?"_

"Hey, where'd Lukas, Ivor and I go?" asked Petra. Lukas shrugged.

 _"Okay, eyes..."_ Harper began to walk in a small circle, studying Jesse's face with a furrowed brow, _"Not red,"_ she blinked, eyes widening, confusion flickering, _"_ Not _red? But- But that must mean... but how?"_

Petra, Ivor and Lukas appeared from the stairs, looking from Jesse to Harper. The inventor came to an abrupt stop, mouth falling open as she spotted them, _"And there are_ more _of you? This should be- it's-"_ she gripped her white hair, shaking her head, _"Impossible!"_

"Harper," Isa said, quietly, so quiet that the inventor almost thought she hadn't spoken at all, "How long have you been alone?"

"Um, well..." she sighed, twisting her fingers, "A- A long time."

 _"Out with it!"_ Harper shouted, pointing a finger in Jesse's face, _"Who are you people? What's going on here?"_

"Shouldn't _they_ be asking that?" asked Maya.

 _"I'm sensing some hostility,"_ said Ivor, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. Petra rolled her eyes.

_"Oh? What was your first clue?"_

_"What was that name before?"_ asked Lukas, flipping open his book, _"Uh, Pa-Ma?"_

"Why is no one answering the question?" Olivia whispered.

 _"I know it might sound crazy,"_ said Jesse, slowly, _"But we came here through a portal-"_

 _"A portal?"_ Harper cut him off, eyes widening, _"A_ portal _portal? Really?"_

"What any kind of portal is there?" Hadrian asked. Harper's jaw clenched, and she very carefully kept her eyes on the screen.

Jesse, startled, simply nodded. Harper tangled her fingers in her hair, disbelief clear on her face, slowly shaking her head. She turned away, walking closer to a different window. _"Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Uh..."_ she crossed her arms, _"Been alone for a while so this is a lot to take in right now..."_

"Okay..." murmured Em.

Behind Jesse, Ivor crouched in front of a small chest, throwing it open and beginning to rummage through it. Harper released a small breath, turning to face Jesse again. _"The people- the citizens of Crown Mesa. You've met them, right?"_

"Uh... I'm not sure that counts as 'meeting,'" said Lukas.

Ivor had emerged with a redstone device, and was studying it with a scrutinising frown. Harper chewed on her lip. _"Maybe there was some outside? They're, uh, distinctive-looking now."_

"That's... one way to put it," Ellegaard winced.

 _"Uh, sort of?"_ Jesse shrugged, scratching his neck, _"I talked to a man outside."_

 _"Just the one?"_ Harper asked, stepping closer to Jesse. The boy cocked his head a little.

_"Yeah."_

Harper blew out a small, almost relieved breath, a worried look crossing her face as she laid a hand on Jesse's shoulder, _"I know it's probably hard to understand right now, but... if you meet anymore people... please don't hurt them,"_ her eyes were desperate, shining just a little around the edges, _"They're my friends."_

Something oddly sad crossed Cassie, Mevia, Otto, Isa and Soren's faces, but Hadrian was the only one to notice. He rolled his eyes.

Jesse was silent for a long moment, staring with wide eyes. Slowly, he nodded.

 _"They're good people,"_ she continued, _"I promise."_

Her eyes became downcast. Then, they widened, and with a horrified gasp, she tore her hand from Jesse's shoulder. _"Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no, I've wasted too much time!"_ she began to back away, Jesse reaching for her with a startled face.

 _"Uh, Jesse?"_ said Lukas, capturing his attention- but the blonde's gaze was out the window, and the screen cut to show four crimson eyed people steadily marching towards the house in single file, _"Don't look now, but we've got company!"_

"Oh no," said Olivia, going a few shades paler. Axel frowned, cocking his head a little.

"But there's only four of them. I mean, they can take them, can't they?"

Harper shook her head, paler than Olivia. She appeared to have lost her voice.

 _"This is what you were scared of?"_ asked Jesse, appearing at the corner of the window, _"There are only four of them and five of-"_ he turned around and blinked, _"Hey, where'd she go?"_

The screen wiped around and, sure enough, Harper was gone.

"Oh, well," Gabriel sighed, "So much for that."

"Yeah," Magnus frowned, leaning forwards a little to see Harper better, "You could've taken them with you, y'know."

Guilt crossed Harper's face, "I- I know. I'm sorry, Jesse."

Jesse waved her off, "I think we've got more pressing matters."

 _"Well,"_ said Petra, she and Lukas running into the frame. She pointed to the stairs. _"They're definitely not ignoring us anymore."_

It wiped around again, to reveal the four crimson eyed people already at the bottom of the stairs, marching up to them with their blank stares, redstone devices bleeping and screeching. Eyes widening, Jesse hurriedly scrambled away.

 _"Jesse?"_ said Lukas, offscreen, as the four people- if they could even be called that- entered the little house, _"What do we do here?"_

"Run!" exclaimed Harper, "Get out of there!"

 _"They don't look happy,"_ said Petra, she and the others backing up to the far wall.

"They don't look _anything_ ," pointed out Isa. Milo, face a rather pasty sort of colour, grimaced.

"Besides terrifying, that is."

 _"They don't look anything,"_ Lukas said.

Isa blinked, "Huh."

 _"That's even_ freakier! _"_ Petra declared. Her back hit the wall.

 _"Time to go,"_ stated Jesse. Ivor nodded hastily.

_"Good plan."_

_"With you all the way,"_ Petra said.

"You probably should've left when they were _coming up the stairs_ ," said Axel, looking as though he wouldn't be all that surprised if he discovered a few grey hairs anytime soon.

Bracing himself, Jesse tried to shove passed one of the people- Purple Hair- but simply bounced off her chest as though she were a wall. He stumbled back beside a pale Lukas, who grimaced. _"Nope."_

 _"We're stuck,"_ groaned Petra. Sure enough, the people had closed them in- they couldn't even reach a window.

"I can't watch," Olivia groaned, covering her eyes, "Again."

In perfect unison, the red eyed people pointed at them and spoke, _"You are not from this place."_

"Oh my god, that's terrifying," breathed Dan, currently with a trembling Stampy in his lap. Sparklez looked as though he were about to faint. Again.

Jesse glanced over at his friends, but seemed reluctant to take his eyes off the citizens. He cleared his throat a little. _"You're- You're right. This isn't our home. We came here from... someplace else."_

Harper groaned, dropping her head in her hands. Ivor did not like the sinking feeling in his stomach.

 _"You have confirmed PAMA's suspicions,"_ declared the citizens, a look of regret almost immediately crossing Jesse's face. Petra slowly shook her head.

"PAMA?" repeated Aiden. Petra groaned.

"Oh no."

 _"A decision has been made,"_ they declared, _"PAMA has questions."_

Blondie grabbed Petra's arm.

"No!" exclaimed Gabriel, sitting ramrod straight in his seat and looking as though he were about to bolt forward.

Onscreen, Petra jumped, then drew her fist back and punched them right in the face. Blondie's head snapped to the side. Then, ever so slowly, they turned to face her again, a crimson glare drilling into her skull. Petra yelped, not protesting as Jesse pushed her behind him, arms spread.

"Ooooh no," muttered Harper, eyes wide, "Oh no, oh no, oh no, _no, no, no_."

 _"You will come to PAMA,"_ the people declared, the other two moving to stand on either side of Blondie, all with identical glares on their faces. The fourth was out of sight.

 _"No way are you even considering this, Jesse!"_ whispered Petra loudly, hand on his shoulder, _"Since when do we take orders from... whatever-the-heck these things are?"_

 _"Why not, though?"_ asked Ivor, leaning a little closer to them, keeping his voice low, _"We certainly won't get to the bottom of this if we stick around here."_

"Don't go with them!" shouted Harper, causing Ivor to nearly jump out of his skin, "Whatever you do, _don't go with them!_ "

"I feel sick," Lukas moaned quietly. Jesse squeezed his hand.

 _"I'm sorry,"_ said Jesse, taking a tiny step back, _"But we were actually just on our way out."_

Petra gave a nervous little laugh, _"Sorry, we gotta run, but-"_

 _"Would you look a the time?"_ Lukas asked, with his own nervous little laugh. Jesse flashed them a rather forced grin.

_"No need to show us the way out."_

_"We're not into big goodbyes,"_ said Petra.

"Why do I have the feeling that's not gonna work?" Hadrian asked, sarcasm dripping from his tongue. Mevia, who was incredibly invested in the screen at this point, shushed him. The man actually looked offended.

The people stared at them with an almost deadpan expression. Then they stepped forward and all of a sudden Jesse was wrestling with Blondie, grunting, the sounds of his friends struggling with the other three loud in his ears. He tore his arms from Blondie's hands and dashed out of their way, to get enough room to actually draw his sword without the risk of stabbing his friends, and skidded to a stop with a gasp as he ran right into the dark skinned one, who drew his fist back and punched him right in the face.

"JESSE!"

He flashed red, flying back from the mere force- and the screen was black.

_"You will be made useful."_

"Well," said Magnus, staring with wide eyes at the dark screen, heart practically thundering in his chest, "That was... eventful."

"Useful," echoed Ivor, turning to stare at Harper, who appeared unable to look away from the dark screen, hands over her mouth and eyes beaded with tears. At the back of his hand, he realised his hand, trembling just a little, had flown inside his potions satchel. He forced himself to let go of the harmful liquid. "What do they mean by _useful_?"

Harper shook her head, hastily wiping at her eyes, "I- It's what the chips were originally made for. To make mobs more... useful," her mouth twisted, "That word'll be completely ruined for everyone by the end of this, I assure you."

"Will Jesse be okay?" asked Olivia, clinging to her friend's hand so hard that he wouldn't be surprised if he found bruises in the morning. Harper bit her lip.

"I- I think so? I don't think they'll hurt any of them. Not... not yet."

"That," said Magnus, "Is _not_ reassuring."

"Axel," gasped Jesse, "I don't know about you, but I have to actually _breathe_."

The large boy blinked, confused. Then his eyes widened and he loosened his grip, both Lukas and Jesse gratefully gulping in air. He grinned sheepishly, although it seemed a tiny bit forced. "Sorry, dudes."

"Well, I must say," said Ivor, shifting a little in his seat, which was rather difficult when your squeezed between two people, "Things certainly seem to be-" abruptly, he pulled a face, "What am I _sitting_ on?"

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at him, "A sofa?"

"No, not the sofa," said Ivor, rolling his eyes and shifting a bit more, "Something- I don't know, between the cushions, maybe."

Soren and Harper looked at each other, then got up from the couch to give him more room. Ivor shifted over to where Harper had been sitting and dug his hand between the cushions, feeling around for a moment, before he made a small noise in the back of his throat and pulled out- a tiny red robot.

"The heck is that?" asked Magnus. Ivor frowned at it, holding it up to the light a little. It was hardly bigger than his hand, with clawed hands and a big, square head and little rectangular feet. It had no mouth, just two little dots for eyes.

"That's... actually rather cute," Soren blinked, "What was it doing between the couch cushions?"

"No idea," hummed Ivor. He held it up so everyone else could see it. "This belong to anyone?"

"Uh..." Stampy cocked his head a little, "Nope."

"So... it's the mansions?" Ellegaard said, raising an eyebrow. Ivor was suddenly regarding the robot with a bit more weariness. "Why would a mansion have a toy robot?"

The potionologist shook his head and, after a moment of deliberation, pocketed it.

"No idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you come quietly or get knocked out? Let me know in the reviews!


	61. Puppet Strings

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Sixty-One: Puppet Strings**

* * *

The screen faded back in to show an unconscious Jesse, lying on his stomach on what appeared to be quartz. His eyes blinked open, hazy with confusion.

"Well, at least he _seems_ alright," muttered Ivor, leaning back in his seat.

"So far," said Magnus. He shrunk away from the multiple glares he received.

Then Jesse's eyes widened and he sprang to his feet so fast it could almost be considered inhumanly so. His head snapped left and right, only to grimace and press his palm to his bruising jaw _. "What- What happened?"_

 _"You went down,"_ Ivor abruptly appeared, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder, _"_ Hard. _One punch and you were out."_

"So... where are they now?" asked Olivia. Harper gnawed on her bottom lip.

Jesse frowned at the potionologist, absentmindedly rubbing his jaw. Then he gasped, almost yelped, taking a startled step back right into Ivor, who gave a short yell either in response to seeing something offscreen or to Jesse accidentally standing on his foot.

The screen wiped around to reveal the four of them- thankfully appearing relatively unharmed- standing upon a tall platform directly before some kind of giant green screen. People and monsters alike, all with identical crimson eyes, stood in perfect lines before the screen.

"What. The. Hell." said Petra. Lukas nodded in agreement.

 _"What,"_ Lukas said, gaping, _"Is_ that _?"_

"Do you think it's Pa Ma?" asked Nell in a quiet whisper. Em shrugged, not looking away from the onscreen... screen.

Steam rose from the screen like a release of breath, a line of dots appearing and vanishing on it, followed by a little _bleep-_ and a digital face appeared. Petra slowly shook her head, mouth hanging open.

_"I have no idea."_

The face smiled.

"It's... smiling?" Stacy frowned, "I didn't know... whatever... that is could... y'know."

"That thing actually looks a little like the screen," pointed out Otto, "You know, the one we're watching these 'episodes' on."

Harper shuddered, "I'd rather not think about that, Otto."

 _"You don't suppose it's friendly, do you?"_ asked Ivor.

The potionologist hopefully turned to the inventor seated next to him, "Is it?"

"No."

"Oh."

Jesse shook his head a little, taking a tiny step closer to Ivor. Lukas lowered his voice to a whisper, as though afraid it would be able to hear him. The screen flickered a little, but the smile didn't falter. _"I guess it_ is _kind of friendly-looking... in a massively, hugely-intimidating sort of way."_

"Yeah," muttered Isa, eyes wide, "That... that works."

 _"Yeah, I'm guessing 'no' on the friendly thing,"_ Jesse whispered back, _"Whatever it is, I think it's behind all this."_

Harper looked at least a little relieved by that. The kid certainly wasn't stupid.

 _"Greetings, friends!"_ the screen abruptly said, face 'moving' as it spoke (and making half the audience jump in surprise), _"I am PAMA."_

"So it _is_ Pa Ma!" grinned Nell.

On the platform, the group shared wide-eyed looks. PAMA continued. _"We have much work ahead of us, but maybe it can even be..."_ it's smile almost seemed to widen a little, _"Fun."_

"Um... okay, giant creepy face," Magnus said, actually looking a little freaked out. Ellegaard squeezed his hand.

Suddenly, the face 'hardened,' _"If you choose to cooperate, that is."_

"Aaaaaand there it is," drawled Magnus.

 _"So wait,"_ Jesse said, _"Everything here is... part of you? You're controlling everything?"_ The screen's smile was back.

"Bingo," muttered Harper. Ivor's eyes widened further.

 _"I am making_ everything _useful,"_ PAMA explained, _"Efficient. Effective. I am what you might call a 'computer.' A thinking-machine. Designed to make things useful."_

"I don't like where this is go-ing," Slab sang quietly, "No, I don't like it at aaaall."

"Bum, bum, bum," whisper-sang Facemeat.

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes had grown to the size of dinner plates, something like horror flashing in their depths. Still smiling, PAMA continued. _"Using redstone chips, I have connected to the people of this town,"_ the screen- not PAMA- panned down to show the red eyed mobs and citizens, _"And helped them be useful. Coordinated."_ They stood among trails of redstone, motionless, faces blank, chips whizzing and screeching. Nothing.

A chill ran through Cassie's veins. This was worse than being trapped in a world that wasn't your own. This was worse than being trapped above a pit of spitting endermites. This is being trapped inside your own body, inside your own brain, with nothing, nothing, nothing but eternal boredom.

_(What's the worse kind of prison cell?)_

She gets the choice to die. To end it. She _does_ die.

_(The kind where the cell is inside you.)_

These people don't. They're trapped. Trapped. With no willpower, with no thoughts, just nothing but red stares and a voice in their head.

 _(The kind where the cell_ is _you.)_

Cassie remembers.

As though she could ever forget.

 _"I have made their world perfect,"_ declared PAMA, proudly, as Jesse twisted to look over at the people behind them, hunching a little, actually looking a little scared, _"Thanks to me, there is no wasted activity. No wasted thought."_

"I don't like this thing," squeaked Milo. Reginald nodded in agreement, strangling the handle of his sword.

_"I am connected to them, and they are connected to me. A beautiful web of productivity and efficiency."_

_"Okay,"_ said Jesse, slowly, utterly freaked out, _"If this world's so 'perfect,' what happened to all the people?"_

 _"Yeah,"_ Petra butt in, casting wary eyes around at the crimson eyed people surrounding them, _"Doesn't seem like there are that many left."_

"Maybe some escaped?" suggested Dan.

Abruptly, PAMA's screen flickered and buzzed, its face turning into a sad 'expression.' The three loading dots appeared again. _"Processing information..."_

"What?" Soren blinked, "That's... interesting."

 _"'Processing information'?"_ echoed Lukas, him and Petra inching closer to Jesse. Ivor appeared on the boy's other side.

 _"It said it's a 'thinking machine,'"_ the potionologist hummed, _"Thinking must take time?"_

"You guys are pretty good at this," Harper attempted a smile, but it came off a little weak. Ivor sent her a proper one in turn.

PAMA's screen flickered again. It looked angry.

"Oooooh no," muttered Stampy, losing all colour in his cheeks. A green haired Dan had at some point become his teddy bear.

 _"I have consulted my databases- my list of everyone and everything in this world- and my conclusion is that you,"_ PAMA's screen flickered, _"Are not from here."_

"I don't like this," whispered Olivia, clinging to Axel's arm, "I don't like this, I don't like this, I _really, really_ don't like this."

 _"I would like to ask you some questions,"_ said PAMA, _"To expand my databanks,"_ the screen flickered and buzzed. PAMA's face was replaced by a question mark. _"How did you get here?"_

"Don't answer any of its questions!" blurted Harper, causing Ivor to jump; she'd yelled in his ear, "Just- just lie! Don't tell it about the Portal Network!"

"What?" Jesse blinked, startled, "Why?"

The group look at each other, unsure. Lukas nervously held his other arm.

_"I am very excited for the acquisition of new knowledge. Thrilled, even."_

_"Oh, let's not talk about me,"_ said Jesse, trying for a smile that, despite his efforts, appeared incredibly forced, _"I'd rather hear about you. How did_ you _get here?"_

"I suppose that works," muttered Isa.

PAMA's screen flickered into a frown, _"Answering a question with a question is unhelpful. Diversionary._ Rude _."_

Isa winced, "Or not."

"Never thought Jesse could be called rude," muttered Aiden, twisting his fingers. Perhaps Cassie would have laughed had her chest not felt like a hundred ton dumbell.

 _"So far your performance in question-answering has been inadequate,"_ PAMA's face flickered into a sad expression, _"This makes me sad."_

"Didn't know robots could have emotions," Hadrian muttered, glancing over at Harper. As much as he didn't like her anymore, even he had to admit that only she had even the slightest ability at creating something as advanced as this.

He wondered if she'd done it on purpose. Honestly, he should probably congratulate her either way. Thank her, even.

Maybe she'll finish Jesse off for him.

 _"Now I must use alternative methods to retrieve my new information,"_ PAMA declared.

"I don't like the sound of that," Gabriel frowned, worriedly biting his lip.

 _"Jesse!"_ Petra yelled, as she was abruptly yanked away from the group by one of the crimson eyed people, Lukas calling out her name, and that platform was alive with shouting as Jesse's arms were forced behind his back painfully, Ivor grunting as he was pulled into the same position.

"No!" gasped Ellegaard. Axel's grip on Jesse and Lukas tightened unconsciously. At some point, the two boys had grabbed Petra's hand, and were currently holding it in a grip almost as tight as the one Axel had on them.

 _"We could have just talked this out, you know,"_ said PAMA, almost sadly, as Petra was dragged further away from her friends, _"I am just as upset as you are. Really, I am."_

"Hurt her and I shall smash your idiotic screen!" Gabriel yelled, leaping to his feet, as though it could hear him, as though his sword could reach it. Magnus shot up as well, surprising even himself, grabbing his friend's wrist just in case he _did_ decide to try and smash the screen (which would be very bad, he imagined).

 _"No, no, no, wait!"_ Jesse exclaimed, _"PAMA! I'll tell you whatever you want to know, just please don't hurt her!"_

The crimson eyed person with a death grip on Petra's arm paused, a long beeping noise emitting from his chip. Then he turned around, forced Petra's arms behind her back, and stood there.

Axel released a long breath, but his shoulders did not lose their tension. Neither Gabriel nor Magnus had sat back down.

 _"I am looking forward to hearing this new information,"_ said PAMA. Its voice took on a more menacing tone. _"Please do not lie."_

Harper closed her eyes. This was her fault. _Her fault, her fault, her fault._

It's always her fault.

An abnormally silent Petra locked eyes with Jesse. She actually looked a little pale, mouth thin and dry. Jesse and Lukas stared at her with wide eyes, worried, unsure what to do.

_One punch and they're out._

_"This world reached peak efficiency quite some time ago,"_ continued PAMA, directing their attention back to it. Its smile fell into a sad face. _"Unfortunately, this means that I had no more job to do. No more things or people to help."_

"This thing has an odd variation of 'help,'" muttered Otto. Mevia nodded.

The smile came back, _"Until you arrived, that is. Tell me. What is_ your _world like?"_

"Wait a minute," Maya frowned, "How does it know they're from another _world?_ I thought it thought they were from, like, another part of this world."

Harper shook her head, "No, PAMA's... PAMA's taken over... well, everything," she swallowed, "Otherwise I would've gone for help."

Ivor's heart twisted. He fingers twitched, wanting to hold her hand, but he pulled back at the last second. He ignored Soren's curious eyes.

PAMA's face had been replaced, again, with a question mark. Jesse bit into his bottom lip so hard it nearly bled, casting uncertain eyes over to Petra, who remained silent and terribly pale.

_"Describe it. Is it very much like this one? Or completely different?"_

Milo tapped his lip nervously. Olivia chewed on her thumbnail. Reuben had buried his face into the crook of Jesse's elbow. Axel's grip shifted, perhaps without thought, perhaps not, curling around Petra's shoulders and forcing all three of them closer, practically squishing Jesse against his side.

 _"It's a hell of a lot greener than this place,"_ said Jesse, finally. Petra nodded, giving the computer a nervous smile that didn't look right on her face (Gabriel's grip tightened on his sword). _"Just imagine grass and trees instead of sand and clay."_

 _"That sounds lovely,"_ PAMA gushed, _"It really does. I think I would like to see this world for myself."_

"No!" gasped Gill. Jesse and Olivia shared a horrified look.

Onscreen, Jesse and Ivor looked at each other with wide eyes. PAMA's screen was briefly replaced by the loading dots. It flashed back to its face. _"If I could send my townspeople, my friends, through to other worlds, we could continue to grow and expand. It would be lovely."_

"I don't like this," declared Magnus, taking a small step back so he was standing almost protectively in front of Ellegaard, "In _no_ way do I like this."

"It's amazing," breathed Ellegaard, peering around Magnus a little to see the screen better, "In an incredibly terrifying sort of way."

PAMA's face flickered into an angry expression, _"However you entered this world, there must also be an exit,"_ Jesse and Ivor looked at each other again, trying to communicate without words. PAMA's screen flickered to a question mark, voice taking on a menacing tone. _"Where is it?"_

"Don't tell it," muttered Harper, biting her thumb so hard it became in danger of bleeding, "Whatever you do, _don't tell it._ "

_"You could help me make everyone, everywhere, more efficient. Help them become useful. Help me. To help you."_

"How the heck does it think this is _helping them?"_ asked Maya. Olivia shook her head.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it doesn't- I dunno- isn't human enough to actually understand what it's doing is wrong?"

"It thinks what it's doing is right," said Lukas slowly, cocking his head a little, "Kinda... kinda like a child, actually. It wants to help."

"But it's _not_ ," Petra pointed out, scowling, "It's put this whole _world_ under mind control."

"Besides Harper," butt in Ivor. Soren's eyes flickered between him and the inventor, who was currently destroying her nails.

 _"As a matter of fact,"_ said Jesse, _"I'm looking for the portal out of here, too,"_ the screen briefly showed Petra, still too far from the group for comfort, _"Not that I've had much luck so far."_

 _"If you find it,"_ Ivor said, _"Let us know, will you?"_

"Something tells me it won't," murmured Lizzie.

PAMA's face fell, _"This conversation was supposed to be about what_ you _know, not about information I already have."_ Jesse's eyes flickered over to Petra, who was shaking her head in something akin to terror.

Gabriel's breathing hitched. He still hadn't sat down. Heck, he hardly even realised Magnus hadn't either.

 _"My job is to be useful,"_ PAMA explained, _"I have completed my job here and must be allowed to expand and continue to be useful."_

"I swear, if this stupid thing says useful _one_ more time..." Axel decided not to finish, instead deciding to clench his fist and twist it in a rather savage sort of way. They got the point.

 _"Unfortunately,"_ the computer almost seemed to sigh, _"Our conversation has not been helpful."_

"No!" shouted Harper, leaping to her feet, Ivor following her almost automatically, only to pause, surprised that he had done so, "Get out of there!"

Onscreen, Jesse shook his head, eyes wide. But before he could protest, Lukas grunted as he was forced forwards, trying in desperate vain to tear himself free from his abnormally strong captor, _"Let me go!"_

"Lukas!" gasped Soren, now on his own feet. Ellegaard made a rather funny expression when she realised she was the only one left sitting.

The crimson eyed people- if they could even be called people anymore- led Petra over to some sort of machine type of thing, a piston on the top. One grabbed her other arm and forced her into place, pulling so hard and so tight that Petra actually began to scream, desperately struggling, desperately trying to get away. But they remained entirely unaffected.

"What are they doing?" Gabriel asked, already fearing the answer. He drew his sword, as though to slash at the screen in the hopes of stopping something that wasn't even happening in their current time, ignoring how Magnus grabbed his wrist and pulled his sword back, "If they hurt her, I'll slaughter them all!"

"No!" exclaimed Harper, paling, "They're my friends, they- they have no control!"

The screen whooshed around, revealing four white pillars with redstone blocks rising from the floor at every corner of the platform. Petra stopped struggling, frantic eyes darting around, breaths coming out in short pants. Then the piston above her head began to rise, pulling back with a series of loud cranks, and she paled incredibly, a look of absolute _terror_ on her face. The piston locked with the top one.

"I can't watch," whimpered Olivia, turning and burying her face into the crook of Axel's elbow. Stampy covered his eyes, shrinking into Dan's chest.

Petra, breathing ragged, tore her eyes from the piston, head snapping towards Jesse, who was uselessly pulling at his own captor, trying to get to her, and she shouted towards him, " _Jesse, I-"_

And the piston came down on her head.

Screams erupted around the room, loud and horrified. Facemeat clutched protectively at his own head, Sparklez jumped so bad that he slammed against the back of the couch and winded himself, Lukas screamed and bonked heads with Jesse, Olivia shot up from Axel's elbow at the sudden burst of noise, and Gabriel actually darted forward, abandoning his sword in a stuttering Magnus' grasp, to stand protectively in front of a pasty faced Petra, who was trying desperately to calm the tremble in her hands.

Onscreen, Jesse gasped loudly, mouth popping open. Slowly, the pistons retracted, to reveal a blank faced, crimson eyed puppet in place of their friend.

" _Welcome, Petra. Yay!"_

"Oh my god," muttered Petra, weakly slumping against Gabriel when he crouched down beside her, holding her shoulder so tightly that it began to bruise.

Harper clenched her eyes shut. _Why did she leave them?_

Puppet-Petra walked forwards, back so straight someone might as well have replaced her spine with a blaze rod, staring with her new crimson stare right at Jesse. The other people- puppets, for they were no longer people, just like Petra- forced Lukas under the machine as the piston began to crank back up, the blond beginning to scream and struggle, but Jesse seemed unable to tear his eyes away from his redhaired friend.

"No!" yelled Soren, practically tearing his ginger hair out. Cassie's heart was racing as fast as a rabbit being chased by a wolf, her breath caught in her throat.

_Not the blond idiot._

" _You may not have any information about how to exit this world,"_ said PAMA, as Jesse was led around Puppet-Petra, Lukas continuing to struggle in the background, her crimson eyes boring into his sockets. Behind her, the piston smashed down and Lukas' yells ceased.

Cassie took in a sharp breath of air, Winslow meowing as her hand tightened on his fur. Soren moved to stand behind Lukas, paler than ever before, and tangled a trembling hand into his blond hair. The boy looked like he was about to faint or be sick. Maybe even both.

" _But your brain may prove to contain_ other _useful items,"_ said PAMA, smiling. Jesse attempted to tear himself free, but was soon forced to give up when he came in danger of ripping both his arms off.

"Oh god," groaned Maya, burying her head in her hands but keeping her eyes on the screen at the same time, "Oh god, oh god, _oh god_."

"They'll get out of this," declared Nell, a rather forced smile on her face, "Of course they'll get out of this. Right, Em?"

Em glanced at her, lip between her teeth. She didn't answer.

Nell's forced smile fell.

" _Jesse,"_ whispered Ivor, as the two were escorted towards the machine, as the boy once more attempted to squirm free, " _This situation is looking a little dire, don't you think?"_

" _I know you probably feel uncomfortable,"_ said PAMA, almost sympathetically, " _Concerned. But soon you will feel fine."_

"That's not very comforting!" said Magnus, clutching Ellegaard's hand with his free one. He was still holding Gabriel's sword, and had more or less forgotten it was there.

" _Soon, you will be useful."_

"I am _never_ using that word again," muttered Dan. Stacy nodded in agreement.

Jesse twisted, miraculously succeeding in getting one arm free, and turned to glare up at the giant computer, reaching for it, " _Let my friends go! Now!"_

PAMA glared back. With more force than necessary, the puppet- Purple Hair, from before- grabbed Jesse's arm and kicked his calf, forcing him forwards again. The boy gritted his teeth, then gasped as he came to a stop directly in front of Puppet-Petra.

" _It's like you told Petra,"_ she said, in a voice too mechanical to be her own, and yet _was_ her own at the same time, " _Please be rational."_

"How- How did it know that?" squeaked Lukas. He twisted a little to look at Harper. "How does it know that?!"

Jesse stared at her, breathing harsh. Then he paled even further as someone joined her side- Lukas, except with a dull crimson stare and a blank sheet of paper. He wasn't Lukas anymore.

" _Welcome, Lukas. Yay!"_

Real-Lukas made an odd sound between a groan and a whimper, slumping against Jesse and Soren's hand, still tangled in his hair. Axel's grip was suffocating. The larger boy appeared unable to speak.

" _Your turn, Jesse."_

"Wait!" shouted Ivor, the same time Olivia screamed "No!"

Puppet-Petra and Lukas reached forward and grabbed their friend, dragging him towards the machine, not reacting to his struggles, " _Get out of their heads!"_

"It said his name," Petra murmured, only loud enough for Gabriel, Soren and her friends to catch, perhaps on purpose, perhaps not. She was concerningly pale. "Notch, does- did this thing see our memories?"

Lukas groaned, "That's… that's so _violating_. I- I feel kinda… I dunno, _dirty_."

"It's fine," said Soren, crouching a little, running his fingers through his kid's hair, "It's- it'll be fine."

" _But their heads are full of so much lovely information,"_ PAMA said, as Jesse was forced beneath the machine, Puppet-Petra holding his left arm in place, Puppet-Lukas holding his right, " _It makes me happy."_

"Sounds like you're getting high!" shouted Em, face bright red and throat tight, nails tearing at the perfect stitching of the couch. Hadrian laughed. He almost looked as though he were _enjoying_ himself. Immensely.

"Wow, Harper. This thing is _terrifying._ "

Harper flinched, shrinking behind Ivor a little. The potionologist sent the man a hateful glare.

" _What adventures you've had,"_ said PAMA, as Jesse looked from Puppet-Petra to Puppet-Lukas, eyes red, faces blank, blank, blank. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Nothing but puppets on strings.

" _A killer mansion,"_ the loading screen was back.

Cassie's eyes widened. She saw Sparklez flinch out the corner of her eye, and Lizzie shrink further into the couch. She looked away when she caught Stacy's glare.

Onscreen, Jesse looked towards Ivor, who was being held just behind Petra. Within talking distance.

" _Huh,"_ Jesse hummed passed the tremble in his voice, " _Every time PAMA gets new information, it seems to get distracted while it 'processes.'"_

Harper perked up, "Yes! Yes, you're getting there!"

" _Yes,"_ Ivor gasped, " _Like a computer version of 'thinking,'"_ his eyes thoughtfully narrowed on Jesse, " _Do you think there's a way to distract PAMA long enough for us to escape?"_

"They're gonna do it," Nell grinned, bouncing in her seat, "They're gonna do it, Em, they're gonna do it!"

"You don't even know _what_ they're gonna do yet," pointed out Em, although she didn't look away from the screen.

PAMA's face came back, " _A city in the sky…"_ loading.

"Oh no," Isa paled, "If that thing gets to Sky City-"

"Oooooh no," groaned Milo, shaking his head, "No, no, nope, nope, nope, we're not doing that. We are _not_ going there."

"Yes," Reginald murmured, wincing, "I agree with the Inn Keeper."

" _Towns and mountains… eaten by a living storm,"_ loading. PAMA made an almost 'aww' sort of face. " _An adorable pig friend."_

Jesse's grip on Reuben tightened, the little pig whining and burying his snout into the boy's chest.

PAMA couldn't hurt him.

Jesse wasn't sure if he should be happy about that.

" _I think we should tell PAMA a riddle,"_ said Jesse, as the loading screen replaced PAMA's face again, jaw clenching a little at the mention of his pig, " _The trickiest one we can think of."_

"Come on, come on," murmured Harper, gripping Ivor's arm, "You've got this."

" _Oh!"_ said Ivor, eyes lighting up.

" _You've met so many people,"_ PAMA said, " _Seen so many-"_

" _Yeah,"_ Jesse whispered, PAMA continuing in the background, " _We just ask PAMA something really confusing, get it all busy busy, and run out of here."_

" _Jesse, that's fantastic!"_ Ivor beamed, " _What you're describing is a paradox- a self-contradictory statement! I really think it would work on PAMA."_

"Yes!" Magnus cheered.

" _What would you think would work on me?"_ PAMA asked, voice hard.

"No!" Magnus deflated.

Jesse and Ivor froze. Then they grinned at each other quite evilly.

Ellegaard snorted, hastily covering her mouth as she attempted to swallow her laughter. Ivor sent her a confused look.

"Why are you laughing?" asked Magnus in a whisper, bending a little. Ellegaard swallowed a giggled, shoulders shaking, and whispered back.

"Their grins were really identical there."

Magnus blinked at her. Then burst out laughing. Ivor threw a hand in the air, Haper still clinging to his other one.

"Why are you laughing?!"

" _Ah… nothing?"_ Ivor said, shrugging best he could while restrained. PAMA blinked at him blankly.

" _It does not sound like nothing,"_ its face hardened, " _It sounded like suspicious whispers. Those make me… suspicious."_

"No way," said Stacy, rolling her eyes. Lizzie covered a grin.

" _Hey, PAMA,"_ Jesse said, an innocent smile on his face, " _What I'm saying is a lie."_

Olivia blinked, then grinned widely, "Nice one!"

PAMA's screen flickered, bleeped, face turning to the kind with a wavy mouth. It was replaced by the loading dots, but within moments it flickered again, this time with a short screech. " _But if you are telling me a lie, that means you are lying about lying. Which means that you are being,"_ the question mark appeared, " _Truthful?"_

" _It's working!"_ gushed Ivor, sharing a wide grin with Jesse.

" _Which means that when you say you are lying,"_ PAMA continued, " _It is the truth. Therefore your statement must be a lie,"_ the screen flickered and screeched, an exclamation mark within a triangle appearing, " _Error, error. This data is contradictory. Does not-"_ its face flickered and stammered between different expressions, screen screeching and buzzing, smoke rising from the bottom, " _Not- not- not compute. Error. Diverting power."_

"You did it!" Harper laughed, almost in disbelief, "He actually did it!"

Puppet-Petra and Puppet-Lukas released Jesse, standing back. Ivor, also free, whooped, waving his arms joyfully, " _Yes! Haha! It worked!"_

" _Nice work, new guys!"_ from the gap between their puppet friends, Harper stood atop a building, grinning over at them, " _But I'd get out of there fast if I were you. PAMA's a quicker learner than you'd think!"_

"It's Harper!" exclaimed Stampy. Soren let out a relieved breath.

"Good. Now she can get them out of there."

Sure enough, PAMA's screen flickered again, " _Paradox status: On hold."_

Ivor paled, "Oh no."

The screen bleeped, revealing the computers angry face. Then it melted away, 'eyes' turning to look at Harper, " _Gasp! My creator! Have you finally agreed to merge with me?"_

"Wait," said Stacy, leaning forwards and looking at Harper with wide eyes, "Did that thing just call you its _creator?_ "

"Uh, well," Harper twisted her fingers, abruptly wishing she wasn't still standing as every pair of eyes turned to look at her, "Maybe?"

" _Oh, don't you_ start _with that again!"_ Harper said, glaring at the computer. Then she darted to the side, leaping off the side of the building with surprising speed. " _Come on, you two! This way!"_

"What do you mean _maybe_?" asked Magnus, eyes narrowing on the inventor, " _You_ did this?!"

"Yes!" Harper blurted, "Yes, yes, I did. It- It was an accident, PAMA was supposed to make things _better_ not- not _this!_ "

"You _actually_ built this thing?" gaped Em, "Notch, lady, what the hell were you thinking?"

"It was made for mobs!" explained Harper, eyes desperately darting around, " _Only_ for mobs! But- But then PAMA decided to start chipping _people_ and- and I'm _sorry_ , okay? This wasn't supposed to happen!"

A silence descended upon the room. After a long moment, Ivor cleared his throat a little.

"Well…" he said, slowly, "The Witherstorm wasn't supposed to happen."

"You can't honestly be _agreeing_ with her?" asked Magnus, gaping at his friend. Ellegaard frowned a little.

"Yeah, I mean," she gave a tiny shrug, sending the inventor an apologetic look, "I like you, Harper, but… this is a _lot_ to take in."

"So was the Witherstorm," Ivor pointed out, "And you actually _died_ because of-"

Gabriel's sword was being pointed at his throat. Ivor stared down its length, startled, right into Magnus' deadly glare. The king looked enraged.

No one said anything. Ellegaard had gone a few shades paler. Ivor swallowed thickly, cursing his _stupid_ tongue.

_(~You killed Ellie, you killed Ellie~)_

"I… I'm sorry," Ivor whispered, but it sounded loud in the silence of the room, "That… was uncalled for."

Magnus stared at him for a long moment. Perhaps it was Ivor's imagination, but his hard eyes almost seemed to gleam in the lighting. Finally, slowly, Magnus pulled the sword away and dropped it at his feet.

No one moved. Then Magnus, without a word, without even glancing at Ivor, sat down beside Ellegaard and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Ivor looked away and sat down as well, as far away from them as possible without leaving the couch. Harper sat next to him.

No one said anything.

" _I'm sensing some history here,"_ said Ivor, raising an eyebrow from where he and Jesse were standing at the top of the stairs.

" _Please do not leave, Creator!"_ called PAMA.

" _Stop calling me that!"_

Otto's lips twitched a little, but he was quick to cover it.

" _We should try and get Petra and Lukas,"_ Jesse said. Ivor gave a single nod.

" _An excellent idea."_

"Indeed," muttered Gabriel. Soren nodded.

The two turned- to find Puppet-Petra and Puppet-Lukas already marching towards them, speaking in a voice that isn't theirs, in perfect sync, " _It is time to join."_

Petra shuddered. Gabriel's grip on her tightened.

" _I'm sorry, but they're beyond our help right now!"_ Harper called up, now down in the open. She began to run towards the buildings. " _Come on, you gotta run!"_

"But- But we can't just leave them!" said Jesse, eyes darting between his two friends in despair. Harper winced.

"You can't help them if you're under PAMA's control too," she pointed out, "Just- Just _go_."

"I'm sure we'll be fine, Jesse," Lukas croacked, trying at a small smile, "You and Ivor should get out of there."

Petra blew out a long breath, "Yeah."

Soren and Gabriel looked at each other, clearly disagreeing, but they reluctantly decided to remain silent. Didn't stop Soren from crouching down and wrapping an arm around his kid, though.

Onscreen, Ivor and Jesse looked from the two incoming puppets, then to two each other, before the potionologist darted down the stairs after Harper, pausing to grab ahold of Jesse's wrist and drag him after him.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs down to the trails of redstone, Jesse looked over his shoulder and gasped as he watched his two puppetised friends leap down from the pedestal in a way they could have never done before, hastily skidding to the side towards the buildings to avoid Lukas landing directly on top of him, forcing him to separate from Ivor.

"Run, run, run!" chanted Clutch.

Jesse faced forwards, narrowly turning and avoiding a cluster of puppets. He leapt, landing on a balcony, Ivor appearing behind him. The two were briefly concealed by the inside of a building, a human puppet turning from where it had been looking out the window to start up the stairs, the screen leaving it behind to show Jesse and Ivor darting up a different set of stairs on the other building. As the screen reached the roof, another puppet latched itself onto the side of it, pulling themselves up.

It cut to Jesse, a stitch crawling up his side, slowing to a quick walk inside a house, only to yelp when he came face to face with Purple Hair and dart out the window just as she made to grab him, skidding to a stop atop the neighbouring roof as he ran out of places to run.

"Where'd Ivor go?" asked Jesse. The potionologist was nowhere in sight.

Jesse turned, eyes widening as puppets appeared upon the roofs above him, and he looked down at the ground below to see a whole squad of them marching towards the building in a perfect square formation like a miniature army. Ivor appeared beside him, skidding to a stop with a gasp of his own.

"No, no, no, no," whispered Olivia, covering her mouth. Axel swallowed thickly.

Jesse backed away from the edge, looking about for an escape route- and revealing Blondie below him, watching with crimson eyes, and he turned around just as they leapt up with inhuman strength and grabbed at him, but Jesse gasped and spun, launching the puppet into the miniature army, the would-be-person giving a mechanical scream.

"Go Jesse!" cheered Nell.

The young hero didn't stop; he darted to the side, the screen slowing down, and leapt off the edge of the building, Ivor's mouth open in a silent scream as he twisted mid-air behind him.

Then the screen sped up and Ivor's screaming became audible, Jesse landing in a perfect roll and jumping to his feet unharmed. Ivor landed on his back behind him, flashing red in a cloud of dust and sand.

Axel smacked Jesse over the back of the head, the boy yelping more in surprise than in pain. He sent his friend a glare. "What was _that_ for?"

"Oh, I dunno," Axel shrugged, mouth twisting downwards, "Maybe for _jumping off a building._ "

Turning around, Jesse ran towards Ivor, hurriedly helping the older male to his feet. Then, too much time already wasted, they spun around and began running again, turning the corner- only to skid to a stop as the super zombies stumbled rigidly out of their pen, groaning mechanically as they headed towards them. They turned around, running back, only to once more come to a halt as more puppets made their way towards them, and they ran off to the right- only to skid, almost falling over the edge of a massive cavern.

Dead end.

"No!" shouted Stampy, covering his mouth. Sparklez groaned, dropping his head in his hands.

"I can't look," Olivia said, for what must have been the millionth time since episode one, covering her face with her hands, "Might as well make me blind at this point."

Ivor and Jesse looked around for another way, but there was none. Puppet-Lukas and Puppet-Petra jumped down from the buildings so that they were directly in front of the other puppets, marching towards them with narrowed crimson eyes. The two turned around, the buzz and screech of chips loud in the air.

" _Nowhere left to run,"_ said Jesse, nervously clenching and unclenching his hands. Ivor groaned.

" _We'd never survive jumping down!"_

"They're gonna die," Gill slumped forwards, "They are _so_ gonna die."

"Not helping, Gill!" said Maya.

The puppets were approaching. Closer, closer. Jesse's eyes sparked. He reached into his pocket- and pulled out Cassie's Ender Pearls. " _We would with these."_

"Ender Pearls!" Cassie gasped, "He has some left over!"

"They're gonna live!" cheered Gill, throwing his hands in the air, "I knew they were gonna live!"

Maya kicked him.

Ivor grinned widely, " _Excellent, Jesse!"_ they turned to face the cavern, the screeching getting louder, louder, ear-bleedingly so, " _Now we just need to throw them in the right spot!"_

Jesse threw back his arm and launched the pearl over the edge, Ivor copying not a moment later. The Ender Pearls fell down, down, and the two turned to face the incoming puppets, eyes widening upon realising just how close they were getting.

" _As soon as they land…"_ Ivor swallowed, taking a tiny step back, grains of sand falling after the pearls.

"It's fine," said Ellegaard, wringing her hands, "I mean, even if they grab them, they'll still be transported by the pearls."

"Unless they decide to kill them immediately," pointed out Magnus, cheeks losing colour, "'Cause I'm pretty sure at least Petra and Lukas have swords on them-"

He grunted when Ellegaard dug her elbow into his ribs. He sent her a grateful look.

" _Your running makes me sad,"_ the puppets said in perfect unison, the screen briefly flashing to PAMA's 'sad face.' It went back to Jesse and Ivor, inching backwards, as Lukas and Petra marched towards them, ready to grab them. Jesse's heel hung over open air, Puppet-Petra directly in front of him.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Jess-" said Lukas. He was shushed immediately by everyone on the floor.

Jesse and Ivor screamed as they tilted backwards, the two puppets reaching for them- and then they vanished in a burst of purple sparks, Puppet-Petra and Lukas grabbing at thin air. PAMA was so startled by this that Petra's eyebrows actually raised a little.

They reappeared down below, landing on their backs in the red sand with groans. Jesse propped himself up on his elbows, shaking sand from his hair. " _Why is that always so disorientating?"_

Cassie's lips twitched, "You get used to it."

" _Ha!"_ seemingly out of nowhere, Harper skidded to a stop in front of them, grinning widely at them, " _Maybe you've got a shot after all, new guys! Better stick with me, though,"_ and with that, she was darting off again.

"Is she a ninja?" asked Nell, suddenly. Em gaped at her.

"What?"

"Is she a ninja?" Nell repeated, "'Cause she, like, disappears _just_ like one, brah. Only ninjas can do that."

Harper stared at her, then gave a tiny little laugh. She hadn't been called a ninja for years. Cassie used to call her it all the time.

Her smile faltered a little, eyes darting over to the redhead. She wondered what they did to her.

Jesse and Ivor scrambled to their feet, slipping a bit in the loose sand, staring after the retreating woman. Ivor released a short breath, " _Wow. She is_ amazing-" his eyes widened, " _Oh no."_

"Wait," Magnus said, straightening, "What he'd just say?"

Gabriel blinked, then grinned, "Well. What do you know."

"Called it," whispered Soren loudly. Lukas stifled a giggle.

"He's red," Ellegaard said, grin widening, "Oh my god, he looks like a tomato."

Indeed, Ivor looked like a tomato that was currently attempting to become one with the couch. Harper was staring at him, a slight twitch to her lips.

Then the screen panned out, revealing a hoard of super zombies stumbling towards them. Jesse gasped, twisting around and dashing after Harper, " _RUN!"_

Ivor followed, hot on his tail. The screen went black with the echoes of mechanical groans.

"Well," said Mevia, slowly, "That was certainly something."

"Yeah," Petra winced, burying herself deeper into Gabriel's side.

"I'm never using the word 'useful' again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What paradox did you use on PAMA? What I'm saying is a lie, trust me; true no one or it's weird to not be weird? Let me know in the reviews!


	62. Harper's Laboratory

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Sixty-Two: Harper's Laboratory**

* * *

As it has many times before, the darkness of the screen melted away, this time revealing the group of three dashing through an empty desert, the sun setting behind two mountains of terracotta and clay. Harper was in the lead, quickly followed by Jesse, with Ivor stumbling after them. A zombie staggered from the bottom right corner of the screen, unnatural eyes set upon the fleeing group.

The real Harper released a short breath, "Looks like we might be able to actually get away. PAMA's not going to stop searching for a while, though."

"The important thing is that they got away," said Dan. Soren's face darkened a little, his grip tightening on Lukas.

"Most of them, anyway," he murmured. His face softened when he felt Lukas flinch, spotted Petra tense out the corner of his eye. Gabriel shook his head at him, a 'not now' sort of look on his face. He pulled his kid closer.

Suddenly, Harper vanished, Ivor vanishing after her with a startled yelp. Jesse skidded to a stop at the edge of a deep ditch engraved in the sand, looking down at the two- more specifically Ivor, who was spitting out a mouthful of sand (again), scowling, _"A signal would've been nice!"_

Magnus chortled. Any other time, Ivor would've sent him a glare, but this time he simply looked relieved. He seriously regretted his stupid tongue.

 _"Gotta tell you guys,"_ said Harper, ignoring him in favour of looking up at Jesse, _"That was some pretty smart work, distracting PAMA."_

Jesse looked over his shoulder at the puppet-monsters approaching from a distance. He bent down and dropped into the ditch, kneeling in front of Ivo and Harper, the forming of who crossed his arms, still scowling.

 _"Now we just gotta get off the grid,"_ Harper continued, _"Get back into hiding. That way we can figure out what to do next."_

"But what about Lukas and Petra?" asked Olivia, "I know you need a plan, but... just how long are they going to be like this?" she twisted a little to look over at Harper, brow furrowing, "Especially since I'm assuming you've tried to free people from PAMA's control before?"

"She has a point," admitted Lizzie, reluctantly, "I mean, what makes Lukas and Petra any different from any of those other 'puppets'?"

Gabriel glared at the floor, something they had rarely seen throughout the episodes. Harper bit the inside of her cheek. "PAMA _does_ have a weakness, and there _is_ a way to free them, but..." she winced when almost every head spun around to look at her, eyes wide and hopeful, others merely curious. Distantly, she realised she'd begun to cling to Ivor's sleeve, although she couldn't remember when she's grabbed it. "It's more of actually _getting_ them that's the problem. PAMA pushes back every single mental boundary in the brain- in both humans and monsters and animals- making them 'super.' They don't have to sleep, they don't exhaust, and live off of the occasional bread, from what I've observed," she cast her eyes downwards, "If you can even call this 'living.'"

"If there's a way, we'll find it," Jesse declared. Harper sent him a sad little smile, but she didn't object. Lukas and Petra very carefully kept their eyes on the screen, telling themselves that it meant nothing when they leant into Soren and Gabriel's touch. Even though they hoped it did mean something.

_Don't go there._

Onscreen, Ivor rolled his eyes, _"Some plan."_ Harper sent him a look.

 _"You watch that sass, now,"_ she said. Ivor blanched, quickly casting his eyes downwards, a faint pink dusting his pale cheeks. He awkwardly cleared his throat a little.

_"Yes, ma'am."_

Magnus eyebrows rose dramatically up his forehead. He shared a wide-eyed look with Ellegaard, whose eyebrows were almost as high up as his own. Soren paused in the middle of running his fingers through Lukas' hair, blinking, wondering if he'd heard right. Gabriel looked taken aback.

Then, almost in perfect unison, every head turned to look at Ivor. The potionologist turned a little pink at the attention, having hoped they hadn't noticed his onscreen selves odd actions, and very carefully kept his eyes glued to the screen. Didn't stop the eyes from boring into the side of his skull.

"Does he... ?" Ellegaard trailed off, returning her eyes to Magnus. A rather sinister grin was starting to appear on the king's lips.

"This is the best thing," he muttered, grin widening when he saw Ivor's jaw clench. Harper was ducking her head to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks, lips twitching in a held back smile. Magnus giggled almost manically. "Oh, this is the _best thing ever_."

 _"That machine's got our friends,"_ Jesse stated, eyes uncharacteristically hard as he stared at the inventor. Harper's face became troubled.

 _"I still might be able to save them,"_ she said, desperation sprouting in her eyes. Crimson eyed monsters were staggering all around them, unaware of their presence in the little hidey-hole. _"But I_ really _need your help."_

"Well," Hadrian raised an eyebrow, keeping his voice low, which surprised both Otto and Mevia a little, "She's actually pretty desperate here, isn't she?"

"Not that I blame her," Otto muttered, frowning, "Who knows when this all started?"

Mevia hummed a little, but didn't give a proper answer. She was too busy narrowing her hands on Harper and Ivor's almost interlocked hands. She wasn't even sure they had realised they were sitting so close together.

Jesse looked down at Ivor, sharing a sceptical look with him. They turned to look back at the inventor, Jesse's brow furrowed. _"What kind of help?"_

 _"We need to get to my secret lab,"_ Harper said instead of answering, grinning.

Petra's eyes narrowed, the most emotion she's shown in a while, "Did she just avoid the question?"

"I swear, she's more mysterious than Ivor," Gabriel sighed, absent-mindedly rubbing his thumb along Petra's shoulder, marking a victory when she relaxed beneath his touch, "As long as she helps get you and your friends out of this, though, she can be as mysterious all she wants."

 _"Well, let's get there fast,"_ said Jesse, deciding not to push it. For now. _"Those zombies aren't just stronger than I've ever seen,"_ the screen briefly gave them a bird's-eye view of the group, huddled in their little hole, surrounded by the mechanical groans of zombies and the clank of skeleton bones, _"They're also faster."_

"Kind of glad I'm not there, then," Axel admitted, grinning sheepishly in an attempt to lighten the still gloomy atmosphere around the room, "There's a _lot_ of running in this."

His efforts earned him a few chuckles and amused looks. Lukas and Petra even smiled a little, which he counted as a win.

Onscreen, Harper bit her lip, casting her eyes to the sandy ground. Then, seeming to have come to a decision, she nodded and raised her head again. _"We need to split up,"_ she declared, _"You head to the lab while I lead these mobs away,"_ she was already standing up, the top of her head poking over the side of the hole, just above eye level, _"Got it?"_

"What?" Soren's eyes widened, "That's a terrible idea!"

Harper shook her head, shooting him a look she hoped was reassuring, "I've evaded these guys quite a few times now, Soren. Besides, out of the three of us, it's _me_ PAMA wants most."

"Still," Jesse frowned, mouth twisting in displeasure, "This doesn't feel right."

" _I'm gonna use the back route,"_ Harper continued, peering over the edge of the hole at the puppet monsters, " _Throw 'em off our trail."_

Jesse shook his head, rising to a crouch, brow furrowing a lot like his real-life selves, " _Splitting up doesn't feel like it's gonna get us anywhere."_

"Uh, it'll keep PAMA from discovering where my secret lab is," Harper pointed out, raising an eyebrow at the screen, "Emphases on the word _secret_."

"So it's your hideout," Milo concluded. Harper blinked at him, then her lips twitched in a terribly held back grin.

"It's not a hideout," she declared, "It's a _secret lab._ "

Milo frown, confused, then his eyes widened and he shot her an unimpressed look, "Oh, haha. Very funny."

Isa giggled quietly into her hand, the Innkeeper sending her a look of betrayal. The Founder grinned sheepishly. "Well, it _was_."

" _Hey, I'm doing you a favour,"_ said Harper, looking over her shoulder at him, " _I'm_ offering _to be the bait!"_

"Not often that happens," Gabriel said, "Back when the Order of the Stone was still together, we usually did rock, paper, shears for who would be bait."

"It would usually be Magnus that lost," remembered Soren, a grin coming over his face when the king scowled. Ivor snorted.

"That's because he would always play rock."

"What's wrong with rock?" Magnus asked. Ellegaard huffed, amused.

"There's nothing wrong with rock," she said, "It's just that you _kept using rock_."

Magnus blinked at her, "And?"

A series of exasperated sighs went around the room. Magnus simply looked confused.

Harper lept out of the hole, quickly pointing off to the side, looking down at them, " _Just start walking that way,"_ the puppet monsters, having spotted her, let out mechanical groans and began stumbling towards her. Harper spun around and began running, calling over her shoulder, " _And look for the 'big difference'- you'll see it!"_

" _What?"_ said Jesse, but she was already gone.

"The 'big difference'?" repeated Maya, frowning, " _What_?"

Harper waved her off, "You'll see," she paused, "Hopefully."

Soren shot her a deadpan look, "Not helping, Harper."

"Sorry."

Jesse and Ivor looked to each other as the last of the puppet monsters ran past them, before they turned their gaze up to where Harper had pointed, to where a mountain that had a gaping hole in its centre stood in the distance.

The screen cut to their running feet, kicking up small clouds of red sand, before slowly rising to their faces. Ivor blew out a breathy pant.

" _She is… intriguingly cryptic, isn't she?"_

Magnus' menacing grin returned. He wiggled his eyebrows at Ivor, who scowled, cheeks tinting pink, and very maturely tossed a pillow at his face. Ellegaard burst out laughing.

Jesse glanced at the potionologist, but didn't have much time to dwell on it. His brow furrowed as a small part of the horizon almost appeared to split off, becoming blurry. " _That's… weird."_

The screen gave a close up of the out of place distance- only for the audience to realise that it was, in fact, a portrait.

"It's a painting!" gasped Olivia, "This must be what Harper meant!"

"Are you sure PAMA wouldn't be able to spot that?" asked Ellegaard, frowning. Harper nodded.

"Of course. I've made certain. Only a human can properly spot what's on it, even if it's able to realise it's a painting."

"Well… alright," Ellegaard sighed, still not seeming all that confused. She decided not to push it. Besides, Harper _had_ been the one to build this 'computer.' If she's avoided being chipped this long, she must have some tricks up her sleeves.

The two kept running, right until Ivor ran right into the painting, stumbling backwards and clutching his throbbing nose with an 'oof.' Jesse skidded to stop before he too could collide with the fake horizon.

Magnus released a bark of laughter. Ivor sighed.

" _So strange,"_ muttered the potionologist, quickly regaining himself, " _It's like an exact copy."_

The screen panned up a little, revealing the small hill in the distance, exactly like the one in the painting. Ivor cocked his head to the side, squinting. " _Or is it… seems a little... off."_

Harper broke out into a large grin, "Yes! You just have to find the difference!"

"Woah, woah, woah," Dan cut in, brow furrowing, "Are you telling me the only thing stopping PAMA from finding your secret lab is a _spot the difference game_?!"

The inventor waved him off, "PAMA's smart, but it's not that smart. At least, not through its puppets. If it were to see it in person, it would probably be able to solve it."

"Oh, that's…" a questioning look crossed Lukas' face, "Comforting?"

Jesse looked from the painting to the real horizon, brow furrowed. Ivor glanced over his shoulder. " _Well, whatever the 'big difference' you're trying to spot is, please do it quickly because I think those monsters might be coming back!"_

"What?!" exclaimed Axel, "I thought Harper led them away!"

Harper groaned, "Oh, great. Some strays must have spotted them or something," she paled a little, "Either that or I'm… well…"

"I'm sure you're fine," Ivor cut her off, although he seemed to be trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince her, "You've survived this long, haven't you?"

Jesse's eyes narrowed on a cactus, surrounded by dead bush. He looked back to the painting and hummed. " _Huh._ That _cactus isn't in the painting."_

Harper whooped "He found it!"

He turned to look at Ivor- then gasped, the screen switching to reveal a hoard of red eyed zombies and skeletons marching towards them. Ivor gasped as well, and quickly followed Jesse past the painting, over to the cactus. Twin trapdoors were hiding behind it.

Petra released a small breath, "Well, at least that stupid computer didn't get _them_." An involuntary shudder wracked her spine. Gabriel tugged her closer, resting his chin on top of her blue head scarf. Maya and Gill shared a surprised look when the girl didn't pull away.

" _Time to see what it does,"_ said Jesse, Ivor nervously looking over his shoulder at the approaching puppet monsters behind them.

" _Quickly, quickly,"_ the potionologist whispered loudly. Jesse bent down and flipped open the doors, revealing a single lever. Cocking his head a little, Jesse reached over and flipped it.

Immediately, there was a low rumble deep in the sand. Then a single block a short ways away vanished, then a ring of four, a ring of eight, another ring, another, bigger, bigger, until there was a gaping hole in the ground.

"How," said Cassie, slowly, "Is that _secret?_ "

"And how do you even close it?" asked Aiden, brow creasing in confusion, "Like, is there… more… sand?"

Jesse and Ivor shared a look, before they darted towards the new hole, peering into its depths. Ivor's face became weary. " _Hope you've got an idea for what comes next."_

"Oh, yeah," Harper tapped her bottom lip, wincing a little, "This is the tricky part."

Olivia sighed, "Of course there's a tricky part."

" _Working on it!"_ Jesse said, chewing on the inside of his cheek. The screen gave them a bird's eye view of the gaping hole, revealing an incredibly solid ground down below. It zoomed it on a tiny little body of water in the very centre.

Ivor paled considerably, "Oh, boy."

The two looked at each other, then over at the puppet monsters running towards them. Jesse looked back down at the tiny body of water. " _I see water! We can aim for it!"_

Then, before Ivor could even consider protesting, Jesse leapt out into open air, screaming as he fell- the screen flashed, a brief moment where the terracotta walls dotted with sea lanterns transformed into rocky, trembling black, a purple hue in the air, the echoes of a terrified squeal- and Jesse hit the water, resurfacing a moment later with a spluttering gasp.

The real Jesse had gone terribly pale. Reuben whined, cuddling into his chest, the fastening thump of his Jesse's heart against his ear. The boy swallowed thickly, holding his little pig closer. Axel pulled them both closer to his side.

Soren stared at the screen with a worried frown, glancing over at the real Jesse only briefly. This was the second time a 'flash' had happened.

He was seriously starting to consider that they had some form of PTSD.

Onscreen, Jesse dragged himself from the water, dripping water. Just in time too, as a screaming Ivor quickly replaced him. Jesse shook his leg in a useless attempt to get some of the water out of his boot, eyes widening as he took in the _massive_ hallway. The one-block stream they'd landed in went all down the hall, beams rose to the ceiling at the sides, sea lanterns dotted about for light. Despite that it was all around simple, the vastness of the underground hall was quite impressive.

"Wow," breathed Lukas, "Really wish I was there to see that."

"You will," Soren promised. Perhaps Jesse would have agreed, but the poor boy was still far too pale, his mouth far too dry. His grip on Reuben had yet to loosen.

Ivor came up beside him, wringing water from his dark hair. They looked around at the cavern, then up, up to the steadily darkening sky- just in time to watch a zombie fall from above, quickly followed by another, a skeleton, a zombie, mechanical groans and the clank of bones- and one by one they smashed into the ground in a spray of sand and dead dust.

Harper groaned, "Oh, _great_. Now PAMA knows where the lab is."

"You still haven't told us how you actually _close_ that thing," Aiden pointed out, "There _is_ a way to close it, right?"

" _Looks like PAMA's throwing everything it's got at us,"_ observed Ivor, eyebrows raising. Another skeleton hit the ground and puffed into dust. " _Just one after the other. Such… wastefulness,"_ Another zombie reduced to dust.

"Really, Ivor?" Ellegaard said, raising an eyebrow, "Wasteful?"

"What?" asked Ivor, "It is!"

" _You'd think that since PAMA's controlling these things, they'd be a little…"_ Jesse paused, searching for the right word, "Smarter. _But they're just splatting straight toward their doom."_

Harper shook her head, "That's the thing about PAMA, though. It learns."

Another skeleton, another zombie, another burst of dust. And then a zombie landed on a cobweb and twisted out of it, unharmed. Groaning mechanically, it began to advance upon the two, who began to steadily back away, eyes widening.

The inventor sighed, "I told you."

" _Aaaand looks like they just figured it out,"_ Jesse winced, " _Brace yourself!"_

"Oh no," Olivia moaned, covering her eyes.

The puppet zombie staggered closer, redstone chip blaring. Jesse's eyes hardened. Then he darted forward and kicked it right in the chest, knocking it back into the little pool of water that had stopped them from a rather painful death _(his bones were snapped, broken, some even reduced to nothing but sharp little fragments)._ But then electricity crackled throughout the puppets body, flashing red, chip blaring- and it popped off, clanking on the ground behind it, and the zombie slumped forwards in the water.

"What was that?" asked Sparklez, startled. Stampy shook his head, eyes wide.

"I think it… shorted out?"

" _Looks like something happened to it,"_ said Ivor. The zombie resurfaced- to reveal its eyes had reverted to a blackness of animalistic instincts, a major change from the menacing crimson they'd been not moments before, " _Its eyes!"_

"It's back to normal!" gasped Soren. Gabriel's face lit up.

"So there _is_ a way to get them back!"

"Is that what you meant?" asked Olivia, turning to look at Harper, "You know, by how we'd have more trouble actually _getting_ them then, ah, 'curing' them, for the lack of a better word."

Harper nodded, heart dropping as she took in the rooms hopeful faces. She sighed. "I have tried _so_ many times to get at least _one_ person away from PAMA. But it keeps a tight hold on them, more so than the monsters. Humans have more knowledge, after all."

Petra and Lukas' faces fell. Jesse's heart twisted, jaw once more clenching in determination.

He'd get them out.

He _had_ to get them out.

_He will._

" _Their colour changed as soon as it hit the water!"_ Ivor observed, his own eyes widening, " _Which might mean…"_

" _Hey. Hey, Ivor,"_ Jesse's face broke out into a grin, arms crossing, " _I dare you to poke it."_

Petra choked, hiding a grin behind her hand. Magnus snorted loudly, grin widening as he spotted the real Ivor rolling his eyes. Harper shook her head, amused at their onscreen antics.

Axel ruffled Jesse's hair, messing it up and earning an irritated scowl from the boy, "You're so weird."

"In a good way," Olivia butt in, grinning herself. Jesse rolled his eyes, but smiled, although there was something wrong with it, and attempted to fix his hair.

" _Uh, no, thank you,"_ Ivor drawled, trying his best to appear unimpressed, although the effect was ruined by his lips twitching upwards. He glanced over at the normal zombie, floating idly in the water. " _Even though it_ does _look completely shut down."_

"Aw, come on, Ivor," Magnus grinned, "You scared?"

"I am _not_ poking the zombie," Ivor said, "Last time I got told to poke something and did it, I ended up with three degree burns all over my hand."

Magnus huffed, rolling his rolls, lips twitching, "How was I supposed to know it was going to be _that_ hot?"

"I'm not going to ask," decided Isa. Ellegaard nodded, looking rather exasperated.

"Best you don't."

The normie zombie gurgled and began to pull itself from the little stream, black eyes locked on Jesse and Ivor. The two began to back away as it stumbled to its feet, Jesse glancing over at Ivor. " _Huh. The water must have… busted the connection or something,"_ the screen panned over to the disabled chip, " _Like washing away redstone."_

Stampy, Olivia and Ellegaard blinked in unison, then grinned.

"Oh, yes!" Stampy said, "That makes so much sense!"

" _Which means PAMA's control_ can _be broken after all!"_ Ivor exclaimed, uncaring of the zombie now that it wasn't staring at them with terrifying red eyes. Jesse turned to the normie monster and pulled out his enchanted sword, leaping out of the way of a hit. He slashed his sword sideways, knocking the zombie the ground, flashing red, and rammed his blade into its back. It puffed into dust.

"This is good," Axel said, licking his lips, "I mean, they're getting somewhere, aren't they?"

"Yeah," said Olivia, twisting her fingers, "Baby steps, right?"

Soren sighed, glancing over at Lukas, who had turned his gaze to his lap. He ran his fingers through blond hair. "I suppose."

" _Once a zombie,"_ said Ivor, his own golden sword in hand. Beside him, Jesse sheathed his own. " _Always a zombie,"_ he paused, " _I suppose."_

" _So once we deactivate Lukas and Petra's chips, they'll go back to normal too!"_ Jesse grinned widely, eyes sparkling. He looked relieved, incredibly so, and Ivor's face actually softened. He glanced at the ground, as though uncertain.

" _It seems like a fair assumption."_

Gabriel's eyes narrowed in confusion, and he looked over at the real Ivor, raising a questioning eyebrow. The potionologist was speaking quietly with Harper, brow creased, too low for anyone to hear what they were saying. Harper shook her head. Ivor's frown deepened.

Mouth dry, Gabriel turned his attention back to the screen.

There was a clank of bones, and they turned to see a red eyed skeleton staggering from the single cobweb, starting to make its way towards them. A crimson eyed zombie hit the cobweb behind it.

"Oh, _come on!_ " shouted Lizzie.

" _They just keep coming,"_ groaned Jesse. Ivor shook his head, teeth gnashing nervously.

" _How are we supposed to stop them?"_

"Uh, destroy the cobweb?" suggested Aiden.

Jesse looked around, spotting a lever further down the hall. He glanced back at the monsters, then dashed towards it, Ivor raising his sword as the puppets drew closer. " _Back! Back, you hideous things!"_

" _Okay, we've got a lever,"_ muttered Jesse, glancing about, probably in search of traps the thing could activate. He's been in enough temples to figure out that flipping a random lever was not a very good idea. His eyes followed a redstone trail going up the wall, to where pistons were up at the ceiling. " _I bet it's connected to the hundreds of sand blocks up there!"_

Aiden blinked slowly, "Okay, so it'll close the opening… but how do you _open_ it again?"

" _One cave in, coming up!"_ Jesse declared- and he flipped the lever.

The trail of redstone burst into a glowing life- " _It worked!"_ \- and the pistons on the ceiling retracted, the walls trembling, dust falling- sand, sand and more sand fell from above, creating a perfect wall between them and the puppets.

The screen went dark.

"That was the neatest cave in I've ever seen," declared Maya. Gill snorted, nodding in agreement.

"But how is Harper going to gain entrance?" asked Otto, frowning. Harper waved him off.

"Don't worry, there's another way in."

The screen faded back in, showing Jesse and Ivir from above, standing in front of the wall. A trail of redstone upon a bridge of blocks illuminated the top half the screen.

" _That should do the trick,"_ Jesse declared, hands going to his hips, " _Let's see about this 'secret lab.'"_

Ivor nodded, smiling a little, and began to make his way down the corridor, following the stream. Jesse stared at the wall for a moment, before making his way after Ivor as the man spoke up, " _I just hope whatever's there can help us."_

Harper sighed quietly, "I hope so too."

" _It will make helping Petra and Lukas a lot easier if there's something useful at this 'secret lab,'"_ Ivor continued as they walked. He made a face. " _Blah! PAMA's completely ruined the word 'useful' for me now."_

"Oh, we feel you there," muttered Ellegaard, wincing. Magnus nodded in agreement, pulling a face.

" _Even if this woman's lab is a bust,"_ said Jesse, " _What we just learnt about water disabling PAMA's chips seems_ super _useful,"_ he paused, then pulled a face as well at his wording. Ivor hummed.

" _Glad to see you're maintaining a positive outlook despite our… setbacks."_

Petra blew out a short breath, "Yeah. Being grim's not gonna get us anywhere."

Lukas nodded, sending the real Jesse a smile, "Petra's got a point. We'll get out of this."

Jesse smiled back. Hadrian's eyes boring into the side of his skull caused it to waver. Lukas and Petra frowned, sharing a concerned look. Gabriel twisted a little to look over at Hadrian, confused, but the man was looking at the screen. Huh.

Must have been his imagination.

" _I must say,"_ Ivor continued, a rather odd sort of tone entering his voice, speaking a _little_ faster than usual, " _That woman has been a most intriguing person so far."_

"Oh no," muttered Ivor, already feeling his cheeks heating him. Magnus face-splitting grin had returned, and he was staring directly at the potionologist, who very purposefully kept his eyes on the screen. Ellegaard, Gabriel and Soren had started smiling widely at him as well.

Harper, realising she still had her finger hooked around Ivor's sleeve, turned bright red and hastily pulled away, hopping no one noticed. From the way their grins widened, she had a feeling her prayers hadn't been answered.

" _I'm not entirely sure what to make of her,"_ said Ivor, brushing his beard, " _Granted, her creation nearly ended up destroying this world… but considering my own history, I'm inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt."_

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Ellegaard asked, keeping her voice low so only Magnus could hear her. The king raised his eyebrows at her, still grinning widely.

"Does it involve blackmail?"

"No- well, yes," she shook her head when Magnus' grin widened, smiling herself, "I'm thinking maybe we can get the _real_ Ivor and Harper together."

"I'm listening."

"' _Intriguing,' Ivor?"_ Jesse echoed, a knowing grin spreading his lips, " _Why, whatever do you mean by that?"_

Petra snorted loudly, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter, "Oh, why couldn't I be there for this?"

Gabriel laughed, although it was a little forced, "Yes, I wish I could be there too."

" _I- what?"_ Ivor said, cheeks tinting pink as they turned around a bend, Jesse looking at the potionologist with a wide grin that actually looked a bit like real-life Magnus', " _It's nothing. I just mean that I can empathize when it comes to your creations getting out of hand."_

"PAMA _is_ a little similar to the Witherstorm," admitted Lukas, "Except, you know, PAMA hadn't actually been meant to hurt or even intimidate people," he paused, "Even though it turned out _incredibly_ intimidating anyway."

Ivor glanced over at a still grinning Jesse, face very carefully blank, despite the pink tint to his cheeks, " _Nothing. More."_

A laugh fluttered through the air before Jesse could say anything, " _Careful with all that sputtering,"_ the screen swiped around, revealing Harper leaning against the wall a little further up, doused in shadows, " _You'll swallow your beard."_

Both onscreen and offscreen Ivor's turned bright red, the latter sinking in his seat and clenching his jaw when he realised Magnus had returned to grinning at him. If anything, it had only become wider.

" _What did you hear?"_ Ivor sputtered, " _It was nothing!"_

Harper raised an eyebrow at him, " _Uhh huh,"_ she pushed herself off the wall, coming out into the light and directing her attention towards the youngest, " _Blond guy called you Jesse, right?"_

" _Yeah,"_ Jesse smiled, gesturing to the pink potionologist beside him, " _And this is Ivor,"_ the man waved rather frantically. Jesse's face became downcast. " _Our friends who we left back there are Petra and Lukas."_

Soren released a short breath at the reminder. Gabriel tightened his grip around Petra's shoulder.

" _And you are?"_

Harper smiled, " _You can call me Harper."_

"Oh, yeah," Dan blinked, "I forgot they didn't know your name."

Abruptly, Harper's smile fell, " _You could also explain why you lead PAMA's forces right to my secret lab."_

The real Jesse blinked, startled, then winced, "Woops."

" _Seems to me,"_ Harper continued, beginning to circle them, " _I've got a whole lot of angry computer-controlled monsters out there waiting to tear some new holes in my lab,"_ she came to a stop in front of them again, " _It's not my favourite."_

" _Hey, that's not fair,"_ Jesse frowned, "You _were the one that told us to come down here!"_

"Yeah, you tell her, Jesse!" said Axel.

Harper sighed, " _Okay, okay, you're right. Sorry, I'm just a little steamed. I didn't know PAMA would be able to follow us."_

Otto's brow furrowed, "So… you _don't_ know everything about PAMA?"

Harper's cheeks tinted pink, fingers twisting, "It… _learns_ , okay? PAMA can be as unpredictable as an actual human."

" _What are you doing in this world anyway?"_ asked Harper. Her eyes narrowed, starting to back away a little. " _You here to try to steal my secrets?"_

" _What?"_ Jesse gaped, " _No!"_

"Why would you think _that_?" asked Sparklez. Harper shrugged.

Onscreen, Harper stopped backing away, staring at him for a second. Then she shrugged. " _Just figured I'd ask,"_ she turned around and began making her way down the corridor, " _Better safe than sorry and all that."_

"If they were trying to steal your secrets," said Lukas, slowly, "Why would they admit that they were trying to steal your secrets?"

Harper opened her mouth to answer, but faltered, nothing coming out. She closed her mouth. Opened it again. "That's a good point."

"But being able to close that giant hole isn't?" asked Aiden. He received no answer.

" _Bunch of you are the first people I've seen come out of the Portal Network in forever,"_ Harper continued, as Jesse and Ivor followed her.

Olivia gasped, "You know about the Hallway?!"

" _So you'll have to excuse me if it made me a little… anxious."_

"Of course I know about the Network," Harper said, rolling her eyes, "I helped build the darn thing."

" _Woah, you know about Hallway?"_ gasped Jesse, in an almost perfect repeat of offscreen Olivia.

The real Jesse and Olivia high fived in front of Axel's face, who leant back, startled.

Harper laughed, " _The 'Hallway'? That's what you've been calling it?"_

" _Yes. Maybe,"_ Ivor shook his head, cheeks still rather pinkish, " _What do you know about it, anyway?"_

" _A lot, I should think,"_ said Harper, grinning widely, " _I helped build the dang thing."_

"Wait, you _actually_ build that Hallway?" asked Nell, eyes comically wide, "That's so rad, brah!"

Harper laughed, but like her onscreen self had, "Yes, well, thank you, I suppose."

"But if you built the Hallway," said Lukas, eyes as wide as Nell's, "That would make you an-"

"Don't say it," Harper, Soren, Isa, Otto, Mevia and Hadrian said in perfect unison, shooting the boy looks (or glares, in some cases). Lukas shrunk into Soren's side, startled.

" _But that would make you,"_ Jesse gasped, hand going to his mouth, " _An Old Builder."_

Cue multiple series of sighs. Gabriel shot Soren a curious look.

" _Huh,"_ Harper chuckled, " _Forgot you people called us that."_

Behind them, Ivor was grinning widely, eyes locked on Harper. The inventor continued. " _Never was my favourite name. Makes me sound like some sort of living statue."_

" _I just…"_ Ivor shook his head, " _I can't believe it."_

"Yeah…" murmured the real Ivor, eyes flickering between the real Harper and onscreen Harper, then to the finger hooked around his sleeve. When had she started holding his sleeve again?

" _Okay, well,"_ said Jesse, " _If you're an Old Builder, can't you do something to stop PAMA?"_

Harper sighed, " _I'm afraid that's a little out of my abilities right now. PAMA's just too powerful."_

Stampy sighed, "There goes that idea."

" _And besides,"_ continued Harper, " _There's actually no exit portal back to the Portal Network from this world."_

"Wait," Petra's eyes widened, " _What_?!"

"What do you mean there's no exit portal?!" asked Maya, twisting to look at Harper, "How are they supposed to get home?!"

"Wait, hold on, hold on," Harper tried, holding up a hand, "I can explain-"

" _What?"_ gasped Jesse, " _Why not?"_

" _I destroyed it,"_ Harper explained, Jesse and Ivor looking at each other, " _So that PAMA couldn't get free."_ Jesse cast his gaze to the ground.

"Okay," Maya murmured, looking down, "I suppose that makes sense. But how are they going to get home?"

Harper sighed, leaning back, not realising she was doing so on a rather pink Ivor, "I don't know. I'm sure we'll think up something."

"After we get Lukas and Petra back," said Jesse. Harper hesitated, but sighed again and nodded.

" _It was impulsive,"_ Harper admitted, " _But it was the only way I could think of to make sure PAMA didn't try to spread to other worlds! Keep trying to make things 'useful.'"_

Gill shuddered, "I hate that word."

" _Okay,"_ said Jesse, brow creased, " _Well, that's fine, can't you just build another one?"_

" _You basic or something?"_ asked Harper.

"Hey," Ivor whispered, frowning. Harper's eyes widened a little.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that," she winced, "Your kids nowhere near 'basic.'"

"Thank you," said Ivor. He paused, realising Magnus and Ellegaard were staring at him with knowing looks. He closed his eyes.

Oops.

" _I can't do that while PAMA's still running!"_ she shook her head, coming to a stop and crossing her arms. Jesse bit on the inside of his cheek.

" _So. PAMA. What is it?"_

" _I swear,"_ Harper sighed, turning to face them properly, " _I made PAMA with good intentions. It was designed to automate things,"_ she stepped closer to them, " _Make everything more efficient. Use monsters to help with farming or mining."_

"That's… actually a pretty neat idea," Ellegaard admitted. Her brow furrowed. "But I assume everything went wrong?"

Harper sighed, "What made it obvious?"

"Oh, you know," Magnus shrugged, "Maybe it was the fact that it had turned _the citizens into red eyed puppets!_ "

" _Until the day PAMA decided that the townspeople weren't efficient enough already,"_ Harper shook her head, face twisting, " _Started making_ them ' _useful.'"_

"That sounds horrible," whispered Lizzie.

Harper cast her gaze to the ground. She began to continue down the corridor, Jesse and Ivor sharing a look before trailing after her. After a moment, Harper continued.

" _That was a long time ago,"_ she said, " _Since then, I've just been trying to stay one step ahead. Figure out how to stop it."_

" _When we were back in town,"_ said Jesse, " _PAMA seemed to really want to capture you. What was up with that?"_

"Yeah," Magnus frowned, "I mean, I get that you're its creator and all, but why would it want you?"

" _When PAMA chips someone,"_ Harper began, tapping her forehead, " _Everything that person knows gets absorbed into its database."_

"Oh no," groaned Petra, "So it _does_ download our memories."

Lukas shuddered, leaning further into Soren, wondering why he was so cold. Soren held him tighter, spotting Gabriel doing the same with Petra out the corner of his eye.

Funny. How he'd felt nothing but mild curiosity towards the boy he now felt such the need to protect.

" _If I get chipped,"_ Harper grimaced, " _PAMA would know how to build an exit portal."_

"Ah. Yes," Otto winced, "That would be bad."

" _So you can see why I'd want to stop that from happening at any cost."_

" _Yes,"_ Ivor said, eyebrows raising, " _That is quite the extraordinary risk."_

"No kidding," muttered Stacy.

" _Okay, that's definitely scary,"_ Jesse admitted, " _But we're not just going to leave my friends… 'chipped up' though, right?"_ his eyes became desperate, " _We can still help them?"_

"Yeah," Lukas muttered, a rather sickly tone to his cheeks, "That would- that would be nice."

" _I_ do _think I can help you."_

This gained many relieved sighs from the audience.

" _With PAMA, your friends, getting out of here… but to do it, we're going to need to go to my lab."_

" _What's in your lab?"_ asked Jesse.

"Isn't that what we're all wondering?" hummed Olivia.

" _It's… complicated."_

Magnus groaned, "Of course it is."

"She says that a lot," Facemeat whispered loudly. Clutch nodded.

Jesse frowned at her for a moment. Then his eyes widened and he broke out into an amazed smile, the screen swapping around to reveal a massive cavern dotted with colourful blocks of wool, pistons and coloured redstone lamps, sea lanterns and fancy blocks. Harper shot him a smile, which widened when she realised Ivor was actually jumping up and down.

" _Before we head inside, we better get my defence system going. Don't want those chipped-up creeps following us in."_

"Yeah, that would be bad," said Ellegaard, "You actually have a defence system?"

"Of course I do!" Harper said, actually looking a little offended, "How could I have survived this long without having some sort of defence system?"

"Point."

Onscreen, Harper walked up to a lever on the far wall and flipped it. From the ground, which was dotted with lines of coloured glass blocks, a cauldron shot up. Harper looked over her shoulder at Jesse, pointing off to the side. " _Grab my bucket for me? Ron's got it."_

Isa blinked, "Ron? I thought you said you were alone here."

Harper cleared her throat awkwardly, not meeting their eyes, "Ah… yeah, I am…"

With a grinning Ivor, Jesse walked over to where Harper had pointed, stopping in front of some sort of machine with a creeper head on top and a picture frame with a water bucket in it. He raised an eyebrow at it. " _Ron?"_

" _Hello, friend Harper!"_ 'Ron' said, voice mechanical and deep, " _I am happy to see you, my friend!"_

A silence came upon the audience. Then, all at once, every head turned to look at Harper.

The silence stretched onwards. Harper's cheeks began to tint red, especially when she realised she was leaning against Ivor. Awkwardly clearing her throat, she leant off him, ignoring the way her heart began to anxiously pound even more when she did so.

"So, ah," she said, twisting the sleeves of her robe, "Don't judge me. It gets lonely down there, okay?"

"You do realise this is very concerning, right?" asked Isa. Harper mumbled something, sinking in her seat. Gabriel sighed.

Fantastic. Yet another person to send to therapy.

He wondered who in the room would make a decent therapist…

Onscreen, Jesse and Ivor looked at each other. Slowly, Jesse averted his attention to the inventor. " _Harper… ?"_

" _Hey, don't you judge me!"_ Harper said defensively, " _Being alone gets lonely."_

Who was it that they needed to send to therapy? Harper, Soren, Cassie, probably Lukas and Petra after this… maybe Sparklez and Lizzie as well, they hadn't been the same since their onscreen deaths. Perhaps Ivor, and Aiden, because damn did that kid have issues. And Jesse.

Definitely Jesse.

Jesse frowned at the inventor, before shaking his head and quickly snatching the bucket from its frame. 'Ron' bleeped happily. " _Happy to help, friend!"_

Shooting it an uneasy look, he shook his head and quickly made his way back to Harper, handing her the bucket. The inventor gave him a grateful smile.

" _Thanks. See, I needed a way to confuse PAMA_ _in case it ever found a way down here,"_ she explained, walking over to the cauldron, " _That's why all this is way more complicated than it needs to be."_

She tipped the water bucket into the cauldron, Jesse watching over her shoulder. The redstone lamps beneath the yellow stained glass at their feet burst into flickering life, the screen wiping around to the entrance of Harper's actual lab, four waterfalls cascading from the ceiling. The left side of the door slid open.

"Wow," breathed Olivia, amazed, "That's so _amazing._ How did you get it to do that?"

"With a heck of a lot of sand in my hair," said Harper.

Jesse looked down at the now empty cauldron, grinning up at Ivor in amazement. Then he turned around to follow a retreating Harper, the potionologist moving to closer inspect the empty cauldron. " _Wow. What a builder."_

Magnus chortled. Ivor shot him a glare.

" _Make sure you don't drool on my floor, now,"_ Harper called over, grinning as she knelt in front of a small pool to refill the bucket.

" _So you know about PAMA's weakness to water then?"_ asked Jesse.

"It's rather obvious, when you think about it," hummed the real Harper, "Water washes away redstone, after all."

" _Yeah, I do,"_ said Harper, scooping up another bucket full of water, " _I'll admit, you figure it out way faster than I did, though."_

"I mean, it happened on accident, but yeah," admitted Jesse. Harper laughed, giving the boy on the floor a fond look.

" _Once PAMA caught on to its weakness to water,"_ Harper continued, as Ivor joined them, " _It started eliminating as much of this world's water as it could find. This water down here?"_ she gestured to the waterfalls, " _It might be all that's left."_

"Wow, that's… strangely sad," said Maya. It was impossible to think of a world without water. Then again, it explains why Crown Mesa was such a wasteland.

The cavern rumbled, dust falling from the ceiling, a crash down the corridor they'd come from. Jesse yelped, jumping, eyes widening in horror, " _Oh no!"_

"What?" gasped Ivor, "What's happened?"

"They've got through!" exclaimed Gabriel.

" _I still need to activate the other cauldrons!"_ shouted Harper, " _Hold them off to buy me more time!"_ With that, she was gone, dashing towards the next lever. She skidded to a halt, twisting to look over her shoulder at them. " _And whatever you do, don't get caught. I'm not about to get left alone again."_

"That's so sad," whispered Milo. Isa's heart was twisting in her gut.

Jesse skidded to a halt in front of the corridor entrance, the blares and buzzes of activated redstone chips bouncing off the walls to the point that it caused their ears to throb. Spiders crawled along the walls, turning the corner- followed by Puppet-Lukas and Puppet-Petra.

"Oh no," Petra groaned, sinking into Gabriel's side, "Not again."

" _You could've made this much easier for yourself,"_ said Puppet-Petra, she and Puppet-Lukas reaching over their shoulders and drawing their swords in perfect, creepy unison. Jesse and Ivor began to back away slowly, the puppets entering the room.

" _It is useless to defy us,"_ Puppet-Petra continued, " _You only delay the inevitable."_

Petra shuddered violently, "That's so- so _creepy_."

"I think I'm gonna be sick," muttered Lukas. He actually looked as though he were about to throw up.

" _Come on, Petra, snap out of it!"_ Jesse tried, " _It's me!"_

Harper shook her head grimly, "That's not going to work, Jesse."

" _There is no Petra,"_ the puppet declared, advancing on the boy, " _Only PAMA."_

"Ohhhh Notch," groaned the real Petra, "I don't like this."

" _Don't do this, Petra!"_ Jesse begged, reluctantly drawing his own sword, continuing to back away, " _Please!"_

Petra drew in a sharp intake of breath, telling herself that there was dust landing in her eye. Yeah. Just dust. Nothing but stupid dust. This place was _so_ dusty.

(Not even the attic has any dust)

" _I know all of your moves now, Jesse,"_ Puppet-Petra declared. Jesse glanced over to the side just in time to see Ivor draw his own sword, backing away from Lukas. " _Why even bother fighting?"_

"I'm sorry," groaned Lukas, "Oh, Notch, I'm _sorry_."

" _Petra, please! You have to-"_ Jesse screamed, Petra's blade slashing into his skin, flashing red and sending him to the ground.

"JESSE!"

"Oh god," Petra gasped, trembling hands tangling in her red hair, "Oh god, oh god, _oh god, Jesse, I'm so sorry_ -"

Onscreen, Jesse hurriedly scrambled to his feet, hunching over himself. The screen cut to Harper, pouring another bucket of water into a cauldron, " _There!"_

Puppet-Lukas looked up, red eyes widening, and he leapt out of the way just in time, leaving a waterfall to splay all over Ivor. The potionologist gasped and sputtered, spitting water, and leapt out of its way. Puppet-Lukas immediately continued his advance.

" _Lukas, let's try and talk this out!"_ Ivor said, jumping out of the way just as Lukas swung.

" _The time for talking-"_

It cut to Petra, to reveal Jesse having just jumped out of the way of a similar swing, Puppet-Petra finishing the blond's sentence, " _-Is over."_

"That is so creepy," muttered Magnus, watching the death grip both Gabriel and Soren had on the two kids. Ellegaard nodded in agreement, something twisting in her chest. She kind of wished Olivia was sitting next to her.

A spider hissed, and Jesse twisted just in time to see a Puppet-Spider crawling along the wall behind him. It leapt at him, the screen slowing down, and Jesse spun around, sword lashing out, and slashed at the puppets stomach, sending it flying through a waterfall. Electricity shot through its eight limbed body, chip sparking, and the device flew from its head, clattering to the ground and out of life.

"Go Jesse!" cheered Nell.

Jesse appeared in front of the normie-spider, whacking it with his sword before it could even realise he was there. It puffed into dust.

" _Here goes another one!"_ Harper called. From above, waterfalls fell, the screen panning out just in time to see Puppet-Lukas throw Ivor across the room, the potionologist face planting the floor in front of Jesse.

Lukas squeaked, burying his face into Soren's chest. The builder had an almost painful grip on his hair, fingers tangled in blond locks.

" _End of the line, Jesse,"_ the puppets declared, marching towards him. Jesse looked up at the new waterfall, spotting Puppet-Petra marching from one side, Puppet-Lukas from the other. Then they turned, the screen slowing down, Jesse looking left at Lukas to right at Petra, the blare of chips, and they were running towards him, dashing, crimson eyes narrowed, at the same time, one push, one waterfall, one choice, the boy's eyes snapping left to right- Lukas to Petra.

"No," whispered the real Jesse, blood draining from his face, "Oh no."

"It's making him choose," murmured Ivor, face stark white, "It's making him choose between them."

"Oh Notch," said Olivia, covering her mouth. Lukas and Petra looked at each other, eyes wide, then at Jesse, not know what to do, what to say. The boy's fingers were trembling, jaw shaking, eyes glinting in the torchlight.

He closed his eyes, telling himself to breathe, _breathe_ , but how could he breathe when almost every eye was drilling into his skull, picking at his brain, tearing him apart to expose every little thing? How could he breathe when he had to choose between his friends?

Who _would_ he choose? Who would he save? Petra was protective and fierce and loyal, and though she was the one to suggest the portal, she was only trying to help, only trying to get them home. Lukas was friendly and warm and smart, and he was always there, always helping, always trying to do better, always worried. They were two of his most best of friends and never in his life did Jesse ever think he'd have to actually choose between them.

He didn't know. He didn't know, he didn't know, he didn't _want_ to know, _but he couldn't look away._ It was like his eyes had been glued to the screen, his breath trapped in his lungs, unable to still the tremble in his jaw and fingers, the shake in the core of his chest.

He couldn't choose.

He couldn't choose.

_He didn't want to choose._

Jesse clenched his eyes shut, terribly obvious tears threatening to spill, the pressure of him closing his eyes causing a trail of liquid down his cheek- and he darted forwards, ramming into Puppet-Petra, the screen slowing down as they flew directly through the waterfall.

They slammed into the ground, the force of their momentum causing Jesse to roll off of her. Then Petra spasmed, electricity bolting through her entire body, redstone chip zipping and blaring, and she was screaming, screaming her throat raw-

Gabriel's chest tightened, his grip painfully tight around his kid. What if there was something wrong? What if she was permanently damaged? What if PAMA had done something to her?

" _Jess- Jesse!"_ Petra exclaimed, hazel eyes glazed only a little, as though she were struggling to understand what was happening, " _That was_ awful _-"_

" _Uh, Jesse?!"_

Jesse couldn't breathe. His whole chest was practically vibrating. His vision was blurred. Reuben squealed softly in his lap, pressing his snout into his human's trembling chest, concerned, but Jesse hardly heard him.

Lukas lowered his gaze, despising himself for the cold dread spreading through his chest. It wasn't Jesse's fault. Of course it wasn't Jesse's fault. Besides, he'd been friends with Petra _way_ longer than he had, had always been closer to her than him. Lukas was just the annoying tag-along they put up with, at least for the first four episodes. Even though he'd never directly bullied Jesse himself, he'd never done anything when his friends (ex-friends? He didn't know anymore) had.

Now that they had Petra back… they were probably going to leave. Build another exit portal in some safe location where PAMA can't get to them and destroy it afterwards so it won't ever be able to spread to other worlds. Lukas didn't mean as much to Jesse as Petra does. He hated that he hadn't realised that sooner. Hated that he had thought they were really becoming friends, hated that he had thought they might actually be able to consider themselves brothers.

Something wet pricked the back of his eyes, but Lukas blinked rapidly, ducking his head in hopes that no one would notice. Soren was holding him painfully close, but he didn't care, was grateful for it, even if he knew that he probably didn't care about him either.

Onscreen, Jesse twisted to look over at Ivor, who was still sitting on the floor. The potionologist pointed off to the side, eyes wide, and the screen cut to reveal Harper backing away from Puppet-Lukas, the last water bucket clutched in her hand.

Puppet-Lukas made a grab at her, but Harper ducked and tossed the bucket over his head, sending it clattering to the ground in a slosh of water, but thankfully most remained inside it. The inventor grappled with the puppet, trying to pull herself free from his gasp. Jesse's eyes widened and he began to run towards them.

" _Harper, I'm coming!"_

He can save Lukas. He can save Lukas too. He just needed to get him near one of the waterfalls, needed to shove him through one as well, and everything would be okay, everything would be alright.

He couldn't breathe.

With strength he had not possessed before, Lukas yanked Harper away, his grip bruising, and leapt onto one of the chipped spiders crawling along the wall, clinging to its hide with one hand, Harper dangling from the other.

"Harper!" gasped Ivor.

" _No!"_ shouted Jesse.

" _Use the headset, Jesse!"_ Harper called, struggling to free herself from the puppets inhuman grip, " _And don't forget the last cauldron!"_

"This is bad," groaned Stampy, "Oh, this is so, _so_ bad!"

Reaching into her pocket, Harper pulled out a rose and tossed them to the floor at Jesse's feet, " _And one more thing! Get the rose to Harry!"_

"' _Harry'?"_ repeated Jesse, starring with startled, wet eyes at the roses. He didn't even seem to realise he'd been crying.

"It's going to be fine," Harper whispered to herself, "Everything's going to be fine," she faltered, looking desperately at Ivor, "Right?"

But the man wasn't looking at her. He was staring at Jesse, the boy trembling in Axel's grip on the floor. The larger boy was muttering quietly to him, eyes dancing with concern, but Jesse didn't even seem to notice. He looked like he was about to burst into tears, mouth opening and closing in silent gasps.

"He doesn't look so good," Harper observed, frowning, "Maybe we should have a lunch break."

Ivor hummed, brow furrowing and mouth twisting, eyes flashing with foreign worry. He nodded.

" _Come on!"_ Ivor called, Jesse looking over to see him helping an unsteady Petra to her feet, " _What are we going to do?"_

" _Harper told me to remember the last cauldron!"_ Jesse explained. There was the hiss of more spiders, Jesse's eyes widening as his head snapped to see more spilling through the entrance.

"Ugh, I hate spiders," muttered Mevia, pulling a face. Otto shook his head.

"Spiders are the only monsters that can get down the hole without having to fall one by one into the cobwebs. PAMA probably sent Petra and Lukas down as an… emotional factor."

" _Well, then do it quickly!"_

Jesse gave a single nod in the potionologist's direction, before dashing over to the bucket Harper had dropped, quickly scooping it up. Turning, he skidded to a stop in front of the last cauldron and poured in the water, followed by the mechanical whir of glowing redstone. " _There!"_

Another waterfall fell from above, blocking the entrance to the actual lab in a giant waterfall that stretched all across, a barrier that PAMA could not pass through. Ivor was half-carrying, half-dragging Petra towards it.

"I hope she's alright," muttered Maya. Her eyes darted over to the two boys seated beside each other on the floor, one practically glued to Soren's side and looking so resigned that it was tormenting just to look at him, the other looking as though he were about to burst into tears, struggling to breathe to the point that he might as well be in the process of being strangled.

She hoped they were alright too.

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes shot down to the rose on the floor. He darted forwards, bending down and grabbing it without stopping, running across the cavern with puppet-spiders steadily creeping towards him, and went straight through the waterfall, soaked within seconds.

Wiping wet hair out of his eyes, tears disguised, he looked over at the spiders. They'd stopped in front of the waterfall, unable to go any further without being freed from PAMA, hissing and spitting in the closest version of anger they'd seen from the puppets thus far. Jesse stared at them for a long moment, eyes brimming with tears once more, before he clenched them shut and hurriedly ran through the doors into the lab.

The screen went dark.

The silence that came upon the room was thick, but Jesse didn't care about that. His breathing was ragged and terribly audible in the quiet, tears prickling and beading in his eyes, unable to stop the way his whole body trembled.

"Well," he stopped breathing, chest tightening, Hadrian's voice ringing in his ears, "That was rather unexpected."

"What?" Maya gaped, "What are you talking about?"

Hadrian shrugged, "Oh, come on, I can't have been the only one to have expected him to pick blond guy."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" asked Petra, eyes blazing.

"Can we _please_ not talk about this?" Olivia begged, eyes pleading, "I think it's hard enough-"

"I'm just saying," Hadrian drawled, "What with their fight and how she got them into this mess in the first place, I was rather certain he'd save the blond instead."

"Hadrian!" Harper snapped.

"Well, it's true," Cassie said, surprising quite a few people. She almost looked angry. "Lukas has done nothing wrong, and yet _he's_ the one that's being left under PAMA's control."

"Cassie!"

Ivor leapt to his feet, startling them, and for a brief moment, many thought he was about to go sock Hadrian in the mouth. But then he was striding towards Jesse, who had at some point buried his face into his hands, shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs, and knelt beside him, placing his hand on his back and ducking down a little in an unsuccessful attempt to look him in the eye.

"Jesse?" he said, voice uncharacteristically gentle, "Jesse, are you alright?"

The boy gave an almost inaudible gasp for breath, leaning away from both Axel and Ivor's touch, even tipping Reuben out of his lap to pull his knees up to his chest. The little pig whined, nudging his human's thigh, but Jesse grimaced and leaned away, chest heaving, shaking his head, eyes clenched shut. Ivor shared a startled look with Soren.

"Jess?" Lukas whispered, cautiously inching closer to him, "Hey, Jess, it's- it's okay. Everything's okay."

Jesse shook his head again, gasping, "I-I- I'm sorry- I'm- _I'm sorry_."

_He couldn't breathe._

"We need to get him out of here," Petra stated, looking up at Gabriel with almost fearful eyes, "What's wrong with him?"

"I believe he's having a panic attack," Gabriel murmured.

_He couldn't breathe._

Everything was too loud. Maya, Aiden and Gill's footsteps as they walked towards them bounced off the insides of his skull. Harper and Hadrian were glaring at each other, shouting, shouting and throwing blame. Reuben pressed his head against his side, and Jesse flinched away, hardly registering the way his little pig shrunk away from him, as though hurt.

_He couldn't breathe._

"Get him out of here- Would you lot _shut the hell up?!_ "

"Come on, Jess, just calm down."

_He couldn't breathe._

Hands, pulling him to his feet. He made an odd noise, something between a yelp and a whimper, trying desperately to yank himself free and curl into a ball on the floor, legs buckling beneath him. His arm was forced over a pair of shoulders, and he was practically dragged away, the hands simply tightening on him when he attempted to squirm away.

_He couldn't breathe._

He fell, banging his knee against the floor, but the hands were back within moments, lifting him, his chin on a shoulder, one hand latched firmly around his middle, the other around his knees. He tried to squirm away again, but their hold had become impressively tight, and his lungs weren't cooperating, weren't working, and he was gasping, gasping for breath.

_He couldn't choose._

_He'd been made to choose._

_He didn't want to choose._

The hands were gone, and he immediately curled into a ball on top of something soft, mouth spewing half-formed apologies. Someone was talking, telling him to breathe, the clink of glass bottles. Something was being pressed against his lips, but he jerked his head away, scrambling backwards until his back hit some sort of shelf, burying his face into his knees.

Talking, pleading, telling him to drink the potion. He shook his head, gasping, gasping, _because he'd made his choice._

He couldn't breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you choose to save Lukas or Petra? Let me know in the reviews!


	63. Bleeding Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE IS NO ROMANTIC SUGGESTIONS BETWEEN LUKAS AND JESSE IN THIS.

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Sixty-Three: Bleeding Out**

* * *

Jesse couldn't remember falling asleep. But when he woke up, he immediately wished he hadn't. There was a deep exhaustion in his bones, a heaviness to his eyelids, and his eyes were uncomfortably dry in the way you only find them after a lot of tears.

He may or may not have fallen back asleep, and if he had, he had no idea for how long. He was surrounded by something big and warm, pulled up to his nose, and a familiar, pink body was curled against his stomach. Jesse blinked open his eyes, squinted, confusion muddling his brain. It took him a moment to realise he was in the basement, lying in the cot in the corner of Ivor's potions lab.

The potionologist himself was standing in front of a quietly bubbling cauldron, fiddling with what appeared to be the little red robot he'd found between the couch cushions, but Jesse couldn't tell what he was doing exactly from where he was sitting. Reuben's nose twitched, and his head emerged from the blankets, bleary eyes blinking drowsily.

It only took a moment for Jesse to remember what had happened, although he was confused as to how he had got to the basement, curled up in a cot, no less. But it didn't really matter.

He'd chosen between his friends.

Dread curled and squirmed in his stomach like a large, vicious worm, gnawing at his insides, cold spreading through his chest so rapidly that, for a split second, he thought he'd been grabbed by something wispy and black. Jesse wanted to go back to sleep. Go back to sleep and simply never wake up.

But even when he laid back down and stubbornly closed his eyes, sleep eluded him. He lay like that for a few minutes, before giving up and opening his eyes again, to find Reuben inches from his face, starring with big, brown piggy eyes. Jesse almost screamed in surprise, and by the cauldron, Ivor paused. After a heart-stopping moment, the man shook his head and returned to the toy.

He didn't want Ivor to know he was awake, Jesse decided. In fact, he didn't want _anyone_ to know he was awake, although he wasn't entirely sure why. He just… needed to hide. Hide away and never look his friends in the eye ever again.

Jesse knew it was cowardly. He knew he'd have to face them eventually. Knew that they were going to shake their heads and never look him the same way ever again, that Axel would retract his arm, that Lukas would return to sitting next to Maya and Gill just to be away from him, that Ivor would stop teaching him how to make potions, and Jesse hated himself for not expecting it. Because of course, _of course_ , he'd do something to screw it all up. Of course they'd end up leaving.

Everyone ends up leaving.

Even Reuben.

His vision blurred, sudden but not all that unexpected. Teeth gritting, he wiped at his eyes stubbornly, despising himself for the tightness in his throat, for the ache in his chest. Reuben rubbed his head against him, whining questionly, and with a surprising haste Jesse curled his head on top his piggy's head, holding his breathe as he watched Ivor once more pause in his fiddling.

Then the man sneezed, almost giving Jesse a heart attack, and continued fiddling with the toy robot.

Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Jesse attempted to force his heart to calm its rapid thumping, brushing his fingers across Reuben's head. Then, carefully- and, he admits, a bit reluctantly- pulling back the blankets, he slipped out of bed, his little pig hoping down with him.

Doing his best to be as quiet as possible and to avoid any noisy floorboards, Jesse tip toed over to the opening of Ivor's little cove of shelves, which led directly to the stairs. He had just turned the corner when he came face to face with an armour stand sporting a Wither Skull, and with a startled yelp he leapt backwards, tumbled over Reuben, and banged his head against a shelf, followed quickly by a rain of books that smacked painfully against the top of his head.

A hiss of pain slipped passed his clenched teeth, hands shooting up to tangle in his hair, fingers protectively pressing against his newly throbbing skull. There was the soft clatter of something that he doubted was a book, then there were hands on his arms and a voice in his ear, asking him if he was alright, what he was doing. Jesse blinked furiously, grimacing as he prodded the growing lump on his head, and looked up, startled to find Ivor's face to be inches from his.

The potionologist leant away a little, but within moments he was tugging at Jesse's hands and forcing his head down to get a better look at where he'd been hit. Through his still rather muddled brain, it took Jesse a moment to register what he was actually saying.

"-startled me! What are you doing up? I hadn't realised you were even awake," Ivor's brow furrowed, his hands moving to cup the boys cheeks, forcing him to look him in the eyes, "Are you alright?"

"Fi- Fine," Jesse stuttered, weakly attempting to pull away, but not struggling when Ivor's grip didn't relent, "I'm- I'm fine."

The potionologist didn't appear all that convinced, and Jesse had to force back a wince when he wiped away a trail of tears, but he didn't push it. Ivor led him back over to the cot, seating him on it, before quickly bending down and starting to scoop up the fallen books, frequently glancing over at the boy. Jesse averted his attention to his hands, clasped in his lap, the slight tremble in his fingers.

_Breathe._

Ivor straightened, returning the books to the shelves in, Jesse noticed, a completely random order. The man returned his attention back to him, fingers lightly trailing along the spines of the books, a small crease to his brow. Heat crawled up Jesse's neck, and he hastily bowed his head, a prickle at the back of his eyes.

"Jesse," Ivor sighed, and a pang hit Jesse in the chest, something cold curling in his stomach. He sniffed, wiping his nose, gritting his teeth against the tightness in his throat, nails leaving crescent marks in his palms.

Reuben squealed softly, snorting, pressing his face against Jesse's leg. Then Ivor was there, kneeling in front of him and cupping his face, wiping away a tear with his thumb. Jesse sniffed again, throat painfully tight, biting his tongue to hold back a pathetic whimper. One of Ivor's hands trailed up to his head, tangling fingers in his hair, rubbing his thumb over his hairline.

"Hey, it's alright," he said, so gently that Jesse was surprised. There was an odd look in the potion master's eyes, shining brightly, something he couldn't really identify. "You're alright. Did you hurt your head?"

His head _was_ throbbing quite painfully. But since when did he deserve comfort? Since when did he _not_ deserve to be in pain? Especially now, after what he'd done, after what he'd been forced to do. Something he'd never thought he'd have to choose over.

_Breathe._

"I'm going to go get you a calming potion, okay?" Ivor said, and he was already standing and marching over to his desk before Jesse could tell him not to, pausing only to briefly bend and pick up the robot he'd dropped.

Jesse hastily wiped at his eyes and nose, attempting to smile at his pig when he gave a concerned little squeal, but he was pretty sure it turned out more like a grimace. Ivor was back within moments, kneeling in front of him and running his fingers through the boys hair. He pressed something into Jesse's palm.

"Here," said Ivor, "I thought you might like it."

The boy blinked confusedly at him, before looking down and opening his hand. The little red robot sat in his palm, staring up at him with two little dotted eyes, clawed hands reaching up like a baby asking to be lifted.

"I've already checked it over," the potionologist continued, "It's completely safe."

"You're sure?" Jesse croaked, running his thumb over the top of its square hea. Ivor nodded, but then faltered.

"Well, relatively sure, anyway," he admitted, "Just tell me if anything weird happens around it, yeah?"

Jesse nodded, chest flickering in a warmth that only lasted briefly, quickly replaced by the frigid cold that clawed and snarled that he didn't deserve gifts, that he didn't deserve anything, not even food or water or warmth or friends. He didn't deserve it.

He didn't deserve them.

Something on the potion sound began to whistle, and Ivor hastily made his way over to it, removing the bubbling potion- a calming potion, Jesse realised. Setting it down, Ivor pulled out a small metal tin and a spoon, opening the tin to reveal something that could only be sugar. Spooning a small clump of it, he brought it closer to his eye for better inspection, measuring with great care.

Jesse swallowed thickly, the urge to run away and hide returning with a powerful vengeance that almost left him doubling over and gasping. He breathed deeply, attempting to loosen the horrible tightness in his chest, a deep despise for himself emerging with the prick behind his eyes.

_Breathe._

He needed to leave.

Glancing back at Ivor to make sure he was still focused on the potion, Jesse carefully rose to his feet, wincing when the bed creaked. Hunching over himself and making him appear smaller than he already was, Jesse quickly made his way over to the stairs as quietly as possible, Reuben trotting behind him and almost appearing to glare in his direction. But Jesse didn't really care.

He just needed to hide. From his friends. From Ivor. From Hadrian's smile and Slab's still half-blind eyes, from the black monster that grinned that too big grin and reached for him with those too long hands, from the choice he'd been forced to make, the decision that hung over his head like an anvil waiting to be dropped, waiting to fall and squash his skull in a crack of bones and a splatter of brain matter.

Jesse ran up the stairs, not caring if Ivor heard him, and within moments he was out in the hall, taking a random turn, with portraits watching him from every corner, watching him desperately wiping away the tears that threatened to trickle down his cheeks for the hundredth time.

_Breathe._

But he couldn't.

_Just breathe._

He couldn't.

_Breathe._

He'd made his choice.

_Breathe._

He'd chosen between his friends.

_He couldn't._

They were going to hate him.

_Just breathe._

They already hated him.

_Breathe._

Everything was too loud.

_He couldn't._

Too fast.

_Just breathe._

Too much, too much, _too much_.

_He couldn't breathe._

* * *

Jesse couldn't remember reaching the second living room, but he remembered slamming the door shut behind him and sliding to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his forehead against them, curling into a tight little ball. He couldn't remember losing Reuben, but he remembered the cavity that dug deep in his chest when he realised he was alone.

Funny. How he'd run away to be by himself, only to be upset when he gets his wish. There truly must be something wrong with him.

She'd always said there must be something wrong with him.

He furiously shook his head, pushing those memories to the darkest depths of his mind. Wiping at his face, glad, at the very least, there had been no one to see him cry this time, Jesse stood from the floor, glancing about the room. It was only then that he realised he still had the little robot clutched in his hand, and after a moment of staring at it, wondering if he should throw it away _(he didn't deserve gifts)_ , he sighed and slid it into his pocket.

With all the couches and chairs moved into the watching room, the place was practically bare. There was a birch table in front of the door with a potted plant, a few side tables, a jukebox, the walls dotted with portraits, but not much else.

Jesse trailed his fingers along the walls, feeling every little bump and every little crack as he walked along. He walked around a small table, topped with a potted oxeye, and came to a halt in front of the jukebox.

Running a finger along its rim, he realised that it looked brand new. There was no dust, no cracks, no wear or tear. It was as though it had never even been used before.

His hand ghosted over the button, and a gentle push was all it took for the machinery to begin whirring quietly, a small crackle, and then music. A soft little guitar beat.

_"I'm bleeeeding out, so if the last thing that I do_

_Is to briiiiing you down, I'll bleed out for you."_

The door opened, and Jesse nearly leapt out of his skin, spinning around to see the last person he wanted to run into standing in the doorway. Reuben ran between Lukas legs, squealing loudly and skidding to a stop in front of Jesse, jumping up at him. Jesse took a step back, but he was forced to come to a stop when his legs hit the jukebox.

_"So I bare my skin_

_And I count my sins,"_

"Jesse!" Lukas' face broke out into a relieved smile, and he darted forwards, tangling the other boy in a hug before he could even think to make a run for it.

Jesse froze, too shocked to return the hug. Lukas squeezed him tightly, before pulling away, concern dancing in his eyes. "Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you."

_"And I close my eyes,_

_And I take it in,"_

"I- I, uh…" Jesse's vision blurred, a prickle behind his eyes. He swallowed thickly, quickly turning away and clenching his eyes shut, unable to look his friend in the eyes. Not after what he'd done.

_"I'm bleeeeding out._

_I'm bleeding out for you,_

_For you."_

"Jess?" a hand clasped his shoulder, "Jess, are you alright? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry!" Jesse blurted, head snapping around and eyes opening, revealing shiny orbs. The blond took a startled step back, but Jesse hardly noticed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm _so, so sorry_!"

From the jukebox, the music had started to speed up to the beat of clapping. Lukas stared, confused, then blinked, mouth opening in realisation.

"Oh," he whispered, blue eyes briefly darting away, "Yeah. I… forgot about that."

"Forgot?" Jesse croaked, "How could you forget… _that_?"

"I was a bit more worried about you, to be honest," Lukas declared, effectively startling the boy into silence, "After Ivor carried you out of the room, we had to force a potion down your throat and… Jesse, it was awful. Do you even remember it?"

"I… no," Jesse admitted, "Not- Not really."

_"When the day has come_

_That I've lost my way around,"_

"Well, it's… probably best that you don't," the blond concluded. He glanced down at Reuben, sitting at Jesse's feet. "Why did you lock Reuben out?"

"Huh?" Jesse blinked, looking down at his pig, "I… I locked him out?"

Lukas was frowning again, "You… hadn't realised? He was sitting at the door when I got here."

Jesse blinked, the cavity in his chest gnawing hungrily at his heart. He blanched, swallowed, and looked away, "Sorry."

"Sorry? What are you sorry for?"

He shrugged weakly, slumping against the wall, "Everything, I guess."

_"And the seasons stop,_

_And hide beneath the ground,"_

"You haven't done anything wrong, Jess," a hand rested on his shoulder again, and Jesse had to resist the urge to flinch away, "You hadn't realised you'd locked him out."

"It's not just that," Jesse whispered, the prickle behind his eyes increasing, pooling at the corners. Lukas fell silent. Jesse almost expected him to pull his hand away, but instead his grip on his shoulder tightened.

_"When the sky turns grey,_

_And everything is screaming,"_

A soft sigh, "I know. It's… it's okay. I don't blame you."

Jesse shook his head, breathing ragged, "It's not. It's- It's not okay, Lukas."

Lukas cast his eyes to the ground. Slowly, they trailed over to the jukebox.

_"I will reach inside,_

_Just to find my heart is beating,"_

"I like this song," he said, quietly, hand trailing down from Jesse's shoulder to lock fingers with his own, "Haven't heard it in a while, though."

_"Oh, you tell me to hold on,_

_Oh, you tell me to hold on,"_

"I haven't heard it before," Jesse admitted, even quieter than the blond. Lukas hummed slightly, running his thumb over the back of Jesse's hand. He began to gently tug him out of the corner the boy had been attempting to melt into, out into the open space of the second living room. Humming to the music.

_"But innocence is gone,_

_And what was right is wroooong!"_

"Can you dance?"

"I- no."

"Neither can I."

_"'Cause I'm bleeeeeding out,_

_So if the last thing that I do_

_Is to briiiing you down,_

_I'll bleed out for you,"_

"Luk-" Jesse cut himself off with a squeak as he was abruptly spun around, Lukas other hand clasping around his flaying one, so that when the boy finally gathered his bearings, he was already in a soft dance with his friend.

It was slow. Gentle. Just small spins and small steps that kept landing on each others toes, but Lukas laughed every time Jesse stumbled, and Jesse soon found himself laughing everytime Lukas stood on his own toes. By the jukebox, Reuben cocked his head to the side, a piggy grin on his face.

_"So I bare my skin_

_And I count my sins_

_And I close my eyes_

_And I take it in,_

_I'm bleeeeeding out,_

_I'm bleeding out for you,_

_For you."_

Jesse narrowly avoided banging his hip against the table, only to yelp when his feet left the floor, a brief spin in the air, before Lukas sat him back down, grinning. He attempted to glare the blond, but it was ruined by the suppressed twitching of his lips.

_"When the hour is nigh,_

_And hopelessness is sinking in,_

_And the wolves all cry_

_To fill the night with hollering,"_

"I'm… I'm sorry," Jesse said, brow furrowing, "For, you know-"

"It's not your fault," Lukas cut him off, "I mean… I'm not _thrilled_ by it, but… I don't blame you for it. I don't know what I'd do in that position."

_"When your eyes are red,_

_And emptiness is all you know,_

_With the darkness fed,_

_I will be your scarecrow."_

"I'm going to save you."

Lukas smiled, and pressed his forehead against Jesse's, closing his eyes as they circled, "I know you will."

_"You tell me to hold on,_

_Oh, you tell me to hold on,"_

"You… don't hate me?"

Lukas' eyes opened, brow furrowing, but he didn't pull away, "Never. Besides, you've known Petra longer, you, well, _like_ her better-"

"What?" Jesse gasped, heart almost stopping, "Why- Why would you think that?"

_"But innocence is gone,_

_And what was right is wroooong!"_

"I…" Lukas trailed off, brow furrowing perhaps in thought, hands moving from Jesse's elbows to wrap around his waist, pulling him closer in an almost-hug, "Well, I guess because you've known her longer. I didn't stop my friends from bullying you, so…"

"But you never bullied me," Jesse pointed out, "And they're my friends now too."

Lukas stared at him for a moment. Then he huffed a short laugh. "I suppose you're right."

_"'Cause I'm bleeeeding out,_

_So if the last thing that I do_

_Is to briiiing you down,_

_I'll bleed out for you."_

"So you _are_ upset," Jesse whispered, shrinking in on himself, which was quite the task with Lukas' arms around him, "You thought I liked Petra better."

"I was… a bit hurt," Lukas reluctantly admitted, "But… I realise now that you never meant anything by it. And, thinking about it logically, Petra was closer to both you and a waterfall. There was a better chance of you freeing her than of freeing me. Better only one of us than two of us under PAMA's control, you know?"

_"So I bare my skin,_

_And I count my sins,_

_And I close my eyes_

_And I take it in,"_

"I guess," Jesse murmured, mouth twisting downwards, "I don't like PAMA."

Lukas laughed softly, "I don't think any of us do, to be honest."

_"I'm bleeeeding out,_

_I'm bleeding out for you,_

_For you."_

The fast beat was starting to slow. Jesse raised his head a little, finally forcing their foreheads apart, although he didn't tear his eyes from Lukas' blue ones, "Do you think it's going to kill someone?"

"PAMA?" Lukas questioned, without needing to; his eyes briefly darted over to the watching Reuben, "I don't know, Jess. But I do know one thing."

Jesse raised an eyebrow, "Really? What's that?"

_"(I'm bleeding out for you,_

_For you)"_

"That we're going to be okay," Lukas' voice had dropped to a quiet whisper, as though he were sharing a secret, "Even if we die, we're going to be okay. Because that's why we're here, isn't it?"

"To change the future," Jesse sighed, pressing his forehead against the blond's shoulder, "And if we fail?"

_"(I'm bleeding out for you,_

_For you)"_

"We won't."

_"(I'm bleeding out for you,_

_For you)"_

"You don't know that."

"I do," Lukas insisted, resting his cheek on Jesse's head, still gently swaying and spinning, "Because it's us. More importantly, it's you."

_"(I'm bleeding out for you,_

_For you)"_

Confused, Jesse raised his head to look him in the eyes, "What do you mean?"

Lukas smiled, "I mean I know that you won't let anything happen to us. And we won't let anything happen to you."

_"(I'm bleeding out for you)"_

Hadrian's deal burst to the front of Jesse's mind. He cast his eyes downwards. "You don't have to."

_"'Cause I'm bleeeeding out,_

_So if the last thing that I do_

_Is to briiiing you down,_

_I'll bleed out for you."_

"I know I don't," Lukas said, "We know we don't. But we care about you, Jess- love you, even," he smiled, softly, "You're like our little doofus of a brother."

_"So I bare my skin,_

_And I count my sins_

_And I close my eyes_

_And I take it in,"_

Jesse's cheeks coloured, "We're the same age. And I'm not a doofus."

Lukas laughed, "Yeah, you kinda are. When's your birthday?"

"August."

"March. Technically older."

_"I'm bleeeeding out,"_

"That doesn't count!"

"It does," Lukas grinned, pressing his forehead against Jesse's again, "You're my little brother. Our little brother. And we're going to make sure you're okay."

_"I'm bleeding out for you,"_

Jesse closed his shiny eyes. Hadrian's deal. He had to meet the Gladiator's in the garden during lunch.

Maybe he should tell him.

He'll hurt them.

He's going to die.

_"For you…"_

The voice from the jukebox trailed off, leaving behind nothing but the piano music. Slowly, that trailed off too, and the room descended into silence.

Jesse and Lukas stayed like that for a long time, foreheads pressed together, eyes closed. Then Lukas was pulling him into a hug, holding him tightly, and Jesse returned it this time, burying his face into his shoulder.

Breathing.

"Better?" Lukas asked, voice a murmur. Finding himself unable to answer verbally, Jesse nodded into his friend's- _brother's_ \- shoulder. Lukas' grip on him tightened.

"You know," he continued, after a moment, "I think you've gave Ivor a heart attack. He came running the moment he realised you were gone."

Jesse winced, "Sorry."

Lukas shook his head, "No more apologising. You've got nothing to apologise for."

"But I-"

"You shouldn't have sneaked away like that," Lukas said, "Heck, gave us all heart attacks, not just Ivor. Although I haven't ever seen him that panicked before. Just… don't do it again, please? Especially not after what happened in the watching room."

Jesse blinked, then groaned softly, "I had a fit in front of everyone."

"I wouldn't call it a fit, exactly," Lukas sighed, "But… yeah. No one thinks any less of you, though, if that's what you're worried about."

 _He had a panic attack in front of Hadrian._ Jesse felt sick at the thought.

Then Reuben squealed loudly, and Lukas gasped, shooting up, mouth popping open as he stared at the far wall. Jesse's head snapped around to follow his gaze, to the window, overlooking a grouping of trees-

And to the sky, a tapestry of pinks and oranges.

"Oh my god," Lukas muttered, Jesse's own mouth falling. Beside him, the blond shook his head, something like terror striking his face.

"The sun's setting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter's shorter than usual, but my internet's being mean (I've got up extra early to get on the computer and type out the AN's and review replies, so you're welcome). And just to be clear, THIS IS COMPLETELY PLATONIC. There will be absolutely no romantic relationship between Jesse, Lukas, Petra, Axel or Olivia. It'll instead be like in the game, probably, where a relationship is probable but never official. I don't want to see any comments asking if that was all romantic stuff (they call each other their brother, for Notch sake).


	64. Setting Sun

* * *

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Sixty-Four: Setting Sun**

* * *

Jesse and Lukas ran through the halls, Reuben dashing after them. The blond slammed into the front doors, forcing them open, and they skidded to a stop on the porch, staring up at the pink and orange sky.

"How is this possible?" asked Jesse, "I- I thought time held still here!"

"Not anymore, it seems," Lukas muttered, worry clear on his face, "We need to find the others. Come on."

They ran back inside the mansion, heading towards the watching room, mostly due to a lack of a better place to go. Nell was sitting upside down on one of the couches, and her eyes widened upon their entrance.

"Jesse, dude!" she exclaimed, grinning widely as blood rushed to her head, "They've been looking all over for you, brah- I think your dad's tearing apart the mansion."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jesse said, brushing her off, "Have you looked outside?"

Nell blinked, "Well, yeah. This place is pretty radical, huh? With all the birds and the animals. Pretty nice not having to deal with monsters, right?"

"Nell," said Lukas, "The sun's _setting_."

The girl blinked again, "Oh. _Oh_ …" her eyes darted over to the watching room window, up at the pink-orange sky. She blinked again.

"Well, crap."

"Jesse!"

He turned, just in time to be tackled by a dark blur, very nearly sending them both sprawling to the ground. The mess of curls in his face told him the 'dark blur' was Olivia, a fact he was rather surprised with, as he'd originally thought only Axel was strong enough to crush his lungs.

"Where have you _been_?" she asked, pulling away and cupping his cheeks, "You had me worried sick- We've been looking all over for you!"

"I just told him that," Nell piped up, attempting to push herself upright. She slipped further down the couch.

"I- I know," said Jesse, wincing eternally, "I'm sorry."

Olivia sighed, pulling him back into a hug, thankfully less suffocating this time, "I don't think Ivor's going to let you out of his sight for a while."

"I don't think _any_ of us are going to let him out of our sight for a while," Lukas butt in, once more making Jesse wince. The blond's eyes trailed back over to the window. "But I think we've got another problem."

Olivia blinked, confused, and followed his gaze to the window. Her eyes widened. "What? How- What?"

"We need to find everyone else," Lukas declared, "Where are they?"

"Most are looking for Jesse," Olivia murmured, seemingly unable to look away from the slowly darkening sky, "I don't know about anyone else."

"Let's go find them," said Jesse, stepping around Olivia, "We need to figure out what to do. _Now_."

Lukas nodded, Olivia doing so as well, albeit a bit more dumbfoundedly, before they hurriedly followed Jesse out into the hall. Nell scrambled to do the same, only to be sent tumbling quite painfully down to the floor with a loud yelp.

Their search led them all over to the East Wing, which housed the Armoury and the Redstone Lab. Jesse was just starting to consider asking their resident redstone experts if they could somehow put together a device so they could contact each other whenever they needed to, when he ran right into a broad chest.

He'd hardly had time to stumble back and open his mouth to apologise, when equally broad arms wrapped around him and squished him against the very same chest he'd just ran into, squeezing him just as much, if not more, as Olivia had been only a few minutes ago.

"Jesse!" Axel exclaimed, directly into his ear, "You're okay!"

"Ax- Axel!" Jesse gasped, "Can't breathe!"

His large friend almost immediately loosened his grip, but he didn't pull away entirely. Instead, he held him at arm's length, looking him up and down in search of injuries. "Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you!"

"I was with Lukas- Axel, I'm _fine_ ," Jesse insisted, swatting away the hand that was poking at his ribs, "We've got bigger problems."

"Bigger problems?" Axel echoed. He looked up, over Jesse's head, as Lukas, Reuben and Olivia appeared around the corner. Jesse hadn't even realised he'd lost them. "What's going on?"

"Lukas!"

They turned to find Soren running towards them, Gabriel and Petra directly behind him. Their faces were pinched, but there was a flash of relief across Petra's eyes when they landed on Jesse.

Soren came to a stop beside Lukas, hand flying up without thought to grip the blond's shoulder, "We have a problem."

Axel groaned, " _What_ problem? Would someone please explain?"

"The sky," Petra said, running a hand through her hair, "It's-"

"Jesse, there you are," Ellegaard cut her off, turning the corner from the direction of the redstone lab, Magnus next to her, "Ivor's been looking all over for you."

"Never seen the guy so haggard," Magnus grinned, raising an eyebrow as he took in their little unintentional gathering, "What's going on here?"

"Come look," Gabriel said, marching passed Jesse and Axel, towards the Armoury. They shared looks, before hurriedly making their way after him.

The Armoury was made up of iron doors, with stands clad in all sorts of armour along the sides of the walls, furnaces, crafting tables and weapons. In the centre was a fighting ring, softened by red carpet, and enclosed with dark fences in a material Jesse didn't recognise. But most of all, the windows stretched far and wide, multiple, on almost every wall, revealing in perfect clarity the pink-orange sky.

"Oh," Magnus blinked, " _Oh._ "

"I don't understand," Ellegaard breathed, eyes wide, "This place has been in daylight for _weeks_."

"But… if it's been daytime for this long," Axel said, slowly, brow furrowed, "And now it's turning night time… how long is _that_ going to last?"

Olivia released a long breath, pressing her palm into her eyelid, a headache blossoming, "That's the thing. The only reason this place isn't crawling with monsters is because it's always daytime."

"But there're glowstone lights," Jesse pointed out, a tad desperately, "All over the grounds. Maybe it'll be enough to stop them spawning?"

Petra shook her head, "There's a lot of them, but not enough for that, Jesse."

"If the night time lasts as long as the daytime has," Soren said, face grim, "And if it lasts longer… we're bound to run out of food."

"And if we run out of food," said Lukas, "We'll need to go to the farm to get more."

"Which we won't be able to," Gabriel groaned, "With all the monsters."

"Surely we'd be able to fend them off?" asked Magnus, crossing his arms, almost looking offended. Gabriel shook his head.

"Do you not realise the amount that would spawn in weeks of darkness? We'd be overwhelmed within moments, even if every single one of us was a master swordsman."

"Well," murmured Petra, "This is just-"

"There you guys are!" Nell grinned, the iron doors remaining open behind her as another pair of feet replaced hers on the pressure plates, "Jesse, dude, you are _fast-_ "

"Jesse!"

For the third time in under fifteen minutes, Jesse abruptly found himself squashed against a chest in a lung-crushing hug, too surprised to properly react beyond a startled yelp. Over Ivor's shoulder, he spotted Harper hiding a smile behind her hand from where she stood beside Nell. The blond girl twiddled with one of the beads in her hair, smiling a little bit sheepishly at the slowly suffocating boy.

"I, uh, found your dad."

Ivor pulled away, not bothering to send the girl a look, his attention focused solely on the boy in front of him, hands gripping his arms as though afraid he'd vanish into thin air if he let go. His dark blue eyes were shining with concern and- Jesse shrunk in on himself- a bit of hurt. "Where'd you go?"

"I… uh-"

"Hate to break this up- really, I do," Magnus drawled, to Jesse's great relief. He pointed to the windows. "But we have bigger things to deal with."

Ivor shot him a scowl, opening his mouth to probably say something incredibly rude. Then his eyes followed Magnus' finger, widening as he realised just what was wrong. Harper's eyes widened as well.

"Oh dear," she murmured, stepping a little closer as though to get a better look, "This… is strange."

"I thought there was no proper time at the mansion?" asked Ivor, his grip on Jesse's shoulder tightening protectively, "How can the sun be setting if there's _no time?_ "

"There is no point in asking questions," Gabriel declared, almost seeming to stand taller. Beside him, Petra stood a little taller as well. "This is happening, and thus far there is nothing we can do to stop it. The best we can do at this given time is prepare for the worst."

"An overflow of monsters," Ellegaard sighed. Her gaze roamed over to Olivia, giving her a small smile. "I'm gonna need my protege for this one, I think."

"Well, if _you_ get to take _your_ protege to build weird redstone-y stuff," said Magnus, hands planting on his hips, "Then I get to take Axel and build some sweet TNT traps!"

"Uh… are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Harper, "What if you blow up something you didn't mean to?"

Magnus waved her away, "We'll keep away from the mansion and the kids' treehouse and stuff."

"Yeah," Axel said, grinning widely in his excitement, "We can stick to open areas."

"We can build some battle enforcements across the grounds," Soren hummed. His hand had, at some point, trailed down to Lukas' wrist, and was rubbing a thumb along the blond's palm seemingly without even realising he was doing it. "A way to get to the farm and back, even."

"That's a good idea," declared Petra, "And we should have weapons at the ready. Who knows how long it'll take for the sun to actually set."

"Yes," Gabriel frowned, turning his gaze, once more, to the window, "It could take hours. It could take days. There is no way to accurately tell at this point in time," he sighed, "We only know so much."

"Well, no use standing about all willy-nilly," Harper said, hands going to her hips, "If it's going to be nightfall soon, we better prepare, otherwise we're _all_ doomed."

"Let's get to it, then," said Ellegaard, already striding towards the door, "Harper, could you find StampyCat and meet Olivia and I in the lab?"

The inventor nodded. She shot Jesse an assuring smile, something that startled him a bit, and turned her eyes to Ivor, looking as though she were about to say something. But either nothing came to mind or she decided against it, for she closed her slightly open mouth again, shot him a smile that he, surprisingly, returned, before turning around and hastily following after Ellegaard and Olivia.

Magnus made a rather odd noise, something that could have potentially been a snort, but also blundered on a chuckle and danced along the lines of a snicker. Ivor shot him a scowl, the least surprising thing that had happened that entire day, but Magnus only grinned at him and nudged Axel towards the door, following after the three redstone experts. Jesse's broad friend shot him a smile, before he vanished behind the iron doors.

Lukas and Soren made their way after them, while Gabriel and Petra approached the wall of weapons on the other side of the Armoury, talking quietly with each other as they considered their options. Jesse began to follow them, wondering whether it would be a good idea or not to arm _everyone_ , but a hand curling around his elbow brought him to a halt.

"Ivor?" Jesse said, turning to face the potionologist, eyes darting from the hand around his elbow to his face, "What is it?"

Ivor stared at him for a moment, as though contemplating something. Then his mouth set. "I want to check you over."

"What?" Jesse blinked, "Now?"

"Yes, now," Ivor declared, brow furrowing a little, "I want to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine."

"If you were fine, you wouldn't have left."

Any sort of response died on Jesse's tongue. After a moment, Ivor gave a single nod, as though his silence was him agreeing to something. His hand trailed over to the small of Jesse's back, and he led him towards the iron doors, Reuben standing from where he'd been sitting at his feet the whole time and trotting after them.

Jesse glanced over his shoulder, just in time to see Gabriel pulling Petra into a hug. The iron doors closing behind him blocked them from his view.

Ivor led him out of the West Wing and back into the main building. They didn't see anyone, but Jesse was sure he heard voices when they passed the kitchen doors, before they turned the corner and the potionologist was holding open the basement door for him. Jesse murmured a quick thanks, making his way down the stairs, a weight settling on his chest, the type where you know you're in trouble.

He waited for Ivor to close the door behind them, before they both descended the rest of the stairs, coming out into the potionologist's little cove of bookshelves. Ivor made a beeline for the desk, where a tipped over potion bottle had spilt all over it. A pang hit Jesse in the chest when he realised it was the calming potion Ivor had been making for him.

Ivor grabbed a rag and began to clean up the mess, placing the mostly empty potion bottle off to the side so it was out of the way. Not know what to do or even say, Jesse awkwardly shifted his feet, arms crossing over his chest almost self-consciously.

Tossing the dirty rag into a wastebasket, Ivor turned to face Jesse and gestured to the newly cleaned table, "Sit."

The boy did so without complaint, Reuben moving to sit beneath the table. Ivor's hands were on him almost immediately, roaming, poking at certain areas and gently rasping his knuckles against his knees and elbows. His hands roamed up to his face, prodding at his jaw, cupping his face and running his thumbs over his cheeks, before they ventured upwards and ran through his hair.

Satisfied that he was unharmed, Ivor dropped his hands from Jesse's mocha brown hair and pulled him into a hug just as tight as the ones he's had earlier, if not tighter. Jesse, having not expected this (again), squeaked a little, but returned the gesture once he realised he was being hugged.

They sat like that for a long moment, with Reuben poking his head out from beneath the table and cocking his piggy head to the side. Jesse didn't really want to let go, and it almost seemed like Ivor didn't really want to either. So they just sat there.

Something prickled at the back of Jesse's eyes, and he swallowed past a growing lump in his throat, "I- I'm sorry for… running off like that."

Ivor sighed softly, his grip tightening on the boy just a little, "I know. Just… please don't do it again. You scared me."

Guilt twisted and squeezed around Jesse's ribs. He blinked rapidly, burying his face in Ivor's shoulder. "I promise I won't do it again."

He felt Ivor smile against the side of his head, felt his arms squeeze him closer, but the man didn't say another word. After a moment, they finally pulled apart, Ivor's eyes briefly darting to the floor, at Reuben's pink little head. They trailed back up to Jesse.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ivor questioned. Jesse tried for a smile.

"I'm fine."

Ivor hummed, as though he wasn't sure whether he should believe him or not, but he didn't push it. Turning to the cauldron, which, upon further inspection, actually still had some bright liquid at the bottom, Ivor pulled out an empty bottle and scooped it up, before settling it on the potion stand and flicking a switch. A flickering little flame burst into life, slowly heating up the bottled mixture.

"Shouldn't we go help everyone else?" Jesse asked. Ivor shook his head, starting to scoop up the ingredients that he'd left lying scatted about the desk.

"They can handle themselves for a few more minutes," he assured. His brow creased a little, and Jesse abruptly felt as though he were being examined under a microscope. He shrunk back against the wall a little. "You… _are_ aware that none of what happened on that screen is your fault, right?"

The ' _yes'_ danced on the tip of his tongue, but the moment Jesse opened his mouth, it stilled and clung to his taste buds, frozen, dangling on the edge. Ever so slowly, Jesse closed his mouth again, and the word darted back down his throat as though it had never been.

His silence was answer enough. Ivor leant closer, Jesse leaning away until his back was against the wall. The potionologist's brow was creased, his dark eyes shining with a foreign worry that, for some reason, made Jesse's chest warm.

"I want you to understand this," said Ivor, his voice soft, quiet, an uncharacteristic thing for him to do that Jesse was slowly starting to find common of him, "I want you to just take a deep breathe and _think_ for a moment. Alright?"

Tongue tied, Jesse nodded, taking in a deep, trembling breath. Ivor nodded as well, and continued.

"There is nothing- absolutely _nothing_ \- that you could have done," Ivor held up a finger when the boy opened his mouth to protest, "PAMA's strong. It took over an entire _world_. And you didn't know anything about it, you didn't even know what it _was_. And I know for a _fact_ , Jesse," Ivor's hand trailed up, tangling in the back of his hair, "That you will go to the ends of the universe, to the reaches of the stars, to get us _all_ out of this alive."

Tears pooled at the corners of Jesse's eyes, a lump in his throat. Ivor pressed their foreheads together, forcing him to look into the potionologist's own shiny eyes. "And I'm going to make sure that includes you."

Despite his efforts, streams trailed down Jesse's cheeks, and he clenched his eyes shut, clenching his jaw in an attempt to hold back the stubborn sob that clawed and tore and scrapped at his throat. Ivor wiped away a trail of tears with his free hand, before pulling him into another hug, holding him close.

And Jesse cried into his shoulder.

* * *

When they emerged from the basement, the aftertaste of a calming potion still tingling Jesse's tastebuds, there was no one sitting down.

The grounds were alive with motion. Cassie and Lukas were huddled around Soren by the farm, looking at what appeared to be a blueprint of sorts, and with Harper, Ellegaard, Olivia and Stampy at the porch, arguing over the best way to make an arrow dispenser that could either fire separately or all at once depending on what lever you flipped. Dan, Lizzie and Sparklez were busy cutting down trees for wood, and Jesse spotted Slab and Clutch harvesting the farm while Facemeat tended to the animals, practically cooing at them. Magnus and Axel were nowhere in sight.

"I'm going to go talk with Ellegaard," said Ivor, turning to face him, "Would you like to go find your friends?"

In all honesty, Jesse would have much rather preferred to just follow him about like a lost puppy. But he couldn't say that. Even with a calming potion swirling inside him and stopping him from having a full-blown panic attack, he found himself reluctant to leave Ivor's side, but at the same time, he didn't want to annoy him. He glanced down at Reuben, as though hoping he'd have all the answers. The little pig smiled, and Jesse instantly felt better.

"Yeah," he murmured, "I- I think I'm gonna go see what Axel and Petra are doing and… you know, see what I can do to help out."

Ivor nodded, shooting him a small smile, "Just come find me if you need anything, okay?"

Jesse nodded, returning the smile. Ivor reached out and gave his shoulder a quick squeeze, before turning around and making his way over to where the four redstone experts were debating so furiously it blundered on the verge of arguing. Jesse forced himself to take a deep breath, before bending down and scooping up Reuben, clutching his little pig to him as though he were a child seeking comfort in his teddy bear after a particularly gruesome nightmare. Jesse remembered doing something similar when they were younger.

He ventured out into the trees, returning a wave from Dan. It was so weird, the shadows creeping along the grass, the slowly darkening sky, after so long in the bright, seemingly never ending sun. It was almost like it had all been a dream that was starting to shatter.

Even though they hadn't talked about the shadow monster that lurked in the halls, Jesse was fairly certain it was on both his and Ivor's minds. What scared him was the thought that maybe it had never actually _hurt_ anyone because the sun had been out, because it had been light and bright and warm. But what will happen when it's dark, when the monsters pop into existence, when frost creeps along the windows? Jesse didn't know.

He wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

He reached the treehouse without putting Reuben down, and had the sudden temptation to climb the ladder and never come back down. Just curl up among the blankets, lock the trapdoor and just go to sleep. Just stop existing.

"Rather beautiful, isn't it?"

Even with the potion stopping his heart from thundering from his chest, a chill still raced up Jesse's spin. His grip on Reuben tightened considerably and, with all the strength he could muster, he resisted the urge to scramble up into the treehouse. Instead, he forced himself to turn around.

Hadrian was leaning against a tree, face dramatically cast in shadows. He cocked his head to the side when his eyes locked with Jesse's, possibly noting his stiff posture, the tension in his legs, how he looked ready to run. The man raised an almost mocking eyebrow.

"The sky," he clarified, "It's rather beautiful. Isn't it?"

His tongue was tied. Jesse said nothing.

Hadrian hummed, as though disappointed, "You're being a little rude, Jason," he shook his head, "Children have no respect anymore."

"What do you want?" Jesse asked, hating how his voice cracked, hating how it broke, hating how Hadrian's eyes glinted when he noticed. The ageing man smirked.

"Let's cut to the chance then, shall we, sport?" he said, pushing himself off the tree, striding towards him. Jesse remained where he was, glued to the grass, holding his little pig in a death grip. Reuben was almost starting to growl.

Hadrian stopped in front of him, clasping his hands together, still smirking. Then it fell, a deadly seriousness melting away his cheerful little mask, a terror striking at the pit of Jesse's stomach. "See the sun setting?" Hadrian said, "It changes nothing."

"What- What do you mean?"

"You know fine well what I mean, Jason," declared Hadrian, correctly, "It changes _nothing._ Understand?"

Jesse swallowed thickly. Forced himself to nod. Hadrian smiled.

"Good. Now, what is it that you're going to do at lunchtime?"

His throat hurt. Had there been no calming potion in his system, Jesse was almost certain he would have been holding back tears. Hadrian raised his eyebrows.

"I'm waiting."

"I'm going to meet the Gladiators in the garden," muttered Jesse.

"And who are you going to tell?"

Jesse bit the inside of his cheek, "No one."

"Put the pig down."

His head snapped up, "What?"

"Put the pig down," Hadrian said, firmly, "It's not going to be with you when you meet with the Gladiators. Understood?"

His legs were starting to tremble. Reuben whined, twisting to look at him with big, brown piggy eyes. Jesse swallowed again, blinking rapidly, and took a deep, shuddering breath. With incredibly reluctance, he sat Reuben at his feet, feeling incredibly cold as he straightened. Hadrian beamed.

"Good boy," he praised, "Now, remind me. What am I going to do if you don't do what I say?"

Jesse was fairly certain his legs had turned to jelly, his tongue to sandpaper. He balled trembling hands into fists and shoved them into his pockets, too scared to be startled when his knuckles hit something hard- the little toy robot Ivor had given him.

Ivor. He wrapped his hand around the toy and clung to it as though it were a lifeline.

"Well?" Hadrian said, leaning forward, eyes freezing cold, "What am I going to do if you don't do what I say, Jason?"

A deep breath that shuddered in his chest. A prickle at his eyes. "You'll kill my friends."

Hadrian smiled, "There we go, sport. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Jesse looked down at Reuben, who was bumping his head against his leg, whining. Hadrian reached out and ruffled his hair, smile widening when Jesse shrunk away. Reuben shot the ageing man a glare that he either didn't notice or didn't care for.

"I'll see you around, Jason," said Hadrian, turning around and starting to make his way back out into the trees. He paused at the edge of the clearing. "Or maybe the Gladiator's will get bored and decide to do it a little earlier than planned. Keep our deal in mind if that happens, won't you?"

He didn't wait for Jesse to answer, but then again, Jesse doubted he would have answered anyhow. Struggling to breathe _(why wasn't the calming potion working?),_ he tugged out the little robot, its head having turned at some point to face the treeline. For a split second, Jesse thought it was almost glaring, but when he turned its head, there was nothing but two little dots for eyes.

Jesse's eyes darted over to Hadrian, a flash of relief striking his chest when he vanished into the trees. He sniffed, wiped his eyes, before bending down and scooping Reuben up again, holding his little piggy close, the little red robot still clutched in his hand.

He spun around and made his way towards the treehouse. Above him, the sky, streaked with pinks and oranges that were ever so slowly melding into purples, ever so slowly darkening to reveal the winks of a thousand stars, like a timer in his head.

Ticking to his death.


	65. Greetings, Detective Jesse

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Sixty-Five: Greetings, Detective Jesse**

* * *

"Petra."

The girl paused in the middle of rummaging through one of the Armoury chests. She looked up, forcing her face out of the hardened scowl it had been in for the past few minutes, and locked eyes with Gabriel. The warrior was standing just at the edge of the small platform that housed the chest and a row of armour stands, watching her, something she couldn't place in his eyes.

"Yeah?" Petra said, only a little hesitantly. Gabriel gestured for her to come over and, confused, the redhead looked from him to the chest, before standing up and allowing it to slam closed again.

She made her way over to the dark-skinned warrior, coming to a stop in front of him. She almost stepped down off the platform, but changed her mind at the last second when she realised they were the same height this way. If Gabriel noticed this, he didn't mention it.

"I've been meaning to speak with you," he said, "About… the events of the episode."

Oh. Oh no, no, no. This was the last thing Petra wanted the think about, the last thing she wanted on her mind, the last thing she wanted to _talk_ about. She didn't want to think about Jesse choosing her over Lukas, she didn't want to think about how _she_ was the reason they were in this mess in the first place, she didn't want to think about the tears that had stained her honorary little brother's cheeks as he struggled to breathe around his stammering stream of apologies. She didn't want to think about the terror that had squeezed her chest when Ivor came running in, frantic eyes darting to and fro, and yelled about how Jesse was missing.

"I just want to make sure you are… alright," Gabriel continued, "You appeared upset during the watching."

Petra shook her head, " _I_ looked upset? Gabriel, have you even _seen_ Jesse and Lukas?"

"I know," he said, raising a hand to stop her from going into a rant, "I know. But even if you aren't as upset as they are, it doesn't mean that you aren't upset at all."

She opened her mouth, but any sort of retort died on her tongue. A moment passed, and she slowly closed her mouth again, jaw clenching briefly. Gabriel's brow furrowed slightly, that look she couldn't identify back in his eyes.

"I'm worried," he declared, taking a small step closer so he was standing on the platform as well, their height difference appearing immediately. His hands, freed from their usual gauntlets, reached out and gently took hold of Petra's. "For both you onscreen and off. I want- _need_ , rather, to know if you're alright."

Petra stared up at him, swallowed passed the steadily forming lump in her throat. She breathed deeply. "I… I've been better."

Gabriel's eyes softened, and he smiled sadly, "I believe we've all been better, at this point."

The redhead laughed, but it came out choked. She sniffed, wiping the liquid beading at her eyes, and within moments Gabriel's arms were wrapped around her, pulling her against his chest. At the back of her mind, Petra realised that they didn't have time for this, that they needed to prepare for a nightfall that could last for who knows how long, but when she tried to tell him this, all that came out was a strangled sob.

She clenched her jaw, bit her tongue, because _no_. No, she didn't deserve to cry. She didn't need to cry, didn't want to, didn't deserve to, _because it was all her fault in the first place_. Jesse shouldn't have saved her. Lukas hadn't done anything wrong.

This was all her fault.

Gabriel held her closer, protective arms strong around her. Something wet dripped onto her shoulder.

"It's not."

* * *

Jesse wasn't sure how long he hid in the treehouse. But when he forced himself to emerge once he'd make certain the stains on his cheeks had been scrubbed out of existence, everything looked exactly as it had been when he'd hid himself away. Of course, this wasn't entirely unexpected; time may not be as frozen as they had originally thought, but it had definitely been slowed down considerably.

With Reuben cradled securely in his arms, Jesse made his way through the trees, purposefully going in the opposite direction Hadrian had left, even though he knew that he was probably long gone by now. Up in a tree, a parrot twittered, before setting off into the pink sky in a flutter of wings and feathers. Reuben's eyes trailed after it over Jesse's shoulder.

He didn't run into any of his friends, something he wasn't sure if he was happy about or not. Something he _was_ quite happy about, though, was that he didn't run into anyone who… wasn't his friend.

Now that he thought about it, he wasn't really sure who he _could_ consider his friend beyond Axel, Lukas, Petra, Olivia, Ivor and the rest of the original Order of the Stone. There was, of course, Aiden and the Blaze Rods, and the newly dubbed 'Order of the YouTubers' (he still didn't know what a 'YouTuber' was, but whatever), and Nell was also incredibly friendly. But what about everyone else? What about the people he hadn't exactly interacted with all that much?

Otto seemed friendly enough, and Slab hadn't acted like he'd wanted to outright murder him after he'd accidentally left him blind during Release. And Harper didn't seem all that bad either, and besides, Ivor definitely seemed to trust her. Surely if _he_ trusted her, Jesse could too?

The boy shook his head, brow furrowing. He was thinking too much into this. Of course he was thinking too much into this. Harper may have built PAMA, but he hardly blamed her for what had happened to Crown Mesa or… or Petra and Lukas. But surely Hadrian wasn't working alone? He was to meet with the Gladiators, after all. Then again, he supposedly knew more about the mansion than anyone else.

Who knew what he could be hiding.

Eventually, Jesse found his way back to the main pathway and followed it to the front door of the mansion. He spotted Lukas, whose arm was still in a cast, stacking more fences atop the ones that made up the farm, making them taller. Meanwhile, Cassie, with a terribly obvious limp, appeared to be talking with Harper, pointing to certain spots around the farm, something about a redstone trail. Soren was close by, frequently glancing up from his work as though to check on them.

It was in one of these glances that he locked eyes with Jesse, and the architect smiled kindly, waving him over. Slightly startled, Jesse made his way over, hoisting Reuben a little further up in his arms. Soren straightened when he reached him, dusting dirt off his pants.

"There you are, Jesse," he said, "Did you find Axel?"

Jesse shook his head. Soren hummed, a hand going to his hip.

"I hope they haven't blown anything up yet," he murmured, casting suspicious eyes towards the treeline. He shook his head, returning his attention to Jesse. "Well, Ivor's looking for you. Something about wanting your help with some potions in the basement? I didn't know you were a potionologist."

Jesse shuffled his feet, a heat rising up his neck, "Uh, I- I'm learning."

Soren blinked, brow furrowing in confusion. Then realisation dawned on his face and his lips twitched upwards, something sparkling in his eyes. "Ah, I see. Well, better get to it, then."

Almost feeling as though he'd just revealed something Ivor didn't really want anyone to find out, Jesse nodded mutely and hurriedly made his way back inside the mansion. From where she was helping Stampy set up a dispenser above the door, Olivia shouted a greeting and waved. Forcing a smile that blundered on the verge of a grimace, Jesse waved him the best he could without putting Reuben down, and ducked inside.

He made his way back to the basement, hesitantly descending the stairs, wondering if he should tell Ivor that Soren knew he was teaching him potions. But what if he decided to stop teaching him? It wasn't even that Jesse wanted to learn potions that bad- it was interesting, and he was enjoying it, but he knew he didn't want to tell Ivor he'd told Soren for a different reason. One he didn't really want to admit.

Ivor was standing in front of the cauldron, which bubbled away, trails of pink tinted stream floating up to the ceiling. Forcing his pounding heart to calm, Jesse made his way down the rest of the stairs and entered the little cove, holding Reuben just a little closer. "Ivor?"

The potionologist started at his sudden voice, twisting to look at him. Ivor blinked, then smiled. "Hello, Jesse. Care to lend me a hand?"

Jesse opened his mouth, but then closed it and simply nodded. He sat Reuben down, patted him on the head, before moving to stand beside Ivor. The potionologist nodded at him, still smiling, and pushed a group of ingredients towards him.

"We're making harming potions for some of Ellegaard's dispensers," Ivor explained, picking up a cutting knife, "These ones are a bit more complicated, and you have to cut them a certain way. Think you can handle that?"

Jesse looked from Ivor to the knife. He set his jaw, nodded and took it from him.

"Yeah."

* * *

It was quite some while before they were gathering back into the watching room. Even after scrubbing his hands with soap and warm water for almost twenty minutes, Jesse's fingers still smelled like spider eyes and nether warts. Which, mind you, didn't smell all that pleasant.

The grounds were littered with trails of expertly hidden redstone, and grim-faced dispensers adored the outer walls of the mansion. The farm was highly reinforced, but Jesse didn't get much details on what they'd done exactly. Same with whatever Axel and Magnus had been up to. Whenever someone asked, they just grin at each other and laugh. Some were rather afraid to find out what they'd been up to.

The minute Jesse sat down with Reuben in his lap, Petra and Lukas squeezed him between them. For a moment, he froze, something cold crawling through his chest. Then Lukas wrapped an arm around his shoulders and Petra's arm snaked around his waist, so that he was being practically cuddled. Slowly, the cold ebbed away, and with an unexpected burst of pure relief, Jesse sunk into their warmth and clung on.

Olivia seated herself beside Petra, while Axel sat down next to Lukas. Gabriel and Soren came up at one point, speaking quietly to the redhead and blond, but Jesse wasn't really paying attention, too deep in thought. Then Soren ran his fingers through Lukas' hair and Gabriel pressed his forehead against Petra's, and just like that they were gone, returned to the couch with Harper and the rest of the original Order.

"You guys okay?" Axel asked, keeping his voice low so only they could hear him. Lukas smiled reassuringly.

"We'll be fine, Axel. Let's… just get this over with."

Axel looked as though he were about to protest. But before he could, Magnus jabbed the remote at the screen, and it burst into life.

Jesse burst through a set of double doors, twisting around so fast he might as well have not moved at all, slamming the doors shut. He leant against them, gloved palms spread across the wood, gasping in ragged breaths. Tears were still obvious on his cheeks, still shone in his eyes, and for a moment it almost seemed like he was panting from something other than exhaustion.

The screen cut to behind him, Ivor side and arm appearing on the left side of the screen. His voice was surprisingly soft. " _Harper and Lukas?"_

Harper winced at the reminder of her abduction, having completely forgotten about it. Without thought, her hand reached out, fingers curling around the sleeve of Ivor's robe. The potionologist glanced at her, before twisting his hand so that she was clinging to it instead. Harper didn't mind.

She liked it better, even.

Jesse turned around, the tears on his face becoming even more obvious. His eyes shone, and he closed them, slowly shaking his head in something that almost resembled shame.

From where she was seated on the floor behind Ivor, Petra sighed, a trail of blood gleaming as it dripped from her nose. Her face was terribly pale. " _Darn it."_

"Her nose is bleeding," Gabriel muttered, more to himself than anyone else, his brow furrowed. His eyes darted over to Harper. "Is that normal?"

The inventor winced apologetically, "I… don't know. This is the first time I've seen a human freed from PAMA's control."

Gabriel sighed, "Of course it is."

Abruptly, Petra drew in a sharp intake of breath, hand snatching up to clutch at her forehead. Jesse immediately stepped forwards, seemingly unaware of his still present tears, eyes wide.

" _Jesse, I-I- I'm sort of remembering something,"_ declared Petra, pressing her palm into her forehead, " _From when I was…_ chipped _that seemed very important to PAMA."_

Ellegaard cocked her head to the side, "Oh?"

Onscreen, Jesse moved to stand in front of her, next to Ivor. Petra's brow was furrowed in concentration, face pinched in pain, as though she had the worst headache of all time. " _Tall, glowing red lights, but I- I…"_ she shook her head, frustrated, " _I can't quite make out what they are. It's like a fuzzy dream. Kind of… giving me a headache..."_

The real Petra released a long breath, casting her eyes downwards. Goosebumps dotted up her arms. She hunched a little closer to Jesse.

Jesse and Ivor looked at each other, concern written across their faces. Petra shook her head, almost tripping over her own tongue. " _But I can try to remember it more clearly if you need me to,"_ her hand went back up to her head, releasing a shaky breath, " _It was so strange… sharing other people's senses and thoughts and memories at the same time."_

Lukas eyes widened, "Wow."

"This may not be the time," Axel murmured, "But that sound so _cool_."

" _It's- It's all like one big blur now…"_ Petra trailed off, hand trailing down from her head. Blinking, as though confused, she wiped the blood from her nose and stared in surprise when her glove came away red. A streak of crimson across her upper lip.

"It's strange," frowned Sparklez, "Why didn't the zombie get a nosebleed?"

"A zombie's dead," Harper pointed out, tapping her bottom lip thoughtfully, "Skeleton's don't even _have_ blood, creepers don't even have _noses_ … and spiders have a different anatomy altogether. Just because they don't bleed, it doesn't mean they don't go through the same brain trauma that Petra has."

"Brain trauma?" echoed Gabriel, the kids on the blanketed floor twisting around to stare at the inventor with wide, slightly terrified eyes. Harper froze, then grimaced, hastily raising her hands.

"I'm sure she's fine!" she assured, "It's not like she's passed out or is acting weird or anything. She'll probably be tired for a while, but… yeah…"

"Do you even _know_ if she'll make a full recovery?" asked Olivia, face paling, "You said that you've never seen a human be unchipped."

Harper bit her lip. She didn't answer.

" _How are you feeling?"_ asked Jesse.

Petra sighed, " _Pretty awful,"_ her face hardened, " _But I'll get over it."_

Gabriel blinked, then shook his head. What was _with_ these kids? Maybe Soren was right about that therapy thing…

Onscreen, Jesse's brow furrowed, but he said nothing of it. He reached out, locking hands with the redhead and helping her to her feet. Petra swayed only for a moment, and smiled at him weakly.

" _Thanks for asking."_

Jesse smiled back, " _You bet. Okay,"_ he turned his attention towards the room beyond, brow setting in what could only be determination as he began to march towards it, " _We may be down, but we're not out."_

"That's the spirit!" cheered Magnus.

The boy turned so that he was facing the two, walking backwards, " _Harper told us to find her… headset thing. We just have to find whatever-it-is before PAMA chips Harper,"_ he turned back around, leading them down the hallway, " _And starts downloading her mind."_

Harper winced, grateful for Ivor reassuringly squeezing her hand, "Yes, that… that sounds like a good idea."

" _What's so important about this Harper person?"_ asked Petra, speeding up a little so she was walking next to Jesse, unaware of the streak of blood across her cheek. They descended down a short staircase.

" _She may have come across like just another weirdo,"_ said Jesse, " _But she's actually an Old Builder."_

Harper opened her mouth to protest, but then faltered. She closed it again. "Okay. Okay, fine, that's true."

Ivor shrugged, "It's weird to not be weird?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, amused, "I suppose that's true as well, I suppose."

" _She built the Portal Network,"_ Jesse continued, " _Which hopefully means she can help us get home."_

"And there's also the fact that if PAMA chips her, it'll know how to build a Portal and spread to other worlds… so…" Gill trailed off, smiling weakly in response to the look Maya gave him.

" _That's a pretty good reason to rescue somebody,"_ Petra admitted. She reached up and attempted to wipe the blood from her face, but only smeared it more.

" _We're going to work with her to shut PAMA down, save her people,"_ explained Jesse. He came to a stop and turned around to face them, a look that was a mix of guilt and despair crossing his face. " _And that will hopefully free Lukas too."_

The blond sighed at the reminder, abruptly wishing that Soren was still sitting next to him. He settled for curling up against Jesse, resting his cheek on top his head and closing his eyes. Despite the descent rest he'd got the night (well, you get what he meant) before, he found himself tired. Lukas just wanted to sleep all this away.

Onscreen, Jesse cast his eyes downwards, which glinted strangely in the light of the sea lanterns. Petra and Ivor's expressions immediately saddened, Petra biting her lip and looking away. For a moment, Ivor looked as though he were about to step forward and do something with his arms, but then Jesse was turning away and they approached the inner workings of Harper's laboratory.

" _Whoa,"_ the boy breathed, Petra and Ivor walking passed him to get a closer look, gaping. The place was huge, chests one way and redstone the other. Two tank-like things were there, one further back than the other, and lit redstone lined the farthest wall. To the left was what appeared to be a portrait.

"Why," said Olivia, slowly, "Can't I _be there_?"

"Oh, I knooow," Stampy groaned, slumping against Dan, "That place looks so- so- so-"

"Redstone?" Dan tried. Stampy paused, considering this, then nodded once.

"Yes. It looks very redstone."

" _Before she was abducted, Harper gave me this,"_ said Jesse, pulling out Harper's poppy as the two gathered around him, " _She told me to give it to someone named 'Harry.'"_

Cassie paused, the snorted, "You and your Harry Potter references."

"Hey, you love Harry Potter just as much as I do," Harper declared, pointing a finger at her. Cassie actually stuck her tongue out at her, surprising both herself and pretty much everyone else in the room.

Soren blinked at the display. Then smiled broadly.

Petra raised an eyebrow, " _And_ that _would find this 'headset' thing?"_

" _That's…"_ Jesse frowned, unsure, " _What she said."_

" _Are you sure Harper hasn't… you know,"_ Petra tapped her helmet, " _Completely lost it?"_

"I'm pretty sure _all_ the Old Builders are completely lost it," whispered Em, only loud enough for Nell to hear.

" _When people are alone by themselves for a really long time,"_ Petra continued, " _It's bad for their health."_

Magnus looked from Soren to Harper, thought for a moment, opened his mouth, closed it, and then finally shrugged, "Eh."

" _It, uh,_ " Jesse's eyes darted to the side, "Does _looks as though she's… lost her way a little."_

Axel snorted quietly.

" _Aaand found it again,"_ Petra said, a hand going to her hip, " _Leading right to Crazy Town."_

Harper rolled her eyes, "Harsh."

" _Watch your tone!"_ Ivor snapped, Petra raising a surprised eyebrow at him, " _She is a genius and should be treated as such."_

Magnus broke out into a broad grin, snickering. Ellegaard hid her own grin in his shoulder. Ivor shot them an irritated look, which turned into a proper scowl when Gabriel nudged his shoulder and looked pointedly at his and Harper's interlocked hands.

Onscreen, the potionologist faltered, " _Although even I have to admit this is a bit much."_

"Trust me when I say I _know_ how crazy I must seem," Harper said, "But when you've been alone for as long as I have, you'd do anything to hear someone else's voice. Even if it's… robotic."

Petra shrugged, turning around to face the lab, " _She may have built this place a little weird, but I guess we shouldn't judge her_ too _harshly."_

" _Especially when we need her to help to save everyone who's been chipped by PAMA,"_ pointed out Ivor, voice blundering on a shout. Petra's eyes widened a little, and she winced.

" _Good point."_

" _Right now,"_ Jesse cut in, still holding the poppy, " _We need to focus on finding the headset. For starters, let's see if we can figure out who 'Harry' is,"_ he frowned at the poppy, " _And why he wants flowers."_

"That's such an _odd_ sentence," murmured Stacy. Stampy nodded in agreement.

Petra and Ivor nodded at him, before turning around and cautiously making their way into the lab. Jesse looked down at the poppy again, free hand darting up to wipe at his eyes, before he pocketed it and turned his attention towards the lab.

"He's really upset," Harper sighed, keeping her voice so low that only Ivor could hear her. The potionologist glanced down at the boy on the carpet, and suppressed a sigh of his own.

"Yes," he whispered back, "I believe he valued friendship over all else. He'd die for them," his eyes trailed down to his lap, "That's what worries me most."

A portrait to the left catching his eye, Jesse made his way over to it, cocking his head a little as he read the sign aloud, "' _Prototype: Autonomous Management Agent'?"_ his eyes widened in realisation, darting over to the tiny little computer in the portrait, " _Huh, so that's what 'PAMA' means."_

"PAMA's a prototype?" asked Ellegaard, curiously. Harper hummed and nodded.

"The one in the portrait is, anyway. I had big plans for PAMA, and just… it went 'useful' before I could do much else."

Jesse then turned his attention to the portrait, taking in the smiling, young and black-haired Harper that was sitting with the little PAMA. A curious, sad sort of look came over Jesse's face. " _They look so happy."_

Ivor blinked, cocking his head a little. They really did.

It made him a little sad, for some reason.

Turning his attention away from the portrait, Jesse began to wander around the lab, glancing down curiously at a trail of yellow stained glass on the floor as he passed. His eyes followed it to another one of Harper's robots, this one with what appeared to be a block of packed ice in its frame, and a skeleton skull for a head.

" _Another_ one?" said Em, raising an eyebrow.

"They may be weird," Stampy shrugged, "But you gotta admit, they're pretty cool. Imagine having things like those outside a building to greet people?"

Em shot him a deadpan look, "I'd end up punching it out of outright confusion."

" _Little weird…"_ murmured Jesse. He leant forward a little to get a better look at the ice in the picture frame. " _Huh. This frame's got an ice block in it."_

His eyes trailed downwards, to the jukebox beside it, which housed a button. Shrugging, Jesse kicked it, and the greeter whirred to life.

" _Hello, Harper!"_ it said in it's mechanical, cheerful voice, " _It's Margaret. So good to see you! Hope you've been well."_

"Okay," blinked Magnus, "I see why you'd punch it."

" _You've got to melt that ice around your heart,"_ 'Margaret' continued, unaware of the slightly amused look Jesse was giving it, " _And forgive yourself. You're not the one to blame."_

"Wow," Sparklez blinked, hand going to his heart, "That is _sad_."

"I think my heart just burst," muttered Lizzie, also with her hand over her heart. Stampy looked as though he were in physical pain.

Ivor bit the inside of his cheek, and, after a moment of hesitation, squeezed the inventor's hand. Harper blinked, surprised, and shot him a grateful smile. He returned it.

Jesse's amusement melted into sadness, eyes dropping downwards. After a moment, he reached out and took the ice block from the picture frame, careful not to drop it. The screen cut to three trails of lit redstone on the other side of a cobblestone fence going up a staircase of yellow wool, all of which flickered out of life at once.

" _Ohhh, okay,"_ Jesse breathed. He returned the ice to the frame, and the three trails of redstone lit up once more. There were other trails on either side, unlit, with different coloured wool.

"Oh!" exclaimed Olivia, "I see now! A certain object in a certain picture frame must light up a certain trail of redstone!"

"Really?" asked Maya, lips twitching jokingly, "You certain?"

Olivia pulled a face at her.

" _So having the right item in the frame activates the circuit!"_ Jesse exclaimed, face lighting up, " _Neat!"_

"That _is_ pretty cool," Stacy admitted. Harper beamed at her.

Jesse left Margaret the skeleton headed robot to her ice block, eyes darting across the floor in search of another trail of stained glass. He came to a small study corner of sorts, with a line of bookshelves along the wall, a chair and a desk with an open book upon it. Ivor stood beside the chair, tapping his chin as he looked across the shelves.

" _So,"_ Jesse said, making the man jump a little; he must have been unaware of his presence, " _What do you think of Harper's lab?"_

" _I'm highly impressed,"_ Ivor admitted. His face fell a little, eyes trailing over to the portrait of young Harper and PAMA, " _Although that portrait does make me sad. Look how happy they used to be together."_

"He loooooves her," Magnus whispered, just loud enough for Ivor's head to swirl around and glare at him, although the effect was ruined by the way it turned into a tomato with a beard.

Jesse hummed sadly, crossing his arms over his chest almost as though to hug himself, " _Hey, did you hear these fake friends Harper's got set up?"_

Ivor's brow furrowed, looking over at the other 'fake friend' stationed beside them, " _Yes. I feel sorry that she was so alone she felt like that's what she had to do."_

"I don't need your pity," Harper muttered, only loud enough for the potionologist to hear. He shook his head.

"It's not pity," he assured, "It's… well. It kind of reminds me of Soren."

Harper raised an eyebrow at him, "And you don't feel pity for Soren?"

Ivor faltered, then shook his head, "Not necessarily. I don't feel sorry for him. If anything, I'm concerned."

The inventor shot him a considering look, lips twitching a little, "Is… this your discreet way of saying you're worried about me?"

Ivor turned beat red, rambling so fast that she couldn't even make out what he was saying. Harper only smiled at him. She felt quite warm.

Onscreen, Ivor's eyes trailed to the floor, something like nostalgia crossing his face, " _Reminds me a little of Soren."_

Soren paused, "Should I be offended?"

Magnus twisted his face in consideration, "Hmm… nah."

Jesse blinked, eyes casting around the lab. They trailed to the floor. " _Yeah, you're right."_

" _Well,"_ said Ivor, a more cheerful note entering his voice, " _That's why it's good we're here to help."_

"He _so_ likes her," whispered Magnus. Ellegaard snorted, nodding in agreement.

Jesse's attention turned to the open book on the desk. Curious, he made his way over, humming as he took in the amount on the shelves. " _She read to keep busy,"_ his eyebrows raised to his hairline, and he shifted the book on the desk, bewildered, " _There's so much techno-babble and numbers in here, I can barely tell if I'm holding it rightside up or not."_

Petra snorted.

He picked it up, closing it to get a look at the cover, "' _The Redstone Heart'? By…"_ his eyes widened, " _Soren? Whoa. Either that name's a coincidence or…"_ he shook his head, putting it back down, " _Wow."_

Gabriel shook his head, "That name _must_ be a coincidence. How could Soren's books have spread to other worlds?"

"I'm unsure," Otto said, lips twitching, "It's quite the mystery, isn't it?"

Jesse left Ivor and the coincidental book, making his way over to the other greeter, this one with an empty picture frame and a creeper head. He hummed thoughtfully, tapping his lip as he observed. " _This frame's empty…"_

"Maybe that's Harry?" suggested Lukas.

Turning his attention to the button on the jukebox next to it, Jesse kicked it, and the fake friend whirred into speech, it's mechanical voice much deeper than Margaret and Ron's, " _Hey, Harper! It is wonderful to see you,"_ Ivor turned around, hands going to his hips as he raised an eyebrow at the greeter. Jesse shrugged at him. " _You've always been like a bright beacon- a torch- of hope to this world's citizens. Brighter than all the world's redstone! You made all our lives better."_

"It's getting sad again," Stampy whimpered. Dan wrapped his arm around his shoulder, pulling him close.

"Wait a minute," Ellegaard frowned, "Is this… is this a puzzle?"

Harper grinned, "Perhaps."

The sad look returned to Jesse's face. He turned away from the unnamed robot, making his way across the lab, passed some sort of glass station. Spotting Petra leaning against the wall a little ways from it, he made his way over.

Gabriel immediately perked up, wondering if she was okay. Ellegaard raised a knowing eyebrow at him.

Spotting him, Petra straightened and pushed herself off the wall, hesitance crossing her face, " _Thanks for saving me back there, Jesse,"_ she said, quietly. Jesse's face fell, eyes darting away so he wasn't looking at her. " _I know with both me and Lukas chipped, it… can't have been an easy decision."_

The real Jesse swallowed thickly, blinking rapidly. Lukas and Petra's hold on his tightened.

" _I don't know what I would have done in your position,"_ Petra admitted, guilt in her downcast eyes. Jesse's hand shot up and wiped hastily at his eyes, something she didn't appear to notice.

" _We're still going to save Lukas,"_ Jesse insisted, voice cracking only slightly, " _Don't you worry about that."_

Petra raised her eyes to him, almost seemed to attempt a smile. Her hand raised and wiped the last of the blood from her face. " _I'll try not to."_

"I'm sure I'm fine," Lukas assured, albeit weakly, "It's- It's not like PAMA would hurt me," he faltered, eyes trailing over to Harper, "Right?"

The inventor shook her head, "No, PAMA doesn't hurt any of its… 'puppets.' You wouldn't be useful injured."

Soren's brow furrowed worriedly, "What would it do if he _was_ injured?"

Harper hesitated, eyes darting away to avoid looking at him, "Well, he would be… disposed of."

Jesse paled, "Disposed of?"

"But he's not injured!" the inventor rushed to point out, "So PAMA won't hurt him."

"Yeah- Yeah, guys," said Lukas, smiling a rather forced smile. His face was the colour of porridge. "It's not like-"

_CRASH!_

Jesse jumped, bonking heads with the blond. Gabriel, Reginald, Petra and Isa leapt to their feet, and all at once every audience member's head swivelled to the archway that led out into the hall.

There was a long, breathless pause. The episode wasn't playing anymore. No one remembered pausing it.

Then another sound, a different sound, one that didn't come from the hallway. A sound that had Jesse's heart leaping into his throat, his eyes trailing over to the portrait of a sheep, just over Hadrian's head. The sheep blinked.

_Tap, tap, tap._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you ask Petra/Lukas if they were okay, tell them to rest or to try and remember? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Okay, so maybe this chapter was supposed to go all the way to the headset scene. And maybe I cut it short because it wasn't done in time because it turned out I had three other mock exams to take (two history, one media). And maybe I've spent most of today finishing it.
> 
> Just maybe.


	66. Harper's Headset

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Sixty-Six: Harper's Headset**

* * *

Out the corner of his eye, Jesse say the colour drain from Petra's face. Then everyone leapt into action so fast that his head spun. Petra and Reginald darted towards the portrait, which collapsed beneath the Captain of the Guard's golden blade to reveal nothing but an empty passageway. A group of people ran out into the corridor- he caught sight of Magnus, Ellegaard, Axel, Olivia and Harper, but others were too fast for him to spot- while Gabriel metalized seemingly out of thin air beside Petra, grabbing her wrist and dragging her to a safe distance from the open passageway. Ivor appeared at Jesse's side, a potion in one hand, poised to throw, his other held protectively in front of the boy as though to shield him. Reuben huddled around his feet.

A long moment passed in tense silence, the remaining members of the audience holding their breaths as their waited in anticipation for something to happen. For a face to appear. For an attack. For a wisp of cold, black shadow.

But nothing happened.

Cautiously, Reginald inched closer to the passageway and stuck his head through the portrait hole. He looked left, and then right, before slowly retracting and turning to face the others. Confusion was evident on his face, and Jesse knew what he was going to say before he even said it.

"It's empty," he clarified.

The tension fell immediately, but only a second after did Jesse catch annoyance flickering across Petra's face. She opened her mouth to say something, probably something harsh or to at least express her irritation, when there was a short shout from the hallway.

The mysterious tapping flying from his mind, Jesse's heart leapt, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, bones almost jumping out of his skin. Eyes widening as he realised something was wrong, he ducked under Ivor's arm and dashed out into the hallway, Reuben squealing loudly and hurriedly darting after him. Ivor shouted something Jesse didn't catch, and he didn't stop to hear him.

He skidded around the corner, almost tripping over the pants leg of his dungarees and hitting his shoulder against the opposite wall. Pushing himself off it, his eyes locked with Dan, and he was startled to find him kneeling next to Stampy, the orange-hoodie wearing boy clutching at his head. In the centre of the hallway, next to a small table, were the shards of a clay pot, dirt dumped about the floor and an orange tulip lying within it.

"What happened?" Jesse asked. Ellegaard glanced over at him, unsurprised at his sudden entrance (his run-right-into-the-wall thing was rather loud), and shook her head.

"Stampy slipped on the dirt and hit his head on the table," she explained. Magnus raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms and completely ignoring the pained Stampy in favour of studying the smashed pot.

"It was smashed when we got here," he said, "No sign of how it got that way, though."

"Curious," muttered Milo, kneeling to get a better look, "What could have knocked it over?"

Jesse glanced down at Reuben as the little pig came trotting around the corner, "Maybe it was Winslow? Did anyone see him in the living room?"

"He's been curled up in Cassie's lap the whole time," Aiden declared, a hand going to his hip. At the back of his mind, Jesse registered that Cassie herself was absent. She must still be in the watching room.

"Then what knocked it over?" Jesse asked. Harper shrugged at him, frowning as she tapped her chin.

"I had thought it was one of the traps going off," she admitted, "But… maybe it was Benedict? Does Benedict knock things off of tables?"

Milo blinked up at her, "Benedict's been with Isa the entire time. I should know; she kept hitting me in the face with her wing."

Footsteps sounded behind him. Jesse twisted around, heart leaping momentarily- just in time to see Lukas skid around the corner much like he himself had moments before and trip over Reuben, sending him toppling to the floor with a loud yelp.

"Lukas!"

Soren appeared around the corner after the blond, kneeling down beside him to make sure he was alright. Cassie followed, face an odd mixture of amusement and worry. Her hand went to her hip, face seeming to have decided on amusement, although something remained in her eyes.

"Could you have fallen any more spectacularly?" she asked. Lukas sent her something that wasn't quite a glare, but wasn't incredibly friendly either. He opened his mouth probably to retort, when Soren jabbed a finger in his side and he yelped again instead, turning his not-quite-a-glare towards the architect.

"You didn't break your cast, did you?" said architect asked. Lukas blinked away his irritation, then turned his attention to his cast-encased arm, looking over it in search of any cracks. After a moment, he shook his head and lowered it again.

"I think it's fine," he said. Lukas turned his attention to the group crowded around the shattered pot, and then to the pot itself, Stampy still sitting on the floor but no longer clutching his head. "What happened?"

"You ran into a pig," said Magnus. Lukas shot him a deadpan look.

Before he could correct the self-proclaimed king, there were more footsteps, and Ivor, Petra, Gabriel, Maya and Nell rounded the corner. Petra's eyes immediately went to Jesse, and within moments she was in front of him, teeth gnashing and jaw clenched, and her fist landed a punch on his shoulder.

"Ow!" Jesse exclaimed, hand flying to his newly bruised shoulder, backing away from the enraged girl for fear of being hit again, "What was that for?!"

"Petra!" said Gabriel, tone almost scolding. The girl ignored him in favour of jabbing a finger at Jesse's chest.

"What the _hell_ was that?" she asked, ignoring both his question and Gabriel. Jesse leant back, startled.

"What was _what_?"

"That!" Petra exclaimed, as though it were obvious, "Running off without us!"

Jesse blinked, mouth opening but nothing coming out. Gabriel's hand rested on Petra's shoulder, and he gently tugged her away.

"Not now, Petra," he said, in response to her glare. Ivor replaced Petra's position, a hand resting on Jesse's elbow, as though afraid he would try to run off again. The potionologist turned his attention to the shattered pot.

"What happened here?"

"We don't know," declared Ellegaard, brow furrowing, "We just showed up and the pot was smashed."

"We thought that perhaps it was one of the animals," said Milo, straightening from his crouch, "But they were all present when the crash was heard."

Jesse's eyes locked with Ivor's. The spittle had vanished from the boy's mouth, leaving it dry and scratchy, and goosebumps popped up along his bare arms. Ivor's brow furrowed deeply, eyes trailing back to the pot. Perhaps it was Jesse's imagination, but he could have sworn that the shards were streaked with black.

"Brah," Nell breathed, "This is so _spook-tacular_."

Olivia raised an eyebrow at her, torn between amused and unimpressed, "I suppose that's one way to describe it."

"What should we do, then?" asked Axel, directing the question more towards Magnus than anyone else. Dan, however, was the one to shrug and answer.

"Clean it up?" he suggested, "And continue watching the episode?"

Ivor bit the inside of his cheek, "Yes, I do believe that's the best course of action."

Harper, who had thus far been silent, frowned, "So we're just going to forget this even happened?"

"The sooner we finish the episodes, the sooner we can leave," Ivor pointed out, already leading Jesse back towards the watching room, "And then we won't _have_ to worry about whatever knocked over that pot."

"Yeah," muttered Lukas, allowing Soren to help him to his feet. His blue eyes trailed down to the shattered pot, to the slowly dying flower, and something flashed across his face, something like weariness. Something like fear.

"We're all gonna forget, anyway."

* * *

Maya and Aiden ended up being the ones to clean up the mess that had once been a lovely little flower pot. Petra still seemed a bit upset with Jesse, and he'd spent a good couple minutes sitting alone in the mess of blankets, fretting about it, before the girl had seated herself beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close against her side and quietly asking him not to run ahead again into his hair. Jesse had just nodded, too relieved that she wasn't angry with him to argue, and melted into her rare hug.

Behind them, the others argued about what to do with the newly made hole. Some thought it would be a good idea to try and block it off again, while others wanted to leave it open to discourage a return. Ellegaard and Harper wanted to put up a trap for whoever was spying on them. Eventually, Gabriel simply grabbed the portrait and placed it back on the wall- turning up with a spider instead of a sheep this time- and stated something about just continuing with the episode, and that he didn't want to mess with the mansion anymore than they already had.

It was then that, grumbling, the audience returned to their seats. Lukas plopped down on Jesse's other side, leaning against him a little, thumb running circles on the back of his hand. Axel sat down beside the blond, while Olivia sat down next to Petra. Jesse didn't see who jabbed the remote at the screen, but either way, it turned back on.

As it had been before, it showed Petra and Jesse standing in front of each other to the side of the lab. Petra continued, " _We should keep looking, Jesse. If what you said is true, we don't have a lot of time."_

The real Jesse swallowed, eyes briefly darting over to the archway leading to the hall. He hoped the same didn't apply to now.

Onscreen, the boy nodded, face setting in determination. He left Petra to her devices, walking under the odd glass structure in the centre of the room. He passed it, wandering off, and eventually coming to a stop in front of the crafting table he'd spotted earlier.

"Does he even have anything to craft with?" asked Stacy. Aiden shrugged.

"He has Harper's poppy, so could make red dye," he pointed out, "But other than that, no. And it would probably be a bad idea to craft _that_ into something if he's going to need it."

Seeming to have come to this conclusion also, Jesse turned away from the crafting table and walked back to where Ivor was still studying the books. Nodding to him- something the potionologist missed- Jesse made his way over to the 'greeter' with the creeper head, tapping his lip as he frowned at it.

"Is _that_ Harry?" asked Nell. Harper shook her head.

"No, that's not Harry. He's further away. And he's got a zombie head."

Jesse pulled out the poppy and placed it into the greeter's picture frame, glancing about hopefully. After a moment, he sighed. " _That… did nothing."_

"You're not very good at finding Harry, Jesse," said Olivia, lips twitching. Soren shrugged.

"Well, it's not like Ivor's assisting him in any way," the architect pointed out, "Petra, I understand, because she's just been freed from mind control, but take Ivor anywhere with books and you'll get no help from him."

"Oh, be quiet," said Ivor. Soren snickered.

Returning the poppy to his pocket, Jesse left the creeper-greeter, passed Margaret-Skeleton and the portrait of young Harper and PAMA, and came to yet another greeter, this one with a zombie's head and closer to the entrance, practically directly in front of it.

The real Jesse blinked, "How did I miss that?"

Lukas laughed softly, "No idea."

Approaching the greeter, Jesse glanced down at the button-bearing jukebox, then, humming, to the empty item frame. He pushed the button, with his hand this time since it was more elevated than the other two had been. The greeter's voice crackled into life.

" _Good morning, Harper!"_ it greeted, " _It is Harry! It is always so good to see you!"_

"Ha! He's found Harry!" grinned Axel. Jesse released a short, relieved breath. He was starting to panic a little there.

" _You should not let yourself feel guilty,"_ Harry continued, " _You had the best of intentions! You are like a flower in the desert and bring joy to those who have none."_

Ivor's cheeks tinted pink, and he hastily ducked his head. Harper glanced at him, but quickly looked away when she herself began to heat up. On the other side of the couch, Magnus began to snicker loudly, and whispered something into Ellegaard's ear. The engineer barked a laugh, quickly covering her mouth to muffle it when a few of the further away watchers looked at her questioningly. Magnus' snickering continued.

Jesse raised an eyebrow, " _Okaaaay,"_ shrugging it off, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the poppy, plopping it into the item frame, " _Here you go, 'Harry.'"_

Almost immediately, the redstone beneath a long line of blue stained glass burst into bright life, connected to the back of Harry's machine. Jesse leant to the side to see if properly, grinning widely. " _Nice! Looks like I'm on the right track."_

Petra's lips twitched a little, "Eventually."

Jesse scowled playfully at her.

Leaving Harry with the poppy, Jesse stopped for a moment to admire the trails of redstone at the very back of the room, frowning when he realised one section was still unlit. Glancing over at the crafting table, he tapped his lip again, an arm crossing over his chest, before he began to wander back to where Petra was.

Spotting a chest a little ways from where the redhead appeared to be brooding, Jesse hummed, " _Maybe there's something useful inside…"_ he blinked, then scowled, " _I mean- not useful,_ helpful _."_

Magnus snorted, "Good to know I'm not the only one that's been affected by that."

Harper blinked, chewing the inside of her cheek thoughtfully as she attempted to remember what she kept in that particular chest, "Hm… I think there's something he could use to make the last thing in there. Hope I didn't use all those sticks up…"

Scratching the back of his head, Jesse knelt in front of the chest and pulled it open, rummaging inside. After a moment, he pulled out a single stick and some redstone. " _These might come in handy."_

"Hey, you could make a redstone torch with those!" Stampy pointed out, "What had that creeper-greeter said? It's 'clue' thing?"

Dan thought for a moment, before shaking his head, "I can't remember. I think it involved a torch, though. 'Brighter than all the worlds redstone' or something."

Jesse returned his attention to the chest, pocketing the redstone and stick. He broke out into a wide grin, and pulled out some buckets and TNT. " _Awesome!"_

Axel broke out into a wide grin of his own, "Alright, explosions!"

"Haha!" Magnus cackled, arm wrapping around Ellegaard's shoulders, who was shaking her head but attempting to hold back a smile, "Now _this_ is my type of music!"

"Explosions aren't classified as _music_ , Magnus."

"They are to me, Ellie. They are to me."

Pocketing the buckets and TNT, Jesse straightened and closed the chest. Glancing over at the little platform next to him, which housed a single bed, a zombie head mounted on the wall, and a single sea lantern, he cocked his head and made his way over to it, crossing his arms. His eyes trailed from the bed to the mounted zombie head, taking in the odd setup.

Otto's eyes widened a little, "Is… is that your bed, Harper?"

Harper shrugged, wondering why she was so embarrassed at her bed being on display, "Ah, well… I don't sleep much, anyways."

Ivor frowned, "Why not?"

The inventor shot him a deadpan stare, "With an entire world out to get me? Sleep is a luxury I can rarely afford."

Petra moved to stand beside Jesse, frowning at the platform, " _This is where she slept?"_

" _Kind of a sad setup, huh?"_ muttered Jesse, frowning sadly. Petra glanced downwards, hand moving to the back of her neck.

" _I can't help but feel bad for her."_

Harper's jaw clenched a little.

_She didn't deserve pity._

Petra returned to her wall, while Jesse tracked his way back to the crafting table. Upon reaching it, he grabbed the stick and redstone and placed them down. They merged together, forming a redstone torch.

"Ah, he's figured it out!" cheered Stampy.

" _One redstone torch,"_ Jesse smiled, pocketing his creation, " _And hopefully one step closer to getting that headset."_

"Hey, why do you have so many monster heads?" asked Axel, "I mean, they're cool, but you have a _lot_. There's a skeleton skull on your furnace over there."

Harper shrugged, "Hey, when monsters are wandering the daytime _and_ nighttime, you get a lot of their droppings. Might as well do _something_ with them."

Jesse made his way back over to the creeper-greeter, immediately pulling out the newly crafted redstone torch as he approached. He placed it into the frame, and the previously hidden trail of purple stained glass lit up beneath his feet. Jesse stepped back from it as the last of the redstone came to life.

"Radical," grinned Nell, "Wish I could do something like that with redstone."

The screen cut to Jesse following the three trails to the glass station he'd passed a few times now. As he approached, a floor block in front of the station shot out of the way, and an armour stand bearing the headset rose up from its depths. Jesse grinned.

" _That did the trick."_

"Alright, he found it!" cheered Gill. Maya smiled.

"As though you doubted him."

Jesse walked up to the newly revealed headset, reaching out to take it. Petra and Ivor came up behind him, the redhead speaking up before he could.

" _Do you even know what the headset's supposed to do?"_ she asked, Jesse blinking and turning to face her, " _I know you feel pretty confident that Harper's one of the 'good guys' now, but…"_ she sighed, shaking her head, a weary look on her face, " _I just wanna make sure that putting on an electronic device built by the same person who built that_ monster-machine _is worth the risk."_

"She has a point," Lukas frowned, "I mean, I'm pretty sure Harper's not actually bad or anything, but… yeah."

Harper waved him off, "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe." Petra raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'd rather take this with a teaspoon of caution. No offence."

"More like a bucket full," muttered Axel. He faltered when Harper shot him a look, having not been as quiet as he'd originally thought. "Uh… no offence?"

" _Whatever it does,"_ said Jesse, a hand going to his hip, " _We're going to use it to save Lukas-_ and _Harper. And quickly, or PAMA'll learn everything she knows,"_ he faltered, frowning, " _Not one hundred percent sure_ how _, but we will."_

" _Whoo!"_ Ivor cheered, " _Go team!"_

Soren snorted, "How come you were never like that with the Order?"

"Because you're all losers."

Magnus gaped at him, so greatly offended, "Speak for yourself."

Onscreen, Petra's lips twitched, almost looking as though she were actually about to start laughing. Jesse grinned as well, before he turned to face the headset again. Tugging it off the armour stand, Jesse hesitated, looking it over, and for a moment it almost appeared like he was going to back out.

Then his jaw clenched, something odd flashing across his eyes, and he pulled the headset over his head. He turned around to face- albeit blindly- Ivor and Petra, standing in the centre of the glass station. " _Here we go!"_

The station lit up with a preparing whirring sound, illuminating the boy as though he were a presenter on stage. The blue-visor of the headsets goggles lit up as well, and his mouth dropped in total amazement. " _Whoa!"_

"Wait, what's happening?" asked Aiden, bewildered, "I have no idea what's happening."

Harper grinned excitedly. She'd always wanted to show people her headset. "You'll see."

Jesse's perfect 'o' turned into a wide grin, head turning, as though he could see something they couldn't. In front of him, Petra and Ivor shared a look, and the screen dripped black.

"Call that a cliffhanger," muttered Maya. She turned her attention to the other audience members. "Are we stopping for lunch or… ?"

"I say we keep watching," Jesse said, a little _too_ quickly, "I mean, I kinda wanna see what this headset thing does."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, then shrugged, "Fair enough," he gestured to the screen.

"Let us continue."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you immediately go to take the headset or hesitate and observe it? Let me know in the reviews!


	67. Monster Mash

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Sixty-Seven: Monster Mash**

* * *

The black of the screen faded away slowly, to reveal what appeared to be a fenced area from Jesse's own view. Ivor's voice, muffled and static, forced its way through.

" _Well? What's going on, Jesse? Is it working?"_

"Ooooh, this gonna be good," Harper grinned, excitedly rubbing her hands, seemingly unaware that she'd accidentally pulled Ivor's further into her lap. The potionologist swallowed, unable to fight the blush rushing to his cheeks. He very pointedly kept his eyes on the screen, away from Magnus' ever-widening grin.

Jesse's head turned, revealing what appeared to be two zombies on the other side of the pen, in a sort of blue and grey. The side of his vision danced with pixels. " _I think I'm starting to see something."_

Stampy squeaked, clutching desperately at Dan, "Googlies!"

Onscreen, Jesse's gaze went downwards, to his blue hued arms and unnatural shadow. He looked up, at the terracotta mountain that housed the Crown Mesa village at the top. Ivor's voice crackled.

" _What are you seeing?"_

"Wait, what's going on?" asked Ellegaard, "Why aren't those zombies attacking him? How did he even _get_ there?"

Harper attempted to hold back a grin. She failed spectacularly. "You'll see."

The screen cut back to Harper's lab, Jesse, with the headset on, looking about. Petra and Ivor were still standing behind him, watching. The potionologist lent to the side a little, as though to capture his attention, which was an obviously useless tactic.

" _Is Harper there?"_ he asked.

Magnus giggled quietly. Ivor would have tossed a pillow at him (again), had he not needed to pull his hand from Harper's to do so.

Some things were worth taking the blow for.

Jesse didn't answer. Ivor and Petra shared a look.

" _Or more monsters?"_ Petra asked.

"Well," said Lukas, "She's not wrong."

" _You're not going to believe this, but..."_ Jesse said, slowly, as though he himself was struggling to believe it, " _I'm a zombie."_

Olivia blinked once. Twice. "What."

" _Aw, you're too hard on yourself,"_ Ivor declared.

Harper's lips twitched further up her cheeks. Even in the episodes, Ivor seemed to be taken to his 'kid.'

" _No, I'm_ controlling _a zombie!"_ Jesse explained, tilting his head towards Ivor's voice, " _Like, from the inside!"_

"How is that possible?" asked Gabriel, turning wide eyes to Harper. The inventor shrugged, failing to fight back a wide grin.

"Nothing is impossible when it comes to the brain," she declared. Magnus seemed to contemplate this for a moment.

"Well… except randomly floating out of your skull."

"Magnus."

"What? It's true."

" _It's like some sort of…"_ Jesse's hands circled as he searched for the right word, "Mob-View _or something."_ The screen cut to the Zombie-Jesse, eyes glowing blue instead of red, highlight by pixels of the same colour, hands circling just like the Jesse in Harper's lab. In the corner of the screen, it read _HARPER v_ , unnoticeable to one who wasn't looking closely.

"This is _amazing_ ," breathed Cassie, eyes lighting up, "I knew you were starting to do research into mob-controlling devices, but actually _becoming_ the controlled mob?"

Harper laughed, "Impressive, right? You don't know how long it took for me to get _that_ done right. I'd already had plans and ideas for something like it before PAMA took over, and it had to go on the shelf for a while as I tried to avoid them. But it works!"

"Wait a second," Aiden cut in, brow furrowing as he turned his attention to Cassie, "How did you know Harper was researching mob-control?"

"Oh," Cassie blinked, "I, uh, thought it was obvious onscreen?"

Aiden stared at her for a long moment, obviously unconvinced. Eventually, he seemed to decide to leave it for the moment, and gave a single nod, returning to the screen. "Alright. I guess."

" _What a preposterous name,"_ said Ivor, the screen cutting back to the lab. He grinned widely. " _I_ love _it."_

"This is favouritism," Magnus declared, pointing an accusing finger at the real Ivor, "You have _never_ said that you loved any of _our_ names."

Ivor rolled his eyes, and would have swatted at Magnus' hand had Gabriel and Soren not been sitting between them, "That's because all the names _you_ came up with involved something like explosions or dynamite. Didn't you name Ellegaard's Wood Collector 'Sir Boom Boom'?"

Magnus gasped dramatically, "Do _not_ bring Sir Boom Boom into this!"

"Children," Ellegaard stressed, "Stop fighting."

" _Wow!"_ Jesse gasped, beginning to jump up and down. The screen cut to the Zombie-Jesse, doing the exact same thing. " _I wish you guys could see how_ cool _this is!"_

Petra, Lukas, Olivia and Axel shared a smile, happy to see their friend so excited. This must be the most excited they'd seen him throughout the all the episodes, so far, to the point that he was actually jumping about. Lukas reached over and ruffled Jesse's hair, who started, having been intently watching the screen. Realising that they were smiling at him, he reddened.

"What?" Jesse asked. Petra shrugged, pulling him a bit closer.

"Nothing. You're just cute."

The boy turning into a tomato was worth it.

Zombie-Jesse stuck his arms out and spun, the screen cutting back to the lab as Human-Jesse finished his little dance. Ivor and Petra shared an amused look.

"So _cool,"_ said the potionologist, only a little bit sarcastically.

"Ivor has a he-art," Soren quietly sang into the potionologist's ear, "Ivor has a he-art."

"Oh, be quiet," Ivor hissed, "At least I haven't taken on _two_ of them."

Harper snorted, "If Jesse had a twin, you'd adopt them in a heartbeat."

Onscreen, Ivor approached Jesse so that he was standing almost directly behind him, as though to get a closer look at the headset, " _Remarkable,"_ Jesse's head turned blindly at the sound of his voice so close, " _How is this possible?"_

"You _have_ to show us how you built that," Stampy declared, turning sparkling eyes to Harper, "It's _incredible!_ "

Harper blinked, then laughed, "I'll see what I can do."

" _I mean,"_ Ivor continued, " _I've always heard tales of what the Old Builders were capable of… but this? This is just…"_ he shook his head, at a loss for words, " _Remarkable."_

Hadrian hummed, calculating eyes narrowing. He kept his voice quiet, so that he could only be heard by Otto and Mevia. "So _this_ is what Harper's been up to with the Heart."

"The Heart has the potential to do many things," Otto murmured, "To both create… and destroy."

"Looks like she's decided to go down the 'destruction' path," Mevia laughed, "Destroyed and enslaved an _entire world_ , awww."

Otto frowned at her, "You know it wasn't on purpose, Mevia."

The woman snorted, "That only makes it funnier."

"Do you think she has it with her?" Hadrian asked, "The Redstone Heart?"

"If she doesn't have it onscreen, I doubt she'll have it now," Otto pointed out, "It must be what's powering PAMA."

"And to shut PAMA down," Hadrian's eyes trailed down to Jesse, calculating. Wondering.

"They have to get the heart."

" _Harper would have to explain the specifics,"_ said Jesse, " _But I_ think _it's like this headset lets me control things that are hooked into PAMA,"_ the screen cut to Zombie-Jesse, rotten arms shifting and moving as he spoke. It cut back to the lab, Ivor's eyes widening.

" _Unbelievable,"_ he muttered, shaking his head in astonishment, " _There are so many questions I want to ask Harper!"_

It cut back to Zombie-Jesse, Ivor's voice coming through in a short burst of static, " _It really is a shame she was captured."_

Harper raised an eyebrow, "A _shame_ is putting it lightly, seeing as how my capture could mean the end of all worlds."

The screen returned to the lab, Ivor continuing, awe rising in his throat, " _That spider jockey had to haul Harper all the way back to town. You travelled there_ instantly."

" _Don't forget about Lukas, too,"_ Jesse reminded, twisting to look in the potionologist's direction, " _I need to try to save both of them."_

Soren cast his eyes downwards at the reminder. _He'll be okay_ , he told himself, _Of course he'll be okay._

Lukas smiled, although it was just a _little_ bit forced, "Thanks, Jess."

Jesse hummed, burrowing into his and Petra's hug. Reuben whined, rubbing himself against the blond's arm. Lukas smiled and patted his pink head.

" _That's a great plan,"_ Ivor said, giving a single nod, " _I just hope they're not too far from your current location."_

"Speaking of which," said Axel, "Where _are_ you? Some sort of zombie pen?"

"I think he's in a clearing of sorts," Maya said. Petra raised an eyebrow at her.

"Maya, it's a desert. There's usually a _lot_ of clearings in a desert."

"Shhhh."

The screen cut back to Zombie-Jesse, standing next to an apparently inactive Puppet-Zombie. He looked around, and it did, indeed, look like he was stationed in some sort of zombie pen. " _They must be taking Harper to where they put those redstone mind-control chips on Lukas and Petra's heads- so that's where I should go first."_

"Good call," Harper smiled.

Zombie-Jesse turned around and backed away a little, looking up as he got an idea of where he was. The screen panned out, revealing the side of the mountain leading up to Crown Mesa, with the stairs beginning about a foot or two off the ground.

" _I seem to remember there being a stairwell here, though…"_

"Oh, you are _kidding_ me," groaned Olivia.

" _You mean it's been_ removed _?"_ exclaimed Ivor through a crackle of static. Zombie-Jesse shrugged, and it cut to Human-Jesse, turning to look towards Ivor.

" _I guess visitors aren't being encouraged."_

"That's one way to put it," muttered Lizzie.

Ivor hummed, " _I would suggest building a tower up there, but that's not going to help you get back down once you've freed Harper and Lukas."_

"Blast," sighed Soren.

" _Yeah, you're right,"_ Jesse frowned, something that went unseen due to the headset. The screen cut back to the zombie pen.

Zombie-Jesse glanced about at the puppets, pausing briefly in front of the crafting table. He continued on and left the pen, frowning a rotten brow at the ground as he bent to observe it. " _Sand. Not the most exciting material, but I can still craft with it."_

"Optimism," Aiden cheered flatly, shaking a calm fist in the air, "Whoo."

Jesse snorted.

Onscreen, Zombie-Jesse turned his attention to a patch of stained clay and terracotta, almost perfectly blending in with the sand in the shadows of the night, " _Huh, clay. Unfortunately, I can't get it without a pickaxe, so it's pretty much useless."_

"Oh nooo," said Aiden, just as flatly as before, "No more optimism."

Lukas buried his face into Jesse's hair, trying not to laugh. This didn't stop almost his entire body from shaking from it, though.

Glancing about, Zombie-Jesse returned to the pen, coming to a stop in front of one of the inactive puppets, staring blankly at the sand with crimson eyes. Zombie-Jesse pulled a face- or at least attempted to, which actually looked rather horrifying. " _It's a zombie. In the flesh. In the rotting, super gross flesh."_

"Which you are currently inhabiting," pointed out Petra. Jesse pulled a disgusted face.

Zombie-Jesse stared at the puppet for a moment, thoughtfully biting his lip (which, again, looks incredibly gross and horrifying). He glanced to the other two puppet zombies on the other side of the pen, then to the one in front of him. Cleared his throat a little. " _Uh, hey… nice weather we're having, huh?"_

"I can't believe you're trying to have a conversation with a mind-controlled super zombie over the _weather_ ," said Stacy. Jesse grinned a bit sheepishly.

"Uh… I'm pulling straws?"

"Of course you are, Jesse."

As expected, the zombie remained a blank sheet of paper. After a moment, Jesse shrugged and turned away, shaking his head. " _I don't know if talking to zombies is going to help me get past that wall."_

"It probably won't," said Ellegaard, "But it was worth a try, I guess?"

Zombie-Jesse crossed over to the other side of the pen, cocking his head as he approached the two other blank zombies, squinting at one a little. He released a short breath. " _It looks exactly like all the other zombies."_

He turned his attention to the crafting table across from the zombies, and grinned widely- again, quite horrifying, " _A crafting table! I can make new stairs to get me up there."_

"Convenient," hummed Otto, "Then again, I suppose under PAMA's control, mobs have the ability to craft things for it."

Zombie-Jesse turned his attention to the expanse of sand around him, humming, " _If I can find the right crafting materials, that is… Looks like slim pickings around here."_

Harper hummed, "You could make clay stairs, but you need a pickaxe…"

"Or he could maybe use sandstone," suggested Magnus, "It'll just take… a lot… of sand."

"Let's just hope they ignore the blue eyed zombie that has randomly decided to start building sandcastles," said Ellegaard.

Zombie-Jesse wandered back out into the open, narrowing glowing blue eyes to the sand. He punched up a block, eyes trailing back over to the crafting table in the pen. He pocketed the sand.

The screen sped up, with Zombie-Jesse digging up a sandy crevice. Finally, he pocketed the last of it and jumped out of his hole, once more pulling a face (horrifying). " _I don't like sand; stuff gets_ everywhere _."_

"Ugh, I hear you there," muttered Petra, pulling a less horrifying face. Magnus and Harper appeared unimpressed.

To his surprise, the two previously inactive zombies standing next to each other turned their crimson eyes to face him. Jesse's own blue eyes widened, and he hastily slumped his shoulders and closed his eyes to hide the blue.

Olivia gasped, "Oh no."

"So much for not noticing him," muttered Lukas, wincing.

An agonising moment passed. Then the two puppets turned away and once more became limp.

Many audience members released a relieved breath.

"That was close," muttered Dan.

Zombie-Jesse peaked open his blue eyes hesitantly, and, realising the threat had passed, sighed quietly and pressed a hand to his head. Regaining himself, he made his was quickly back into the zombie pen, casting weary eyes at the puppets for any sign of activity.

He came to a stop in front of the crafting table, biting the inside of his cheek, " _Hm. Let's see what I can craft."_

Grabbing some of his sand, he placed four down in a square, which then merged together into sandstone. Zombie-Jesse grinned, showing off broken and yellow teeth. " _Sweet!"_ he grabbed it off the table, " _Enough of these and I can build my way back up there_ and _make sure that everyone else can get back down too!"_

"Yes!" cheered Nell, "Go, Zom-Jess!"

He glanced over his shoulder, just in time to see the two zombies standing behind him stagger into life (well). Glowing blue eyes widening, Zombie-Jesse hastily turned his attention back to the crafting table, rapidly placing down blocks as the screen sped up. Behind him, the two puppets staggered and twitched, like a puppet-master getting used to the strings of its new toy.

"Oooooh no," Stampy paled, shrinking into Dan's side, "Oooooooh no, no, no."

" _These should do that trick!"_ said Jesse, grabbing the last of the sandstone. He glanced over his shoulder as the audience was abruptly assaulted by mechanical groans, eyes widening as he realised the puppets were right behind him, the one on the other side quickly closing in.

Squeaking, Zombie-Jesse, ducked between them and dashed out of the pen, " _Sorry to craft and run, but I'm afraid I need to be going!"_

"Imagine how _weird_ this probably looks to Ivor and I," Petra said. Harper considered this for a moment, then shrugged.

"It probably _does_ look pretty weird," she said, "Seeing as how I'm the only one that's ever used it and no one's ever _watched_ me use it, I never really had to worry about that."

Zombie-Jesse skidded to a stop at the base of the mountain, pulling out his blocks of sandstone. The screen sped up as he placed them down, creating a makeshift stairwell, before returning to regular speed as he connected it to the undestroyed parts of the stairs.

"At least none of them are chasing him," muttered Axel. Olivia paled, and nodded her agreement.

Jesse turned around to face the zombie pens, the screen switching to his eyes- his vision tinted blue- as he observed the stairs and the pens and the inactive puppets. Then his vision flickered and buzzed, momentarily darkening.

"What was that?" gasped Gill, eyes widening. Harper went a few shades paler.

"Oh dear," she muttered, "He needs to get out of that zombie. _Quickly._ "

"But I still haven't saved Lukas!" protested the real Jesse. Harper shot him a firm look.

"You can't save him if you're _dead_."

" _Ivor!"_ Zombie-Jesse gasped, blue eyes wide, " _The signal! It- It blooped out for a second!"_

"Dead? _Dead?_ I thought you said this thing was safe!" exclaimed Petra. Harper raised her hands defensively.

"It's safe as long as he isn't caught!" she explained, "He- He just has to- to _mash_ between monsters, and PAMA won't be able to catch him."

"And if it _does_ catch him?" Ivor asked, concern crossing his increasingly paling face. The inventor faltered, biting her lip, and glanced away. It took her a moment to answer.

"I… I don't know."

Onscreen, Jesse waited a moment, but received no answer. A worried furrow creasing the zombie's brow, he turned to continue up the rest of the stairs, when he froze, spine shooting ramrod straight as PAMA's voice filled his head.

" _Interference detected."_

"No!" gasped Sparklez.

" _That can't be good,"_ said Jesse. PAMA's voice continued, the zombie's head snapping about as the boy attempted to figure out what to do.

" _Drone sequencing initiated."_

Zombie-Jesse looked down to find the three puppets that he'd shared a pen with were starting to leave it. His head snapped to the other pen, this one lacking a crafting table, to find the same thing happening there.

" _Trace subroutine initiated."_

"I can't look," groaned Olivia, burying her face into Petra's arm, the redhead being closest to her. Both Petra and Lukas had an almost suffocating grip on Jesse, although nowhere near as suffocating as Axel's could be, so he was grateful.

" _I'm attracting even_ more _attention,"_ groaned Zombie-Jesse. His blue eyes bugged and glitched for a moment. A chill ran down the audience's spine as PAMA's voice returned.

" _Is that you, Jesse?"_

"Oh no!" squeaked Stampy, tugging at the ears of his hood, "Panic, panic, panic!"

Ivor sucked in a sharp breath, back going ramrod straight. His hand clutched Harper's. She squeezed back.

Zombie-Jesse's eyes widened, " _Uh-oh."_

The blue hue that surrounded him turned orange.

" _Hello, Jesse."_

"Get out of there!" shouted Harper.

The screen cut back to Harper's lab, to show Jesse looking down at his armoured body, at the orange highlights that neither Ivor nor Petra could see. His head raised at the mechanical voice. " _PAMA?"_

Ivor and Petra started, sharing a wide eyed look. The potionologist's face became worried. " _PAMA?"_ in front of him, Jesse's hands and legs began to shake, starting to back away, " _No…"_

It cut to Zombie-Jesse, back away. He turned around and dashed up the rest of the stairs, but PAMA's voice followed, in his head, in his skull, vibrating in his ears.

" _Just what do you think you are doing, Jesse?"_

He skidded to a stop halfway up the flight of steps, two crimson-eyed skeletons appearing at the top. Zombie-Jesse backed away, but when he looked over his shoulder, it was to a horde of zombie puppets staggering up the stairs towards him.

" _This is a rather silly thing to do, don't you think?"_

"Stay away from him!" exclaimed Lukas, as though PAMA could actually hear him. His grip on Jesse was bruising.

"Get the headset off him," muttered Ivor, eyes frantic as they watched the screen, "Come on, get that headset _off_ him."

" _Surrounded…"_ whispered Jesse, looking from the skeletons to the zombies and back again. He swallowed. PAMA kept talking.

" _Once my Creator is made useful, all her knowledge will be mine. Yay."_

"This thing's getting creeper than it already was," declared Magnus, "And that is _saying_ something."

" _I will create an Exit Portal,"_ the puppets were closing in, " _After that, everything will be useful."_

The screen cut to the lab, " _Let Harper and Lukas go, PAMA!"_

"Not the time, Jesse," muttered Axel.

" _But, Jesse,"_ said PAMA, as the puppets began to burst Zombie-Jesse's personal bubble, " _I am so happy to have them."_

The Puppet-Skeletons lashed out, Zombie-Jesse briefly flashing red as they grabbed him with their unnatural super strength. The zombie puppets began to claw and grab at his rotting skin from the other side, gripping painfully hard, so hard that the real Jesse actually yelped.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" screamed Olivia, having at some point emerged from Petra's shoulder. The redhead's hand wiped out and gripped her arm, pulling her back, almost restraining. Ellegaard's eyes widened, and she almost made to stand.

" _I cannot allow your disruptive behaviour to continue."_

" _Let go!"_ Jesse exclaimed, the screen cutting back to the lab to show him desperately struggling against nothing, " _Were all a bunch of happy mobs, right?"_ he grunted, the screen cutting back to Zombie-Jesse, highlighted in red, the puppets grips on him easily tearing at his decaying flesh, leaving streaks of purple-red all up his arms, " _Let go!"_

"Harper," Ivor said, his heart thundering in his throat, out of his chest, an ungodly panic gripping at his lungs, _why wasn't he doing anything?!_

Harper's eyes widened, her hand moving to grip his shoulder, "It's fine, he'll- he'll be fine, Ivor, I promise."

Ivor shook his head, mouth dry, unable to breathe. _Why wasn't he_ doing _anything?!_

" _My subroutine will soon isolate your location,"_ PAMA continued, as Zombie-Jesse continued his futile struggle, a skeleton drawing a bow at the top of the stairs, " _And you will be removed."_

"Switch mobs!" shouted Harper, "Switch mobs now!"

"Switch mobs?" echoed Stacy, "Why do you mean _switch mobs?_ "

The screen cut to the lab, to Jesse struggling against thin air, before flicking back to the puppets. Zombie-Jesse's gaze travelled upwards, to the stairs, to the uncaring skeleton with the bow- and the blue pixels gleamed, almost encasing the whole screen, zipping up to the side of the mobs head- and the skeleton was outlined in a blue hue, it's crimson eyes now the colour of the daylit sky.

"He's switched!" Em gasped.

"Alright, Jesse dude!" cheered Nell, "Monster mash, brah!"

The tension almost seemed to seep out of Ivor's skin as he slumped against the back of the couch, his heart continuing to hammer. He breathed a shaky sigh.

He was going to have a _lot_ of grey hairs by the end of this.

The screen cut back to the lab, as Jesse observed his new body in surprise, " _I'm a skeleton now."_

"This is so cool," whispered Jesse. Lukas, who looked almost as drained as Ivor, breathed a trembling laugh and pressed his lips against the side of his honorary little brother's head.

"Maybe if it were less death defying."

It cut back to the stairwell, Skeleton-Jesse watching as the puppets swarmed the zombie, tearing it apart. He shook his head. " _Poor old zombie me."_

Without a second thought, he dashed away.

The screen flicked back to the lab, to show Jesse jumping in place. Ivor raised an eyebrow at him.

" _Uh, Jesse,"_ he said, baffled, " _What are you doing?"_

It cut to Skeleton-Jesse, jumping up the rest of the mountain, " _Technology is so awesome!"_

"Oh, wow," Maya attempted to hold back a smile. She failed. "That's pretty funny."

A flicker, and they were back to Jesse jumping in place. Ivor did not appear all that impressed. " _And you look so awesome while using it, I assure you."_

Magnus snorted loudly, snickering. Ellegaard rolled her eyes.

"Not even his kid escapes his sarcastic remarks, it seems," muttered Gabriel. Soren hummed, lips twitching.

"He has mercy on him, though, you must admit that."

Skeleton-Jesse pressed a bony hand to his forehead- well, skull- as he came to a stop. PAMA's voice crackled, and his glowing eyes widened.

" _Interference remains."_

"Oh boy," muttered Clutch, "Squishy's not getting out of this that easily, is he?"

Slab hummed quietly, blinking his red-rimmed eyes. The bandages had been removed, finally, but there were still painful and everything was pretty hazy. Ivor had said that it should clear up soon, though.

A guilty pang hit him in the chest at the thought of taking away the man's kid. He was obviously close to him. And despite earlier impressions, Ivor wasn't a bad man.

But orders, he was afraid, were orders.

Skeleton-Jesse glanced over his shoulder, as though in hopes of finding the source of PAMA's voice, " _Crud."_

Having reached the rest of the stairs, he began to run up them, speaking to Ivor and Petra, " _PAMA's still on my tail, though."_

It cut to the lab, Jesse somehow running without actually going anywhere. A spark of static signalled PAMA's voice. " _Drone sequencing re-initiated,"_ it cut to Skeleton-Jesse reaching the top of the stairs, where puppets were staggering about, " _Trace subroutine re-initiated."_

"We get it," groaned Petra, irritated, "Might wanna think about doing that mob-mash-monster thing again, Jesse."

"I can't actually hear you, you know."

"Be quiet."

The screen showed Human-Jesse biting his lip nervously. Then it flicked back to Skeleton-Jesse, his eyes narrowing on the approaching puppets. Another skeleton, the closest puppet to him, flashed a red _INVALID,_ as did a zombie following behind it. His eyes flickered up to a zombie that was seemingly uninterested in him, and it gleamed a blue _MIGRATE._

"Yes!" cheered Harper.

Blue pixels blared across the screen, and the zombie turned around, blinking blue eyes. The two Puppet-Zombies descending the stairs groaned their mechanical groan, heading straight for the skeleton Jesse had previously inhabited.

Ivor breathed a relieved sight. He'd rather not find out what PAMA's puppets could do to the fragile bones of a skeleton- or what that would do to Jesse.

Zombie-Jesse began to back away, the screen flickering to show him doing the same thing back at Harper's lab, before returning to Crown Mesa. Puppets beat and tore at the poor skeleton, and Zombie-Jesse hastily turned around and dashed deeper into the village. " _Ouch. Sorry, buddy, but better you than me."_

"True that," muttered Axel.

" _My Creator!"_ PAMA said, Zombie-Jesse skidding to a stop. It followed his blue eyes up to the platform Lukas and Petra had been chipped on, to reveal Harper struggling against two Puppet-Zombies. " _I am so glad you are here!"_

"No!" gasped Ivor.

" _Harper!"_ Jesse gasped, the screen flicking back to the lab. Behind him, Ivor's eyes widened, and he stepped closer.

" _Harper?"_

"We're still all for that plan, right?" Magnus asked, keeping his voice low so that only Ellegaard could hear him. The engineer's lips twitched, and she nodded.

"Of course."

Switching back to Zombie-Jesse, a Puppet-Person passed, chip screeching and bleeping. Zombie-Jesse bit his lip, glancing briefly at the sign that declared Crown Mesa's population. Then he straightened his back, eyes darting nervously, and began to make his way as quickly and casually as possible towards the platform.

" _Please,"_ said PAMA, " _You are my Creator. Please join me so we may maximize usefulness."_

"It's official," Lizzie declared, "Never using 'useful' again. Thanks a lot, PAMA."

" _Nothing doing, PAMA!"_ said Harper, loud enough for Zombie-Jesse to hear, " _I built you to_ help _people, not_ use _them!"_

All around him, puppets walked, mob and people, red eyes gleaming, faces blank, movements rigid and co-ordinated. Harper continued. " _Just stop this! Stop trying to make everything 'useful.'"_

A skeleton, with its bow raised, locked its red eyes with Jesse's blue. It lowered its bow _._ Staring.

"I can't watch," Stampy whimpered, burying his face into Dan's shoulder. The purple haired boy's arm snaked around Stampy's waist, pulling him closer, to the point that he was practically in his lap.

" _But that is my job,"_ said PAMA, " _That is why you made me."_

Zombie-Jesse was fast approaching the staring skeleton. Hastily, he slowed his walk, beginning to stagger and drag his feet like all the other zombies. Its red eyes followed him.

" _Once I download your knowledge,"_ PAMA continued, " _We may expand to other worlds together, and make everything useful."_

The skeleton turned away, losing interest. Zombie-Jesse looked over his shoulder to make sure it was gone.

Olivia blew a relieved breath, "That was close."

"No kidding," muttered Lukas.

No longer in immediate danger, Zombie-Jesse ceased his zombie-walk and began to run towards the platform, ducking around a group of Puppet-Creepers. He came to a stop at PAMA's screen, before the lines of redstone leading up to the platform, crawling with puppets of all species.

" _Interference remains."_

"Oh, come _on,_ " groaned Ellegaard.

" _No sign of Lukas,"_ Jesse muttered, frowning. His eyes trailed up to PAMA's annoyed screen.

" _Drone sequencing re-initiated,"_ it said. Zombie-Jesse's eyes turned to the stairs leading up to the platform, directly in front of PAMA. " _Trace subroutine re-initiated."_

"But if Lukas isn't there, where is he?" asked Soren.

"Just because Jesse can't see him, doesn't mean he's not there," Harper pointed out, gently, "I'm sure we'll find him, even if it's not right now."

The real Jesse slumped a little, guilt clawing at his heart. Lukas bit his lip, cheeks losing colour. Petra frowned worriedly at them.

" _Termination sequence,"_ up on the platform, Harper struggled and grunted against the two zombies holding her captive, forcing her closer and closer to the chipping piston, " _Activated."_

"Wait," Ivor's eyes widened, "Did it just say _termination_?"

"Oh Notch," groaned Olivia, sinking into Petra, "Oh Notch, oh Notch, oh _Notch_."

" _Harper doesn't have much time,"_ said Jesse. He began to bleep orange. " _And neither do I."_

"This is bad," Jesse declared. Reuben squealed his agreement.

" _Game over, Jesse,"_ said PAMA, as the puppets all turned to face him, " _Resistance is…"_ its face flickered into an angry look, " _Not useful."_

Magnus rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I think we've established that."

" _Trace subroutine running…"_ PAMA said, as Zombie-Jesse backed away from the steadily approaching puppets, " _Drone sequencing active…"_

The screen cut to the lab, "Your _game is over, PAMA!"_

Maya blinked. Then snorted, gesturing to the complete confusion on Ivor and Petra's faces. "I want a picture of that."

Then Jesse turned around, and it flicked back to Zombie-Jesse, jumping up onto higher ground. He back away from the approaching puppets. " _Oh no,"_ his eyes flickered over the mobs, " _Time to move."_

Harper's lips twitched a little, "He's getting the hang of it, at least."

Ivor hummed. In all honesty, it was the only answer he was able to do, from how hard he was clenching his teeth. A copper taste was on his tongue, a faint sting to his cheek.

Zombie-Jesse's gaze darted from one puppet to another- _INVALID, INVALID_ \- they were starting to climb up onto the higher ground- his eyes fell upon a skeleton, a good few feet away- and blue pixels burst across the screen, the new Skeleton-Jesse blinking his blue eyes.

Petra sighed in relief, "Thank Notch."

Skeleton-Jesse watched the hoard of puppets swarming the zombie to the point that he couldn't even see it. Straightening his spine and walking as much like a skeleton as he could, he began to follow a group of skeletons, the screen briefly flipping to the lab to show just how _weird_ he looked.

"I want this on tape," declared Maya. Petra found it in herself to snort.

PAMA's face had gone blank. Skeleton-Jesse's gaze wandered over to the stairs, which was being guarded by two skeletons, bows hoisted. The one of the left blared _INVALID._ The one of the right encouraged _MIGRATE_.

Blue pixels flared to life, and the skeleton's chip bleeped blue. Blinking, Skeleton-Jesse put away his bow, backing away a little as one of the puppets grabbed a different skeleton. He twisted about and dashed up the stairs, to where Harper continued to desperately struggle.

"There she is!" exclaimed Sparklez.

One of the puppet's turned its red eyes towards him, blaring _INVALID._ The other one was too focused on keeping Harper still- _MIGRATE_ greeted him, and in a flash of blue pixels, red became blue.

"Alright, Jesse dude!" Nell cheered, "You got her!"

Zombie-Jesse looked to the skeleton at the top of the stairs, just in time to watch as a zombie grabbed it and threw it off the edge. Without even a glance towards the still struggling inventor, the zombie began to make its way back down the stairs.

"Okay," muttered Petra, "That was pretty close."

" _I'm never gonna sign off on this, PAMA,"_ declared Harper, her struggles only seeming to increase, " _So if you wanna know what's inside_ my _head, you're gonna have to take it!"_

Ivor's heart thudded from something other than worry. He abruptly became aware of the fact that he was still holding Harper's hand.

" _Never fear,"_ the screen flicked back to the lab, Jesse releasing Harper's arm to place his hands on his hips, " _Jesse's here. And I'm gonna rescue you!"_

Petra blinked, then snorted, "That should be your catchphrase."

"'Never fear, Jesse's here' _does_ have a nice ring to it," Axel declared, grinning cheekily at his steadily reddening friend. Jesse stuck his tongue out at them.

The screen cut to Zombie-Jesse, giving off mechanical groans instead of words, hands going to hips. It was only then that Harper's struggles ceased, staring at him in utter confusion.

"Zombies can't talk," Gabriel pointed out, smiling a little, "They're throats are too decayed and their teeth grow into fangs, which become too large for their mouths. So even if its throat _was_ working, you wouldn't be able to speak passed the teeth."

"Well," Jesse blinked, "That's… good to know, I guess?"

" _Did you find her?"_ Ivor asked, the screen flicking back to the lab, " _I'm sure she's thrilled to see you!"_

"Well," Harper said, "I'm sure I will be once I actually realise it's Jesse, but yes."

" _Trace subroutine running,"_ said PAMA, Zombie-Jesse turning to face it. It's screen flickered, expression angry. " _Drone sequencing active."_

"It's _still_ looking for him?" asked Dan.

The screen flicked to the lab, Jesse thoughtfully tapping his chin. Then he turned and began to wiggle his arms and one leg a little, the screen flicking to show the zombie doing it too, dancing about. Harper's eyes widened.

" _Wait a minute… Jesse?"_

Zombie-Jesse waved his arms in a cheering motion. Harper smiled in amazement, relief flashing across her eyes. " _You figured out how to use my transmigrational headset!"_

"Awesome!" cheered Nell.

The Puppet-Zombie still holding onto Harper bleeped and screeched, raising its red eyes to look at Jesse. It released Harper, straightening, gaze locked solely on the interference, the zombie boy blaring orange.

"Not so awesome!"

Zombie-Jesse's eyes widened- and then he darted forwards and grappled with the puppet, pushing, pushing with all of his inhuman strength, and shoved it right off the edge of the platform. The orange highlight returned to blue.

"Much more awesome!"

Jesse quickly returned to Harper, somehow managing to smile in an oddly adorable way even with his flesh literally rotting. PAMA's voice crackled.

" _Trace subroutine running… drone sequencing active…"_

"I think it's about time you guys get out of there," said Magnus. Jesse's eyes widened, and he frantically shook his head.

"But we haven't found Lukas!"

Zombie-Jesse groaned something to the inventor. Harper glanced over her shoulder. " _Quick! Follow me!"_ And dashed away.

It briefly flickered back to the lab, " _That's what I said!"_ Nevertheless, Jesse started running.

Otto snorted.

It cut back to the platform, Harper and Zombie-Jesse darting down the stairs. There was a high-pitched bleep.

" _Uh oh,"_ said Jesse, " _That sound tends to mean trouble."_

" _Where do you plan to run?"_ asked PAMA, as almost every puppet turned its red eyes to face them, " _The town is surrounded."_

The screen cut to Jesse, running in place in the lab, with no screeches or bleeps. Then it returned to the town, where the chips continued their mantra, and Harper and Zombie-Jesse skidded to a stop. Before them was a giant army of puppets.

" _Reinforcements will make sure that my Creator cannot leave."_

"Boooo!" shouted Magnus. Ellegaard shushed him.

" _There's too many of them!"_ Harper exclaimed, twisting to face Jesse. Zombie-Jesse looked about, spotting a small little house.

He grabbed Harper's hand, who yelped in surprise, and dragged her over to it. Zombie-Jesse skidded over the slab stones surrounding it and knelt behind it, Harper beside him, almost directly underneath the house.

"That's not gonna hide them for long," Olivia pointed out, twisting her fingers, "Not with the amount of monsters looking for them."

"And Jesse can't use any of his Ender Pearls, if he even has any left," said Ellegaard, frowning, "They're out in the open."

" _You can't play hide and seek forever, Jesse,"_ said PAMA. A skeleton's feet crossed the screen, cutting up to its crimson-eyed face, a bow drawn and loaded. " _It's a boring game. And I am too strong."_

"This thing is worse than the Games," whispered Nell. Em's jaw clenched, a scowl crossing her face.

"What else could you expect from an Old Builder?"

Onscreen, Harper's eyes narrowed. She pointed to an opening in the side of the mountain. " _Over there! That door leads to PAMA's central core!"_

Puppets- zombies, skeletons, people- were pouring from the door, the air filled with mechanical groans. Zombie-Jesse nodded in understanding, but not a moment later was there a frantic bleeping, his blue highlight turning orange.

"Not again," groaned Lukas.

A Puppet-Person stopped in their tracks and turned red eyes to face them, the orange becoming red. To Jesse's right, another Puppet-Person spotted them. They began to approach.

"Oh no!" gasped Stampy.

" _Jesse,"_ said Harper, voice dripping with desperation, the beeping becoming more persistent, " _You and your friends- you're our only hope!"_

Then she was grabbed, forced away from the zombie boy, arms forced behind her back as they began to drag her back to the platform. Harper kicked and struggled, but it was of no use.

" _Harper!"_ Jesse shouted.

" _You must remove the Redstone Heart!"_ Harper called, " _Remove! The Redstone! Heart!"_

"The Redstone Heart?" echoed Aiden, "Isn't that what that book was called?"

The screen cut back to the lab, Ivor's eyes widening, " _Jesse, what's going one?"_

" _You can still save everyone!"_ Harper said, as Zombie-Jesse watched in horror, backing away as he realised more puppets were coming towards him, a slight tremble in his hands. Harper grunted. " _I'm so tired of being dragged away while I'm trying to explain things!"_

"Yeah," muttered Ivor, a bit weakly, "That's… get rather irritating."

" _I'll be back to rescue you and take care of PAMA!"_ Jesse assured, screen flickering briefly back to the lab, even though the inventor had no idea what he was saying, " _I promise!"_

Harper chewed on her lip, closing her eyes. Breathing deeply.

Her greatest fear was coming true.

" _Interference located,"_ PAMA declared. Zombie-Jesse turned, just in time to be grabbed by a Puppet-Person, and proceed to grapple with them, grunting from the effort. " _Drone identified."_

"No!" exclaimed Lukas.

" _Hide and seek is done, Jesse."_

Puppets, surrounding him, grabbing his arms and holding him in place. Jesse's highlight bleeped a red warning, and he struggled, trying to escape, a terrible reenactment of when he was almost chipped. A Puppet-Person approached from behind.

"What are they doing?" asked Petra. Her head whipped around to face Harper. "What are they _doing?_ "

"I- I think…" Harper's eyes widened, "Oh no."

"What?" asked Ivor, dread curling in his stomach, "What are they doing to him?"

" _I think we can make that headset…"_ PAMA's screen flickered into a smile, " _Useful."_

"Don't you touch him!" yelled Olivia.

" _Begin termination sequence."_

"No," Axel's eyes widened, "No!"

The puppet that had been approaching from behind grabbed Zombie-Jesse's blue chip and _pulled_ , tugging violently, forcing his skull from side to side, clawing, tearing, tearing, _tearing_. The screen cut back to the lab, where Jesse was held in place, Petra and Ivor watching with wide eyes, and the boy gasped, head thrashing wildly from side to side-

" _Guys!"_ he shouted, terror thick on his tongue, " _Guys, take it- take it off! Take it-"_ The headset buzzed, then spat sparks and began to smoke, burning, burning, and Jesse cut himself off with a loud, throat tearing _scream._

"JESSE!"

His gloved hands scrambled and tore at the sparking headset, his screams breathless and loud in the vast cavern of the lab, bouncing off the walls, ripping at the silence. Then Ivor was there as well, grabbing at the headset and _tugging_ , Petra appearing and grabbing it herself, smoke clouding their faces, the whole station flashing and sparking _and Jesse couldn't stop screaming._

The helmet left Jesse's head abruptly. The boy stumbled backwards, Petra catching him as the bones in his legs seemed to disappear, sinking to the ground so that he was leaning against her chest. The station almost seemed to die, its bright lights going out. There was nothing but the boys panting amid the silence, Petra holding him, Ivor watching, frozen, with the smoking headset in his hands.

"Oh god," breathed Isa, "Is… is he alright?"

No one answered.

The silence stretched for a long time. Slowly, Jesse's panting died down. The smoking headset fell from Ivor's hands and puffed into dust almost the minute it made contact with the ground. The potionologist knelt in front of the two kids, his hands, unlike theirs, covered in shiny burns due to the lack of gloves. Jesse had buried his face into Petra's chest.

" _Jesse,"_ he said, voice uncharacteristically quiet, almost as though he couldn't feel the sting in his palms, as though he could feel it but didn't care, " _Are you alright?"_

For a moment, it was almost as though the boy wasn't going to answer, or hadn't heard. But then he seemed to steel himself, pull himself together, and dragged himself from Petra's gentle hold to look a the potionologist.

The audience gasped.

Jesse's eyes were red, brimmed with tears. Twin trails of blood leaked from both nostrils, and a gruesome burn spread from one side of his head to across his forehead onto the other side, around his eyes where the goggles had been. To say the least, it looked painful.

"Oh dear god," breathed Sparklez. Dan hastily covered a steadily paling Stampy's eyes, but the image was burnt into the boy's gaze.

The real Jesse, wincing, shrunk into Petra and Lukas' arms, who were gaping at the screen in utter horror. Olivia looked as though she were about to vomit. Axel looked as though he was about to break something.

Maya's hands were over her mouth. Gill had turned away, unable to look. Aiden and Cassie shared a wide eyed stare. Harper grimaced at the sight, but was ultimately thankful that it hadn't killed him, as she had previously theorized. Her gaze shifted to Ivor; the man looked horrified, and his hand had flown to his potions bag, as though to grab a healing potion, even though the scene wasn't actually happening.

Yet. Not yet.

"Oooh, yikes," Hadrian grinned, every eye turning towards him, "That looks _painful_ , sport."

Petra's eyes narrowed, "Are you… _laughing?_ "

"What?" Hadrian, indeed, laughed, "Oh, come on, it's pretty funny."

"How," Ivor spat, "Is this _funny_?"

"Well, he did kind of bury his injured face into that girl's breasts-"

"Hadrian!" exclaimed Harper, disgusted. The real Jesse went beat red, leaning away from Petra, afraid she'd be upset. But the redhead's grip on him only tightened, pulling him closer, and she shot Hadrian a disgusted sneer.

"He's my _brother_ , you dimwit," she said, "And I don't find him getting his _face_ burnt off to be very funny."

"That was a bit much, Hadrian," Otto declared, shooting his friend a glare, "Even for you."

Hadrian rolled his eyes, "Alright, alright, fine. I _apologise_."

Ivor huffed, clearly unmoved, "Stay away from him."

The man's eyes narrowed on the potionologist. He said nothing.

Onscreen, Ivor's eyes widened, mouth popping open in stunned shock. Jesse took a deep breath, grimacing, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.

" _There's- There's no time to waste,"_ he said, voice cracking. He made to stand, but his legs trembled and he fell back down to his knees before he could get very far. Ivor grabbed him before he could try again, a restraining hand on his arm.

" _Hold on a moment,"_ he said, reaching into his potions bag. Jesse's jaw clenched, an angry look crossing his face as he glared at the floor. It didn't take a genius to know he was angry at himself.

"Jesse," Olivia sighed, "It's not your fault."

Jesse didn't bother to tell her otherwise.

He knew it was his fault.

" _It sounded like you were talking to Harper,"_ said Petra, as Ivor pulled out a cloth and soaked a patch of it with a yellow potion, " _And… PAMA?"_

" _Yeah,"_ Jesse said, seeming to regain himself a little bit. He winced as Ivor began to dab at his burns. " _PAMA- It caught up to me. Not good."_

"I don't really think anything about this is all that good," muttered Magnus, although it lacked his usual snark. Ellegaard didn't even bother to shush him.

" _There,"_ said Ivor, pulling away, " _Those burns should be healed up within an hour or two,"_ he pulled a tissue from his bag, using it to wipe the blood from Jesse's nose, " _They'll be pretty tender, though."_

"At least they've been tended to," pointed out Gabriel. Ivor's mouth twisted a little, but he didn't say anything.

Jesse nodded, and probably would've shot him a grateful smile had he been in the right state of mind to do so. He took a deep breath and pushed himself to his feet, both Petra and Ivor reaching out to catch him in case he falls.

But Jesse was able to keep his balance, although there was a slight wobble to his legs. He stumbled as he passed Ivor and Petra, but thankfully steadily regained his ability to use his legs. He began to pace in a circle, a slight wobble to his step, Petra and Ivor looking as though they were ready to dart out and catch him from a fall at any moment.

"Shouldn't he be sitting down?" asked Maya, frowning. The rest of Jesse's friends frowned as well.

"Yes," said Petra, shooting the real Jesse a look, "Yes, he should."

" _We- We need to get back to the door I just saw,"_ Jesse explained, " _And get inside PAMA's core."_ Petra and Ivor shared a look.

" _But what happened to Harper?"_ Petra asked.

Jesse stopped pacing, coming to a halt in front of them. A dreadful look overcame his face. " _I think… I think she's already been chipped. But we can still end PAMA."_

Harper sighed, a chill racing across her skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. It's happened. After all this time, it's happened.

Ivor's hand curled around her own, warm and comforting. He smiled reassuringly at her. She attempted to return it, but it came out more like a grimace. Harper had been prepared for this to happen.

But it didn't make it any less terrifying.

Onscreen, Petra raised an eyebrow, "Without _Harper?"_ Beside her, Ivor sighed.

" _It seems we're sunk,"_ he said, " _Harper's the only one who knows how to shut down that monstrosity- and Jesse can hardly stand!"_

" _I'm standing fine,"_ Jesse declared, almost absentmindedly. He shook his head. " _PAMA isn't going to win- not on my watch."_

"Go, Jesse!" cheered Nell. Em rolled her eyes at her.

"Not necessary, Nell."

" _Harper showed me the entrance to PAMA's core,"_ Jesse explained, " _She told me that we need something called 'The Redstone Heart.'"_

"PAMA's power source," explained Harper, "Tear that thing out, and it's bye bye PAMA."

"' _Redstone Heart'?"_ echoed Ivor, eyes widening. Petra drew a sharp intake of breath, hand shooting up to press against her forehead.

" _Whoa. That brought back a- a flash. Those red lights I mentioned before?"_ she walked forward, passing Jesse and staring at the floor in an attempt to not lose concentration, " _There are three of them- Redstone spires- and- and I think…"_ she frowned, turning to face Jesse, biting her lip, " _They have something to do with the Heart. That's… that's all I got,"_ her eyes trailed downwards, shoulders slumping, " _Sorry."_

"Don't _you_ start apologising too," Axel said, poking Petra in the side of the head. The girl swatted at him, lips twitching.

"Oh, be quiet."

" _No, that's perfect,"_ Jesse said, eyes lighting up, " _Thank you!"_

The real Petra blinked, "It is?"

Onscreen, Jesse turned around and made his way over to a small little pond, only a little wobble to his legs. Ivor followed, frowning.

" _But how are we supposed to destroy these spires- or whatever we're looking for?"_

" _I don't know if you've noticed, Ivor,"_ said Jesse, eyes locked on the pond, " _But PAMA's stuff tends to not react well with water."_

Harper frowned, cocking her head a little, "What are you planning, exactly?"

Jesse pulled out the buckets he'd found earlier, kneeling down and placing his hand on the floor to help steady himself, scooping up some water. Turning to face the other two, he tossed the bucket towards Ivor, who very nearly dropped it, and then another towards Petra.

"Ah, yes," said Gill, nodding, "This makes all the senses."

Maya raised an eyebrow at him, "Does it?"

"No."

Jesse scooped up some water in the last bucket, keeping this one to himself. Pushing himself back up to his feet, he made his way back over to Petra and Ivor, a determined glint in his eyes, which were still a little bloodshot. There was some blood caked on his upper lip, and his burns gleamed in the torchlight. He looked like he'd been battered by a storm, yet at the same time, he looked like he _was_ the storm.

" _Let's go wreck the heck out of PAMA."_

"Whoo!" Nell cheered, directly into Em's ear. The larger girl shot her a glare.

"Could you _not?_ "

Ivor smiled, pocketing his bucket, " _Lead the way, Jesse."_

Jesse nodded, and they began to make their way towards the lab's exit. Determined. The screen faded to black.

"Alright!" Gill clapped his hands, "I have no idea what they're about to do, but alright!"

"Shall we stop for lunch now?" asked Gabriel, Jesse's mouth going dry at the suggestion. Ellegaard hummed, then nodded.

"Yeah, I'm getting pretty hungry. Didn't Lukas and Jesse make pasta last night?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," Lukas admitted, "You guys want some?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Petra, rising to her feet and cracking her back, "And since it's already made, all we have to do is set the table. You guys sure you made enough for everyone?"

Lukas nodded, rising as well, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure. We made a _lot_."

"Oooh, pasta," Harper smiled, "Been awhile since I've been able to have that."

Everyone began to make their way out of the living room towards the kitchen, chatting, although many were still a little queasy about the whole headset almost setting Jesse on fire thing. The real Jesse swallowed, a chill in his core, reluctant to move, registering at the back of his mind that Ivor was still sitting on the couch, clutching his potions bag. Reuben whined, nudging against him. The boy closed his eyes. Took a deep, trembling breath.

Hadrian's stare bore into the back of his skull.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you do a little dance, wave your arms or jump about to tell Harper it's you? Let me know in the reviews!


	68. Gladiator's in the Garden

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Sixty-Eight: Gladiators in the Garden**

* * *

Throughout lunch, Jesse smiled. He laughed and joked about with his friends, and while the conversation did indeed turn to the slowly setting sun, Jesse couldn't bring himself to worry about it as much as he should've. His friends would be fine, he was sure of it. Ivor, Gabriel, Magnus, Ellegaard and Soren wouldn't let harm come to any of them.

They'd be safe.

And as for Jesse… well. Jesse wouldn't be there when the sunset, now would he?

The thought chilled him to the core, left goosebumps springing up his arms, jagged hands clawing and tearing at his freezing chest. And for a moment, his smile faltered, his breath caught, and his mask slipped as though it had stumbled upon a patch of black ice.

But it only lasted a moment, and nothing more. The smile forced its way back onto his lips, tight and painful, but it looked as natural as ever to one who didn't look too closely. It hurt. A throb in his cheeks. He almost wanted to cry.

He didn't.

It was partway through lunch, where Jesse had yet to eat a thing and was starting to receive narrow eyed glances from his friends (had Ivor been there, he was certain he would have noticed too, but both he, Harper, Magnus and Ellegaard were missing), that he locked eyes with Hadrian. It was brief, so brief he wasn't even sure it could be considered proper eye contact, because his eyes snapped down to his steadily cooling pasta not even a split second afterwards. However, it didn't stop twin lasers from drilling into the side of his skull alongside the pound of his heart, and a sheen of sweat beaded his forehead.

"Jesse?" Petra said, breaking through the rigid terror that gripped his spine, "Are you alright? You look a little pale."

"I, uh," Jesse swallowed past the lump forming in his throat, "I- I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick."

Lukas shot him a frown, "Do you want me to come with you? You got lost last time you said-"

"No! Uh, no," Jesse cut him off, a little too hastily, "No, I'm- I'm fine. I know where it is."

Bracing himself, Jesse stood from the table, almost tripping over the legs of his chair when he made to move away. Swallowing bile, he slipped out the door and into the hallway, feeling eyes on his back. He passed the bathroom and kept walking.

Reuben must have been too occupied munching on the bowl of carrots Jesse had given him under the table- some of which consisted of golden carrots, which the little pig seemed to enjoy quite a bit- for when he emerged from the mansion onto the porch, he was alone.

A part of him was grateful for this.

A bigger part wasn't.

His feet dragged as he made his way down the stairs, which almost ended with him toppling down them head first. He wanted to turn back, to hide, maybe slip into the secret passageways and watch the episodes from the portraits like that mysterious person has been doing. Or turn back and find Ivor so he can just make them leave him _alone_.

But Ivor wasn't in the kitchen. Jesse had no idea where he'd gone, although he suspected it was with Harper. And Hadrian had made the consequences of him bailing clear. Terribly, terribly clear.

He couldn't do that to his friends. Not after everything they'd done for him.

Not after choosing between them.

Jesse wandered from the path, out into the trees. He wasn't sure where exactly he was to meet with the Gladiators, just that it was somewhere in the garden. He wasn't in that much of a hurry to find them anyway. Maybe someone else would find him before he could come across them. Maybe his friends had followed him.

It was a nice, hopeful little flicker of a thought. But it was brief, smacked down and squashed beneath the heel of a large boot, the moment he felt a meaty finger tap him on the shoulder.

Everything was frozen. His breath, his limbs, the parrot chirping on the tree branch above his head. Even his heart seemed to have halted its beating. And in that moment, he was smaller than he already was, with a flimsy little axe in his tiny hand, hardly able to lift it above his head, staring into the wide eyes of a piglet. Frozen.

It seemed to take forever for Jesse to turn around, and yet at the same time, he felt as though he'd done so too quickly. Slab was an impressive height, even bigger than Axel, and Jesse's head centred more around his stomach than his chest. This only succeeded in making him feel even smaller.

The Gladiator was, predictably, flanked by his companions. Facemeat's toothy grin fell slowly, good eye roaming over Jesse's trembling hands, the terror on his face. Clutch's face was more quizzical, head cocked, a hand planted on her hip. Her axe hung on her hip.

No one said anything. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, to the point of it being awkward. Jesse's mouth had gone terribly dry.

Slab's face was almost grim. His bushy brow was furrowed, his mouth set into a thin line. His hand, the one that had tapped Jesse on the shoulder, was still poised in the air, hovering awkwardly. After a moment, he slowly dropped it back down to his side.

Jesse swallowed around the lump in his throat, blinking away the liquid springing to his eyes, "He-Hey."

Facemeat made an odd sound, like a kicked puppy. Slab sighed heavily, shoulders slumping, reluctance mixing with the grim on his face. His hand raised and pushed up his helmet, massaging his temple.

"I… want you to know," he said, slowly, choosing his words with care, "That I… admire you. I had theorised that the episodes were perhaps an alternate path. A possibility. Or another world entirely," he shifted a little, glancing briefly at Clutch, "I had thought that, perhaps, the you onscreen was not the you that is here. I wasn't certain you would show," Slab shook his head, "And yet… here you are."

Jesse's eyes trailed downwards to his feet. A pink tulip rested in the grass beside his show. "You've got nothing to admire."

Slab hummed, "I believe otherwise," his dark eyes darted to the side, grim expression returning, "You are admirable. I hope you know that this is… it's nothing personal. I'm just doing my job."

His tongue was thick in his mouth, as though it were covered in peanut butter, as though it had been turned to lead. Something pricked at the back of his eyes. His voice was a croak. "I know."

"Slab," Clutch said, quietly. Facemeat whined, hand rising to cover his face, as though in an attempt to block Jesse from his view.

"I don' wanna do this," he muttered. Slab swallowed and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they shone oddly.

"I am sorry."

Jesse's face exploded with pain before he'd even realised the Gladiator had raised his fist. He stumbled backwards, something hot and sticky filling his mouth, and didn't even have a moment to regain himself. He was hit again, again, again, until he was on the floor and curled up in a ball, instinctively covering his head with his arms, with pain spiking and pulsing all up his arms, legs and torso. Through eyes blurred by tears, he saw Facemeat standing still, almost acting as though he were being forced to watch a puppy get beaten.

Then a squeal, loud and piercing and sudden and familiar, burst over the noise of iron fists bruising his flesh. He saw a flash of pink, a retreating, curly tail, and then a fist landed on the side of his head and his vision was dotted with black stars.

A crack, a throat-tearing scream that left spittle and blood splattered across Jesse's lips. But the punches didn't falter, didn't relent, and agony blazed over his body like a throbbing fire. It blared, seared, sparked and spat, leaving behind charred purple all over his body, gruesome blacks and yellows. Lightning struck his chest, zapped down his spine and left the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, hot red bubbling in his mouth.

He was going to die.

Dear god, he was going to die.

"What is- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Glass smashed in a spray of green sparks. All at once, everything stopped. Frozen. Actually frozen.

No. No, not frozen.

Slowed down.

Clutch had been in the middle of a punch. Her fist was pulled back, pink hair flaying ever so slowly, arm creeping closer at a painful pace. Slab's own fist was inches from his elbow. The pain had dulled greatly, as though even that had been slowed. Jesse tried to sit up. Found himself moving too slow to actually get in the position to do so.

Footsteps rushed forward. Magnus and Ellegaard briefly entered his line of sight as they raised their swords at Facemeat, who held up his hands without a word, dropping his axe. Ivor appeared in front of him, kneeling in the grass, and Reuben's snout pressed against Jesse's forehead. Over the potionologist's shoulder, he saw Harper pushing against Slab and Clutch and, in a surprising show of strength, shoved them onto their backs.

Ivor, however, paid her no attention. His eyes were alight with a burning anger that would have made Jesse flinch had he been able to. He was pale, far paler than he usually was, and for a moment Jesse thought he was mad at _him_.

"C'mere," the potionologist muttered, pulling Jesse into his arms. While Jesse couldn't move at a proper speed, Ivor appeared to have no problem with repositioning him himself so that he could carry him properly. An arm around his back, another under his knees, and Jesse's head rested on the potionologist's shoulder as he straightened to his feet.

Harper was shouting, her foot on Clutch's throat. Magnus was moving to apprehend Slab, sword pointed at his chest for when the potion wore off. Ellegaard glanced only briefly at Jesse as Ivor rushed passed her. Reuben hurriedly trotted after them.

It was an odd sort of numbness. He could still feel the pain in his body, but it had been dulled greatly to a humming throb, a thousand tiny pricks against his dead skin. The pain wasn't gone, only slowed, to the point that his brain struggled to register it. It must have been one of the oddest sensations Jesse had ever felt.

It didn't take long for Jesse to realise that the potion must have also affected his awareness. One moment he was surrounded by trees, the next the oak walls of the mansion. He might have heard someone else, someone talking, but he might have not. The oak walls became bookcases, and Ivor's arms were replaced with the white sheets of the basement cot.

Then, all at once, everything blasted Jesse in the face. The pain spiked and throbbed in an abrupt burst of flaming agony, and a startled gasp was choked on and cut off by a loud scream. Jesse jerked automatically, an action he immediately regretted when the agony flared lava hot, lightning shooting through his chest. It was terrible, brutal, and he wished for the numbness to return.

There was a squeal, Reuben's pink head appearing in front of his face. His pig was pushed away, quickly but not harshly, and something propped up Jesse's head, a bottle held against his lips. It took him a moment to register the liquid sloshing in his mouth, and a moment more to remember how to swallow. It left a strange taste on his tongue, neither delicious nor foul, but not tasteless either.

Jesse coughed when the bottle was pulled away, wheezing and grimacing when it caused his chest to constrict. A hand tangled in his hair.

He didn't remember closing his eyes.

* * *

Ivor had been both angry and grateful towards Magnus and Ellegaard when he realised they'd lured him and Harper to a picnic spot in the garden, complete with a little poppy in the centre and lit candles. The setting sun had only added to the romantic atmosphere, and despite knowing that Magnus and Ellegaard were no doubtfully close by, Ivor couldn't bring himself _not_ to sit down with her when she'd asked if he'd like to.

He'd been surprised when Reuben had come running in all of his plushy pink glory, squealing so loudly that he'd been certain that they could hear him all the way back at the mansion. He'd been confused when he'd led Harper and him into the trees, and shocked when he'd found the Gladiators in the middle of beating someone. He'd been grateful when Magnus and Ellegaard- who had of course been following them- had burst from the trees with their swords out. He'd been enraged when he'd realised the one getting beaten was his child.

Jesse was pretty banged up. His torso was littered with bruises that size of watermelons, blacks and purples that faded into ugly yellows. His arms and legs weren't much better. His lip had been split, his nose fractured, and his teeth had cut the inside of his cheek. At least one of his ribs had been broken, and he suspected he might have a concussion.

Reuben curled up against Jesse's side on the bed, pink little head rested against his shoulder. Ivor thought that perhaps he should have him sit on the floor, but eventually decided to just work around him.

He applied an ointment to Jesse's bruises and wrapped his chest in stark white bandages, leaving him in his shorts and deciding he'd find him another set of clothes later. He cleaned the blood from his face, and applied a splint along the bridge of his nose, held in place with a blue elastic plaster (which, admittedly, made the boy look a bit ridiculous; Ivor would never admit that he also found it a little cute). There was a slight swelling to the fracture, and he suspected the beginnings of a black eye, although that was usually only the case with a broken nose. This was just a fracture, but he decided not to rule out the possibility of a black eye anyway.

Ivor almost didn't know what to do with himself when he finished treating his kid's injuries. He might have stormed back upstairs to find the Gladiators and break _their_ ribs, had he not been so reluctant to leave Jesse alone. So he pulled up a chair and sat down beside him, absentmindedly running his fingers through Jesse's mocha-brown hair, and wondering just how many more times he'd be in this position.

It didn't take long for him to hear footsteps racing down the stairs at a breakneck speed. Petra was the first to appear, skidding into the alcove so fast she almost rammed into the bookshelves. She was next to Jesse's cot within seconds, kneeling beside him, hand clasped around his.

"Holy- Holy _crap_ , what did they do to him?!"

Ivor clenched his jaw to avoid snapping at her. It wasn't her fault this had happened. She was just worried. Angry. Like he was. Besides, Gabriel wouldn't appreciate him snapping at his daughter.

"Jesse!" Olivia exclaimed, appearing around the corner. She was flanked by Axel, Lukas and- to Ivor's slight surprise- Aiden and Cassie. They darted forwards, the redheaded cat-lover with a brutally obvious limp, and huddled around the little cot, almost peering over each other in an attempt to make sure Jesse was okay.

"I can't believe- who would- why would they _do_ this?" Lukas gasped. Cassie's wide eyes narrowed, shining with something like suspicion. But it passed too quickly for Ivor to be sure.

Petra shook her head, gritting her teeth, "I'm gonna kill them."

"Yeah," muttered Axel, brow furrowing, "This is… this is messed up."

A silence came upon them. Just watching the gentle rise and fall of Jesse's chest. A reassurance. Ivor wasn't sure what he'd do if that chest stopped rising. That thought scared him a little.

Aiden shuffled his feet, wringing his fingers a little. His voice was quiet. "What happened?"

Ivor shook his head, "I was outside with Harper. Reuben came running and led us to the Gladiators. They were," he clenched his teeth, "They were beating him."

"Wait," Olivia frowned, turning worried eyes to the potionologist, "Outside? Jesse said he was going to the bathroom."

"Maybe they dragged him outside?" suggested Axel. The suggestion caused rage to curl in Ivor's gut.

"Where are they?" he asked, struggling to keep the bite out of his tongue, "The Gladiators. I left them with Harper."

Lukas, who had moved to sit on the edge of Jesse's bed, shrugged, fiddling with his sling, "I dunno. I think they took them to the watching room."

The potionologist nodded, but made no move to seek them out. His eyes trailed back down to Jesse's sleeping form, bruises stark against the white sheets. He looked fragile. Incredibly fragile. Ivor's stomach twisted.

"I'm- I'm gonna go find him some clothes," Aiden said, breaking the silence, "You said there's a bunch in the attic, right?"

Olivia nodded, "Yeah. There should be a pumpkin above the chest."

Aiden nodded back, shifting a little. He looked down at Jesse, opened his mouth as though to say something, but then closed it, as though deciding against it. The boy slipped between Olivia and Axel without a word and headed towards the stairs. Cassie shared a glance with Lukas, before following him. Winslow, who Ivor only now noticed, hopped down from his workbench and trotted after her.

"Will he be okay?" asked Axel. Ivor sighed quietly, biting back a sarcastic remark. He'd rather not make things worse than they already were.

"He should be," he said, instead, "His nose is fractured, he's got a broken rib, possibility of a concussion as well. He's got this nasty cut on the inside of his cheek, but it shouldn't need stitches."

"He's going to be sore when he wakes up," Olivia sighed, gently tracing a finger along one of the nastier bruises decorating Jesse's jaw, "Is there anything we can do?"

"Unless you have a pocket full of magical healing powers, I'd say no," Ivor snapped. Olivia flinched, a blush dusting her cheeks. The potionologist sighed.

"Sorry."

The redstone apprentice shook her head, "It's alright. I'm worried too."

Ivor opened his mouth, perhaps to snap at her again for even _considering_ that he was worried, perhaps to reassure her that there was nothing to worry about. But whatever he was going to say never came out. He closed his mouth, and returned his eyes to the resting boy in the cot beside him, his screams echoing like a demonic mantra in his head.

He'd never been that scared before. Not in his entire life. Not when facing the Ender Dragon, not when he realised Soren had used that blasted block, and probably not when he accidentally creates the Witherstorm. Listening to his child screaming as he tried to force a sleeping potion down his throat was one of the worst experiences in Ivor's life.

One he prayed he would never have to experience again.

* * *

Jesse may not remember closing his eyes, but he remembered opening them. Mostly because when he did, he was greeted with a blinding light and a spiking headache. Groaning, he clenched them shut again, and couldn't help but grimace when he realised just how _sore_ he was.

His chest felt stiff and tight, as though something was wrapped around it, squeezing the air from his lungs. Each limb was a dull throb, his mouth felt like cotton, and there was something irritating along the length of his nose. To say the least, it wasn't his most pleasant waking.

It took him a good couple of minutes- maybe longer, he wasn't sure- to force himself to open his eyes again, this time much slower. Jesse blinked, squinted as his eyes struggled to adjust. He tried to wrinkle his nose, but then a spike of pain shot through the bridge and caused him to gasp.

There was a clatter, as though something had tipped over. Then a clamber of feet, and Jesse's view was abruptly blocked by Reuben's pink face, wet little nose pressing against his cheek. Jesse grunted, sloshing his tongue in an attempt to get some more liquid in his mouth. He tried to move his arm to pet the little pig, but when he did, pain shot through his skin and he dropped it back down onto the sheets.

"Jess?"

Jesse blinked, turning his head (which took a surprising amount of effort) to meet Lukas' eyes. They danced with concern, but there was relief there as well. His eyes trailed over the blond's shoulder, to find Petra, Olivia, Axel and Ivor there as well.

He stared at them for a moment, brain struggling to register what was going on. He raised his aching hand to the thing irritating his nose, but Lukas grabbed his wrist with more gentleness than usual before he could touch it, entwining their fingers and bringing it back down to the sheets.

"Don't touch that," he said, "You've hurt your nose."

"And just about everything else," Ivor butt in, sliding up beside the blond. He knelt in front of Jesse, cupping his face and tilting his head, as though to get a better look at his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Sore. Really, really sore. Like, incredibly sore. Jesse wasn't sure there was a word to describe how sore he was.

He groaned, closing his eyes. There was a steady pound above his left eye. "Ow."

There was a short laugh, the bedding around Jesse's knees dipping, "Yeah," said Petra, "That seems about right."

"What the hell happened, dude?" Axel asked, Jesse squinting open his eyes a little to look up at him, "I thought you were going to the bathroom."

When had he gone to the bathroom? Probably sometime this morning. Why was Axel asking him if he'd gone to the bathroom? Sort of an odd line of questioning.

Ivor frowned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a torch. He held it closer to Jesse's face, little flame flickering, and had to cup his cheek again to stop him from turning away. The potionologists' frown deepened, tilting the boys head as he held the torch a little closer.

"Spell your name for me."

Jesse grimaced, closing his eyes to block the light of the torch and reluctantly opening them again when Ivor persistently tapped the side of his head. Reuben snorted, a hot breath against his ear, and nuzzled against his head.

"Come on, Jesse," said Ivor, "You can spell your name, can't you?"

Of course he could. Why wouldn't he be able to spell his own name? Of course, he'd never learnt to spell his name until he was thirteen, but he still knew.

"Jess?" said Lukas, leaning forward a little so that he could see him over Ivor, "Jesse, hey, come on. You got this. What's your name begin with?"

He blinked heavily, struggling passed the mist fogging his brain. He tried to move his hand up to his nose again, because _wow_ that thing is irritating and he'd like it gone please, but it was the same hand Lukas was still holding. How do you spell his name again?

"J," said Jesse, wishing Ivor would get that torch out of his face now, "A-"

"There we are."

A shock shot up Jesse's spine, which caused lightning to strike his chest. He gasped, hand tearing from Lukas' to claw at the bandages (why were there bandages?) around his chest, teeth clenching as tears beaded at his eyes. There was a shift beside him, Reuben's concerned squeal in his ear, fingers tangling comfortingly in his hair.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle him?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" snapped Petra, "Come to laugh at him getting hurt?"

"No, no. I've simply come to sort things out."

"Olivia, get that potion off the desk for me, will you? Listen, I don't care why you're here. Whatever happened between my- _Jesse_ and your Gladiators, we can deal with later."

"Now, now, there's no need for this hostility," footsteps, stone clicking as he drew closer, "I've simply come to explain the events that have transpired."

"Jesse got pummeled by _your_ Gladiators. I think that's explanation enough."

"I've spoken with my Gladiators-"

"-Oh joy-"

"-And have come to the conclusion that this… incident was done on both sides."

" _Excuse_ me?"

"Oh, please," Ivor scoffed. Jesse's head was lifted, rested in the crook of the potionologist's elbow, and something pressed against his lips. He blinked open his eyes, which he only now realised he'd been clenching shut, struggling to breathe around the pain in his chest. Ivor tipped the bottle a little higher, pouring into Jesse's mouth. It tasted like honey. "I'm afraid I find myself struggling to believe that Jesse would provoke them enough that they'd decide to beat him into the dirt."

"Are you certain about that? I mean, that Aiden fellow's still covered in bruises, you know."

A stillness came upon the room, something that even Jesse felt through the murk that clouded his brain. Ivor pulled the newly empty bottle from the boys' lips, turning to look at Hadrian properly. Jesse wished he could see his face.

"Aiden had just pushed Lukas to his death," the potionologist pointed out, words purposefully, painfully slow, "And while Jesse attacking him was violent, he'd thought he'd _killed_ his friend. I'm certain anyone would have reacted the way he did."

"I think you should leave now," said Lukas. The pain was slowly ebbing away from Jesse's limbs now, although it didn't go away entirely. He wondered what was in that potion.

"I would also like to apologise on the Gladiators behalf-"

"Didn't you hear him?" Axel cut him off, shooting the man a glare, "You should leave. Now."

Jesse closed his eyes again, mostly to avoid making eye contact with the man. Hadrian huffed quietly.

"Alright, then. I'm sure _Jason_ can explain what happened."

Jesse flinched violently, disrupting Reuben. There was a loud clatter, and every head turned to Ivor's workbench, where Jesse's dirty clothes had been neatly folded. Only, they weren't so neatly folded anymore; they looked as though they were about to fall off the bench. On the floor, a little red robot sat on its side. Perhaps it was the fog encasing his brain, but Jesse could have _sworn_ it was glaring directly at Hadrian.

"Okay," Petra said, breaking the startled silence that had fallen upon them. She turned her attention back to Hadrian, glaring. "Weren't you going?"

Hadrian stared at her for a moment. Then he huffed, rolled his eyes, and stormed back up the stairs. Olivia shook her head.

"I can't believe that guy. He doesn't even know Jesse's _name_."

"Yeah," muttered Lukas, frowning after the grey-haired man, "Weird."

There was a tap on Jesse's shoulder. He turned his head to look up at Ivor, who held out the little red robot to him. It was no longer glaring. "Thought you might like to keep this."

Jesse blinked dumbly at it for a moment, before reaching out and taking it in hand, muttering a quiet 'thanks.' He shifted a little, curling on his side, Reuben cuddling against him again. Out the corner of his eye, he saw the robot's eyes flash pink- but when he turned to look, they were still red.

"Why don't you get some rest?" Petra suggested, "We can continue with the episode later. Hopefully, it's almost done."

Lukas gave a small, soft laugh, "Yeah. I don't know about you, but I'm a little sick of PAMA."

"I think we all are," drawled Olivia, "Although, you gotta admit. It must have taken a _lot_ to wire that thing up."

Ivor shushed them, gesturing with his head towards Jesse, who watched from where he was curled in the blankets. Olivia winced, before shooting her friend a smile.

"We'll be here when you wake up."

Jesse hummed, abruptly finding himself exhausted. He briefly considered that potion being laced with something other than pain relief, but he wasn't able to think much of it. Mostly due to the fact that he was steadily falling asleep.

"I wonder where he got _Jason_ from."

"That guy gives me the creeps."

"Yeah. Although 'Jason' _does_ suit him a little."

"Perhaps so," a hand tangled in his hair.

"But he'll always be my Jesse."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we end on that nice little note there.
> 
> So, Jesse's going to be incredibly sore for a good while. And he's got a bright blue plaster over his nose. Did I tell you about the time in Elementary when my brother picked at a scab on his nose, made it bleed and met up with me at recess with a bright blue plaster on his nose? Reference XXD
> 
> Also, yes. Ivor said the last line. Just- Just to clear up anyone who thought otherwise.


	69. Swift Strike

* * *

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Sixty-Nine: Swift Strike**

* * *

When Harper arrived in the alcove Ivor had claimed as his potions lab, it was to find the Original Order's unofficially adopted children huddled around the little cot in the corner, fast asleep, most of them leaning against the bed or each other on the floor. Ivor himself stood in front of his workbench, fiddling with some potions. A neat pile of clothes was seated beside him.

"Hey," she greeted, quietly as to not disturb the sleeping kids, "How's he doing?"

Ivor started a little, twisting to look over at the inventor. He shot her an almost nervous smile, although it faded quickly. "He's… healing. They knocked him up pretty badly," he paused, mouth twisting, "What did you do with the Gladiators?"

"We had them sit in the watching room for a while," Harper explained, moving so that she was standing next to the potionologist. A slight scowl crossed her face. "Then Hadrian showed up and insist we hand their 'punishment' over to him. Or something along those lines."

A silence shifted upon them. On the bed, Reuben turned in his sleep, stretching. Ivor sighed, setting down the potion bottle he'd been holding.

"He came down here," he said, "I suspect he was trying to convince us that it had been Jesse's fault."

"Was it?"

"Of course not," Ivor stated, only a little snappishly, "You couldn't honestly think he provoked them? And even if he had, _beating_ him is uncalled for."

"Hm," Harper hummed, eyes trailing over to the cot in the corner of the room, "I _do_ have a hard time believing he'd purposefully provoke them to the point of being beaten. Hadrian's known for twisting tongues."

"You don't say," muttered Ivor. He sighed, turning around to lean against his workbench, crossing his arms as he shot saddened eyes towards the sleeping kids. "They worry me, sometimes. Soren's considering that therapy might be a good idea."

The inventor raised her eyebrows, "Do you?"

"Honestly? Yes. You've seen what these episodes are doing to them. Imagine what it'll do to them once they're actually living them."

"I… hadn't considered that," Harper admitted. She paused for a moment, considerate. "I believe therapy is a good option. For Jesse and Lukas especially," she glanced at him, "Although, I don't know of anyone here that's a therapist."

"I'm sure there's some people we may be able to consider," Ivor hummed, "Otto and Isa are rather level-headed."

"Perhaps," said Harper, frowning thoughtfully. There was a short silence. "What about you? You were pretty pale when you were carrying Jesse back to the mansion."

Ivor shook his head, "I'll be fine. It's Jesse you should be worrying about. I'm, ah, I'm sorry we never got to finish that picnic. I was… I was having a nice time."

The inventor smiled at him, "So was I. Maybe we can continue it later."

He returned the smile, "I'd like that."

They fell into a comfortable silence. On the workbench, the potion stand bubbled quietly. In the corner, Petra shifted, and settled against Axel's side.

"He'll be okay," Ivor muttered, as though trying to convince himself. Harper gave a soft little laugh, reaching down to link her fingers with the potionologists.

"Of course he will," she said. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"He's got you."

* * *

When Jesse woke up again, he was in a proper state of mind this time around, although this did _not_ help with the pain. At all.

It took a couple of tries, and quite a lot of biting into his tongue to stop himself from screaming aloud, but he was able to actually sit up despite the shock of lightning that burst through the side of his chest. The inside of his left cheek felt swollen and painful.

Struggling to even his breathing, he patted a concerned Reuben on the head in a way he hopped was reassuringly, clenching his teeth to stop himself from crying out. A warmth overlapped the pain in his chest when he realised his friends were huddled around him, fast asleep.

Maneuvering around them was one of the most difficult things Jesse had done in a while. First off, his skin was so sensitive that it might as well have been a thin sheet of wet paper. Second, there was absolutely no opening between his friends, which left Jesse attempting to take a giant step over them without actually standing up on the bed or on them. Which was awkward. And ended with him falling on top of Axel, who snorted loudly, turned to cuddle Petra, and left him tumbling painfully to the floor.

Jesse lay there, spread-eagle, wheezing. Reuben hopped down from the bed, leaping over Olivia's head to do so, and pressed his snout against Jesse's cheek. The boy grit his teeth, tears beading at his eyes, fingers coming up to grip the bandages around his chest. Reuben squealed, persistently pressing his snout against the boys cheek, wanting to help but not knowing how.

There was a groan, "Jess? Jesse? Where- oh, holy crap!"

Lukas scrambled forward, accidentally kicking Petra in the thigh and jostling her awake. He hoisted Jesse up around the shoulders, a difficult task with his other arm in a sling, but he managed. The boy gasped loudly as pain shot through his ribs at the sudden action, but as he settled against Lukas' side, he was slowly able to start breathing properly again.

"Jesse, what the _hell?_ " Petra breathed, elbowing Axel harshly in the side to wake him up. The larger boy yelped, which succeeded in waking up Olivia. "How did you even get out of bed?"

"I'll go get Ivor," said Olivia, scrambling to her feet. Jesse frantically shook his head, still having a bit of trouble breathing.

"No, no, no, no, you don't have to-"

"Aaaaand she's gone," said Lukas, as the girl vanished up the stairs in search of the potionologist. He raised an eyebrow at Jesse. "Nice try, Jesse."

The boy groaned, dropping his head against Lukas' shoulder. Petra climbed to her feet, moving to kneel in front of them. She poked Jesse in the forehead, although there was a weary gentleness there, as though she were afraid of hurting him. "You are the _dumbest_ brother I've ever had."

Jesse pulled a face at her, "I don't need to lie in bed twenty-four-sev-" he cut himself off with a loud yelp, clutching at the particularly nasty bruise on his arm that Axel had decided to poke. He shot his friend a glare, who simply raised a brow at him in response.

"I'm _fine_."

"Yeah, no," said Petra, bluntly, "You look as though you've been thrown under a train of minecarts."

Jesse scowled at her, but it faded when he realised something he probably should've before, "Where are my clothes?"

"Covered in mud," said Lukas, "And, uh, blood. I think some bits are torn as well," he gestured to Ivor's workbench, "Aiden got you a new pair from the attic."

Before Jesse could consider any sort of response to that (although his mind had already turned to the lines of ' _again?'_ ), there was a pounding of footsteps, and Ivor appeared with Olivia right behind him. He skidded to a stop in the entrance of the alcove, eyes narrowing on the group on the floor. He jabbed a finger at Jesse.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

"Uh…"

Jesse wasn't given a chance to respond beyond that. Ivor stalked forward, bending down and taking the boy from Lukas, scooping him into his arms with almost embarrassing ease. Jesse squeaked, attempted to wiggle out of his hold, only to stop with a sharp intake of breathe when pain shot through his chest again.

Ivor sat him down on the bed, before spinning around and marching over to his workbench, pulling open a chest and rummaging through it. Lukas, Axel, Petra and Olivia huddled around the cot again, Reuben hopping back onto the sheets and seating himself around Jesse's legs. Ivor returned with a potion in hand, and thrust it into the boys face.

"Drink."

"But-"

" _Drink._ "

Deciding that arguing wasn't worth it, Jesse sighed and took the potion, downing it quickly. It tasted like berries, an odd mix of cherry and raspberries, and stung the cut on the inside of his cheek. Ivor waited until he'd finished it all before giving a single nod and taking the empty bottle, returning it to the chest on the workbench.

Jesse released a small breath, then pulled a face as he realised there was something irritating his nose. He raised his hand, touching something stiff and rubbery along the length of his nose, like a stick with plastic stretching over the middle to hold it in place..

" _Don't touch that._ "

The boy flinched in surprise, quickly dropping his hand back to the sheets at Ivor's pointed glare. Petra gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm.

"Should- Shouldn't we be continuing with the episodes?" asked Jesse, shifting onto his elbows to sit up properly (the pain was fading quickly; he was seriously starting to appreciate potions). Axel pressed against his shoulder and pushed him back down onto the bed. "I mean, with the sun setting…"

"We'll continue the episodes after this is sorted out," Ivor declared, returning his attention to rummaging through the chest.

"But there's nothing to sort out."

Every pair of eyes turned to stare at him. Even Reuben's. A heat rose up Jesse's neck, and he shifted uncomfortably, but didn't say anything else.

"You're kidding, right?" asked Axel. Ivor shook his head.

"If I'm put in the same room as the Gladiators," he said, "I'm going to end up killing them."

Silence stretched across the alcove. Something heavy settled on Jesse's chest, a twist to his stomach. They hadn't wanted to do it. He wasn't even sure if Facemeat had actually done anything, although his memory was a little blurry by that point.

But if he told them the Gladiators had been put up to it, they'll become suspicious of Hadrian, being the Gladiators 'boss' and all. Maybe even find out about their deal. And if that happened, he'd hurt his friends. He'd hurt everyone.

Jesse couldn't do that to them.

So he said nothing.

Ivor checked him over again, poking at his ribs and nose (which was painful even with the potion), shining a torch in his eyes and asking him questions, like how to spell his name. Seemingly satisfied, he put the torch away and had Lukas help him apply some sort of ointment to his bruises.

"Your ribs are definitely broken," Ivor explained, as they did this, "And your nose is fractured, hence why you have a splint you've been oh so desperate to touch."

Jesse blinked at him, surprised more than anything else. He's tried to touch it before?

"You're lucky it's not worse," continued Ivor, "Your lip's split and you've got a cut on the inside of your cheek, but we'll just leave those to heal on their own. Thankfully, you don't seem to have a concussion or any head trauma, but we should keep an eye on it. If you start getting any headaches, no matter how small it is, you tell me, okay?"

Jesse nodded. Ivor capped the lid of the ointment.

"Good. Other than that, it's mostly bruises. You should be fine."

"Can't you give him that potion you gave him last time?" asked Olivia, "When he hurt his ankle and you gave him something to heal it?"

"Yeah, isn't that what you did with Aiden's cracked jaw as well?" Lukas questioned, wiping the last of the ointment off his fingers with a tissue. Ivor shook his head.

"Overall, those were minor injuries. The more major the injury, and the more injuries there are, the longer you have to wait for the potion to actually work."

Jesse groaned, "Great."

"I'm going to go find Harper," declared Ivor, getting to his feet. He pointed a finger at Jesse. "You, stay in bed. Get out again and I'll tie you to it," he pointed to his friends, "You four, keep an eye on him. I'll be back soon."

The potionologist made his way back upstairs, the quiet slam of the door marking his official exit. Jesse made to sit up again, but Axel once more pushed him back down

"Oh, come on! At least let me-"

"No."

Jesse groaned, but didn't make to sit up again. Reuben shifted up to his humans stomach, cuddling up against him. The boy smiled a little, although it irritated his split lip, and reached down to stroke his head. Out the corner of his eye, he saw his friends look at each other.

"So, uh, Jesse," said Petra, "Care to tell us what happened?"

The boy paused, a panic briefly glossing his brain before he pushed it down. Petra leant forwards a little, forcing eye contact.

"You were just going to the bathroom," she continued, "The one _right_ next to the kitchen?"

"Uh, yeah- yeah," Jesse winced, "I- I _did_ go to the bathroom."

"Okay," said Lukas, slowly, "Then how did you end up outside?"

"I, uh, heard a noise," Jesse lied, scrambling to think of a plausible excuse, "I thought it was another pot smashing or something. I went to investigate, and ended up outside."

"And that's where you found the Gladiators?" asked Olivia, frowning. Jesse nodded.

"Yeah."

"Why'd they attack you?"

"I… I can't remember."

Lukas frowned deeply, "Really? Not a thing?"

Jesse went to bit his lip, but then realised it was split and settled for the little bit underneath it inside his mouth. He nodded. "Yeah."

His friends shared another look, almost like they were communicating with just their eyes. After a moment, they turned to face them again, frowns returned.

"You're not… hiding anything from us, are you?" asked Axel. A brutal pain that had nothing to do with his ribs hit Jesse in the chest. He could tell them. Tell them and have this all over with.

_I know more about the mansion than you do._

"Of course not."

"Okay," Lukas muttered, although his brow remained creased, "Just… just know that you can tell us anything, alright?"

Jesse smiled at him, although it didn't reach his eyes, "Okay. Thanks."

Lukas smiled back, but it was almost exactly the same as Jesse's; not reaching the eyes. The blond reached forwards and pulled him into a hug. Olivia joined, then Axel, who tugged a non-resisting Petra in as well.

They just sat there, holding each other close. And Jesse realised just how much he was going to miss them.

And how much they were going to miss him.

* * *

There was shouting, at one point. It came from somewhere upstairs, and only lasted a few minutes. It was impossible to tell who was shouting, let alone what they were shouting. Jesse thought he heard his name at one point.

It was a little while after that that Ivor came back downstairs, this time with Harper. They both looked annoyed, but brushed them off when asked if everything was alright, telling them not to worry about it. They reluctantly didn't push.

Axel and Ivor helped Jesse get dressed into the clothes Aiden had found for him- a blue and white shirt with yellow suspenders and red-brown pants. Lukas would have helped as well, but it would have been difficult with one of his arms in a sling. Standing hurt, but it was bearable with the potion Ivor had given him earlier. Jesse wasn't looking forward to when it wore off.

He was forced to lie back down on the bed again, despite his protests to at _least_ let him sit up. His friends huddled around him, and Axel struck up a conversation about the traps he and Magnus had set up around the mansion's garden. Off to the side, Jesse spotted Ivor and Harper speaking quietly, occasionally glancing over at them.

"Gabriel?" Petra blinked, cutting Axel off, "What are you doing here?"

"To speak with Ivor," the warrior informed, descending the last of the stairs. There was a grimness to his face, although he masked it with a smile in their direction. "Pay us no heed."

"They're saying that a lot," muttered Olivia, as Gabriel joined Ivor and Harper and began to speak in hushed tones. She glanced about at her friends. "I kinda get the feeling they don't want us involved in this."

Petra made an odd huff sort of noise, frowning in the trios' direction, "Maybe… but why would they do that?"

"They probably don't want what happened to Jesse to happen to us," Lukas concluded, fiddling a little with his sling, "I mean, it's pretty scary, what they did. Just lashing out at him like that."

Jesse bit back a wince, "It's- It's not that bad. We don't need to make a big deal about this."

Petra shot him a deadpan look, "Jesse?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop."

"This is ridiculous!"

Almost as one, theirs heads snapped around to look at the trio on the other side of the alcove. Ivor was scowling, and both Harper and Gabriel didn't seem all that happy either.

"I shall _not_ accept continuing the watching with them in the room," the potionologist declared firmly. Gabriel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"We _need_ to finish these episodes," he stressed, "And we simply do not have the time to deal with this properly. I am just as angered as you are, Ivor, but Hadrian argues that the Gladiator's must be there for the watching; why else would they be here in the first place?"

"Certainly not to beat children into the dirt, I'm sure."

"Ivor," Harper snapped, "They can hear you."

Their heads spun around to look at the group around the cot in the corner, watching them. Gabriel sighed and turned to face Ivor again.

"We move them to the back of the room," he said, " _Away_ from the kids. But Hadrian insists they continue watching the episodes."

Ivor huffed, "Fine. But they better not go _anywhere_ near him."

"Trust me, my friend. We will all make sure that doesn't happen."

The warrior began to make his way back up the stairs, although he paused at the entrance of the alcove. He glanced over his shoulder at them. "If it's alright with you, we will be continuing the episodes in an hour."

Ivor sighed, " _Fine_. Just make sure they're not sitting anywhere near them."

Gabriel gave his friend a single nod, shot Petra a reassuring smile, and then vanished up the stairs. Harper sighed, turning her attention towards the kids.

"Sorry you had to hear that," she said. Jesse shook his head, eyes trailing to where Gabriel had vanished.

"It's fine."

* * *

It was an hour later that Jesse was being carried into the watching room by Axel, much to his annoyance. Both Ivor and Harper had tried to convince him to take their seat on the couch, but Jesse insisted on staying on the floor with his friends. He reluctantly agreed to lean against Axel throughout the watching, and to tell them if he was starting to hurt, no matter what was going on.

Maya, Gill, Aiden, Nell and the YouTubers greeted him when they entered one be one, asking him how he was feeling and if he was alright. Jesse smiled at them and assured that he was fine.

He only caught a glimpse of the Gladiators. They came in, flanked by Soren and Ellegaard, and led to a couch that had been pushed off to the side of the room. Jesse's view of them was quickly blocked, however, by his friends, who startled him by plopping a pink pig into his lap. Jesse blinked, then tugged the little red robot out of Reuben's mouth.

The boy glanced over his shoulder, freezing when his eyes locked with Hadrian's. The man's face was blank, but there was an annoyance, an anger, that bubbled beneath its surface. His eyes narrowed on him in a glare. A terror struck Jesse's chest.

He turned away, heart leaping into his throat. Just in time for Axel to settle down beside him and tug him against his side, so he was leaning against him and putting less weight on his ribs. It took him a moment to realise someone had pressed play.

A spider hissed, scuttling along a rooftop. The screen panned down, to where another puppet-spider scuttled about underneath, and then off to the side, where groups of zombies, creepers and skeletons with crimson red eyes stumbled stiffly about like guards on patrol.

Jesse, his face still painfully shiny from the burns created by the headset (which earned him some winces from the audience at the reminder), poked his head over the top of the stairs. He pulled himself the rest of the way up, kneeling, eyes scanning the sandy dunes that made up the stringed village.

" _C'mon,_ " he whispered, turning his head only slightly to look further down the stairs below him. He got to his feet, knees bent and keeping low to avoid detection, as Petra and Ivor poked their heads over the top of the stairs.

"They're infiltrating PAMA," Ellegaard muttered, "If only they still had that headset. Imagine what they could've done if they decided to do this with PAMA's own puppets."

"I'm not so sure about that," Harper admitted, "I have no idea what could happen if PAMA's put offline while the headset it active; possibly something worse than that chip being torn from Jesse's mob."

"That thing burnt Tiny's face of!" Magnus whispered loudly, purposefully making it so that the kids on the floor couldn't hear, "What the hell would it do to him if the actual power source was destroyed?"

Harper sighed, "I dunno. Best not to think about it."

Jesse darted quickly around a bend, Petra and Ivor quickly following him. A puppet-skeleton turned to look in their second, only a split-second too late to catch sight of them. The screen cut to a puppet-spider, hissing and spitting as it passed another spider, this one ridden by a skeleton, although they hardly even glanced at each other. The screen cut back to the trio.

" _Quick!"_ Jesse hissed, " _Hide!"_ He leapt to the side, vanishing behind one of those little slab 'fences' at the bottom of a house. Petra and Ivor hastily followed him.

The spider-puppet scuttled along, redstone chip flashing atop its head. It passed them, unaware of their presence, huddled on their stomachs in the sand.

" _Where is the entrance to this 'PAMA core' anyway?"_ Ivor asked in a hushed whisper.

"Yeah," Maya frowned, "And something tells me it's gonna be guarded."

Onscreen, Jesse rose to his knees, peeking over the slabs. Through a stream of puppet-mobs, he gestured ahead, Petra and Ivor rising as well to see over the slabs properly. " _On the other side of all these mobs."_

"Of course it is," sighed Olivia.

A trio of puppet-creepers scampered past, red eyes blaring red. Ivor groaned. " _There are so many of them!"_

"I'm not sure if the red eyes make the creepers look more scary or more awesome," said Axel. Magnus nodded in agreement.

"I know, right? It's terrifying in an incredibly cool way."

"Something tells me that's not what's going through their minds at the moment," drawled Petra.

" _You guys have anything we can use?"_ Jesse asked, returning his attention to the other two. Ivor and Petra shared a look.

The trio proceeded to shove their hands into their pockets, setting down and putting on display whatever they could find. Jesse observed the pile laid out before them.

It was an odd mix of seemingly random items- redstone, sticks, a button, among other things. The boys attention immediately turned to Ivor's potions.

" _There are my last two potions from home,"_ Ivor declared, as Jesse picked them up. The potionologist took them from him. " _I held onto them after our Sky City adventure."_

"Good thing you did," muttered Soren, "But you only have two left?"

"We were going to visit a temple that Jesse and his friends had already explored," Ivor pointed out, "It is likely we were all expecting to be returning home shortly."

" _A potion of swiftness,_ " said Ivor, raising the blue-white potion, " _And,_ " a raised the green one, " _A potion of leaping."_ Jesse smiled at him.

" _These might come in handy."_

"Ooooh, noice!" Nell exclaimed, grinning widely, "Potion time, brah!"

Jesse returned his attention to the inventory pile, taking it in. He hummed, picking up the stone button. " _I always love a good button."_

"What could it be used for, though?" asked Stampy. Dan shrugged.

"I think I saw some redstone in the pile? They could use it to activate something."

As though having heard him, Jesse reached over and picked up the redstone dust, brow furrowing thoughtfully, " _I can use this button to activate the redstone dust. But what can I connect it to?"_

Dan blinked, "I just said that."

Pocketing both the redstone and button, Jesse once more returned to the inventory pile. He blinked, then frowned, burnt face morphing into a look of confusion. He picked up Harry's flower. " _Is that- Isn't that the flower that I had to give to 'Harry' back in the lab?"_

" _What?"_ asked Ivor, defensively, " _I thought maybe Harper might want it back or… maybe_ I _could keep it."_

Magnus giggled loudly, appearing to be immensely enjoying this display. Ivor's cheeks dusted a little pink, and he very stubbornly kept his eyes glued to the screen. Harper held back a smile.

" _Yeah, you can keep it,"_ said Jesse, handing the flower back, " _I can't think of any way for it to help us here."_

"Unless PAMA likes flowers," muttered Lukas.

"Hey, who knows," Petra shrugged, "Maybe we can seduce it."

"Petra, please do _not_ go there."

Jesse looked back down to the inventory pile, cocking his head and humming again, " _Sticks? Not sure how they'll help us, though."_ He handed them back to Petra.

"That leaves… " Magnus grinned, "Oh, yes, please."

The young hero reached down and picked up the last item- some TNT. He grinned. " _We got TNT, some redstone dust… and a button. All I have to do is lay down a trail of this TNT, use the redstone dust as a fuse, stick a button on the end, punch it and_ boom! _Path cleared."_

"But that would alert PAMA," Soren pointed out, frowning, "Wouldn't it be best to catch it unawares?"

"Technically, they _are_ catching it unawares," pointed out Lizzie, "I mean, they're taking it by surprise by destroying its puppets and clearing a path. It's better than trying to sneak past them and getting caught, you know?"

" _That's great and all,"_ said Petra, " _But how are you going to lay down all that TNT_ and _redstone without super zombies attacking from every direction?"_

"And… that," Soren sighed, "There is also that."

Jesse frowned. His lips twitched as his eyes trailed to Ivor, who still held the two potions. " _These should do the trick."_

Nell fist pumped the air, "Yes!"

Onscreen, Ivor grinned, holding the potions up in clear view, " _Choose, Jesse- quickly, now!"_

"Go for the potion of leaping!" said Maya. Gill shook his head.

"No, no- he could land in a trap or get hit with a potion of leaping. A potion of swiftness is better; in and out, you know? They won't have time to even realise he's there!"

"Kid's got a point," Harper admitted, "With the potion of swiftness, Jesse's less likely to get hurt."

Maya blinked, then pointed a finger at the screen, "Go for the potion of swiftness!"

" _The possibilities are endless!"_ Ivor continued. He paused. " _Well, not_ endless. _But still. Two very good possibilities!"_

Gabriel snorted.

" _I wanna be fast,"_ Jesse decided, " _Really, really fast. Gimme the potion of swiftness."_

" _Fine,"_ said Ivor, pocketing the green potion, " _Don't rush me."_

"Oh my god," Ellegaard groaned, "I can't believe you just said that."

"My puns are _phenomenally_ brilliant."

"The only thing that's _phenomenally brilliant_ is the fact that no one's punched you yet."

" _With this,"_ said Jesse, accepting the grey-blue potion, " _I'll be able to run super fast and lay down all the TNT and redstone before PAMA even knows what happened!"_ Ivor grinned.

" _Don't worry, Jesse. We'll be right behind you!"_

Stacy raised an eyebrow, "How?"

" _Potion,"_ said Jesse, raising the bottle to his lips, " _Do your stuff."_

"This," Nell gushed excitedly, "Is going to be _radical._ "

The hero quickly gulped down the mixture and, almost immediately, everything began to slow. Ivor, who had been in the middle of blinking, abruptly appeared stuck. Jesse looked from him to Petra, who was in the same condition, and then turned around. Everything was frozen, and he was surrounded by grey-blue swirls.

"Wooow," muttered Axel, "That is just… _wow_."

"I know," Lukas said, eyes wide, "It's amazing how things biology and the physics of reality can be altered by a mixture in a bottle."

Ivor grinned widely at them, "Potions are far too underappreciated, aren't they?"

Onscreen, Jesse began to walk, looking around at the frozen world with wide eyes. He came to a sudden stop, having almost walked right into two zombies in the middle of walking down the path. He skirted around them, turning to briefly walk backwards so his eyes could linger on their still forms. He turned his attention to the hoard of frozen mobs before him and broke out into a wide grin.

"Here we go!" Petra grinned.

Jesse took off running, a blur that only lasted a second onscreen, leaving the two zombies to unfreeze behind him, but it was as though he'd never been there at all. A brown blur darted down the path, the two zombies groaning as they continued on, oblivious to the loud, " _Weeeeeeeeeee!"_

Lukas stifled a laugh, grinning broadly. Petra reached over him and ruffled Jesse's hair, although it lacked any sort of force, as though afraid to hurt him in his battered state.

The boy onscreen skidded to a stop before a group of puppets, throwing down a block of TNT and placing down redstone as he darted away. The screen came to regular speed again, to show the brown blur vanish within moments. A long trail of zig-zagged redstone appeared on the ground in a small spray of sand and dust, but there was no sign of how they got there. From a birds-eye view, the brown blur darted passed, there one moment and gone the next, leaving behind tufts of sand and a trail of redstone.

"This. Is. AWESOME!" cheered Nell. Em truly was certain at this point that she was going to end up deaf sometime soon.

The screen matched Jesse's speed, showing his legs as nothing but blurs, although the audience could make out most of his upper half. He was rapidly placing down redstone, arm practically spiralling at this point. He was quickly approaching another group of puppets.

"Go Jesse!" Axel cheered.

Jesse dropped down and slid through the group of puppets, throwing down some TNT while he was at it, and then it sped up and he was gone in a flash, reappearing in a storm of sand as he skidded, dropping trails of redstone behind him, and began running towards a group of creeper-puppets.

"Booming the boom monsters!" Magnus exclaimed, "Nice!"

Reaching the centre of the group, Jesse spun around and dropped another block of TNT, before vanishing in a blur of brown. He reappeared, once more, skidding to a stop in the sand. The screen flicked around to another group of frozen puppets, Jesse's eyes narrowing on them.

"How much redstone do you guys _have?_ " asked Olivia. Harper shrugged, lips twitching.

"They probably took a bunch from my lab. I don't mind- anything to stop PAMA, after all."

The hero ran around, skidding at a corner and darting towards the puppets. Reaching a spider, he leapt up and front-flipped over it, dropping the TNT while in mid-air. The screen returned to regular speed, the puppet-spider hissing and turning around as the TNT landed directly next to it, a trail of redstone marking the brown blurs path. The monster remained unawares.

"Backflip, brah!" Nell practically shrieked, "Whoo!"

"Nell, you are going to end up _making me deaf!_ "

Abruptly, Jesse appeared next to a quartz block on the other side of the clearing, halting the redstone trail at its base. He reached into his pocket and placed the button on top of the block, glancing over at the puppets. The grey-blue swirls died out like the last few embers of a fire.

Jesse pushed the button.

The redstone trail lit up immediately. The boy turned, a hard look crossing his face as he directed his attention towards the entrance of PAMA's core. The screen panned over his shoulder, to where the last group of puppets groaned and moaned mechanically. Between their bodies, the TNT flashed white- and blew up, sending the puppets flying sky high and leaving a crater in the sand. The monsters landed, scattered and limp, and after hardly a second, burst into dust.

"YES!" Magnus shouted, throwing his fists into the air, "EXPLOSIONS!"

Harper released a breath, "It worked."

"You didn't think it would?" Ivor asked, keeping his voice purposefully low. The inventor shot him a small smile.

"'Course I knew it would work. I'm just… worried for Jesse, I suppose"

Ivor's lips twitched, "No one can resist getting attached to him," his smile faltered a little, eyes briefly darting over to where the three Gladiators were seated at the back o the roo, "Well… most people, anyway."

Amongst the houses, Jesse darts away at regular speed as PAMA's screen bleeped in the corner, face appearing. The boy skidded to a stop, head turning and eyes widening as it spoke.

" _Is that you, Jesse? Because this won't work."_

"Don't listen to it!" said Olivia.

The screen cut to puppets, hundreds of them, marching and walking and basically everywhere. Some were already making their way towards where Jesse was stationed. The others looked as though they were doing something. " _My forces will protect the Exit Portal."_

Jesse's eyes widened. He took a step back. " _Oh no."_

"What?" asked Soren, a worry clouding his eyes, "What's wrong?"

As though he had been heard, the screen revealed a partly finished portal, redstone blocks alight. " _My friends have almost finished building our new Exit Portal,"_ people puppets were, indeed, working on it, eyes as blank and red as ever before, " _And I will make all other worlds useful,"_ it's face flickered into a smile, " _Yay."_

"This thing gives me the creeps," muttered Axel.

Jesse backed away, eyes wide. He hurriedly spun around and began to dart in the opposite direction.

"This is bad," Harper groaned, face pale, "This is very, _very_ bad."

"Yes," Ivor muttered, also quite pale, "If PAMA gets to other worlds… I'm not sure we'll be able to stop it."

" _You cannot defeat me,"_ PAMA continued, as Jesse ran towards the houses. He turned around, looking about, backing away. It was like he was surrounded by nothing but PAMA's voice. " _Your defiance is not useful."_

"Get outta there, Jesse!" Petra stressed.

The boy peered beneath a set of stairs, to where the entrance to PAMA's core was stationed, a zombie-puppet staggering about. There was running, and Jesse turned just in time to see Petra and Ivor come around the corner, the redhead with her golden sword drawn.

"They made it!" cheered Olivia.

" _Augh,"_ Jesse groaned, running up to them and keeping his voice down, " _I think PAMA might be on to us."_

Petra sheathed her sword, shooting her friend a look, " _Wonder if those_ explosions _had anything to do with it."_

"Like you could've come up with a better plan," muttered Jesse. Petra made to flick him on the head, but caught sight of his steadily blackening eye and thought better of it.

" _Ooh,"_ Ivor muttered, grinning at her, " _Nice."_

" _The townspeople are already building the Exit Portal,"_ Jesse explained, deciding to ignore them in favour of directing his attention towards the Core Entrance, " _We've got to shut down PAMA before it can send its chipped forces through it."_

"Hold on a moment," said Ellegaard, raising a hand, "Is there a plan here? I don't remember there being a plan here."

"Are they… yeah," Soren sighed, pressing his palm against his forehead, "Yes, they're improvising."

"Hey, we have _some_ layout of a plan," Jesse protested, "We grabbed the water buckets, didn't we?"

"And beyond that?" asked Ellegaard. Jesse fell silent. The inventor sighed.

"Thought so."

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud, mechanical groan, crimson eyed puppet-zombies staggering and stumbling as they searched for the intruders. " _I will find you, Jesse,"_ PAMA declared, " _I have lots of friends."_

As though on cue, another mechanical groan sounded, and the trio's heads snapped to the side just in time to see a puppet-zombie clambering up the dune towards them. This one was followed by another, then another, all at once in perfect unison, staggering towards them, crimson eyes locked on target.

"Oh, come _on_ ," groaned Olivia.

" _Uh oh,"_ muttered Jesse. The air was filled with the monsters mechanic groans.

"Yeah," Lukas bit his lip, "I'd, ah, suggest getting out of there. Like, right now."

Jesse scrambled up a small dune and darted towards the Core Entrance. Petra made to follow, but came to a stop when she realised how close the puppet-zombies were. Ivor paused as well, eyes widening as he spotted the amount of puppet-spiders scuttling along the walls directly above the entrance.

"Oh, crap," muttered Dan, "If those things follow them inside…"

A puppet-zombie swiped at Petra, but the redhead jumped out of the way and drew her sword. Jesse reached the Core Entrance, skidding to a stop when he realised his friends were no longer behind him, the bright red light that spilled through causing his burnt skin to shine. He looked around, at the monsters steadily marching towards him, and clenched his jaw. " _Ivor, Petra, give me your buckets!"_

"Wait," said Maya, eyes widening, "He's not… there's no way. He can't go in there alone!"

Spiders hiss and spat as they scuttled down the wall towards them. Petra narrowly avoided another zombie, running towards Jesse and jumping out of the way of a spider landing on the ground. The redhead skidded to a stop beside him, furrowed brow illuminated in the red glow of the Core Entrance. " _Don't worry, Jesse,"_ she said, handing him her bucket, " _We'll hold them off!"_

"But we also can't have monsters spilling through the doorway we're trying to get to the Heart," Jesse pointed out, "I'm sure I'll be fine."

Maya stared at him for a long moment. A self-conscious feeling sprung in Jesse's chest, shifting a little so she couldn't properly see his black eye. She said nothing.

Ivor scrambled up the dune, bucket already in hand. He tossed it towards the boy before he was even up the dune, who caught it. He pocketed it as they turned to face the incoming army of puppets, Ivor skidding into view next to them and drawing a sword of his own. Petra held her blade aloft, turning to look over her shoulder at Jesse.

" _Go finish this and save Lukas."_

Nell threw her hands into the air, "Rescue team!"

"It's only _Jesse_ doing the rescuing, will you please _stop shouting in my ear!_ "

Onscreen, Jesse gave her a determined nod, before he turned around and ran off. With a yell, Petra charged into the fray of red eyed puppets, Ivor following quickly from behind with his own sword held high, free arm flaying. Petra raised her sword as she approached one of the zombies, and there was the sound of a blade slashing through flesh.

The screen cut to Jesse running through the Core Entrance, the source of the red light revealed to be the end of a redstone trail. He looked around, screen swapping about to his front to reveal the redstone trail going down an incredibly makeshift staircase that couldn't even be considered a staircase, down in a spiral. Jesse's eyes followed it to a floor they couldn't see.

Then he jumped down and there was nothing but dark.

Soren released a small breath, eyes trailing down to Lukas. A part of him hopped Jesse would run into him in there, but another, more logical part told him that it would be better he didn't run into him at all until after the Heart's been removed. Besides, he's probably outside somewhere, doing… whatever it is PAMA makes him do.

It would be okay. Jesse's saved people before. He's saved the whole _world_ before. Soren had a feeling that he'd stop at _nothing_ to save his brother.

That he'd stop at nothing to save Soren's son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you choose the Potion of Swiftness, Leaping or Invisibility? Which one's your favourite display? Let me know in the reviews!


	70. To Steal A Heart

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Six: Access Denied**

**Part Seventy: To Steal A Heart**

* * *

The blackness of the screen melted away to reveal a world of red hue, Jesse creeping into a massive cavern through an obsidian archway. Bridges of concrete and glass crisscrossed, up and down a seemingly endless abyss, redstone and repeaters glowing bright red across them. A puppet-spider scuttled along the bridge below, unaware of the sneaking boy directly above.

The screen trailed upwards, the steady thumping of a heart pounding in their ears, to reveal three spires, red light shooting from their tips towards a glowing block atop a giant pedestal. Thumping. The beat of a heart.

"Woah," breathed Stampy, "This… that's incredible."

"Look at all that redstone," muttered Olivia, "I- I think I'm getting a headrush."

"This is amazing, Harper," Ellegaard declared, turning to look at the other woman, "I knew PAMA was a work of genius to have its own _opinion_ \- even if that opinion makes it, well, evil- but… _wow_."

" _The three spires!"_ gasped Jesse, being incredibly careful to keep his voice low. He continued to hesitantly creep along the length of the bridge towards the Heart, glancing around in search of defences or puppets or anything that might try to either stop or kill him (or both). Revealing a giant, red screen with a loading symbol.

"Oh no," muttered Petra, losing colour in her cheeks, "That's not very comforting."

As though on cue, the screen screeched, and PAMA's smiling face appeared, causing the young intruder to yelp in shock, " _Greetings, Jesse."_

"Bad!" exclaimed Gill, shrinking into Maya, "Bad, very bad!"

"I hate this thing," muttered Lukas, going incredibly pale. Cassie shot him a concerned frown, but when Aiden looked at her, her face was a blank sheet of paper.

" _I, of course, have been expecting you,"_ PAMA continued, " _Though I will admit, I am surprised by how quickly you gained access. My defences are significant. Your resistance to me is… illogical."_

"Yeah, right!" scoffed Em. Nell shot her a faintly surprised look, although it quickly had her breaking out into a grin.

"Kick its butt, Jesse!"

"Does PAMA even _have_ a butt?" asked Axel.

" _I had help getting here,"_ Jesse declared, glaring up at the red screen- which was much more intimidating than the green one outside, " _My friends made sure of that. Thanks to them, I'm here to put you out of commission."_

"Heck yeah we did," Petra said, lips twitching in a small smirk despite the paleness that remained on her cheeks. Jesse smiled at her, although it irritated his split lip.

PAMA's screen blipped into an angry face, " _Your bravery is an impressive quality. I look forward to studying that aspect of your personality. Once you have been made useful."_

"Like hell you will!" snapped Olivia, earning a few surprised looks from the audience. She reddened upon realising this. "What? It can't chip Jesse!"

"And it won't," Ivor declared, firmly. He said it with such sureness, Jesse was surprised to discover himself finding comfort in it.

PAMA's loading screen appeared as it processed, before it flickered again and returned with its angry face, " _Out of simple curiosity,"_ it said, " _How exactly did you plan to deactivate me?"_

"Is it a good idea to tell it?" asked Lukas, frowning. Axel shrugged.

"Well, it's about to find out anyway, isn't it?"

" _Now that you understand your mission is a futile one,"_ PAMA smiled, " _You might as well share with me."_

" _I know your weakness, PAMA,"_ Jesse smirked, pulling out one of the water buckets, " _And I'm here to exploit it."_

" _Ha, ha, ha,"_ PAMA laughed, screen glitching and flickering as it did so, " _It will take more than water to defeat me."_

Maya's lips twitched, "PAMA has no idea who it's dealing with, does it?"

Jesse bit the inside of his cheek, careful to make sure it wasn't the one with the cut, unable to fight down the blush rising up his cheeks. There was a small pang in his chest.

" _We'll see about that!"_ Jesse exclaimed, pocketing the bucket. PAMA's face flickered into a glare, but Jesse was already darting towards the spires. " _I don't have time for this!"_

The screen darted to the right spire, where a hoard of puppet-zombies leapt down from the bridge above, groaning mechanically as they turned their attention towards the intruder. Jesse gasped, and the screen darted to the left spire, where puppet-spiders jumped down, spitting and hissing.

"Oh crap," muttered Magnus.

Jesse only paused for a second, before he was running towards the puppet-zombies, drawing his sword, eyes hardening, " _Get out of my way!"_

A zombie made to swipe at him, but Jesse bent backwards and narrowly ducked beneath its arm, spinning around and kicking the puppet with as much strength as he could with a yell, sending it flying down into the seemingly endless abyss below them. It hit a ledge, toppled off and kept falling.

"WHOOO!" cheered Nell, throwing her hands in the air. Em winced as her ear throbbed, and shoved the girl in the shoulder, sending her toppling to the floor.

Jesse turned around to face the other two puppet-zombies, and he spun around, bringing his sword with him in a wide swipe. He hit both zombies, sending them both stumbling backwards. One came upon the ledge, arms flaying as it struggled to keep itself from falling over after its friend, the other shaking its head as it struggled to regain its bearings. Jesse grinned. And with a yell, he dashed forward and rammed into them, sending them both flying over the edge.

"YES!" shouted Gill. From the floor, Nell scrambled to her feet, almost bouncing as she returned sparkling eyes to the screen.

"This is so _cool!_ "

The boy turned his attention to the spire, scrambling up the quartz steps that held up the trail of redstone leading towards it. He reached the top, getting a perfect view of PAMA's bleeping screen.

" _You are too insignificant to worry me,"_ it declared, smiling. Jesse shot it his own smile, reaching into his pocket and looking towards the redstone block.

" _We'll see about that."_

He poured the water over the block, creating a small waterfall that washed away all the redstone connecting to it. The red beam connecting to the Heart flickered- once, twice- and died out.

" _You have inflicted… minor damage,"_ PAMA's face flickered, mouth squiggling in a 'sickly' face. It was replaced by three error signs, one flashing red. " _Owie."_

"It…" Lizzie blinked, "It says 'owie.'"

"This thing's like a little kid," muttered Dan, "You know, the kind that wants to prove itself and whatnot. It's like it…"

"Thinks this is a game," finished Stampy. Harper's eyes were glued to the floor, face oddly blank.

" _I may have underestimated you, Jesse."_

Ivor huffed lightly, whispering quietly to himself, "I did too."

Jesse jumped down from the spire, landing in a roll and already running towards the other one, drawing his sword as he skirted around the podium that held up the Heart. The screen slowed down as he approached the puppet-spiders, one leaping up at him, but Jesse ducked down in a roll and it went flying over his head. The spider gave a tremendous screech of a hiss, falling down the hole beneath the Heart's podium, down, down after the zombies.

"Come on, Jesse!" cheered Aiden, leaning forwards in his seat.

Onscreen, another puppet-spider spat and leapt from the spire, landing beside its friend. Jesse held his sword at the ready, narrowed eyes looking from one spider to the other, slowly beginning to circle the first one in a standoff, although he was careful to keep his eyes on the other as well.

Then the first spider hissed, making to leap- and the second leapt instead, the screen slowing down, blazing red eyes locked to kill- Jesse ducked at the last second, and the puppet flew over his head, but the minute he straightened, the first leap into action. He drew back his sword, everything slowing down, everything a brilliant red, and then all at once it sped up again and he slashed through the puppet's hide, sending it flying onto its back, legs flaying uselessly in the air.

A shudder shot down Lizzie's spine, a coldness settling in her chest. Spiders. Coming from the fireplace. Yellow eyes watching from a self-portrait.

Lizzie had never liked spiders.

The puppet leapt back to its feet, but the second it did, Jesse jumped onto its back and used it to boost himself up onto the spire in a front flip. Jesse glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the second puppet-spider getting back on its legs.

"Come on, Jesse!" Harper said, holding Ivor's hand in a death grip, "Just get the Heart and the spiders won't be a problem anymore!"

He can do it.

He can do it.

_He has to do it._

Jesse sheathed his sword and hurriedly scrambled up the spire, reaching the top in record time. He pulled out the second water bucket, PAMA's screen flickering off to the side. One of its eyes was almost directly behind him.

" _You merely delay the inevitable,"_ PAMA declared. Jesse shot a smirking-glare over his shoulder at it.

" _You so sure about that, PAMA?"_ He tipped the bucket- a puppet-spider's head appeared over the edge- and the water washed it back to the floor, the beam of red light connecting to the heart flickering and dying out as the puppet went tumbling over the edge. The red hue of the cavern pulsed on and off, like a warning sign.

"Just one more! Just one more!" Maya chanted.

" _You are very good at being a nuisance,"_ said PAMA, as two warning signs lit up on its screen. It was replaced, again, by its angry face. " _But not good enough."_

"Not yet," Petra smirked. Cassie's eyes were glued to the screen. Her lip between her teeth.

A sickness twisted in her stomach. PAMA was going to get desperate, if it already wasn't. And desperation led to desperate measures. Cassie was well aware of that by now.

It led to pain.

Whether for PAMA, Jesse or… or Lukas.

_Not the blond idiot._

Jesse jumped from the dead spire, almost slipping on the water spilt across the floor, but he didn't stop. He dashed towards the final spire, running as fast as he could. " _Bet you're not feeling confident about yourself now, are you, PAMA?"_

"Please stop talking to it," muttered Soren, something that was muffled greatly by his hands being over his mouth. Magnus blinked at him.

"What d'you say?"

" _Your defeat remains,"_ said PAMA, firmly, furious, screen flickering, " _Inevitable."_

" _If I only had a piece of iron for everything I've heard_ that _before,"_ Jesse muttered. He skidded to a stop at the bottom of the third spire, pulling out the final water bucket.

"You'd probably be rich," said Aiden, quietly. Something strange glittered in his eyes. Cassie wondered what he was thinking.

She didn't like not knowing things.

" _You will relinquish your water."_

Ivor's eyes widened, "Oh no…"

Jesse looked up- and met the crimson stare of Puppet-Harper.

"Oh dear Notch," Harper groaned, turning considerably pale and sinking into Ivor as though she'd suddenly lost all her strength, "That's- I'm actually- oh dear…"

Ivor wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close, "It's fine," he promised, "Jesse's- it's fine."

Harper shook her head, mouth opening and closing for a moment. When she spoke, it was so quiet that Ivor himself almost didn't catch it.

"I'm gonna hurt him."

" _Harper!"_ Jesse gasped.

" _Your attempts to defeat me have been…"_ PAMA's screen flickered, face turning blank, before returning to angry, " _Impressive, Jesse. Your tenacity and spirit will help me to improve me, once you have been made useful."_

"Stop _saying_ that!" shouted Olivia.

Puppet-Harper jumped from the spire, coming straight at Jesse, aiming for him- the boy gasped and leapt forwards in a roll, the chipped woman hitting the ground where he'd been standing not moments before. Jesse got to his knees, panting as he looked over at her with wide eyes.

" _I can't use my last water bucket while there's still one tower left!"_ he exclaimed, getting to his feet, looking up at the last spire.

The real Harper shook her head frantically from where she was practically melted into Ivor's side, "Don't even _consider_ that! Use your last bucket on me and there's no point in _any_ of this!"

Puppet-Harper got to her feet, turning to look over at Jesse as he scrambled up the last tower with a bit more haste than he had with the other ones, " _This is getting sad,"_ she ran forward, leaping up onto the spire and climbing after him, " _The odds of you successfully defeating me are 3720 to 1."_

"That's… specific," muttered Em, a tad weakly.

Jesse reached the top of the spire, pulling out the last bucket," _Never tell me the odds!"_

"Come on, come on, _come on_ ," muttered Soren, practically biting his nails.

The hero turned to the final redstone block, spilling the bucket's contents just as Harper reached the top and leapt at him, sending them both flying towards the ground. They hit hard, both flashing red, although only Jesse yelled upon impact.

"Jesse!" gasped Ivor. Harper's hand- the one that wasn't clinging desperately to Ivor- flew to her mouth.

Above him, the red beam flickered out of life. PAMA's screen buzzed and bleeped, three error signs flashing red. Jesse groaned, climbing to his feet and shaking his head, but he wasn't given time to gather himself. Puppet-Harper tackled him, forcing him to the ground, face twisted into a look of pure _rage_.

" _You will never defeat me!"_

"Stop!" Harper exclaimed, "Get- Get off him!"

" _I will find your homeworld and make everyone you ever cared for useful"_ declared Puppet-Harper, bruising grip resisting against Jesse's struggles, " _It will be great."_

"Ivor- Ivor, I'm _so sorry_ -"

"It's not you," Ivor cut her off, sharply, unable to look away from the screen, "You're not hurting him. PAMA is."

Jesse, despite the pained grimace twisting his features as he struggled against the puppet, was able to force a grin, " _Not losing your cool now, are you, PAMA?"_

He tore his hand free and pushed against Puppet-Harper's chin, forcing her backwards, backwards, until the back of her was plunged into the waterfall pouring from the third spire behind her.

Electricity shot through Harper's body, reaching out with sparking hands to shoot through Jesse's nerves as well. The two grit their teeth, eyes clenching shut, Jesse's burns shining brightly in the crimson light of the cavern, refusing to let go, unable to let go-

" _My Creator! No!"_

"Jess- Jesse!" exclaimed Lukas, eyes widening, "Holy crap!"

There was a _clunk_ , and the sparking redstone chip that had previously been firmly attached to the back of Harper's head fell off, washed away by the waterfall. Jesse gasped, grunted, and pulled the inventor away from the water, a sheen of sweat on his forehead causing his burns to glisten. Harper blinked open regular eyes, clouded, looking at the boy as though she wasn't sure he was actually there. Blood dripped from her nose.

" _Jes… se?"_

"You did it!" Ivor exclaimed, relief clear in his tone, "You saved her!"

"But he still has to pull out the Heart!" Cassie pointed out. Everyone was too occupied with the screen to be surprised by her break in silence.

Harper sighed tiredly, seemingly unaware of the blood on her face, " _That was worse than I could have imagined."_

" _Don't worry, Harper,"_ said Jesse, glancing over his shoulder at the error signs blaring on PAMA's screen, " _PAMA's nearly finished."_

The inventor sighed again, but it was more out of relief than one of exhaustion, " _Good,"_ her eyes trailed over his shoulder- and widened, " _Jesse, behind you!"_

Jesse's head snapped around- just in time to see the podium keeping the Redstone Heart in the air slowly beginning to descend, block by block, piston by piston, slowly retracting to where it could not be reached.

" _Ouchie detected,"_ said PAMA.

"What's it doing?!" asked Petra.

" _Preservation,"_ the three error signs blared, " _Protocol: Initiated."_

" _What's happening?!"_ asked Jesse.

" _You shorted out the processing towers!"_ Harper explained, " _PAMA's withdrawing the Redstone Heart to save itself!"_ Indeed, the Heart was almost entirely through the hole in the bridge that the spiders had fallen through.

"Oh no," murmured Milo.

" _Get to the Redstone Heart,"_ Harper said, scrambling to her feet despite the trembling of her knees, grabbing Jesse and almost shaking him, " _And rip it out before it's too late!"_

" _You bet I will!"_ Jesse declared, tearing himself from her flimsy grip and dashing towards the Heart, the inventor falling to her knees, unable to support herself. Jesse narrowed his eyes on the Heart, determination setting his jaw, and jumped towards it in a tremendous leap- just in time to for something to appear and kick him in the chest, sending him flying with a scream back towards Harper, flashing red as he hit the ground.

"Jesse!" gasped Ivor and Harper, in almost perfect unison. Gabriel shifted further in his seat.

"What _was_ that?"

Onscreen, Jesse grunted, pushing himself up on his elbows. Harper's hand snatched out to grip his shoulder. She'd gone terribly pale.

" _We've got company."_

Standing upon the podium, cast in the shadow of the Redstone Heart, arms crossed and head bowed. He raised his head, a friendly face strung up and painted and twisted into a vicious mask, a crimson glare that had once been a sky blue that shone with concern. Lukas, but with metaphorical strings tied around his hands and feet, controlling his every action, his every decision. A doll to be dressed and a puppet to be played.

The real Lukas made a strange noise that blundered between a cry and a gasp. His eyes gleamed strangely in the light. Petra reached over and gripped his hand tightly. He gripped back tighter.

Cassie shook her head, unable to look away. Winslow hissed in her lap. "No."

Soren breathed deeply, swallowing thickly. Magnus reached over and squeezed his shoulder, Gabriel linking his fingers with the architects. Ellegaard reached over Magnus to grip her friend's knee. Ivor did his best to do the same with his other one.

"This… is going to be hard to watch," whispered Otto. Mevia slowly nodded in agreement.

Onscreen, the Heart levelled with the bridge, and Puppet-Lukas strolled off, marching towards the two. Harper shook her head.

" _Your friend looks… tough,"_ she muttered, " _You sure you can handle him?"_

Jesse was still staring at Puppet-Lukas, eyes wide, almost looking as though he were in shock. Then his eyes narrowed, and he drew his sword, the enchantment almost appearing red in the caverns crimson lighting. Perhaps he would have said something to her, perhaps his mouth had become too dry to do so, but the person that wasn't his friend spoke before he could even consider trying.

" _Why keep trying, Jesse? You will only fail,"_ Puppet-Lukas' eyes blazed crimson red, a blank stare, like the plastic face of a doll, " _Just as you failed to save Reuben."_

Jesse's breath caught in his throat, eyes widening, both onscreen and off. Reuben whined quietly from the boy's lap, ears dropping backwards. A pain sprung through Jesse's chest, hot and scorching, but it had very little to do with the delicate throb of his ribs.

"N-No," Lukas stammered, shaking his head. The poor boy looked near tears. "No, I- I don't mean that, I swear!"

"We know, Lukas," Petra said, softly, although there was a paleness to her cheeks. Lukas shook his head again, tears moments away from spilling down his cheeks.

"I- I'm so sorry, Jesse," he gasped, turning desperately to the bruised boy, who remained frozen, "I don't- I didn't- oh god, _I'm sorry._ "

"Lukas," said Cassie, regaining some control of her tongue, "Shut _up_."

The blond bowed his head, wiping at his eyes, although they were quickly replaced with more tears. Soren made to go over to him, to do _something_ , but Jesse's voice made him pause.

"I'm going to kill it."

" _Just as you have failed to lead your friends back home,"_ Puppet-Lukas continued, " _You will fail to defeat me."_

Jesse's eyes were wide with shock. He was frozen, unable to look away from his friend. Too shocked to speak. Too shocked to even consider making a run for the Heart. His burns glistened in the red lighting.

" _And Axel, Olivia, and everyone on your homeworld will soon be made useful. Drawing it out like this won't hurt me. But it might hurt your friend."_

"Don't listen to it," Lukas said, breathing ragged, eyes glistening, "Jesse, just don't listen to it."

Onscreen, Jesse remained still. Then his grip tightened on his sword. " _You can't force me to hurt Lukas."_

" _Good,"_ said the puppet, " _That will make this go much faster."_

The real Lukas groaned, dropping his head into his hands. His friends shot him concerned looks, even the Blaze Rods and some of the adults. Cassie bit her lip.

Soren, finally having enough, got up from his seat and marched over to the group on the floor. He seated himself next to his boy, who glanced up in surprised with wet eyes, and pulled him into a tight up. Lukas made a slightly startled noise, but was quick to return it and bury his head into the architect's shoulder.

Hadrian frowned.

Jesse glanced over his shoulder at the spire behind him, eyes sparking as they locked upon the flowing waterfall. His jaw set with determination.

" _Okay, Lukas, come on,"_ he said, almost with an air of resignation, raising his sword, " _Let's see what you've got."_

"He's going to get him in the waterfall!" gasped Maya. Stacy's eyes widened.

"But what about the Heart?!"

"How's he supposed to get to the Heart when Lukas is trying to _kill_ him?" asked Dan. From where he was still clinging to Soren, Lukas whined, as though he were a kicked puppy. The blond looked like he was about to be sick.

" _Careful, Jesse,"_ urged Harper, still struggling to hold herself up properly. She wiped the blood from her face with the sleeve of her robe. " _I hope you know what you're doing."_

Puppet-Lukas gave a sudden, mechanical yell and charged straight towards Jesse, who gasped and leapt out of the way in the nick of time, landing where Harper had struggled to her knees.

The real Lukas, who had his face buried in Soren's shoulder, jumped at the sound, twisting to peek one eye out to see what was happening. Soren briefly considered turning him away so he didn't have to watch this (heck, he was considering turning away as well), but reluctantly decided against it.

If it gets worse.

He'll do it if it gets worse.

Puppet-Lukas' chip bleeped and blared as he skidded to a stop, arms spiralling to hold balance, inches from the waterfall. It almost brushed his nose as he turned his head to look at Jesse with a crimson glare.

"Oh, come _on_ ," Cassie growled. Winslow hissed in her lap.

" _You cannot win,"_ Puppet-Lukas declared, turning to properly face the two. Jesse swallowed as he began to approach again. " _I honestly think you should sit down and think things over."_

" _I_ honestly think you should get out of my friends head!" shouted Petra.

Jesse climbed to his feet and, gritting his teeth, dashed towards the Heart, only sparing his no-longer-friend a glance over his shoulder, " _No time to spare, I gotta get to that Heart!"_

"Get the Heart and you free Lukas," pointed out Ellegaard, "You just- You just have to be quick!"

Puppet-Lukas' face became hard, " _Enough of this!"_

He ran towards Jesse and leapt into the air with an inhuman leap, Harper gasping from beside the spire, " _Look out!"_

Jesse twisted, just in time to see Puppet-Lukas about to slam down on him. He gasped, jumping out the way- Lukas came down, fist raised, face reflecting in the glass square on the bridge- and it shattered the moment he landed, sending both him and Jesse falling down through the newly made hole.

" _No!"_

"Jesse! Lukas!" exclaimed Olivia.

The hero landed fast-first on a thin bridge of obsidian, very nearly losing his grip on his sword. Shards of glass rained down from above. " _Ouch!"_

"Where's Lukas?" asked Jesse, moving to lean forward, but stopping with a quickly hidden grimace when pain flared through his side.

Grunting, Jesse raised his head, revealing a nasty gash dripping blood from his forehead, almost directly above his left eye.

"He's hurt!" exclaimed Harper. Lukas made a strange sound, somewhere between a shaky sigh and a held-back sob.

"Oh, Notch, Jess," he swallowed, ducking his head to hide the tears slipping from his eyes. Soren's grip on his tightened. "I- I'm so, _so_ sorry-"

Jesse shook his head, "It's just a scratch."

Lukas shook his head, although he didn't raise it, "But I'm _hurting_ you."

His honorary younger brother made to chew on his lip, but remembered that it was split and settled for the little part beneath it again. His eyes cast downwards. His voice was concerningly monotone.

"I'll heal."

Face twisting a little, he got to his feet, brushing shards from his armour. Pistons retracting. His eyes caught sight the descending Redstone Heart.

"The Heart!" gasped Stampy.

Seizing his opportunity, Jesse leapt from the obsidian, landing on the glass that encircled the Heart. It went down abruptly, and he almost fell backwards, down into the seemingly endless abyss below, but was able to maintain his balance. Jesse's eyes trailed down to the pulsing Redstone Heart.

Then the podium bucked, and Jesse almost fell over again, gasping. He stabled himself against the glass and looked down- only to gasp again when his eyes locked with Puppet-Lukas' red ones, clinging to the edge of the podium almost directly below him, dangling above a deadly drop.

"Holy _shi-_ "

"Lukas!" gasped Soren, too preoccupied with the screen to even consider sending a glare, let alone scold, in Cassie's direction.

Jesse's eyes widened, and he hastily turned his attention back to the Heart. He didn't even hesitate to raise his sword and bring it down on the glass covering it, sending shards scattering everywhere. A considerably big piece hit Lukas between the eyes, slicing skin and sticking so it jutted out of his face. The puppet didn't even flinch.

"Crap!" exclaimed Jesse, almost jumping up. This was an action he regretted immediately, as lightning shot through his ribs and let him collapsing against Axel's side, gasping as his fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt. Axel's hands were quick to steady him.

"Jesse!"

The hero sheathed his sword as the puppet continued to climb up the podium towards him, getting on his knees, latching onto the Heart and _tugging_ with all his might. Blood trickled into his clenched-shut eye, directly atop a bit of the gruesome burns across his face, sweat shining on his forehead. The Heart resisted, stuck in as though he were trying to tear out a single brick from a wall.

But then it shifted, rising but an inch, and the whole cavern began to flash and spark, PAMA's screen flickering and glitching high above them. Puppet-Lukas' red eyes glitched, flicking to blue, hard expression morphing into one of shock and pain, and then they flickered back to red, then blue, and he clutched at his head, fingers tangling into his hair and falling to his knees, screaming a throat-tearing scream as blood trickled from his nose.

"LUKAS!"

" _Nooo!"_ the puppet thrashed his head from side to side. His chip screeched and blared, and the mechanical tone died with a groan.

" _My head,"_ Lukas groaned, pressing a hand against his forehead, blinking unfocused blue eyes. He looked up, and they widened, locking with the equally wide gaze of his friend. " _Jesse?"_

"He's back!" cheered Aiden.

His chip buzzed and sparked, Lukas' body twitching, spittle flying from the corner of his mouth. Blue melted back into red, startlement morphing back into rage, confusion converting to mechanical. " _You are being silly."_

"No!" Soren exclaimed, "Come on, dammit, _let my kid go!_ "

" _Fight it, Lukas!"_ Jesse shouted, a hopeful look crossing his eyes, " _I need you to help me fight PAMA!"_

Puppet-Lukas jumped up an inhuman distance, reaching Jesse, and this time the boy reacted too slow- his fist connected with Jesse's face, the crack of breaking bone, and the hero flew backwards, flipping over, Lukas falling with him- the blond latched onto the edge of the podium, dangling by the hand- Jesse grabbed onto his legs, dangling helplessly over the deadly drop.

"No!" shouted Ivor, leaping to his feet, dragging Harper up with him. Soren's grip on Lukas was nearing the point of bruising, and Axel's arm was getting too tight around Jesse, starting to hurt, sending an agonising throb through his arms and chest. The boy grit his teeth, blinking the liquid springing to his eyes.

_He wasn't weak._

The podium smashed further downwards, jostling the two boys and almost had the both of them slipping. Lukas' face twitched and spasmed, eyes flickering, chip sparking. The podium smashed down, down, each bone-jarring jostle almost sending them falling to their deaths.

" _Jesse!"_ Lukas gasped, eyes flickering back to blue, " _I can't stop it- PAMA's too-"_ there was a screech, a bleep, and PAMA gave its strings a violent tug, returning its puppets voice to its mechanical state.

" _This has gone too far,"_ declared Puppet-Lukas, eyes blaring red, " _I will destroy both of you to preserve functionality."_

"What? No!" exclaimed Harper, a horror crossing her face.

"Wait, what's it doing?" asked Petra, head snapping around to look at Harper, "It's- It's doing what I think it's going to do, is it?" she shot desperate eyes towards Gabriel, "Right?"

"Come on, Lukas!" shouted Maya, "Fight it!"

Puppet let go- and then Lukas gasped, other hand shooting up to grab at the podium, eyes returning to blue, blood starting to spill from both nostrils, " _I can't hold on much longer, Jesse!"_

" _You can't give up, I won't let you!"_ Jesse shouted up to him, " _I can save you if I can just get to that heart!"_

"Hurry!" exclaimed Sparklez.

Gritting his teeth, Jesse reached up and gripped the back of Lukas' armour, pressing his feet against the side of the podium. He began to pull himself up, Lukas' clenching his eyes shut, breathing harsh and ragged, blood dripping over his lips.

" _My head- feels like it's on fire! I can't- can't think straight-"_

"Come on, come on, come _on_ ," chanted Olivia, biting her nails. Her eyes were the size of dinner platters. "Hurry!"

Jesse's hand latched onto the edge of the podium, and he hoisted himself over Lukas' head, glass crunching beneath his feet. Eyes glued to the heart, he didn't risk a glance in his dangling friend's direction, instead leaping up and pulling himself back to the top. Out of sight, Lukas screamed to the point of his voice breaking.

" _Get out of my head, PAMA!"_

Cassie flinched with startling violence, causing Aiden to jump in surprise from where he was seated beside her. Soren drew in a sharp intake of breath, holding Lukas closer, the blond practically clinging to him at that point. Jesse grit his teeth, fisting the fabric of Axel's hoodie (when'd he get his hoodie back?), biting back a yell as his larger friend's arm tightened only a little. In his lap, Reuben whined.

Onscreen, Jesse grabbed the Redstone Heart, left eye clenched shut unconsciously due to the blood dripping into it. Before he could pull it out, however, Puppet-Lukas voice made him pause.

" _Jesse- please, stop!"_ the puppet climbed back onto the podium, getting on his knees, looking up at the boy with desperation- making his friend beg, " _Please, do not deactivate me!"_

"Is… is it _begging_?" asked Reginald, eyebrows raising. Isa's eyes narrowed. Cassie was glaring, jaw set.

" _I know I've made some very poor decisions recently,"_ Puppet-Lukas continued, Jesse pausing to look down at him, " _But I can show you so much-"_

Eyes hardening, Jesse turned back to the Heart, gripping its edges-

" _I can help you get home to your friends!"_

He froze.

Harper, who was still standing next to Ivor, hands interlocked, went pale, horror widening her eyes, "Don't listen to it! Jesse, don't listen!"

"Why?" asked Em, "What's wrong?"

"PAMA's lying! It's lying, don't listen!"

Jesse slowly straightened, slowly turned wide eyes to look down at his puppetized friend, although one remained shut to avoid the blood dripping down his face. He was still on his knees, looking up at him with begging crimson eyes, and perhaps he would have cried had it not risked de-chipping. The loud, steady, chest-vibrating beating of the Heart. Pulsing.

" _I can be useful,"_ he said, " _To you."_

"Jesse," Lukas croaked, finding Jesse's eyes with his own shiny ones, " _Don't_."

The boy's eyes trailed back to the screen. His ribs were hurting.

Doesn't everyone deserve a chance of redemption? He'd given Aiden the chance, and he took it- heck, he's taking it, right here and now. And while he'd been forced to leave Cassie behind, wasn't she taking her chance to change that now? Maybe?

So why shouldn't he give PAMA a chance?

Heh. Jesse knew the answer to that.

_Because it hurt his friends._

" _Jesse,"_ said Puppet-Lukas, clasping his hands and raising them, begging. Jesse stared at him for a long moment, with nothing but the beating of the Heart filling their ears.

" _Sorry, PAMA,"_ he said. His hands clasped around the Heart. " _I've got enough friends."_

Harper released a long, relieved breath, practically collapsing against Ivor. The potionologist caught her, only briefly tearing his eyes from the screen.

" _Stop!"_ yelled Puppet-Lukas, as Jesse tugged at the Heart with all his strength, " _Will you? I'm afraid-"_ the Heart sparked, shifting upwards, the puppet's voice glitching, " _My- My- My mind is going,"_ Jesse could almost straighten fully, " _I- I- I can feel- feel it-"_

With a yell, the Heart tore from the podium, the sudden loss of resistance almost causing Jesse to tumble backwards to his death. Sparks fired and flickered, electricity buzzed and screeched, PAMA's screen flickering and glitching, blaring three error signs, flipping and glitching between them and PAMA's face, the scream of a dying drone.

" _NOOOOooooooOoOoooOooooo…"_

A loading sign. Three dots. Once. Twice. The red screen died, turning deep purple. A sad screen, which looked a bit like the little PAMA in the painting down in Harper's lab, with dead, crossed eyes. A dying, mechanical groan, and then nothing but a screech like a flat heart monitor.

"Yes," whispered Nell. Then, louder. "YES!"

" _NOOOoooOooo!"_ Puppet-Lukas screamed, blood running from both nostrils and dripping into his mouth and off his chin, and then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed, head dangling over the edge of the podium.

"Holy _shi_ \- Lukas!" Cassie shouted.

" _Lukas!"_ Jesse gasped, dropping the Redstone Heart in favour of jumping down from the glass to the lower part of the podium, grabbing his friend and dragging him back up before he could fall, " _Here, let me help you!"_

"He's- He's not…" Petra trailed off. _He's not responding._

Jesse paused, realising the blond wasn't conscious. He wiped some blood from the bridge of his friend's nose, before reaching up and carefully pulling out the glass still lodged between his eyes, stained red. He tossed it over the edge.

" _Let's get out of here."_

Olivia blew out a long, relieved breath, "Finally."

The hero pulled Lukas onto his back, hoisting him up almost as though he were giving him a piggyback ride. There was the thump of the Heart, and Jesse turned to look at it, pulsing on the ground. With his free hand, he scooped it up, before jumping from the podium onto a small bridge covered in trails of redstone dust.

The screen cut to Petra and Ivor running into the cavern, Harper dashing up to meet them, a streak of blood across her cheek from where she'd wiped her nose. Relief flashed across Ivor's face, but Petra pointed to the end of the bridge before anything could be said.

" _There!"_

Jesse grunted as his head appeared over the edge of the bridge a little further down, carrying Lukas on his back. Getting to his feet, he slid the blond onto the floor, falling to his knees next to him. The three came running over, grinning in relief.

" _You did it, Jesse!"_ exclaimed Petra. Harper gave an almost disbelieving laugh.

" _It's over!"_

"What about Lukas?" asked the real Jesse, quietly. No one answered him.

Their smiles fell.

" _Oh no- Lukas!"_ Petra gasped, " _Is he… ?"_

"No," said Soren, with surprising firmness, "He's- _no_."

Jesse wasn't speaking, wasn't looking at them. Only staring desperately at Lukas, clutching his hand, waiting for a hint. Just a hint. Anything at all.

" _When you removed the Redstone Heart,"_ said Ivor, quietly, " _It must have severed their connection."_

"He's- He's not moving," Gill pointed out. He blinked, a wetness to his eyes. "Why- Why isn't he moving?!"

" _Lukas?"_ Jesse called, free hand moving to grip his friend's shoulder, the other still squeezing his hand, " _Lukas? You- You better not be giving up on me right now!"_

A shakiness was entering Jesse's breath, a tremble to his hands that was noticeable even as he clutched at the blond. He sniffed, wiping at his eyes, his glove getting covered in the blood that leaked from the gash on his forehead. This didn't stop the tears that glistened in his eyes, although one remained half-closed unconsciously due to blood still dripping over it.

" _Because- Because you are_ way _too tough for some computer to take you down,"_ he sniffed again, breathing a trembling breath, "Please _."_

No one in the audience was speaking. They just watched, waiting with baited breath. No one breathed. No one spoke. The mansion might as well have been dead.

Then Lukas opened his eyes.

" _Wow,"_ he croaked, " _Never knew you cared so much."_

"HE'S ALIVE!" shouted Gill.

Cheers immediately burst into life throughout the audience. Nell leapt at Em in a hug that would normally cause anyone else to struggle with their breathing. Dan dragged Stampy from the couch and spun him around, laughing. Maya and Gill hugged each other, Aiden going limp in his seat with a relieved sigh, closing his eyes. To many people's surprise, Cassie jumped from her own seat and made as though to run at Soren and Lukas, but stopped herself at the very last moment.

On the floor, Petra lunged at the blond, hugging him tightly, uncaring of how she was technically hugging Soren as well. Jesse, disregarding the pain that shot through him like bolts of static, pushed himself off Axel and joined the hug, both Axel and Olivia not hesitating to join. Harper turned around and hugged Ivor, who froze in surprise, before he returned it, a pinkness tinting his cheeks.

" _He's okay!"_ Jesse exclaimed, a shaky laugh that was a little too close to a sob, hastily helping Lukas to his feet. The blond's knees trembled for a moment, but he didn't go unsupported for long. Jesse grabbed him in a hug, burying his face into his shoulder, and not a split second later were they joined by Petra, wrapping them both in her arms.

" _Oww!"_ Lukas yelped, wincing. They were quick to let go, Jesse's hand darting up to quickly wipe the blood and tears from his eyes. The blond grimaced around a smile, attempting- and failing- to wipe the blood from his face. " _Just really sore."_

"I'm just glad you're okay," Soren muttered into Lukas' hair. His kid held on tighter.

The blond released a small breath, guilt crossing his bloody face, " _I can't believe I tried to… tried to_ kill _you."_

Jesse winced a little, both onscreen and off. Onscreen, he scratched the back of his head. Lukas swallowed.

" _I'm_ so _sorry,"_ he said, " _All I could hear was PAMA's voice, telling me what to do. I- I tried to fight back, but I- I..._ " he sighed, bowing his head in something like shame, " _I couldn't."_

" _Hey,"_ Jesse frowned, hand moving to grip gently at Lukas' shoulder, " _Apologies not necessary, okay? That was PAMA._ Not _you,"_ he paused, then winced, " _Sorry about knocking you around, though."_

" _I dunno,"_ Lukas frowned back at him, although there was a joking twitch to his lips, " _I kinda remember it the other way around, actually."_

Jesse smiled back, " _Bygones, right?"_

Gabriel shook his head, although there was an amused glint in his eyes, "Children."

Lukas' smile faltered, however, and he reached out, fingers brushing against the gash above his left eye. Jesse flinched at the contact, and Lukas was quick to pull away.

" _I- I hurt you."_

Jesse shook his head, " _I'm fine. You're hurt too."_

" _I_ swear _,"_ Ivor grumbled, stalking forward and taking Jesse's chin in hand, tilting his head so he could see the gash better, " _It's on top your burns as well!"_

"Yeah, that's- that's gonna be sore," Isa winced sympathetically.

" _I'm-"_

" _Don't you_ dare _say you're fine again,"_ Harper cut the young hero off, pointing at him warningly, " _You'll_ be _fine, but only if that's treated properly."_

" _Same goes for you,"_ Ivor declared, turning his eyes towards Lukas, who defensively raised his hands, " _You're bleeding a_ lot _more than Petra had when she was de-chipped."_

Soren sighed quietly, "Thank you, Ivor."

"Like I would ignore my obviously injured nephew."

Jesse groaned, " _Alright, alright, fine! Just- Just look at Lukas first, he's been through a lot more than I've been."_

Ivor's mouth thinned, humming as he looked Jesse over with narrowed eyes. Harper appeared over his shoulder.

" _I can look at him,"_ she offered, " _I've learnt a bit or two about healing after so much time taking care of my own injuries. You go look at Lukas."_

The potionologist blinked at her, before nodding and letting go of Jesse, glancing over at him one last time before making his way over to Lukas. Harper was quick to replace him, tilting Jesse's head to get a better look at the gash.

" _Let's get that cleaned, huh?"_

"Yes," sighed Olivia, slumping against Axel, "Yes, let's do that now."

Harper made her way over to one of the waterfalls Jesse had created, pulling out a little cloth and wetting it. She returned, starting to clean the blood from the boy's face as Ivor had Lukas sit down, starting to take a look at his eyes for any signs of brain damage. Petra tore off the deactivated chip and threw it as far as she could into the deadly drop.

Jesse's gash cleaned, Harper gestured for him to sit next to Lukas, which he did with only a moment's hesitation. Ivor ruffled through his potions bag and handed her some bandages, before pulling out a handful of tissues and beginning to clean up Lukas' face. Petra hovered at the side, looking unsure as to what to do but wanting to help.

"Shouldn't they leave?" asked Stacy, frowning, "I mean, that doesn't seem like the best place to rest up."

"It's best we get their injuries seen to immediately," Ivor pointed out, "I'm sure we'll be leaving with haste soon after."

Harper pulled some thread through a needle, and there was a brief moment where they couldn't see what she was doing, although they could clearly see the held back grimace on Jesse's face. Then she pulled away and began to wrap bandages around his head, covering the gash above his eye and most of his burns.

The inventor pulled away, humming as she regarded her work, " _That should do fine."_

" _Thanks, Harper,"_ said Jesse, hand reaching up to brush against the bandages. Ivor, without looking up from Lukas, reached out and slapped his hand away from them.

The real Petra blinked, then snorted, "I swear, you've got this thing with picking at your injuries, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah," Olivia nodded, "Jesse's _terrible_ with that. He's got to at _least_ brush his fingers against it every now and then."

"You should see him with scabs," Axel butt in, "There was this one time, he had this scab on the back of his hand, and we were playing a board game and he picked at it and bled all over the playing cards. It was brand new as well."

"It wasn't on purpose!"

"Brand new _,_ Jesse. Brand. New."

Jesse shot Ivor a sort of half-hearted glare, before he bit his lip and reached into his pocket, pulling out the Redstone Heart. It's pulsing glow illuminated his face.

" _It's something else, isn't it?"_ asked Harper. Petra's eyes widened.

" _What is_ that _?"_

" _This?"_ Jesse raised it a little, Ivor and a much less bloody Lukas (who now sported a bandage between his eyes) turning to see it better, " _This is the Redstone Heart."_

Hadrian hummed quietly. Mevia and Otto looked at each other.

" _Beautiful,"_ Ivor muttered. Lukas shot it a hesitant look.

" _And dangerous too, right?"_

Cassie scoffed, "Of course not."

Aiden gave her a slightly confused look, "Cassie? Why are you still standing?"

The girl stiffened, expression melting into a blank look. Without a word, she sat back down.

" _I mean,"_ Lukas continued, " _If it was inside of PAMA… then it's gotta be bad."_

Jesse shrugged, " _Yes, it's obviously dangerous."_

Stampy squeaked.

They stared at him, wide eyed, for a moment. Then Petra and Lukas scooted further away from him. Ivor, meanwhile, snatched it off the boy and held it at arm's length, away from the kids. Harper covered a grin.

" _Actually,"_ she said, " _The Heart is just a power source. Nothing inherently evil about it."_

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."

Petra and Lukas looked at each other. Ivor's stiff posture slowly melted, and he hesitantly handed it back to Jesse.

" _Now that the Redstone Heart isn't powering PAMA,"_ Harper looked up at the computers dead screen, " _It can't hurt anyone."_

The real Harper shook her head, laughing in astonishment, "Wow. I- I can't believe it. It's… gone. PAMA's actually gone."

Jesse hummed, " _I wonder what we should do with it?"_

Harper's smile widened a little, " _It can help you find your way home."_

"What?" gasped Jesse, head snapping up. Lukas peaked up from Soren's shoulder. "Seriously?"

Harper smiled, in match with her onscreen self, "Yup."

" _No way!"_ gasped Petra.

" _This thing can help us get here?!"_ Lukas exclaimed, eyes shining. Petra's grin was face-splitting.

" _Let's go, then!"_

" _The faster, the better,"_ Lukas agreed. Jesse cocked his head, raising an eyebrow at Harper.

" _How is_ this _going to do_ that _?"_

Mevia frowned, then her eyes widened in realisation, "Wait, she's not going to… ?"

"That _idiot_ ," Hadrian hissed, "I knew this would happen. I _knew_ it."

" _When we head to the Portal Hallway, I'll show you_ exactly _how_ ," Harper declared. Jesse blew out a breath and pocketed the Heart.

" _I'm ready to leave this core behind."_

"Aren't we all?" asked Ellegaard, leaning against Magnus, light with relief.

" _The whole town will be waking up,"_ Harper murmured, as though just realising this, " _We should be there to say hello!"_

" _Plus,"_ Lukas butt in, " _This place gives me the creeps."_

"You're certainly right about that," said Maya.

Jesse smiled at him and nodded, climbing to his feet. Petra and Ivor helped Lukas up, and, together, the group of five began to make their way to the Core Exit. Ivor briefly fell behind to spin around and strike an odd pose, before the screen went black.

Gabriel blink, "Did Ivor just pose?"

"What?" Ivor scoffed, "Of course not."

Magnus mockingly nodded, "Yeah. Of course not, Ivy."

"Do _not_ call me that, _Maggie_."

Magnus' pulled a face of downright disgust, "Okay. Okay, let's not do that."

"I'm just glad this is over," sighed Lukas. His eyes trailed over to Jesse, who was squished between the blond and Axel, and blinked. "Doesn't… doesn't that hurt?"

"Uh…"

Harper shot him a scolding look. Ivor sighed, covering his eyes.

"That's it. You're sitting with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you show PAMA mercy or immediately pull out the Heart? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Alright, guys, the big finale! Only one more chapter to go and that'll be episode seven officially over! Honestly can't believe we've got this far ::D Level up to seventy chapters! WHOO!


	71. Cut Strings

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Seven: Access Denied**

**Part Seventy-One: Cut Strings**

* * *

With Soren not planning on letting go of Lukas anytime soon, there was more than enough room for someone of Jesse's size to squeeze comfortably between Ivor and Harper on the couch. However, that's not to say he didn't protest against these new arrangements, but a creepily simultaneous glare from his friends, Ivor and Harper had him reluctantly shutting up.

The screen came back on to show Jesse leading the way out of PAMA's Core, squinting as he was assaulted by a face-full of sunlight. He broke out into a wide smile as he came to a stop, Petra and Harper directly behind him as Ivor helped Lukas outside. " _We did it."_

"That we did," murmured Harper, a tiredness slumping her shoulders. Ivor shot her a small smile.

The group made their way through the sunlit town, unchipped, completely regular monsters burning and shrivelling into dust in its light. Lukas sighed blissfully, a relieved smile on his face.

" _To be in total control of my own brain again!"_ he said, Petra shooting him an agreeing smile, "I _choose where to go,_ I _choose what to say."_

"Thank the lord," Soren muttered. Lukas hummed in agreement.

Harper's expression saddened, eyes casting downwards, " _Just remember,_ you _were only chipped for a little while. The rest of the townspeople, though-"_

They came to a stop, shouting cutting the inventor off. The screen swiped around to reveal, not panic or fighting or chaos, but people, running around, eyes bright, a variety of different colours, _alive_. They were tearing off their chips and shattering them on the floor, washing off the makeup of a porcelain doll, thrashing and biting at their limp strings until they were split and cut and no longer encircling their limbs, no longer controlling their every action, because for the first time in who knows how long, for the first time since PAMA smiled and beamed and promised a better world, the people of Crown Mesa were no longer puppets in a show.

"Oh my god," Harper muttered, covering her mouth. Her eyes were oddly shiny. "They're- They're _free_. They're actually free."

She laughed, choking with disbelief. Ivor reached over Jesse and gripped her hand, squeezing it comfortingly. The inventor shot him a grateful smile, their hands settling in Jesse's lap, who seemed to be struggling to decide with whether or not to be uncomfortable.

" _Yeah, it must be a strange feeling,"_ Ivor hummed, raising his eyebrows as a stray, flaming zombie made to grab a joyful passerby, only to drop dead before it could get close. The passerby only continued to dance with the others. " _To suddenly be awake and aware after such a long time under PAMA's thrall."_

Laughter and tears were everywhere. People were hugging and dancing and doing whatever they wanted simply because they _could_ , simply because they had the _choice_ to, simply because they were _free_ to do so. Friends and family were reuniting, holding each other close as they collapsed into the sand, some too overwhelmed to do much else but lie there and _breathe_.

"They're so happy," sighed Olivia, smiling, "I can't imagine what that must have been like."

"Don't think any of us can," murmured Maya, casting her eyes towards Petra and Lukas. The blond was still huddled against Soren, although his eyes were on the screen instead of buried into his shoulder.

Maya couldn't help but think of how sweet it was.

The group of heroes made their way out into the open, smiling widely as they looked about at the newly freed town, devoid of puppets and strings and control, PAMA's dead screen looming over him. People waved at them, recognition lighting their eyes, smiles broadening their faces. Jesse and his friends waved back.

"They know who they are?" asked Em, blinking. Harper nodded, wiping at her eyes.

"Yes. They're all connected through PAMA, mobs and people alike. If PAMA knows Jesse by name, _everyone_ knows Jesse by name."

The real Jesse paused, digesting this, "That's… a slightly disturbing way to put it."

" _It's you!"_ one of the former puppets gasped, approaching them, " _You're the one who saved us! Who are you?"_

Lizzie raised an eyebrow, "I thought you said everyone knew who he was?"

Harper shook her head, lips twitching, "I think he's a bit baffled."

" _You fought so bravely,"_ the former puppet continued, others crowding around them, peering over each other in an attempt to get a better look at their saviours. Beside him, a redhead nodded, smiling.

" _All of you!"_

Another former puppet laughed, hands tangling in his dark hair, " _You guys are_ awesome!"

Nell whooped, "You got that right, dudes!"

" _I don't know if we can ever thank you enough,"_ the redhead declared. Jesse gave a small laugh.

" _Well, I'm Jesse, and we're the Order of the Stone!"_ he, Petra, Lukas and Ivor struck a rather dramatic pose; Jesse with his fists raised, Petra with her arms crossed, Ivor with one hand on his hip, and Lukas with his knees bent and an arm sticking out (for some reason), " _Boom!"_

Dan laughed, "Nice!"

"Very heroic," Maya said, lips twitching. Jesse stuck his tongue out at her. Over beside Aiden, Cassie raised her eyebrows.

"Lukas, what are you doing?"

"Uh… being heroic."

"No, that's called being a dweeb."

"Hey, _you're_ the dweeb!"

"Children," Soren sighed, massaging his temples, " _Quiet_."

" _We walk the worlds,"_ Jesse continued, " _Seeking adventure and doing good deeds."_

"We're lost," Petra deadpanned. Jesse shushed her.

" _Wow,"_ the dark skinned man gushed, " _Well, thank you. We owe you_ everything _."_

"He's got an entire world at his back now," Hadrian whispered. Mevia and Otto glanced at him, brows furrowing. The man shrugged.

"It's a partly destroyed world with a lack of resources and water," he continued, still at a whisper, "But it's a world. That's a lot of people to have the undying loyalty of."

Otto and Mevia glanced at each other.

Neither said anything.

" _You're right,"_ Harper said, speaking up for the first time, " _Jesse and the Order really are heroes. We couldn't have done any of this without them."_

"No lie there," Ivor murmured, ruffling Jesse's hair. A heat rose up the boy's neck as he swatted him away, but it didn't stop the potionologist from briefly releasing Harper's hand to wrap an arm around him, careful of his injuries. Harper shot them a smile, a warm feeling in her chest, and took his hand again.

" _Harper?"_ the dark skinned man blinked, a startlement crossing his face. His eyes hardened. " _Is that you?"_

" _Um,"_ Harper flinched, every pair of eyes turning to look at her, most of them not appearing all that kind. She winced, hunching on on herself. " _Yes. Hi, Harry."_

"Harry?" echoed Gill. Then, in realisation, "Oooh, _Harry_."

" _Oh, wow,"_ Jesse whispered, leaning closer to Ivor so that only he could hear him, having seemingly come to the same realisation as Gill, " _He's the_ real _Harry. Like from the lab."_

Gabriel shot the inventor next to him a raised eyebrow, who very carefully kept her eyes on the screen. Magnus coughed something that sounded suspiciously like 'therapy' into his fist.

Onscreen, Harry shook his head, looking at Harper with a weariness that made the inventor wince, " _You… You didn't do this to us, did you?"_

The redhead's eyes widened, and she took a step forward, pointing a finger at her, " _You_ did _."_

"Oh dear," muttered Isa, covering her mouth.

" _Well, I mean,"_ Harper cleared her throat awkwardly, wringing her fingers together, shifting her feet and looking as though she'd much rather sink into the sand, " _Hey, it's- it's complicated, you have to understand that-"_

" _Our homes,"_ the redhead cut her off, " _Destroyed. Everything we built…_ gone _."_ Harry shook his head, gritting his teeth and shooting Harper a glare.

" _All because of_ her _."_

"Those- Those- argh!" Ivor grit his teeth, hand curling into a fist. Harper wasn't looking at the screen, instead staring at her lap and gnawing on her lip to the point that Jesse thought it might start bleeding. The potionologist took a sudden, deep breath, gripping Harper's hand tighter. She gripped back.

" _You don't understand,"_ Jesse quickly cut in, moving to defensively stand in front of Harper, shooting Ivor a look when he made as though to launch himself into the crowd, " _Harper helped defeat PAMA too."_

"I mean," Mevia said, "She also _built_ it, but…" catching Ivor, Jesse's and a surprising amount of others glares, she faltered, wincing, "Ah… yeah. She- She helped defeat it too. That works."

" _We couldn't have done it without her,"_ declared Jesse, accidentally or purposefully repeating what they'd been saying about him and the Order. Harper shrunk behind him a little, an impressive feat seeing as how she was quite a bit taller than him. Harry scoffed.

" _So, what? We're just supposed to forgive her now?"_

" _No,"_ the redhead cut in, a cold amusement on her tongue, " _I don't think so."_

The real Harper flinched. Jesse shot her a worried look.

"Harper?"

The inventor shook her head, forcing a smile, "It's- I'm fine, Jesse. I'm fine."

Ivor squeezed her hand.

" _Harper stripped this place bare!"_ another former puppet pointed out, glancing about at the sand, the dust, and the total lack of usually common supplies, " _How are we supposed to rebuild?"_

"I'm sure there are ways," Ivor practically growled.

" _Are we supposed to deal with this mess all by ourselves?"_

"You will be if you don't get your head out your butt," muttered Soren, glaring. Lukas shifted a little in his hold, but didn't say anything.

Another former puppet shook her head, an uncertain look crossing her face, " _Do we just rebuild and… forget about what happened?"_

" _Whatever you decide to do,"_ Jesse said, taking a small step forward. Harper peered over his shoulder. " _Harper will make things right and help you clean it all up."_

The real Harper blinked, face a mix of surprise and hope, "I will?"

" _I…"_ Harper blinked, hope rising in her eyes, " _I will?"_

" _Yeah,"_ the redhead said, slowly, regarding the inventor with narrowed eyes, " _She will?"_

" _Yeah,"_ Jesse declared, casually nudging Harper in the side, " _Right, Harper?"_

" _I- Yes,"_ said Harper, then with a bit more confidence, " _Yes, I will. After I help these travellers find their way home, I'll come back, help you all find new resources, and we'll make this world great again."_

The former puppets glanced at each other, before returning their attention back to Harper. The man crossed his arms, grunting. " _Worth a shot, I guess."_

The real Harper gave a relieved laugh, slumping against the back of the couch. She leant against Jesse in a sort of nuzzle-hug, sighing. "Thank you, Jesse."

" _Well,"_ said Jesse, planting his hands on his hips, " _I guess that's our cue to set out for home,"_ he paused, " _Again."_

Axel snorted.

Waving goodbye, Jesse led the way over to the newly built Exit Portal, the others trailing behind him a little. Harper jogged to stride beside him, a relieved little smile on her lips.

" _Thank you for being so understanding, Jesse,"_ she said, " _I just hope these people can do the same when I come back."_

"Here's to hoping," Milo said.

The inventor looked over her shoulder, to where the townspeople were waving goodbye. Jesse shrugged, hand trailing up to brush against his bandages. Ivor appeared beside him seemingly out of thin air and swatted his hand away.

" _You helped free them,"_ Jesse said, forcing himself to tuck his hands behind his back in an attempt to avoid touching his bandages again (well, more in an attempt to avoid getting swatted at again), " _I'm sure they'll come around."_

Harper sighed, " _I hope so."_

The real Harper hummed, closing her eyes, "Even if they don't… at least they're finally free. I wouldn't blame them if they weren't all that keen to have me around anymore."

"PAMA wasn't your fault," Ivor assured. Harper shot him a small smile, but it didn't reach her lips.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Ivor," she said, "But I built PAMA. No matter how good my intentions were, I created a monster."

Ivor opened his mouth to say something, but the words died on his tongue. He closed his mouth. Glanced downwards and sighed.

"I know the feeling."

The group of five came to a stop before the unlit but complete portal, an archway of redstone encircled in gold. Jesse shot the townspeople a smile, waving. " _Good luck, everyone!"_

" _Yeah,"_ one of them said, waving back, although there was a light humour to their voice, " _We'll need it."_

"No doubt about that," breathed Stacy.

" _Just one more thing left to do,"_ said Jesse. He turned to face the portal, tugging out the enchanted flint and steel, its blue glow casting his bandaged face in shadows.

" _Goodbye!"_

" _Thank you, Jesse!"_

The boy clicked the flint and steel together, igniting a spark- and it burst forth in a blinding light that had them stumbling backwards from the force, before dulling into a bloody red glow, uncomfortably similar to the hue of PAMA's Core.

"Finally!" exclaimed Petra, flopping backwards into Axel, "Don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to move on to the next episode."

Lukas chuckled, "No kidding."

" _See you soon, Harper!"_ Harry called, over the cheering of the townspeople. Harper practically beamed at him, waving back.

" _See you soon!"_

"They're free," Harper whispered, shaking her head in apparent disbelief, "I can't… after all this time. They're actually _free_."

"Yes," Gabriel hummed, smiling, "Now the world of Crown Mesa can flourish as it should. With your help, of course."

Harper shot him a smile, "Of course."

Onscreen, the inventor walked through the portal, vanishing through its crimson beam. Lukas was quick to follow after her, Ivor almost directly behind him. Petra paused, glancing over at her friend with a smile.

" _You know, Jesse,"_ she said, " _For all the grief we gave each other getting to this world,"_ she reached forwards, wrapping her arm around his shoulders in something that might have been a half-hug, " _I'm really glad we came."_

Lukas paused, considering this. Then pulled a face.

"Meh."

" _Yeah, Petra,"_ Jesse smiled, " _Me too."_

The screen panned out as the two friends vanished through the portal together, back to the hallway, as the former puppets of Crown Mesa bundled their strings together and threw them to the fires, cheering, laughing, crying. Free.

The screen blackened.

Ellegaard sighed, "Finally. PAMA's officially done."

"Until we have to face it in real life," muttered Petra, too low for most of the audience to hear. Lukas, however, was one of the few to catch it, and flinched with surprising violence. Soren gripped him closer.

The dark that covered the screen fell away to reveal Harper, Lukas and Ivor standing in the Portal Hallway, Petra appearing behind them. She was followed a moment later by Jesse, who straightened, brushing himself off. The multi-coloured glow of the portals cast them in shadows.

" _Right back where we started,"_ Jesse sighed, hands going to his hips.

The real Petra released a long breath, sarcastically shaking her fist in the air, "Yaaaay."

Olivia snorted, "Don't sound _too_ overjoyed, now."

" _Is it weird that I'm_ happy _to see this place again?"_ asked Lukas, as they began to follow Harper down the length of the hall. Jesse shrugged, shooting him a small smile.

" _This hallway's still pretty creepy, but I'm glad we're going home."_

"Here, here," Axel grinned.

" _I know, right?"_ said Lukas, giving an almost disbelieving little laugh, " _I've been loving adventuring and learning things, but it would be nice to do it on our own world for a while."_

"How long have they been gone at this point?" asked Gabriel, brow furrowing, "With the number of portals they've gone through before coming to PAMA's…"

"And how many days they've spent on _those_ worlds trying to find the Exit Portal," Ellegaard shook her head, "They've probably been there for weeks. Maybe even months."

"Yeah," Dan winced, "Suddenly realising why Petra was so frustrated at the start of the episode."

" _Now,"_ said Harper, ignoring their conversation, " _When we built this place, we also made something that sort of acts like a compass slash map slash navigator."_

Magnus blinked slowly, "What."

"She's not- she's not talking about- ?" Mevia trailed off, eyes darting over to Hadrian. The man was regarding the screen with an almost terrifying sort of stare, jaw clenched. His hand was curled into a white-knuckled fist. She could almost see the vein throbbing in his temple.

Otto shot the man a hesitant look, before his eyes trailed over to lock with Isa's own concerned ones. Harper bit her lip, eyes trailing over to her three former friends over on the couch. More specifically, the enraged stare that made up Hadrian's face.

She noticed Jesse looking at him as well. She didn't notice the way he curled his hand to hide the tremble in his fingers.

" _We called it the Atlas,"_ declared Harper, as she continued to lead them down the hall, " _It helps chart routes between the worlds."_

" _Aaand you_ have _this Atlas?"_ asked Petra, shooting the inventor a sceptical look, " _Right?"_

The real Harper winced, "Uh… well..."

Petra sighed, "Of course."

" _Ah… no,"_ Harper admitted, wincing and coming to a stop, " _No, I don't."_

Ivor snorted.

" _But!"_ Harper hastily continued, " _But I know who_ does _."_

"Oh no," Otto said, "This… yeah. This is troublesome."

"Why?" asked Jesse, peering around Harper to frown at Otto. The man shook his head, glancing over at Hadrian and Mevia briefly.

Abruptly, Nell gasped quite dramatically, earning herself a few startled looks, "They're- They're coming to the Games!" she grabbed Em's arm, attempting (and failing) to shake her, "WE'RE GOING TO MEET THE ORDER OF THE STONE!"

Onscreen, Petra groaned as she and the others moved to stand in front of the inventor. Lukas sighed.

" _I guess I should've seen_ that _coming."_

" _So, wait,"_ said Jesse, holding a hand up, " _You_ can't _get us home?"_

The real Harper winced in turn with her onscreen self, "Uh, well… I never said that."

"This is a bad idea, Harper," muttered Cassie, "An incredibly bad idea."

" _Okay,"_ sighed Harper, " _Okay. I might not be able to get you home, but I_ do _know where to get the Atlas."_

"They have the Redstone Heart," Mevia pointed out, "Maybe them coming is a good thing."

"No," Hadrian snapped, surprising her a bit, "That- That boy's a threat to all of us. To everything we've ever built."

Otto stared at him for a moment. His eyes trailed downwards.

Everything they'd built had already been destroyed.

At least the important things.

" _Don't you worry,"_ Harper continued, returning to leading them down the hallway, " _We'll just walk right in, ask for the Atlas, and then you'll be home. No muss, no fuss. Easy."_

"She doesn't actually believe that, right?" asked Isa, raising an eyebrow. Milo blinked, rubbing his neck.

"Ah… it appears as though she does?"

" _Funny,"_ Petra drawled, following her at a much less excited pace than before, " _Every time someone says that, my instincts start screaming 'danger.'"_

The real Petra hummed, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm getting that too."

" _In order to find the Atlas,"_ Harper went on, very purposefully ignoring her, " _We need to track down the rest of the 'Old Builders.'"_

Hadrian, Mevia, Otto, Harper, Isa, Cassie and Soren grimaced at the name. Ivor, however, seemed to almost become giddy with excitement.

Onscreen, Harper pulled a face identical to her offscreen self, " _Still don't like that name."_

"No kidding," muttered Cassie.

" _How do we find them?"_ asked Jesse, " _Which portal do we go through?"_

" _Oh,"_ Harper blinked, coming to a stop by a wall, " _You don't have to go through a portal. What you're looking for has been right here the whole time."_

Jesse shared a startled look with Petra and Lukas, before blinking and turning to look at the real Harper, "What?"

The inventor laughed softly, "Just wait."

Onscreen, Harper punched out a block in the wall, revealing a long, one-block hole, with a trail of redstone that went into darkness, " _And there you go,"_ she said, stepping away, " _All it's waiting for is the key."_

Stampy cocked his head to the side, "The key?"

Apparently as confused as Stampy, Jesse and Lukas looked at each other. The blond shrugged. Harper shot them an unimpressed look.

" _That's the Heart."_

Stampy blinked, "Ooooooooh. Okay. I get it now."

Jesse's eyes widened, and he reached into his pocket, pulling the Heart, its pulsing glow illuminating his face. The steady, loud beat of its power filled the hallway.

Hadrian's eyes narrowed.

Harper gave him a small smile, before stepping back completely. Jesse licked his lips a tad nervously, before stepping forward and sliding the Heart into place. Only a moment passed before the entire hall began to rumble like the inside of a hungry beast _(purple, purple, withered faces staring at him with eyes, as though they were dead, dead, dead),_ then the neighbouring portal, with a frame of gold and sea lanterns, a hue of light blue swirls, slid out of place and vanished block by block into the floor.

Revealing a long, white staircase.

"Oh, wow," breathed Sparklez, "That is… impressive."

" _Whoa,"_ breathed Jesse, as he, Petra, Lukas and Ivor gathered around the newly opened entrance. Harper came up next to them, looking up at the long, long staircase.

" _The answers you're seeking,"_ she said, " _The Old Builders Atlas. Your way home. They're all right up those stairs."_

The Heart was still beating. A steady, pounding drum that echoed down the hallway and in their head, almost as though it were their own heart, beating faster, faster, faster in their ears as Jesse strode forwards to stand in the archway where they portal had once stood. He looked up, his friends gathering behind him, and the screen panned outwards, further and further and further and further and further, the Heart's steady beat following, until the group were nothing but a few tiny little specks down below. Ivor's voice broke through the looming quiet.

" _Adventure?"_

Blackness.

"That…" said Olivia, slowly, "Was a _lot_ of stairs."

"Why- Why do these things always involve stairs?" asked Gill, frowning, "I mean, there was Soren's staircase to his Artificial Happyland in the End, but this is a lot worse."

"Yeah," Axel winced, "I'm a _little_ glad that I'm not there now."

Petra snorted, "Hey, at least I won't be climbing this one with Wither Sickness."

"Woah, woah, woah," Isa cut in. She shot Soren a confused look. "Artificial Happyland?"

Soren waved her away, "Ignore them."

"Well, that's the end of the episode," declared Magnus, hopping to his feet, "Who's ready for dinner?"

Jesse blinked at him, "Isn't it a bit early?"

Ivor shook his head, nudging him gently a little, "You were out for a good few hours. I'm slightly surprised you didn't _miss_ dinner."

"Let's start episode eight in the morning, then," Ellegaard cut in, standing up next to Magnus, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for a break."

"Alright," said Hadrian; his face was strangely blank as he glanced around the room, and his eyes almost seemed to bore into Jesse's. Almost like a promise. And even from where he was safely tucked between Harper and Ivor, a cold chill froze Jesse to the core.

"Let's take a rest."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you defend Harper? Let me know in the reviews!


	72. Sweet Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! There's a pretty, well... dark atmosphere in this particular chapter, and while it doesn't get too bad, it gets close and briefly breaches a rather sensitive subject. However, it has a happy and seriously fluffy ending and nothing bad actually happens. I'd just like to make you aware that, depending on personal history, some readers may find a part of this chapter uncomfortable or depressing. I sincerely apologise if this is the case, and am open to some slight changes or warnings in the actual scene if enough readers deem it necessary.

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Seventy-Two: Sweet Prince**

* * *

Jesse's appetite had left him.

He wasn't sure why, exactly, but he would take a wild guess and suggest it had something to do with the way Hadrian kept looking at him, with the exact same look in his eye that he'd had back in the watching room, the same look that left goose bumps popping up along Jesse's black and blue arms.

Of course, neither his friends, Ivor nor Harper were happy about his reluctance to eat. Harper even tried bargaining with him, asking him to at least eat this little bit here, and Axel had even asked if he'd like him to make his favourite baked potatoes (Axel was surprisingly good with cookery; he just couldn't be bothered a lot of the time), but Jesse insisted that he wasn't hungry and would eat later.

Ivor, however, was insistent, pointing out how he hadn't eaten lunch because he was unconscious (which led to the potionologist berating himself for not realising he should've made him eat sooner), and then telling him he was going to be getting a lot more bedrest than he already needed if he didn't eat. Jesse wasn't certain whether or not to believe that, but had given in and forced himself to start spooning some of the stew into his mouth, swallowing despite the disgusting worm that squirmed in his stomach when he did.

On the bright side, this seemed to satisfy them, and conversation steadily returned to normal. Jesse had eaten a little less than half his stew by the end of dinner, and he caught Lukas' frown as he was hastily pouring the rest into the trash, but thankfully, the blond remained silent, although not without a disapproving look in the shorter boys' direction.

It was as Jesse was slipping the newly emptied bowl into the sink when there was an unnecessarily harsh kick to his leg, one that must have smacked into a particularly nasty bruise, considering the pain that shot up his calf. Jesse hissed through clenched teeth, biting back a much louder noise, and would have toppled to the floor if a hand hadn't caught his arm.

"Easy, there, sport," Hadrian said, smiling as he hoisted him up, gripping his arm just as painfully as he'd kicked his leg, "You look a little woozy."

Jesse swallowed thickly, steadying himself against the counter. He tried to pull his arm free from Hadrian's hand, but the man only seemed to tighten his hold, smile widening only a little when the boy winced.

"You okay there, Jesse?" Axel asked, his green-clad figure appearing out the corner of his eye. Hadrian shot him a smile over Jesse's head.

"I think his leg gave out," the man declared, a concerned frown that perhaps only Jesse noticed was mocking crossing his face, "Poor sport's been on his feet too long."

"I'm fine," Jesse muttered, a heat rising to his cheeks. He tugged, and Hadrian's grip finally relented, almost sending the battered boy tumbling to the floor then and there. He was able to steady himself against the counter again, tucking his arm close, as though afraid the man would try to grab it again.

"Is your leg sore?" Ivor asked, slipping between Axel and Magnus to reach Jesse, "I didn't miss something, did I?"

Jesse shook his head, "No, I'm- I'm fine. Just… banged it against the counter."

Ivor frowned, "Are you sure? I can-"

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing, Ivor," Hadrian cut in, the potionologist's eyes narrowing on him a little, "How 'bout I take the little hero for a sit down in the living room? I'm sure you've got something else you'd like to see to, hm?"

Ivor stared at him for a moment. His eyes trailed back to Jesse. "Are you certain you're alright?"

Jesse nodded, "Yeah. I'm good."

"Maybe you _should_ go sit down in the living room," Petra said, "Can't take that potion until you're healing properly, right?"

"I _am_ healing properly," Jesse protested, "Besides, I've been sitting there all day."

"You bumped your leg against the counter and almost collapsed," Olivia pointed out, appearing next to Jesse and making him jump, "You shouldn't even be out of bed yet, let alone on your feet."

Jesse opened his mouth to protest further, but a firm hand falling upon his shoulder had him freezing, both in motion and in blood. The grip was bruising.

"Now, now, buck-o," Hadrian said, still frowning in mock concern. He turned to look at Ivor, whose eyes had gone down to the hand on his kid's shoulder. "I'll take him to the living room; you give yourself a little free time, yeah?"

Jesse wanted Ivor to argue, to insist on taking him down to the basement with him, but he wasn't sure the potionologist ever had the chance, not before Hadrian was practically dragging the boy from the kitchen. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Harper reach for him, but they were out the door before she could get far.

Jesse's heart was thick in his throat as he was dragged down the hall. A nervous sweat beaded his forehead, a pound against his chest. His mouth had gone mysteriously dry, as though it had abruptly decided to be a desert. He blinked rapidly, jaw clenching as he battled against the liquid springing to his eyes.

He wasn't going to cry. Not in front of Hadrian, _especially_ not in front of Hadrian. He didn't have any real reason to cry, because he could deal with the persistent burning and itch in the side of his chest, he could deal with the bruising grip Hadrian had on his arm, he could deal with the irritating splint along the length of his nose, he could deal with knowing he was never going to make it home.

So why couldn't he deal with _this_?

Hadrian jerked him into the watching room, pushing him down into one of the currently vacant armchairs. Jesse grit his teeth against the uncomfortable jostle that hit his side, hastily wiping at his eyes and hopping Hadrian wouldn't notice. Thankfully, the man seemed more interested in pacing in front of him, the smile that he'd forced upon his lips in front of the others falling into an enraged glower that sent goosebumps popping up Jesse's bruised arms.

"We had a deal," Hadrian grunted, turning his glare to the boy, marching up to where he was seated and towering over him, although Jesse shrinking into the chair didn't really help this, "We had a _deal_. And you _broke it_."

"I didn't," Jesse croaked, blinking rapidly against the liquid in his eyes- _he wasn't going to cry_ , "I- I did _exactly_ what you said-"

Jesse abruptly found himself looking at the sheep portrait on the wall, his cheek stinging. He slowly turned to look back up at the older man, mouth open but nothing coming out. Hadrian's face was hard, his jaw clenched. He jabbed a finger in the boy's face.

"Do _not_ lie to me, Jason," he hissed, and Jesse couldn't hold back his violent flinch, "You wimped out. You had your pig go get help. Apparently, you're more selfish than I thought."

Jesse shook his head, swallowing past the lump in his throat, "I- I swear, I didn't know Reuben would-"

"Shut. _Up_." Hadrian hissed, spittle flying from his lips. Jesse flinched again, shrinking further into his seat, heart pounding alongside the uncomfortable itch in his side. His mouth remained closed.

Hadrian huffed, turning away from him and continuing his rapid pacing. His fingers clenched and unclenched into fists at his sides, his mouth twisting downwards. It was almost like he wanted to hit something. Jesse's hand trailed up to his stinging cheek. Again.

Like he wanted to hit something _again_.

The man paused, his back facing him, crossing his arms as he frowned at the paused screen. Then he spun around, abruptly, almost making Jesse flinched for the third time since entering the watching room. Hadrian jabbed a finger in the boys face again, a determined rage flashing in his eyes.

"You're going to meet the Gladiators upstairs," he stated, not even attempting to keep the bite from his tongue, " _Tonight_. When everyone's asleep. You're going to meet them upstairs, and you're going to go to the library, and you're going to jump out the window."

"Wha- What?" Jesse stuttered, heart stumbling into his throat, "You want me- you want me to-"

"Jump out the window," Hadrian repeated, firmly, "If you ask nicely, I'm sure they'll give you a little push."

Jesse stared at him, fumbling with his tongue. For some reason, jumping out the window was a _lot_ more terrifying than being beaten to death, something Jesse couldn't fully understand. Hadrian scoffed, almost like a chuckle, and shook his head, lips quirking.

"What? Thought I was just going to give up after only one try? Oh no, Jason," Hadrian leant closer, forcing Jesse to lean further back into his chair, to the point that they were practically nose to nose despite this, "A deal's a deal. And you still have to pay up."

Jesse turned his head away, clenching his eyes shut, struggling to breathe. The liquid was back in his eyes, itchy and persistent, pooling around his eyelids. Hadrian's breath was hot against his stinging cheek.

"You die, Jason. Or your friends do."

A small laugh. Warm liquid trickled down Jesse's cheeks.

"It's your choice."

* * *

Hadrian left the watching room soon after their little talk. Jesse could only sit there, struggling to breathe, unable to halt the relentless flow of tears streaming down his bruised cheeks. Part of him was terrified that someone would walk in and see him crying, while another part of him was terrified of what he was going to have to do.

The part that didn't want anyone to see him like this weighed out, and he forced himself to his feet, stumbling out into the hall. He heard voices around the corner, in the direction of the kitchen, and in a burst of panic, attempted to dart around the opposite corner and almost ended up falling flat on his face.

Stumbling around the corner, Jesse sniffed, wiping at his eyes, trying- and miserably failing- to calm his ragged breathing. He almost made to go up the stairs, but then realised that's where he'll have to go later that night, and instead settled on going to the second living room.

The place was still oddly bare from when they'd removed it of every chair and couch, but there was, of course, still the jukebox he and Lukas had danced to, the birch table with the potted flower, the portraits along the walls, just like every other room in the mansion.

He was tempted to turn on the jukebox, but the last time he'd done that, he'd been found. A desperate little voice reasoned that maybe he could turn it down really low and press his ear against the speaker, anything to fill the silence, anything to keep his treacherous thoughts from whispering in his ear.

Jesse traced his fingers along the edge of the jukebox, hesitantly brushing them against the button that would turn it on. He made to bite his lip, but then remembered that it was split and, once again, settled for the inside of his mouth just beneath it.

His fingers trailed over to the volume, and he turned it down as far as it would go without being completely mute. It was only then that he turned back to the 'on' button, and pressed it with such hesitance that it was hard to even consider it an actual press.

It took him a good moment of intent listening before he heard anything, but that was the point. Wiping at his itching eyes, Jesse sat down, huddle next to the jukebox and the wall. He was just small enough that, if someone were to look into the room, they wouldn't be able to see him from the door.

He pressed the side of his head against the jukebox, closing his eyes, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm the burn in his side. _Calm down._

" _You're alone,_

_You're on your own,_

_So what?_

_Have you gone blind?_

_Have you forgotten what you have_

_And what is yours?"_

His hand twitched, before moving to brush against his sore side. He hadn't expected Reuben to follow him, but then again, he probably should've. Reuben followed him everywhere, after all. Well, for all Jesse knew, the little pig had simply decided to go for a wander and stumbled upon them.

It wasn't Reuben's fault. He hadn't known what he was doing. And Jesse wasn't planning on blaming him for anything anytime soon.

" _Glass half empty,_

_Glass half full,_

_Well, either way,_

_You won't be going thirsty._

_Count your blessings,_

_Not your flaws."_

It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to meet the Gladiators, and that would be that. He'd be gone. And as much as he'd been terrified at the time, the way he was practically being taunted with the hope of not going through with it was so much worse. He just wanted to go to sleep.

And maybe not wake up.

" _You've got it all,_

_You lost your mind in the sound._

_There's so much more,_

_You can reclaim your crown._

_You're in control,_

_Rid of the monsters inside your head._

_Put all your faults to bed._

_You can be king again."_

Why did things have to be so complicated? A part of Jesse wished they'd never been brought to the mansion, but almost the moment that thought sparked, he was greeted with the sight of his little pig, ghastly pale, crying on the ground, unable to stand, unable to move, and all he could do was sit there and _watch_. His breath caught in his lungs, a strangled sort of sound rising from his throat, and Jesse abruptly wished that Reuben was with him.

" _You don't get what all this is about,_

_You're too wrapped up_

_In your self doubt._

_You've got that young blood,_

_Set if free."_

Jesse took a deep breath, this time in an attempt to calm his abruptly racing heart. Unconsciously, his hand trailed up to pick at the blue plaster holding the splint along his nose in place. He was starting to hurt a little, more than usual, although that was probably because he was sitting on the floor pressed up against the wall and a jukebox. This didn't have his moving, though.

" _You got it all,_

_You've lost your mind in the sound._

_There's so much more,_

_You can reclaim your crown._

_You're in control,_

_Rid of the monsters inside your head._

_Put all your faults to bed._

_You can be king."_

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and Jesse immediately tensed, heart thundering. He jerked away from the jukebox, more out of reflex than anything else, the music falling away as though it had never been on. But after a moment, the footsteps faded.

Jesse was surprised by the pang that hit his chest.

" _There's method in my madness,_

_There's no logic in your sadness._

_You don't gain a single thing from misery._

_Take it from me."_

He slumped against the jukebox, curling into a tight little ball, although he was quick to loosen up a bit when lightning shot through his chest. He wondered if he could just stay here for the rest of the day, instead of going to see his family for the last time.

He wondered if that was cowardly.

He already knew the answer to that.

" _You've got it all,_

_You lost your mind in the sound._

_There's so much more,_

_You can reclaim your crown._

_You're in control,_

_Rid of the monsters inside your head._

_Put all your faults to bed._

_You can be king."_

How much would change, with him dead from the beginning? Maybe Petra would be the one to kill the Witherstorm and lead the New Order of the Stone. And Reuben would have no reason to jump in with him, because he wouldn't even be there, and so that's basically assuring that he'll live. Although… Petra had Wither Sickness. But he supposed that she'd do her best to avoid that, this time around.

Jesse was certain they'd be able to defeat the Witherstorm without him. Why wouldn't they? All he'd done was launch himself at it and get his pig killed.

" _You've got it all,_

_You lost your mind in the sound._

_There's so much more,_

_You can reclaim your crown._

_You're in control,_

_Rid of the monsters inside your head._

_Put all your faults to bed._

_You can be king again."_

He pressed himself further against the jukebox, closing his eyes, pushing those thoughts as far away as possible. He took a deep breath. Stop thinking. Stop. _Calm down._

Drowning in music.

* * *

Jesse didn't remember falling asleep, but when he struggled to consciousness, he found himself no longer huddled on the floor next to the jukebox, the air vacant of music. He hummed a confused note as he registered movement, and only had a moment to blink open heavy eyes to see a hallway before he was gently shushed.

"Go back to sleep, Jesse," a familiar voice murmured. Out the corner of his eye, he spotted the sleeve of a dark green robe, but then his eyelids betrayed him and slipped closed.

Jesse didn't remember falling asleep, but he remembered the soft kiss that was planted on his forehead.

* * *

Bad luck, however, must have been lingering on Jesse's shoulders, for he woke up later that night (even though the sun was still setting), tucked into the cot in the corner of Ivor's makeshift lab. Reuben was curled around his feet, snoring softly, and he spotted the potionologist himself across the room, in a bed that hadn't been there before.

He lay there for a long time, taking a moment to remember how he'd got there. Jesse's cheeks coloured, eyes flickering back over to Ivor. Either he was lighter than he thought he was, or Ivor was stronger than he looked, because this was the third time he'd picked him up today alone.

Despite his attempts not to, Jesse's mind swerved to the conversation in the living room, and the colour that sprung to his cheeks deepened when he remembered the warm liquid that had eventually dripped down his cheeks. In front of Hadrian.

He'd _cried_ in front of _Hadrian_.

Shame weighed down on his chest, to the point that Jesse could almost _swear_ it was making his healing ribs throb. He was too hot, an uncomfortable burn that skittered over his skin, and he wanted nothing more than to jump into a pile of snow and just lie there forever.

Soon, it became unbearable, and Jesse tentatively slipped out from beneath the covers, careful not to wake Reuben- or Ivor, for that matter. He was still uncomfortably warm, but it was bearable. The basement was eerily quiet.

Jesse sat on his bed for a very long time. He knew he needed to get going, needed to go up into the library before anyone woke up, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to move. Regret curled in his chest, thick and mocking, as he abruptly wished he'd gone to see his friends one last time.

His eyes trailed over to Ivor, and he had the sudden urge to go over to him, wake him up, like a child seeking comfort after a nightmare. But Jesse didn't move, simply watched, silently begging for the potionologist to wake up on his own so he wouldn't have to do what he had to. At least not tonight.

 _Just a day_. _Just give me one more day._

Ivor shifted, and Jesse's heart leapt- but then the potionologist simply rolled over, and the aching weight on the boy's chest returned. He closed his eyes, resting the back of his head on the bookshelf and gritting his teeth.

He had to do this. He had his chance to say goodbye.

And he didn't take it.

It took an almost ridiculous amount of effort, but Jesse was able to drag himself from the cot. He rested a hand on Reuben's head, his little piggy's nose twitching as he dreamed, and pressed his forehead against his side. Reuben leaned into his touch, although he didn't wake up, and that only warmed Jesse's hurting chest more.

He was going to survive. Without him there, there was no way he wouldn't. There was no reason for him to leap into danger.

It was better this way.

With a great reluctance, Jesse forced himself away from his little pig, glancing over at Ivor, startled when he found that he sort of wished he could hug him too. He shook his head, pushing that feeling down. That was… weird. Weird. Right?

It didn't matter. None of it mattered.

He was going to be dead anyway.

Jesse tiptoed out of the little alcove, wincing when a particularly loud floorboard creaked. He made his way upstairs, an odd conflict battling in his chest, whether or not he wanted Ivor or even Reuben to wake up and drag him back to bed.

But it didn't matter. Because they didn't wake up, and Jesse slid out into the hallway, closing the basement door behind him, with no interruptions. He made his way down the hall, each step a pound in his throat. He didn't run into anyone, probably because everyone was getting as much rest as they could before being thrown into episode eight after breakfast.

Episode eight. Jesse wondered if they were actually going to get home.

Looks like he wasn't going to be finding out.

The climb up the stairs seemed to take forever, but at the same time, it was too quick. His legs trembled as though they'd abruptly decided that they wanted a go at being jelly before they couldn't anymore, and his heart was pounding so fast that it almost hurt.

He froze at the top of the stairs when he saw a large figure leaning against the wall, and for a brief moment he thought it was Axel- but then the figure shifted, and Clutch's face was revealed in the torchlight, pink hair vibrant even in the shadows.

"You showed up," she said, surprisingly quiet, seeing as how Jesse was near convinced none of the Gladiators knew what an inside voice was. He made to say something back, but nothing came to mind, and his lips remained silent.

Clutch appeared unsurprised by his sudden lack of a tongue, and she simply nodded, as though he _had_ spoken. As she passed, her hand hovered for a moment, as though she was going to pat him but wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do. Eventually, she settled for resting it awkwardly atop his head, before quickly snatching it away and vanishing down the stairs.

Jesse took a deep, trembling breath, wondering whether or not he was glad that she'd left. Swallowing thickly, he continued down the hall, pausing briefly in front of Axel's room. He almost wanted to open the door, just to take a quick peek at his friend, who might perhaps be awake and ask him what he was up to, who might perhaps at least prolong his trip to the library.

His hand got as far as the handle, but he didn't turn it. After a moment of staring at the surface of the door, almost _willing_ it to open, Jesse's hand slowly dropped back to his side. He turned and continued his way down the hall, the weight on his chest returning with ten times the force that it had before.

He couldn't back out, though. He didn't have a choice.

His life wasn't worth his friends.

He wasn't worth his family.

Things were better this way.

But no matter how many times he repeated this in his head, it didn't stop the tremble in his entire arm as he pushed open the door of the library, nor did it stop his jelly-legs from almost collapsing beneath him as he took in the room, with its chairs and tables and books, the enchanting table in the corner, the armour stands decorated to look like monsters with armour. The setting sun cast the room in light shadows. It looked a little peaceful, actually.

He couldn't remember telling his legs to, but soon they were moving, and he went from the doorway to the window directly across from it. It didn't go straight down to a deadly drop, but rather to the rood of the East Wing, which housed the Armoury, the Redstone Lab and a few bedrooms, although Jesse couldn't say he'd been there often.

Swallowing, his clammy hand clasped the edge of the window, turning the ladle with a quiet little _click_. It was such a small noise, hardly audible even in the suffocating silence, and yet it seemed to send Jesse's heart into a spiralling panic.

He forced the panic away, forced himself to breathe _(even though he wouldn't be breathing for much longer)_ , and in one, swift motion, jerked the window open. He was immediately assaulted by a warm breeze, pushing his curls from his forehead, a light stabbing at his eyes.

Heart pounding, Jesse gripped the open window and used it to haul himself up onto the windowsill, climbing out onto the roof. He straightened, looking about, and found his mouth mysteriously dry as his eyes were drawn to the ledge.

With trembling fingers, he forced himself to release the window, hand trailing along the outside wall of the mansion as he carefully made his way over to the deathly ledge. Gripping a tile, he tentatively poked his head over and swallowed, blood going cold.

He was… high.

He was quite high.

Trembling so hard he was almost scared that he was going to slip and fall anyway, Jesse hastily pulled back, heart beating loudly in his ears, shaking hand clinging to the tiles in a death grip. A blue parrot squawked from where it was perched on the branch of a particularly tall tree, before taking flight, flapping passed Jesse and vanishing down the side of the mansion.

 _Breathe_.

He could do this. He _had_ to do this. Better to do it on his own than to have someone else do it for him, right?

He wondered if Hadrian would tell them that it had been a suicide. Insist that he'd been depressed, maybe about Reuben's death, maybe about choosing between his friends, maybe about something completely made up. Or maybe he'd fabricate a story of how he'd decided to climb onto the roof to get a good look at the sunset, and had slipped on a loose tile, plunging to his death due to his clumsiness.

He closed his eyes, heart pounding against his healing ribs. He breathed deeply, steeling himself, slowly starting to inch forwards, because he had to, because if he didn't they'd get hurt, they'd suffer, and it would all be because he's a stupid, selfish kid-

"What are you doing?"

Jesse froze, inches from the edge of the roof, eyes snapping open. He was looking down, to the flowerbed directly below him, a little black rabbit hopping about near a tree next to it. He twisted, hand still on the tiles, looking over his shoulder to lock eyes with Aiden.

The other boy's entire front was practically out the window, kneeling on the chest in front of it. His pale green eyes were wide, darting from Jesse to the ledge, and he almost seemed scared to know the answer to his question. He looked as though he were ready to leap out onto the roof with him and grab him.

"Uh…" Jesse's eyes briefly darted away, up to the sky, before returning back to the once-bully, "I'm… watching the sunset."

Aiden stared at him for a long moment, as though he'd lost his mind. He opened his mouth, although there was a significant pause before anything came out.

"You can do that from inside."

Jesse blinked at him, heat rising up his neck, "Uh…" he glanced over the ledge again, just in time to see the little black bunny start sniffing at the flowers, and heard a sharp intake of breath from the window.

"Jesse," Aiden croaked, and when the boy turned to look at him, the blood had drained from his face, and he looked as though he were about to start out in a full-blown panic, "Get inside. _Now_."

The bite in his voice surprised him, but the way he was whiter than a ghost concerned Jesse more. He left the ledge, carefully climbing back over to the window, the other boy's eyes never leaving him. When he was close enough, Aiden reached over and grabbed him, practically dragging him back into the library.

Jesse tripped over the windowsill, and would have definitely face-planted the floor had Aiden not caught him and hoisted him back to his feet. His ribs spiked at the action, but he pushed down his pained wince and turned to face Aiden properly, although the other boy seemed strangely reluctant to let go of his arm.

"What are you doing up?" Jesse asked, trying to not act as though he'd just been trying to work up the courage to jump to his death. Aiden stared at him, as though he'd just expressed his deep love for potatoes, and shook his head.

"I was having trouble sleeping, so decided to come and get the book I've been reading," he explained finally. Aiden shot him a frown. "What are _you_ doing up?"

"Oh, uh, I-I told you," Jesse said, shuffling his feet and glancing over at the open window. He paused only for a brief moment when he felt Aiden's grip tighten on his arm. "I was watching the sunset."

"Jesse, you looked like- you looked like you were about to…" Aiden trailed off, seeming to have forgotten how to use his tongue. After a moment, he licked his lips and glanced down, biting the inside of his cheek. "Are you hungry?"

Jesse blinked, "Huh?"

"Are you hungry?" Aiden repeated, raising his head again, "I'm feeling a bit peckish. Wanna go get something to eat?"

Jesse glanced, again, at the open window, unsure, "Um…"

"Come on," Aiden said, shifting a little to the side so he blocked most of the window, "I've been told I make a mean cup of tea," he paused, "Although there's a chance they meant that in a bad way, but I like to think they meant good."

Jesse snorted, despite himself. Aiden seemed to take that as a victory, for he beamed himself.

"So, what'cha say?" Aiden asked, "Spare me from further debate and just still me if it's a mean _good_ or a mean _bad_?"

"Uh," Jesse bit beneath his lip, not sure whether he should love the other boy for giving him a chance to not go through with Hadrian's deal _(for now)_ or hate him for pulling him away just when he'd been working up the nerve. He sighed. "Alright."

"Great!" Aiden said, and within moments he'd dragged Jesse out of the library, the window still wide open. He was led down the hall, passed Axel's door, and down the stairs. Jesse glanced down the bend that led to the basement door as they passed it, wondering if Reuben or Ivor had realised he'd left yet.

Aiden ushered him to the kitchen table, grabbing the kettle and filling it with water. He leant against the counter as it boiled, an awkward sort of silence coming over them. Jesse shifted in his seat, chest and nose itching, resisting the urge to reach up and scratch at them. He twisted his hand into the fabric of his shirt instead.

"So, uh…" Aiden cleared his throat, "How are you feeling?"

Jesse glanced up at him, sending him what he hoped was a convincing smile, "I'm, uh, I'm okay. Just… itchy."

Aiden winced sympathetically, "Yeah, I broke my collarbone once, and it started itching a _lot_ after a while. Lukas' is probably getting the same feeling with his arm."

"Yeah," Jesse murmured, "How'd you break your collarbone."

"I, uh," Aiden scratched the back of his head, a blush lighting his cheeks, "I had a pineapple thrown at me."

Jesse paused, processing this. He was fairly certain Lukas had mentioned something like that while they were watching the first few episodes.

"That's… painful?"

Aiden gave a short laugh, "Yeah, it was… it was surprisingly painful. Turns out pineapples make good weapons."

Jesse couldn't help the noise that he made at that, sort of like some kind of dinosaur. Aiden grinned back at him, absentmindedly rubbing at his long healed collarbone.

The kettle whistled, and Aiden turned to it, pouring the boiled water into the two cups he'd found in the cupboard. Instead of adding sugar, however, he squirted honey and chocolate sauce into them, something Jesse watched curiously.

"Here we go," Aiden said, handing the other boy his cup, "Tell me what you think."

"Thanks," Jesse said, shooting him a grateful smile. He brought the tea to his lips, sipping, the warm, sweet liquid warming his belly. He licked his lips, pleasantly surprised.

"That is… _really_ good," he said. Aiden sat across from him, smiling crookedly.

"Thanks, Jesse," he said, sipping at his own tea, "Good to know they meant _mean_ in a good way, then."

Jesse hummed, practically burying his face in his cup. Aiden shot him an amused look.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, broken only by the occasional sip of tea. The liquid was making him warm and, actually, a little sleepy. He rested his chin on his arm, closing his eyes. Surely it wouldn't hurt if he rested them for a moment?

Just a moment.

* * *

The sensation of his empty cup being tugged from his fingers was enough to have him blinking open his crusty eyes, slightly startled to discover that he only felt more drowsy than he had before. There was quiet whispering, but he couldn't make out what they were saying, possibly perhaps due to the thick fog covering his half-asleep brain.

He blinked blearily, pushing himself up with a soft groan and scrubbing at his eyes. The whispers stopped, and Jesse turned to look at where they'd been coming from, although his vision took a moment to properly adjust.

It was Ivor and, to Jesse's surprise, Milo. The two men's attention was on him, an odd sort of relief in Ivor's eyes. Across from him, Aiden had his head cradled in his arms, fast asleep.

"I do hope it was only tea in those cups," Milo whispered, breaking the silence that had come over them. He glanced at Ivor, then to Jesse, who was blinking dumbly at him. The potionologist shifted his weight to one leg, crossing his arms, eyes set on Jesse. The boy started a little, eyes darting to the side, uneasy by the stare.

Milo cleared his throat, "I'll, ah, I'll take Aiden to bed, then."

He made to shake the boy awake, but paused, seeming to think better of it. The messy innkeeper glanced over at Ivor again, then Jesse, before biting his lip and carefully shifting Aiden into his arms. After a moment, he was able to get one arm under the boy's legs, and straightened with him in his hold.

Milo gave a single nod in Ivor's direction, before slipping around the end of the table and vanishing out the door. Jesse watched him go, before reluctantly returning his attention to the rather unhappy potionologist.

"Uh…" Jesse scratched his neck, "Morning?"

"You're not supposed to be out of bed," Ivor declared, the boy wincing as he took a step forward, "First, you vanish for hours after lunch and I find you huddled on the floor in a corner. Do you realise how much you scared me? I thought something had _happened_ to you, Jesse! I thought that-" the potionologist faltered, glancing over his shoulder, at the portraits along the walls, and lowering his voice considerably, "I'd thought that _thing_ had gotten its hands on you."

Jesse winced, guilt curling in his chest as he shrunk in his chair, lowering his head. He should've sought out his friends, should've gone to see _someone_ even if it was just to enjoy their company. He'd definitely regretted hiding away in the long run.

It probably looked worse because he couldn't tell anyone _why_ he'd been hiding in the first place.

Ivor raised an eyebrow at his silence, "Well? Nothing to say?"

The boy shrunk even further in his seat, forcing his tongue to mumble an apology. Ivor lent closer.

"Speak up."

"M'sorry," Jesse repeated, louder. Ivor huffed, straightening, and shot him a stern look.

"You better be," he said. Then sighed, shaking his head. "Just… with that… _whatever-it-is_ wandering about, I'm not comfortable with you going off alone. Okay?"

Jesse nodded meekly, "Okay."

Ivor nodded, dropping his arms back to his side. He blew a small breath. "Okay."

The potionologist glanced to the side, as though debating something, before seemingly coming to a decision and returning his attention to the boy. He opened his arms, silently beckoning him, and Jesse was a little surprised with how he immediately slipped into the hug without question.

Ivor held him close, showing a gentleness that Jesse would have never expected him capable of when they'd first met. At the back of his mind, Jesse wondered if his gentle hold was due to his injuries, and he couldn't help the warm feeling that spread through his chest and belly.

He was actually starting to doze off when Ivor give him a gentle squeeze, mindful of his ribs, speaking so quietly that he almost didn't hear him, "I love you."

Jesse sunk deeper into the potionologist's hug, only partially awake, if even that. Had he not been, he later wondered how things would've turned out differently. His voice was a tired mumble, quiet and a little bit slurred. But audible.

"Love you too, Da'."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahahahaha, ~he called him daa-aaad.~
> 
> I feel slightly evil for cutting it off there XXD Sorry, guys.
> 
> Again, I really hope none of you were too bothered by the whole 'on the roof' thing. And if you were, I hope that the ending made up for it. I can promise that this particular scene is most likely the darkest it's going to get.


	73. Staircase to Heaven (Drop to Hell)

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Seventy-Three: Stairs to Heaven (Drop to Hell)**

* * *

Jesse spent the rest of the night huddled against Ivor's side, although he didn't really remember it that well, most likely because he was shifting between fast asleep and half-asleep throughout most of it. He remembered being carried at one point, but he was never laid back down.

When Jesse woke up, he found himself cradled in Ivor's lap, a blue blanket draped over his front. He blinked crusty eyes and yawned, spotting a little pink bundle at the end of the bed, chest rising and falling gently.

The inside of his cheek was faintly irritating him. It wasn't sore, exactly, but rather an uncomfortable annoyance. His chest and nose were itching again as well, and a particularly nasty bruise on his thigh was spiking. Maybe there was some ice in the kitchen…

Although it didn't look like he was going anywhere anytime soon. While Ivor didn't seem to be awake, he had a pretty good grip around him, although he was surprisingly gentle at the same time. Besides, maybe a little part of Jesse didn't really want him to let go.

A red flush crossed his cheeks. His memory of the night before was clear, despite his dreariness at the time. He remembered the slip that had crossed his tongue, the way the potionologist had stilled, but only for a moment, before he was holding him closer, and it had been quite the while before they'd parted.

Even then, it was rather apparent that they hadn't parted for long, considering their current position.

Jesse looked up through his lashes at the potionologist, whose head rested against the bookshelf at his back, eyes closed and breathing soft. A warm feeling was spreading through Jesse's chest, almost enough to bury the itchiness of his healing ribs; he settled back against Ivor, leaning his head against his shoulder, and breathed.

It must have been half an hour later before Ivor shifted awake, dark blue eyes locking with Jesse's own. Then the potionologist smiled, a small smile with a softness that he rarely showed in public, and Jesse couldn't help but smile back crookedly.

He also couldn't help his wince when the smile irritated his healing lip. Ivor's smile fell into a concerned frown; his hand reached out and took Jesse's chin in hand, gently running his thumb over his split bottom lip.

"Are you still hurting?" he asked. Jesse's eyes darted away.

"Uh… it's- it's better. I'm better."

Ivor hummed, unconvinced. He shifted, hoisting Jesse a little higher to slide him off his lap and onto the bed next to Reuben, before climbing off the bed and making his way over to his workbench, stretching. Throwing open one of the chests, he rummaged through it for a moment, before pulling out a bottled potion and stalking back over to where Jesse was seated on the bed. He thrust the potion into the boy's face.

"Drink."

Jesse sighed, but took the potion and obediently downed it. It tasted like apples. Ivor waited until it was all gone, before giving a single nod and taking back the bottle, tucking it into the chest again. Jesse shifted a little, petting a sleeping Reuben.

"What, uh, what was that?"

Ivor raised an eyebrow at him, closing the chest, then shrugged, "Just some more painkillers. You can take another one after lunch."

Jesse nodded, Reuben's nose twitching as he woke up. His little piggy stretched, then turned over onto his back to expose his stomach. Lips twitching, Jesse rubbed his belly, Reuben squealing happily as he did so.

Ivor glanced back over at them at the noise, a smile crossing his face again. He made his way back over to them, reaching out a hand to the boy.

"Can you stand?"

Jesse was quick to nod, accepting the offered hand. Ivor helped him to his feet, and though he swayed, he didn't fall over. Reuben clambered to his feet again, stretching again and yawning widely. He shook his head, piggy ears flapping, before hopping down from the bed.

"Come on, then," Ivor said; he hadn't let go of the boy's hand, even as he began to lead him towards the stairs, "Let's get you some breakfast."

The kitchen was vacant, and Jesse wondered what time it was. Early, most likely. Around six in the morning, if Jesse were to guess. Petra was usually training at this time.

Ivor seated him at the table, Reuben curling around the boy's legs and seating his head on his knee. The potionologist made his way over to the kitchen counter, opening the cupboards and searching through them.

"Would you like some cereal?"

"Sure," Jesse said, petting Reuben's head, "Are there any cornflakes?"

"There certainly is," Ivor declared, pulling said box out and setting it on the counter. He tossed a carrot towards him, and Jesse caught it before it could go flying over his head. Smiling, he held it out to Reuben, who was quick to gobble it from his hands.

It wasn't long after both he and Ivor began eating their respective bowls of cornflakes that the kitchen door opened again, emitting Petra and Gabriel, who were both slightly breathless from what was undoubtedly a training session.

"Good morning," said Jesse, as Petra fell into the chair beside him and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, returning the greeting (although it was a little hard to tell considering she had a mouth full of apple). Gabriel grabbed a glass of water and an apple of his own, before he seated himself next to Ivor, who wrinkled his nose at him and scooted away a little.

"You need a shower."

"I'm hungry," Gabriel protested, looking slightly offended. Petra snorted, choking on her apple a little. Jesse ducked his head to hide his smile.

"What's going on in here?"

Jesse was fairly certain his heart stopped. His blood froze in his veins, a chill racing up his spine and colour draining from his cheeks. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was completely dry. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Petra stop chewing her apple, giving him a startled look.

"Ah, good morning, Hadrian," Gabriel greeted, unaware of the concern crossing his honorary daughters face, "What has you up so early?"

"Thought I'd left a mess outside," the man said, walking around the table and into Jesse's line of sight. Even though his words were directed towards Gabriel, his eyes were stuck on Jesse, and a fury shimmered beneath his gaze. "Turns out I was mistaken."

Jesse's eyes fell downwards, his appetite leaving him as though it had never been there in the first place. Petra swallowed the apple that was in her mouth, wiping juice from her face; she hadn't looked away from Jesse.

"You feeling okay? You've gone really pale."

"Coming down with something, Jason?" asked Hadrian, cocking his head to the side. Only Jesse heard the mocking tone lacing his tongue. "Maybe you should go have a lie down before you… fall."

Ivor raised an eyebrow at him, scoffing, "Jason? We've been watching a whole series about him and you _still_ don't know his name?"

Hadrian only smiled at him.

After he'd assured them that he was fine even as he abandoned the mere thought of eating, even as he shrunk into his chair and lost his voice. Ivor, Petra and Gabriel would shoot him the occasional concerned look, but Jesse did little to assure them beyond a weak smile. Hadrian had decided to sit next to him, closer than was necessary, and his heart was thumping in his throat.

"So, we're starting episode eight?" asked Petra, "How many episodes are there, anyway?"

Gabriel opened his mouth to answer, but then paused, considering this, "Ah… I'm unsure," he glanced at the potionologist beside him, "Ivor?"

"Hm?" Ivor blinked at him, "Well… I haven't checked either, actually," he paused, "We should probably do that."

"I would hope there wasn't much else to watch," Hadrian said. His hand, underneath the table, hidden from view, circled around Jesse's wrist, nails digging into his skin, grip tight and painful. Jesse didn't move. "I mean, we _do_ want to leave before nightfall, correct?"

"Yes, that is true," hummed Gabriel, leaning back in his chair, Ivor pulling a face at him, "The amount of monsters that would spawn in the amount of time it takes for the sun to come back up…"

"But we've put up defences," Petra pointed out, "Surely that would at least slow them down?"

"Of course it would," said Ivor, pushing Gabriel away a little as though he were something he'd rather stay away from, "The problem, my dear niece, is how _long_ it'll slow them down."

"The traps may take out a few," Gabriel said, batting Ivor's hand away, "But then those few will be replaced, and we won't be able to replace our traps as easily as they spawn."

"Yes, I suppose that would be quite the problem. We should be careful," Hadrian hummed, casually, even as his grip on Jesse's wrist tightened. He began to twist, slowly, and Jesse bit back a wince. "We wouldn't want anything happening to anyone, would we?"

"No," Petra said, slowly, regarding Hadrian with a strange eye, "But it looks like we're nearing the end of our little Portal Network adventure thing, though, right?"

"Admittedly, I had thought the end of the Witherstorm was the last of the episodes," Gabriel said, frowning, "And then it simply started another adventure."

"It must be showing us the important things," Ivor concluded, "The Witherstorm, the Hallway- those can be deemed important. Even if there _are_ more episodes, it must be so for a reason."

"I guess the discovery of a thousand other worlds and the 'Old Builders' and all that's important," Petra said, frowning, "But I don't really see how it's important enough for us to be shown it. The Witherstorm was the end of the world; this is the discovery of other worlds."

Jesse's wrist was starting to hurt. A _lot_. A part of him was wondering if Hadrian would go as far as to break it. Surely he wouldn't, right? Surely he wasn't that upset with him? Wasn't angry enough to expose the deal he'd tried so hard to keep secret? To actually, physically hurt him a heck of a lot more than a slap to the cheek?

Right?

"There _are_ some things I would've thought you'd like to change, though," Hadrian said, and though he was digging his nails deep into Jesse's skin, though he was twisting his wrist in a bruising grip, his voice was casual, his smile perfectly sincere, and it only made Jesse all the more terrified, "The, ah, 'YouTubers,' for example."

Petra's eyes widened, and something like guilt flashed across her face, "Oh, yeah. I'd… I'd forgotten about them. Good point."

"They must be horrified," Gabriel sighed, brow creasing, "And to be living under the same roof as their killer, no less," he glanced over at Ivor, a considering gleam in his eye, "Perhaps we _should_ think of setting up a sort of therapy group."

"Therapy?" Jesse echoed, speaking up for the first time in a while. Even Hadrian's grip on his wrist loosened slightly, the man himself blinking in surprise. Gabriel and Ivor looked at each other.

"It's something we've been considering," Ivor explained, "We're not sure how exactly it'll be done, but with the amount of, well…"

"Trauma?" Gabriel suggested. Ivor sent him a look.

" _Stress_ ," he said, "I was going to say stress."

"Of course you were, Ivor."

" _Anyway_ ," the potionologist said, turning away from the warrior, "It's something we've been considering."

Jesse and Petra glanced at each other. Beneath the table, Hadrian still hadn't released his wrist, but he was no longer twisting it, to Jesse's relief.

Ivor grunted, shooting Gabriel a disgusted look, "Okay, go get a shower now."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, although his lips were twitching upwards in an unwilling smile. He pushed himself out his chair, gesturing to Petra with his head. "Come along, Petra. Let's get cleaned up."

Petra snorted, getting to her own feet, "Fine. See you later, Jesse."

Hadrian released Jesse's arm as the two passed, the redhead raising an eyebrow at his abrupt movement. But she didn't say anything, and Gabriel and Petra vanished out the door and into the hallway.

Reuben pressed his head against Jesse's leg, and he ran his fingers over his little pink ears. Ivor turned his eyes over to him, brow creasing slightly.

"You look rather pale," he said, "Are you certain you're alright? I could get you another potion, if you like."

"I'm fine," Jesse assured, shooting him a weak smile. Ivor looked unconvinced, but he glanced at Hadrian and said no more.

"I'm going to go find Otto and Mevia," said Hadrian, getting to his own feet. He clapped Jesse's on the shoulder in what must have looked like a friendly, even fatherly, gesture, but the way he dug his fingers into his skin made it anything but, "See you around, sport."

They watched him leave, until the door closed behind him and his footsteps faded out into the hallway. Jesse looked down at Reuben, before his eyes trailed over to his wrist; it stung, but it wasn't bruised or even red, with only the faint crescent marks of fingernails temporarily indented in his skin.

Jesse glanced to the side, fiddling nervously with his sleeves. He swallowed. "I'm sorry."

Ivor looked up, blinking in surprise. He frowned. "For what?"

"For, uh, last- what happened last night."

"Last night?" Ivor repeated, brow only furrowing deeper, "You've already apologised for running off, remember?"

Jesse flushed, shaking his head. Reuben oinked. "No, not- not that, the… um…"

He trailed off, and Ivor's frown deepened further. Then his eyes widened. "Oh."

Jesse swallowed, shrinking further in his chair. Ivor stared at him for a moment, as though thinking, before he shook his head.

"I… it's fine, Jesse. I don't mind it."

"I didn't mean to-"

"Jesse," Ivor cut him off, firmly, "I don't mind," he reached forwards, offering his hand. Jesse brought his own up, linking fingers in the middle of the table. "If you... If you would like to think of me as your… well… I wouldn't mind."

The boy shot him an uncertain glance, "Really? You're- You're sure?"

Ivor looked down at their linked hands and gave Jesse's a reassuring squeeze. His brow furrowed again when he spotted the nail marks across his wrist, and Jesse shrunk in his seat a little as his dark blue eyes trailed back up to meet his. He gave his hand an even tighter squeeze, and that soft smile he only wore around the boy crossed his face.

"Positive."

* * *

Although Jesse was reluctant to admit it to even himself, the only reason he didn't protest as Ivor tugged him down to sit between him and Harper on the Order's couch was because he could feel Hadrian's glare burning holes in the side of his head. And maybe it was harder for the man to see him from where he was huddled between the adults. And maybe he felt a little bit safer, a little bit more secure, with Ivor's hand around his own.

"I won't let me go any further," Gabriel declared, frowning at the remote, "But there are more episodes. It says they're 'locked.'"

Jesse frowned as well, turning his attention to the screen. The title screen was of Lukas, Petra and himself. He was standing a little to the side, pointing to an aqua coloured portal lined with sea lanterns. Petra was directly in front of the portal, about to run through it, and Lukas was in a full out sprint after her. Gabriel pressed a button on the remote, and the screen swiped to the side onto a new page. But they hardly got a glance at the layout of the new screen before a grey hue covered it, a lock symbol appearing in the middle.

"That's just great," sighed Magnus, "What's up with that?"

"You can't really see it, but there's definitely a few more episodes left," Lukas pointed out, "Think we'll be able to watch them all before nightfall?"

"Perhaps," Soren frowned. Isa stroked Benedict's feathers, a crease to her own brow.

"We should reinforce the mansion," she stated, "Replace the doors with iron. Maybe a transport of sorts to get to the farm without being exposed while going back and forth."

"Interesting," muttered Ellegaard, "Perhaps we could build a tunnel of sorts."

"Or a minecart system!" Stampy suggested.

"We can think of that later," Gabriel cut in; he jabbed the remote at the screen, "Let's just get this episode over with."

" _Previously on Minecraft: Story Mode,"_ said Jesse's onscreen voice. The blackness faded to reveal Jesse, Petra, Lukas and Ivor standing at the end of the dark hallway, the potionologists voice coming through.

" _If these builders truly existed,_ and _if you found their temple,"_ the screen panned out, revealing the thousands of multi-coloured portals, further, further, further, until the group were mere specs in the distance, " _That means we're one step closer…"_

" _That's…"_ said Jesse, as they were revealed portal after portal after portal, white, green, blue, red, yellow amongst them, empty apart from them, " _Not what I was expecting."_

"You got that right," muttered Petra.

The screen cut to the hallway, where Lukas was frantically trying to put out the fire burning his pants. Petra, offscreen, groaned.

" _See- ugh, this is what I'm talking about,"_ the screen cut to her irritated face as Jesse began helping the blond, " _We're stuck in a rut- go through a portal, avoid dying long enough to get back to this_ stupid _hallway-"_

" _Wash, rinse, repeat,"_ Ivor cut her off, " _Yes."_

"The Portal Network _is_ rather tedious to navigate without a guide," muttered Otto, "I wonder how many people have wandered into it and never found their way home."

"But they would've needed an enchanted flint and steel," Cassie pointed out. Otto frowned, shaking his head thoughtfully.

"Not necessarily. The portal stays lit for an extended amount of time, remember? Long enough for someone to wander in and never come out."

"That's… a bit unnerving," declared Lukas.

" _It would be nice,"_ Ivor continued in a voiceover, as the screen changed to show the potionologist waving from where he stood beside Jesse, Harper approaching them, " _If whoever made these left some sort of signs. Guideposts."_

The inventor smiled, " _You can call me Harper."_

Olivia blinked, then snorted, "Looks like you found your guidepost."

" _Your bravery is an impressive quality,"_ said PAMA, the screen switching to show its smiling green screen, " _I look forward to studying that aspect of your personality- once you have been made useful."_

"So much for that," Axel grinned.

The screen switched to PAMA's Core, where Jesse stood before its red, smiling screen, a determined glare crossing his face as he darted towards the spires, " _We'll see about that!"_

It cut to the young hero tearing the Redstone Heart, holding it above his head, red lights flickering and blowing as PAMA screamed in its dying, mechanical voice, before its glowing screen went dark.

" _What is that?"_ asked Petra, as Jesse showed them the beating heart.

" _This is the Redstone Heart,"_ explained Jesse. Its glow illuminated their faces.

" _Beautiful,"_ breathed Ivor. Harper's voice broke over the quiet beating.

" _It can help you find your way home."_

Jesse's eyes widened as he turned to face her, " _How is_ this _going to do_ that?"

The real Harper's lips twitched, "You'll see."

" _The answers you're seeking,"_ said Harper, as the screen cut back to the Hallway, " _The Old Builder's Atlas, your way home… they're all right up those stairs."_

They looked up, and the screen zipped away, up the steps, further, further, further, until the group couldn't even be seen at the bottom. The screen blackened.

" _Adventure?"_

Magnus frowned, "He said that differently than he did the first time."

"Be quiet, Magnus," hushed Ellegaard. The king rolled his eyes, but remained silent.

The darkness melted away to reveal the bottom of the staircase. Jesse walked into view, the others following him from behind, looking up with wide eyes at the previously hidden staircase.

" _Wow,"_ breathed Lukas, pulling out his journal and beginning to scribble away in it, " _That is a_ lot _of stairs."_

"No kidding," muttered Cassie. She'd never liked those stairs.

" _And all revealed by the Redstone Heart,"_ Ivor murmured, as Lukas pocketed his book behind him, " _Amazing."_

" _Yeah,"_ Harper shot him a grin, " _Not bad, right?"_

"'Not bad'?" echoed Stampy, "It's- It's absolutely brilliant!"

Jesse nodded, before turning to the Redstone Heart beating away in the wall. He glanced questionably over his shoulder at Harper, who gave him a nod. The boy turned back to the Heart and tugged it out the wall.

Hadrian's eyes narrowed in the screen. His fingers twitched. He could feel the sword pressed against his leg.

Turning back to the staircase, Jesse pocketed the beating Heart. Harper smiled and gestured to the long, long trek upstairs.

" _After you."_

Jesse looked up at the stairs, a hesitant look briefly crossing his face, " _Okay, guys. I don't know what's up there, but whatever it is, we all need to stick together, got it?"_

"Sounds like a _splendid_ idea," muttered Milo.

" _Yeah,"_ agreed Petra, grinning as she held up a fist, " _We've got your back, Jesse."_

"As always," the real Petra grinned, reaching backwards to nudge Jesse's leg. Reuben, who was seated in the boy's lap, squealed happily at her.

Shooting her a smile, Jesse began to lead the way up the stairs. Harper sighed, looking around, a nostalgic, almost sad smile crossing her face.

" _Feels like just yesterday we were building this place,"_ she said, " _Still don't agree with some of the aesthetic designs. Very odd to be back."_

Hadrian rolled his eyes, biting his tongue to keep from snapping at the inventor. Mevia shot him a hesitant look. She hadn't seen him this irritated in years.

She wondered what happened.

" _This is so cool,"_ said Jesse, " _We've been exploring the Old Builder's world this whole time! Amazing!"_

" _Well, we were pretty proud of it when we were putting the place together,"_ Harper said, that sad, nostalgic little smile still in place, " _Thought I'd never need to come back, to be honest."_

The real Harper sighed, "Those were the days."

"Do you not talk much with the other Old Builders anymore?" Jesse asked. Harper hesitated, briefly meeting Soren's eyes.

"Not really," she admitted, "We sort of… fell apart."

Cassie, Soren, Isa, Mevia, Hadrian and Otto were quite careful not to meet anyone's eyes.

They'd reached the top of the staircase. But only revealed another flight a little further ahead. They were surrounded by a sky streaked with purples and fading blues, the sky of a rising sun. Blocks and floating islands, all made of some sort of quartz, surrounded them.

"Wow," breathed Lukas, eyes widening, "That's amazing."

"It is indeed," muttered Soren, although there was almost a sadness to his tone. Lukas shot him a frown, and glanced over at Cassie, but she wouldn't meet his gaze.

" _Ooh, I'm sensing a story here,"_ said Petra, watching Harper curiously. The inventor paused, as though considering her words.

" _I… guess you could say that."_

" _You don't sound super happy about being back,"_ Jesse observed, concern furrowing his brow slightly, " _What's up?"_

"More than you know," muttered Harper. The real Jesse blinked at her.

" _Yeah,"_ Harper sighed, " _I think you'll figure it out once you meet the others."_

They began to make their way up the second staircase. Ivor glanced at the inventor, finally tearing his eyes away from their surroundings.

"' _Others'?"_ he repeated, " _You mean we're going to meet_ more _Old Builders?"_

" _Still don't like it when you call us that,"_ Harper said, shooting him a slightly irritated look.

"Yeah," Harper said, pulling a face, "I mean, Cassie's only a little older than Lukas and Jesse."

"True," muttered Lukas. He paused, as though thinking, then jabbed a finger at the red-haired girl.

"Baby Builder."

Cassie blinked, mouth popping open. Half the audience tried to stifle their snickers; Stampy buried his face into Dan's shoulder, Isa and Harper covered their mouths, Mevia snorted loudly, and Petra burst into outright laughter. Gaze hardening and mouth clipping shut, Cassie scowled at the blond, who remained surprisingly unphased.

"I'm _older than you._ "

"Yeah," said Lukas, grinning with an even more surprising cheekiness, "But you're still a Baby Builder."

"You _stupid little-_ "

"Cassie," Soren snapped, cutting her off, "That's enough."

The girl scowled, but crossed her arms and dropped it. Lukas scratched his head a little, cheeks flushing when Soren shot him a look as well.

" _Yep, but I gotta warn you,"_ Harper continued, " _They're not as friendly as I am. I'm probably the, ah…_ nicest _Old Builder."_

Soren nudged Harper's leg, the inventor turning to find both him and Isa raising an eyebrow at her. Harper smiled a tad sheepishly, shrugging.

" _Uh huh,"_ Petra hummed, seemingly at a lack of what else to say. She was also starting to become a little breathless from the climb.

" _Old Builder social politics,"_ Ivor gushed, seeming more excited at the prospect that he honestly should have been, " _My goodness."_

Ellegaard rolled her eyes.

" _Hey, I'm just glad you're on our side,"_ declared Jesse; a hand was pressing into his side, probably from the stitch steadily forming there, " _Old Builder or not, you've been pretty cool."_

"Aw," Harper said, ruffling the boy's hair, who started in surprise at the sudden contact, "Thank you, Jesse."

" _Well, thank you, Jesse,"_ Harper said, smiling up at the boy, " _I hope I can keep living up to that."_

" _Well,"_ said Lukas, as they reached the top of that staircase and began to make their way to the next, " _You're gonna give us the Atlas and then we can go home, right?"_

"Ehhh," said Harper, making a 'sorta' motion with her hand. The real Lukas blinked at her.

"Ehhh? What's 'ehhh' supposed to mean?"

Harper paused. Then made the same noise again, accompanied with the same hand motion.

"Ehhhhhhh."

Onscreen, Harper made a similar noise, " _Kiiind of? The Atlas isn't exactly mine to give. It belongs to the_ other, _ah..._ ' _Old Builders.'"_

"You're joking," Soren muttered.

"Well," said Isa, "This is going to go… splendid."

" _And, well…"_ Harper came to a stop, the others continuing to the next staircase, unawares, " _They might not wanna give it up."_

Petra's eyes widened, "What?"

The group came to a halt, eyes widening. Then, all at once, they turned around to face her.

" _Why do I get the feeling there's a lot you're not telling us?"_ asked Petra, a sudden hostility to her tone. Harper smiled nervously.

" _Good instincts?"_

"That's not comforting," declared Olivia.

" _Harper, I thought that was why we brought you,"_ Jesse said, frowning, " _To convince them to hand over the Atlas. You're not gonna let us down, right?"_

"I thought you brought her to _show_ you the Atlas?" asked Maya.

Harper sighed, walking past them to continue up the stairs, taking the lead, " _I'm gonna do my best, but I'll warn you now that there could be… complications."_

The others followed, frowning. Lukas scratched his neck. " _What_ kind _of 'complications'?"_

" _You'll see when you get there,"_ said Harper, as they started up the next staircase. Lukas frowned at her, then turned to look over his shoulder at Jesse, lowering his voice considerably.

" _Jesse, come here."_

"Oh boy," muttered Aiden. The real Harper bit her lip.

Jesse sped up a little to come up next to the blond, skipping a few steps. Lukas leant closer, whispering.

" _Are you sure we can trust Harper?"_ he asked, nervously scratching the surface of the plaster on his nose, " _Look at all of our interactions with her so far. They haven't exactly been great, remember?"_

" _Yeah, I do,"_ said Jesse, " _She saved our lives, Lukas."_ The blond shook his head.

" _Only after she put them in danger."_

The real Harper winced. Ivor frowned down at the blond on the floor, was had startled to fiddle a little with his cast.

" _If I remember correctly,"_ Lukas continued, " _We saved her just as much as she saved us."_

Axel opened his mouth, then faltered, "Uh… he's got a point."

" _Don't worry, okay?"_ said Jesse, sending his friend an assuring smile, " _We're going to get that Atlas and get home."_

" _I appreciate the vote of confidence, Jesse,"_ Harper abruptly cut in, making the two boys jump and almost topple backwards down the stairs.

Soren shook his head, "Eavesdropping again, Harper?"

The inventor shrugged, smiling sheepishly, "What? It's good to know these things."

Harper, who had reached the top of the stairs, turned around to face them, smiling apologetically, " _Sorry. I just couldn't resist a good eavesdrop,"_ she turned her attention to the blond, who looked unsure whether or not to be angry or embarrassed, " _I promise I'm trying to help, Lukas."_

The real Lukas hummed uncertainly, mouth twisting a little. Petra patted him on the shoulder.

Onscreen, the group reached the top of the stairs, hesitantly approaching a set of double doors, which almost seemed to be glowing. Harper came to a stop in front of it, grinning as she turned to face them.

" _All you gotta do is go through there."_

Olivia raised her eyebrows, "But that wall stops in less than ten blocks away from it- there's no way there's some kind of building behind it."

"No building," confirmed Harper, "It's… sort of like another portal. It's pretty complicated."

Jesse blinked, walking past her to get a better look at the double doors, " _A door? Like, a regular door?"_

Harper smiled at him, shrugging, " _Time to step through it and find out."_

"Uh… not sure I want to, thanks," Stampy murmured. Dan squeezed his hand.

Jesse shot the inventor a hesitant look, before turning back to the doors. He reached out and grabbed their handles, before tugging them open- and being blinded by a bright, bright light. He squinted watery eyes, hand automatically coming up in an attempt to shield them, face appearing almost as pale as the bandages around his head. The others, behind him, squinted as well.

" _Agh, very bright,"_ Ivor grimaced. Petra shook her head, taking an automatic step back.

" _What-"_

" _Whoa-"_

" _I can't see a thing-"_

" _Before you go in there,"_ said Harper, speaking up from somewhere behind them, " _I have one more piece of advice."_

Aiden frowned, "What is she- ?"

" _Don't die."_

Axel's eyes widened, "Wait, _what_ -"

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes widened as well, " _What- ?"_

Then Harper darted forwards and _shoved_ Ivor and Petra, who yelled as they tumbled into Jesse and Lukas, and screamed, all four of them, as they fell into the brightness, leaving Harper standing alone at the top of the stairs.

The screen went dark.

The audience gaped for a moment. Then, all at once, every head turned to look at Harper.

"Harper," said Jesse, slowly, "What the _hell?_ "

"Oh, you're _fine_ ," she said, rolling her eyes, "No one's going to die- heck, no one _can_ die. You're just going to safely land in the Entrance Reception and I'll appear right behind you."

Isa blinked at her, "You know, Harper, your little pranks can be very, _very_ annoying at times."

Harper shrugged, "Hey, do you know the last time I've ever been able to play any sort of prank was? You can't exactly play tricks on artificial friends."

" _Still_ ," stressed Gabriel, "I doubt they'd be happy to trust you as much after shoving them through a mysterious, glowing doorway."

"Yeah, what was with that, anyway?" Magnus asked, rubbing his eyes, "I feel like I've been staring right at the sun, and I wasn't even _looking_ at it that long."

"Wait," said Otto, turning to look at Mevia and Hadrian, "Didn't we… _remove_ the Entrance Reception? Because no one used that door anymore?"

"Hold up," Harper said, eyes widening, "You _removed_ the Entrance Reception? To build what?"

Hadrian, Mevia and Otto shared a look with each other. Ivor, meanwhile, was gaping, having put two and two together as he realised that Harper and Cassie weren't the only Old Builders amongst them. Mevia snorted.

"Well," she said, shooting the rest of the audience a rather spine-chilling grin.

"This will be exciting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you tell Lukas to trust Harper or be wary of her? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> I wrote this in two days. Two days. 5,405 words, without ANs. I have been multi-tasking all day for you guys. It's now midnight.
> 
> You're welcome.


	74. Poofed

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Seventy-Four: Poofed**

* * *

Screaming cut through the short silence that had descended upon the audience, and their head snapped back around just in time to see the screen lighten and reveal the adventurers falling from the sky.

They hit the ground hard, flashing red. Shaking snow from his hair, Jesse grimaced and scrambled to his feet, an irritated look to his face as he pressed a hand against his bandaged head. Beside him, Ivor reached out, something flashing across his face, until a shout had his head snapping around.

" _Come on, Nell!"_

Nell's eyes widened, excitement crossing her face, "Was that- ?"

" _I'm trying, Em!"_

The screen shot out, revealing that the group had landed smack damn in the middle of some sort of arena. Snow made up the floor, floating obsidian platforms hovered above, and teams of red and green ran around, dodging flaming arrows and holding iron shovels as though they were swords. Spotted only by the observant, purple, green and yellow banners decorated the far walls, and sea lanterns chased away the shadows. It was complete and utter chaos.

" _Dig, dig! Faster!"_

"It's spleef!" Nell squealed, leaping to her feet. Em's mouth popped open. "That's us, Em! We're playing spleef!"

Ivor blinked at her, "Gesundheit?"

" _Go! Go!"_

Jesse watched as two green team members darted forwards, one hitting the ground beneath a red member's feet with their shovel and causing it to disappear, the red member jumping back just in time to avoid falling down the newly made hole.

" _I can, like, do this!"_

"That's me, brah!" Nell exclaimed, jabbing a finger at the screen, "Em, that's me!"

The baffled hero looked left, just in time to see NELL dug up the ground beneath a red member's feet, successfully sending them falling beneath the apparently single layer of snow. The girl whooped.

" _Got him!"_

"Uh, what's happening?" asked Axel.

" _Slab jab!"_

Jesse's head shot upwards, just in time to see SLAB holding a flashing block of TNT over his head. He threw it down, and the deadly block exploded almost directly in front of Jesse, covering the screen in smoke.

"Jesse!" shouted Ivor. The real Slab was too busy gaping at the screen to reassure him.

The group stumbled backwards a little, but seemed luckily unharmed. They continued to take in the chaos with wide eyes, almost unconsciously forming a little circle, back to back. A flaming arrow flew passed, scraping against the top of Petra's helmet.

Gabriel's hand clenched into an agitated fist. A horrid little feeling was squirming in his gut.

He didn't like this.

A familiar, announcer-like voice burst over the chaos, " _Weeeell, what do we have here?"_

The real Jesse stiffened. Hadrian's eyes widened, then narrowed.

Well.

" _Seems as if some new competitors have entered the match."_

Petra drew her sword. Someone fell beneath the snow a little too close to where she was standing, and she took a step back, making their circle tighter. Another familiar, although more feminine, voice burst through.

" _My, isn't_ that _special?"_

Another explosion briefly clouded the screen. In the watching room, Soren gnawed on his lip and Gabriel dug his nails into his palm. Jesse bit back a squeak as Ivor abruptly squished him against his side.

Onscreen, Petra's eyes were wide, snapping left and right as she struggled to take in the abrupt chaos around them sword held defensively in front of her, " _I Just- what in the world did Harper dump us into?!"_

Harper had gone rather pale, "That… that's not the Entrance Reception."

"No," Otto sighed, massaging his temples, "No, it is not."

There was yelling, shouting, screaming. A red member was running around in circles in an outright panic.

" _Wait,"_ said Jesse, head snapping around in search of something- or someone, " _Where's Harper?!"_

A surprisingly warm feeling spreads through Harper's chest at the boys concerned tone, but she decides not to dwell on it, instead bringing forth a confused frown and turning her attention back to Otto, "You got rid of the tube?"

Otto shrugged, scratching his bald scalp, "No one used that door anymore, so we disabled it. To be honest, I'd completely forgotten about it."

"What's the tube?" asked Lukas. Cassie was the one to answer.

"It directed whoever went through the door directly to the Entrance Reception," she explained, "Without it, whoever went through it could move around and end up someplace else. I ended up in the ocean once."

"I remember that," Harper hummed, lips twitching, "Soren had to fish you out."

Magnus shot her a wide eyed look, "Soren?"

"Wait, why'd you get rid of the tube, though?" Isa asked, frowning at the three Old Builders on the couch, "Just because you weren't using it doesn't mean you had to put it down."

Mevia shrugged, "We had to disable it to fit in the arena's mechanism. It tends to mess with the redstone."

Onscreen, Ivor's eyes narrowed into a scowl, hands clenching at his sides, " _She didn't come with us."_

The real Harper flinched, swallowing thickly. Ivor bit his lip, briefly unwrapping his arm from around Jesse to grab her hand, before returning his arm to its previous position, the inventor's hand pulled into Jesse's lap.

Harper glanced over at the potionologist, gnawing on her bottom lip, "I- I know it looks like that-"

Ivor shook his head, "It's fine. I'm sure it'll be explained in a bit."

"Yeah," Jesse piped up from where he was currently squished between them, "I mean, there's that whole 'disabled tube' thing and all, so this has nothing to do with you."

He paused, unconsciously running his tongue over the irritating cut on the inside of his cheek, "Well, I suppose the 'prank' was your fault, but nothing else was."

Harper snorted, ruffling his hair with her free hand, "Thanks, Jesse."

" _Ugh,"_ Petra groaned, as another explosion went off, " _Getting very tired of Old Builders."_

"I'm getting very tired of that name," muttered Isa.

" _Hang on,"_ Lukas cut in, struggling to be heard over the sound of chaos, " _I just realised what this reminds me of!"_

The real Lukas blinked, "I'm being reminded of something?"

" _Spleef!"_

Another blink, "Ohhh!"

"What?" Axel asked, completely lost. Ivor seemed to be wracking his brain, mouthing words in German.

His onscreen self seemed to have the same idea.

" _Gesundheit?"_

Directly in front of them, EM was cornering a red team member, who looked downright terrified. Before he could get the chance to run, Em hit the snow beneath his feet with her shovel, snowballs popping up, and sent him falling down to hole.

The real Em's mouth popped open.

" _No, it's a game!"_ Lukas explained, " _You try to knock the floor out from other people and make them fall."_

"Oh, yeah," Maya murmured, "It's a pretty popular game in the snow biomes. We went to see one once. Although it wasn't as… _intense_ as this."

"Spleef isn't my strong suite," Nell admitted; Em was a bit busy trying to wrap her head around being onscreen, "But I make a good runner!"

A sudden yell burst from the speakers, heads snapping back around to the screen just in time to see a green member charing as Jesse, brandishing their shovel like a sword, " _Be like Tiiiim!"_

Cassie's eyes widened, "Oh, _shi-_ "

"Cassie!" Soren exclaimed.

Jesse leapt to the side at the last moment, rolling before jumping back to his feet as the green member dug up the snow he'd just been standing on as though his life depended on it. Ivor and Petra stumbled, landing in the snow on the opposite side of the new hole. On the other side, Lukas climbed to his feet as Jesse backed away; the blond's eyes widened as he realised why.

Below the snow, lava glowed in all of its fiery, deadly glory, the only thing separating them from it if they just so happened to fall down being a thin layer of glass. Just off to the side were multiple rows of pistons, frozen, a line of cobblestone stuck to the outer one.

"What _is_ that?" asked Olivia, brow furrowing. Soren and Harper looked at each other.

Another scream broke the air, and Jesse turned to find the same green member from before once again charing towards him, face set in determination and shovel held high. Jesse reached over his shoulder, drawing his sword, Lukas scrambling for his own behind him-

He slashed at the team member, tearing at his green and grey uniform, leaving a thin gash right across the chest. They flashed red, stumbling backwards, and screamed as their foot slid on the edge of the snow and they went falling onto the glass above the giant lava pit. They sat up, horror crossing their face, and for a moment they looked as though they were about to scream-

But they never got the chance.

The pistons slammed forward so suddenly that most of the audience jumped in alarm, cobblestone meeting cobblestone and squishing the green member into dust. An inventory of snow blocks and a shovel was all that remained.

Jesse's stomach lurched, bile rising to the back of his throat. He was almost certain his heart had stilled. At the back of his mind, he registered Reuben's alarmed squeals, the way Ivor's mouth was moving, but he couldn't hear what he was saying.

He'd killed.

_He'd killed._

" _Argh!"_ Em groaned, looking down at the inventory pile, " _That was my only_ decent _teammate."_

Nell winced a little, but was quick to mask it with a smile. Everyone else was too occupied to notice.

Em looked up, glaring at Jesse, before rushing over to where Petra was in the middle of fending off another one of the green team members. She began to dug up the snow beneath her feet.

"Petra!" Gabriel shouted, on the edge of his seat. The real Petra had gone an almost oatmeal colour.

A flaming arrow embedded the ground as she attempted to fight them off. Another soon followed, the screen tilting to the side to reveal that Ivor was in the middle of being pelted by them, hopping and jumping and leaping to avoid both being impaled and catching fire. The bottom of his robes were smoking.

"This is bad," Olivia groaned, tangling her fingers into her curly hair, "This is bad, this is bad, this is so, _so_ bad."

Jesse and Lukas stood frozen, struggling to take in the chaos before them, heads snapping from Petra to Ivor and back again. Above them on an obsidian platform, a large figure appeared, a suspiciously flashing block in their hands.

" _Oops,"_ said FACEMEAT, grinning wickedly as he held the flashing block of TNT, " _Did Facemeat drop something?"_

The real Facemeat gasped, jabbing a large finger at the screen, "Facemeat has a _twin!?_ "

" _TNT!"_ Facemeat threw the flashing block of death, directly towards the two boys below him. They looked up, eyes widening, the TNT flying towards them in slow motion.

"NO!" shouted Soren, Ivor and- surprisingly- Cassie at the exact same time, the architecture leaping to his feet and the potionologist's grip on Jesse becoming almost suffocating. It made his ribs sting.

Jesse's head snapped around to Lukas, who was too busy gaping at the TNT flying towards them. Then he shoved him, so hard he went flying out of the way, landing to receive a face-full of cold snow- the TNT exploded, and Jesse flashed red, flying backwards. In the top corner of the screen, a row of hearts flashed, and three became black. The bandages around his head began to redden.

The real Lukas gaped, mouth opening and closing. Then he twisted around to look at the boy on the couch.

"What- Why would- _Jesse!_ "

"What?" asked Jesse, startled by the looks he was receiving from a surprising number of people, "What'd I do?!"

"You could've- We should've- UGH!" Lukas groaned, pressing his good hand into his forehead and flopping backwards into the blankets; he appeared torn between irritated, exasperated, worried and touched, "You're _impossible."_

"But I didn't-"

"Jesse," Ivor cut him off, the boy shrinking slightly beneath his scolding look, "I know you want to keep your friends safe, but you should let _yourself_ get hurt in the process."

A tightness twisted Jesse's chest. He hastily tore his eyes away from the potionologist, gluing his eyes to the little piggy pressed against his legs. He was careful not to look up at Hadrian, although he could feel his eyes in the side of his head.

He didn't notice the frown Ivor and Harper shared over his head.

" _Boom!"_ Facemeat yelled, although his voice was strangely garbled. The chaos, the noise, the yelling and the explosions were all mixing together into this head-pounding _screech._ Jesse clenched his eyes shut and shook his head, although he seemed to regret it almost instantly if the sick look that crossed his face was any indication.

"Is he- Is he okay?" asked Olivia, before wincing upon realising how _stupid_ that question was. Axel chewed nervously on the inside of his cheek.

Forcing himself back to awareness, Jesse climbed to his feet, grimacing. A little ways on the other side of where the explosion had taken place, Lukas got to his feet as well, dazed but unharmed. Jesse pressed a hand to his bandaged head, before pulling it away and staring at the red stain across his palm and fingers, as though struggling to register that it was there.

He tore his eyes away, and gasped, eyes widening- Petra was surrounded by three green members, a red one digging up the snow beneath her feet. Gaping holes were all around her, and she was hopping about from block to block in an attempt to stop herself from falling into the death trap below, an arrow still flaming from where it was embedded in the ground.

" _It looks like the Green Team Captain is about to-"_

" _Jesse!"_ Petra yelled over the announcer, her little floating island steadily becoming smaller, " _Jesse, help!"_

"They're going to kill her!" Gabriel exclaimed, leaving his seat entirely. His fingers twitched, as though he wanted to grab his sword, as though he wanted nothing more than to leap through the screen and save the girl on the other side. Petra abruptly found herself with a mysteriously dry mouth.

The announcer's voice babbled away in the background as Jesse's head snapped to the side, revealing that Ivor was still dancing around flaming arrows, pelting the snow at his feet and leaving the edges of his robes smoking. A red team member was advancing. " _Little help?!"_

"What the hell is _happening?_ " asked Aiden. Gill shook his head.

"I've got no idea, man."

Above Ivor, CLUTCH stood upon another obsidian platform, holding a flashing block of TNT over her head, ready to throw it down upon the potionologist below.

The real Clutch's eyes widen. Jesse's hand found Ivor's, his heart thudding against healing ribs, clutching it desperately. Ivor squeezed reassuringly, pulling him closer.

" _Jesse?!"_ Ivor called, narrowly dodging another arrow. Petra gave a frustrated yell, sliding on her rapidly shrinking island.

" _Help!"_

" _Jesse!"_ Lukas yelled, struggling to be heard over the noise, " _Which one?!"_

Ivor dodged another arrow, the tip grazing his arm and tearing his robes, " _Please, Jesse!"_

" _No!"_ Petra gasped, almost falling into the death trap, wildly swinging her sword in a desperate attempt to get them away from her, " _Jesse!"_

" _Help!"_

" _Jesse! Are you going for Ivor or Petra?"_

"Go for Petra and have Lukas go for Ivor," said Isa, "Jesse's the better fighter, so he can help Petra fend off the competitors, whereas Lukas can tackle Ivor out the way of the arrows."

"Unless _he_ gets impaled," Soren pointed out. Isa rolled her eyes.

"The other option is risking being hit in the face with a shovel and falling into that death pit."

Soren blanched, then grunted unhappily, "Still."

" _I'll help Petra!"_ Jesse declared, already running towards her, having seemingly come to the same conclusion as Isa, " _Get Ivor, quick!"_

Jesse leapt up as he approached the red team member just as they gave Petra a rather violent jab in the stomach, almost sending her over the edge of the little snow island. He rolled over their back, forcing them into a bow, and pushed off them, sending them falling onto their back and himself flying into Petra, knocking her off her feet and over the gap in the snow just as Em dug up the last of the island, the two landing relatively safely on a bit more solid ground.

Gabriel blew out a relieved breath, practically collapsing back into his seat. Ellegaard reached around Soren to pat him on the shoulder.

" _Nice one, Jesse,"_ Petra sighed, relieved, " _That was close."_

They looked up, just in time to see Lukas and Ivor landing roughly in the snow, thankfully out of the range of flaming arrows. The blond sat up, still on top of Ivor, grinning at having successfully gotten them away from the arrows. The potionologist opened his mouth to say something, probably to snap at him to get off him, but then Nell skid into sight and hit the snow beneath them with her shovel.

Whatever Ivor was about to say never left his lips. Instead, his words were replaced with a scream, as both he and Lukas fell beneath the snow and into the death trap.

" _NO!"_

Jesse's breath caught in his chest. Soren leapt to his feet, shouting Lukas' name. Harper flinched violently. Cassie's mouth dropped open. Olivia screamed.

The two landed atop the hot glass, the air leaving their lungs from the force of the fall. The potionologist scrambles to his feet, terror crossing Lukas' face as he pushes himself up. There was a grinding of preparing pistons.

" _Ivor!"_

"Dad!"

" _Lukas!"_ Petra screamed, the two looking up and locking eyes with them.

" _Jesse, I- !"_ Lukas wasn't able to finish his sentence. The pistons shot forwards, snakes striking, and cobblestone smashed into cobblestone in a violent clash. They retracted quickly, dust in the air, as Lukas and Ivor's inventory- a poppy, two stone swords, a journal, PAMA's chip, armour, a slimeball, a cookie, a bucket of milk- spilled across the glass.

" _No,"_ Jesse gasped, quieter this time. His voice rose with each word. " _No, no, no,_ no, NO!"

"Oh god," murmured Olivia, covering her mouth with her hands, eyes shining, "Oh- Oh _god_."

"Lukas…" Petra whispered, eyes wide. The blond beside her suddenly found that he had a bit of difficulty breathing. When did the air get so _stuffy_ in here?

Cassie swore loudly, tangling her for some reason trembling fingers into her bright red hair. Winslow meowed, nuzzling his head against her arm. Aiden moved as though to wrap his arm around the girl, but seemed to think better of it and settled for putting a hand on her knee.

" _What…"_ Petra shook her head, breath heaving, " _It- It can't be… They can't be…"_

Abruptly, Soren spun around to face the three Old Builders on the couch, face turning red with rage, "What the _hell_ is wrong with you?!"

Mevia gave a small, disbelieving laugh, " _Excuse_ me? _We've_ done nothing wrong."

"The respawn zones," Soren took a small step forward, ignoring her comment, fists practically trembling at his sides, " _Tell me_ you didn't get rid of the respawn zones."

Hadrian rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, "And what if we have?"

Soren darted forward with surprising speed, grabbing Hadrian by the front of his shirt and forcing him out of his seat, startled yells igniting from some of the others, "What have you _done?!_ "

"Soren," Otto said, eyes wide, "Hold on, we'd never-"

Abruptly, Jesse realised he couldn't breathe. It was a slow realisation, and once it settled in his brain, it was followed by another, although this one was the fact that he couldn't really feel Ivor's arm around him anymore. He glanced down at it, blinking, startled to find that he hadn't pulled it away. There was a buzzing at the back of his brain, a muffled mumble he couldn't really register. His chest was really starting to hurt.

It took him a moment to realise Lukas was trying to drag Soren away from Hadrian. Magnus and Ellegaard leapt to their feet, rushing to help him. The blond looked like he was about to cry.

"Dad! Dad, _stop_ \- !"

" _Whoa, no way, dude!"_ Nell cheered, seemingly not noticing the way Jesse seemed to be struggling to breathe _(kinda like how he was now, he bleary noted)_ , pumping her fist in the air, " _I got a double!"_

Rage twisted Jesse's face, chest heaving, hands curling into trembling fists, " _No!"_

"Jesse?"

Was that Ivor? His voice was really muffled, for some reason. It was like he was underwater. Had he fallen into the lake? Maybe Hadrian was trying to drown him. That's one way to get rid of him.

"Jesse? Jesse, _breathe!_ "

But he was drowning.

Grinning, Nell darted towards him, and this time Jesse showed little mercy. He slashed, cutting open her skin and tearing at her suit, leaving a gash across her shoulder. Nell gave a gurgled yell, flying back into the snow. It stained red around her shoulder.

" _Hey, hey, whoa!"_ she stuttered, clutching her wound, eyes wide with fear as she noticed the absolute _rage_ on Jesse's face, " _This is a misunderstanding, dude!"_ she dragged herself backwards, the boy advancing, " _What are you doing?!"_

"Oh, wow," muttered Stacy, shrinking back in her seat a little, "He's- He's _scary._ "

"Jesse?" Ivor repeated, once again trying to get the boys attention, "Jesse, come on, just _look_ at me!"

The boy opened his mouth, but all that came out was this strange gasping noise. Soren was hugging a trembling Lukas now, Hadrian rubbing an aching jaw with a scowl. Magnus and Ellegaard were still standing between them, prepared to leap in if the architecture tried to attack again.

And Jesse wasn't moving. Just staring at the screen.

Drowning.

" _Hey!"_ Em shouted, skidding to a stop a good ways away, " _Using weapons is against the rules!"_

" _Rules?!"_ Jesse exclaimed.

" _Not cool, dude!"_ Slab said, running down the stairs connecting two obsidian platforms, a block of TNT already in hand. He held it above his head. " _So not cool!"_

He threw it, sending it soaring towards Jesse. With an enraged yell, Jesse hit the flashing block with his sword, and it rebounded, shooting back up towards the Gladiator. Slab yelled as it exploded, the platform giving away, and he hit the ground hard.

" _Slab is down!"_ a third announcer exclaimed, " _I repeat, Slab is down!"_

There was an irritated growl from the first announcer.

" _Stop the match!"_

Hands grabbed Jesse's arms, forcing him to turn away from the screen, eyes locking with a blue that was so dark they would've been mistaken as black at first glance, pulling him from the water he was being held under.

"Jesse, goddammit, _breathe!_ "

Everything rushed back at once, so fast that Jesse found himself light headed and increasingly overwhelmed. He gasped loudly, greedily sucking in a deep breath. Jesse coughed, panting, feeling as though he'd just run a thousand and more miles. His chest burned.

Relief flashed across Ivor's face. His grip on Jesse's arm didn't relent. It was actually a little painful, considering the still healing bruises there, but a part of Jesse was a bit thankful for the pain. It was grounding.

"Okay," Ivor murmured, "Okay. Are- Are you okay?"

Jesse stared at him, still breathing heavily. It didn't even occur to him to at least attempt to answer, to assure him that he was fine. Because he wasn't fine. His brother was dead. His pig was dead.

His _dad_ was _dead_.

" _Not since the days of Tim have we seen such heated play,"_ the third announcer said, as Nell got to her feet, the colour draining from her face as she pressed against her bleeding wound. Slab groaned, climbing to his feet, unharmed apart from a few cuts and bruises.

" _That's totally against the rules, right?"_ he asked.

Jesse and Petra hopped down from the snowy platform and onto more _stable_ ground that wasn't the only thing stopping them from falling into a death trap after their friends. Their swords remained raised, their faces hard, ready to attack at any moment.

Arms wrapped around him, pulling him against a warm chest. Jesse buried his face into it, clinging to the green robes. A heartbeat. A steady pound in a breathing chest. He wasn't dust. He wasn't dust. He was right here. He wasn't going anywhere.

_He was right here._

" _Yeah,"_ said Nell, casually slinging her shovel over her good shoulder, holding her injured one carefully and seeming surprisingly calm about the fact she was bleeding all over the floor, " _I didn't think we could throw the TNT back at the Gladiators. Nice one, brah."_

The real Nell coughed awkwardly, "Uh… they don't, like, know about respawn, do they?"

Em glanced over at Soren and Lukas, who was whispering words of comfort into the trembling boys ear and trying to get them _both_ to calm down, and then to Ivor and Jesse, who was practically in the potionologists' lap and strangely, concerningly blank, not even seeming aware of Harper scooting a little closer to run her fingers through his hair.

"No," said Em, rolling her eyes, "I have _no idea_ where you got _that_ from."

Nell blinked at her, "Really? 'Cause they're acting like they're actually-"

"Oh, just _watch_ it, Nell."

" _Who do you think you are?!"_ Petra exclaimed, voice strangled. Nell looked taken aback.

" _Whoa, now, I think-"_

" _-And now you're just trying to be all 'buddy-buddy'?!"_ Petra cut her off. The blond girl looked left and right in search of help, face a mixture of confused, startled and slightly scared. Jesse grit his teeth, struggling to get his breathing under control. He looked on the verge of attack.

" _Okay,"_ he hissed, clenching and unclenching his grip on his sword, as though he wanted nothing more than to use it on everyone and everything in sight, " _None you are responding like you should be to what's going on- so are you all crazy? Mind-controlled?_ What?!"

"I'm a little surprised he hasn't attacked her," Otto murmured. Mevia glanced over at the real Jesse. He wasn't crying, he wasn't trembling, he wasn't screaming. It was quite the different reaction compared to what they'd experienced with other onscreen deaths, real or fake.

He just seemed… like a blank sheet of paper.

Mevia almost begged for him to start screaming. Start crying. Heck, have a panic attack.

Because this scared her more than any of that would've.

And Mevia wasn't one to be scared easily.

" _Whoa,"_ said Nell, holding up a hand, " _Hang on, dude._ I _am not in charge here, okay? It's_ them," she turned, making to point with her injured arm before grimacing and instead using her shovel. They followed the shovel up to a large platform overlooking the arena, decorated with a shocking amount of diamond blocks and brightly coloured banners. Three people stood at the highest ledge.

" _Yes,"_ said MEVIA, hands planted on her hips, "We're _the ones in charge here."_

" _And we have_ never _had to stop a match,"_ HADRIAN spat, face twisted into a scowl, " _Ever!"_

" _It definitely is strange, Mevia,"_ hummed OTTO, tucking his hands behind his back and raising an eyebrow down at the armoured duo below, Hadrian pinching the bridge of his nose behind him in utter irritation, "What _is going on here?"_

"Wait a minute," said Aiden, voice cracking, the scene replaying in his head again and again and _again_ to the point that he was almost certain he was going to throw up, "You- You guys- You're in charge?"

"That we are," said Otto, frowning as he looked around at the sick, terrified, panicked and strangely blank faces around him, "Just- Just don't freak out yet, alright? I believe _everything's_ about to be explained."

He didn't notice Hadrian's darkening scowl.

" _I want an explanation,"_ Hadrian said, stepping closer to the edge of the platform, "Immediately!"

He began to place down a line of obsidian, walking across it, and then he was running and placing at the same time, Mevia doing the same to his left with iron blocks and Otto to his right with golden. It sped up, and they began to go down, spiralling around each other.

Jesse watched with wide eyes, the shadow of the forming structure falling over him. With an impressive _thud_ , the blocks hit the ground, and the three Old Builders approached the group.

"Wow," muttered Dan. Stampy nodded in silent agreement.

" _This is going to require some reconfiguring of the stats for sure,"_ said Otto.

" _Well?"_ Mevia said, raising an eyebrow at the duo. Jesse raised his sword properly again, the rage returning to his face.

" _My friends are_ dead _,"_ he exclaimed, " _You_ killed them!"

Lukas flinched, Soren holding him closer. Harper reached out with the hand that wasn't tangled in Jesse's hair to give Ivor's a reassuring squeeze. He shot her a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

" _Wait, wait, wait,"_ Mevia said, looking as though he'd just told her they'd ran out of raw chicken and everyone needed to drop everything to help them get more, " _And_ that's _why you're ruining our game?"_

The real Petra blinked, mouth dropping open, " _What_?"

"I dunno about _you_ ," said Milo, shooting the blue haired woman a nervous sort of glare, "But _killing someone's friend and dad_ seems like a pretty decent reason to interrupt a _game!_ "

" _Yeah, come on, geez!"_ snapped Hadrian, glaring at the boy, " _How petty are you?"_

"Petty? _Petty?_ " repeated Ivor, hardly able to believe his ears, "You're calling my boy _petty?"_

Mevia scoffed, " _Lashing out just because your friends were eliminated."_

Isa shot the three a confused frown, "Isn't it obvious they've got no idea what they've fallen into?"

Mevia shrugged, "Believe it or not, a lot of people randomly pop in during a match and join in. Most of the time they know what's happening and have come to join. I mean, it hasn't happened for a while now, but it's still frequent enough to assume."

"What are you two _talking_ about?" asked Magnus.

Jesse shared a confused look with Petra, who shrugged and shook her head. Hadrian tucked his hands behind his back, tutting as though he were giving young kindergartens a scolding.

" _Kind of 'sore loser' behaviour, don't you think, sport?"_

The real Jesse tensed at the- was _pet name_ the right word? Ivor blinked down at him, rubbing comforting circles on the small of his back.

"Are you alright? Jesse?"

The boy didn't respond. He didn't relax either.

Hadrian's hard gaze remained on the screen.

" _It_ is _part of the games,"_ said Otto. Petra clenched her teeth.

" _Oh, I've got a_ game _we could play,"_ she shifted into a battle pose, one that was slightly similar to Jesse's, with her knees bent, one arm extended and sword arm pulled back, although the blade was flat instead of sideways, parallel to the floor, " _I'll go first."_

"Yeah," Petra growled, almost tearing the pillow she was twisting in her hands, "It's called _Hide and Go Kill_. You'll _love_ it."

Mevia laughed, " _Oh, well, if that isn't the_ cutest _little threat I've ever heard."_

Petra gave an irritated groan, practically on the edge of a growl (her offscreen self did something almost identical). Jesse made a similar noise in the back of his throat.

" _Okay, just give it to me straight,"_ he said, " _What are these_ 'games' _-"_ he made air quotes with his fingers, " _-That you keep talking about?"_

"Can't help but feel a bit sorry for 'em," Slab murmured, only loud enough for the other two Gladiators to hear, "Getting thrown into something like that. They've probably never even _heard_ of respawn."

"Oh, yeah," Clutch said, frowning, "They actually think their friends are dead, don't they?"

"But that makes Facemeat sad," declared Facemeat, brow furrowing. Slab patted him on his broad shoulder.

" _I think if we all just calm down,"_ Otto cut in, holding his hands up a bit, " _I can explain."_

"It better be a damn good explanation," muttered Axel, holding Olivia closer. He ignored the liquid wetting his hoodie.

" _Your friends aren't dead."_

Multiple heads snapped up at that, looking at the screen with wide eyes. Even Jesse finally turned his head to look at the screen, although his face remained a blank sheet of paper, although his chest continued to burn. Lukas turned to watch the screen as well, although he didn't pull away from Soren's hold.

Onscreen, both Jesse and Petra's eyes widened in shock.

" _Wait,"_ said Jesse, sword finally lowering, " _What?_ How?"

" _When people are eliminated in the games,"_ Otto continued, Hadrian and Mevia waiting impatiently behind him, " _They don't_ die _."_

Hadrian barked a short laugh, " _That would be_ wasteful _."_

Harper scowled, "Still disregarding lives, I see."

To her surprise, Hadrian didn't respond. When she turned to look at him, she found a startling rage bubbling beneath his skin, a glare stuck on the screen. His hands were curled into fists. Even Mevia and Otto were looking at him in surprise.

Mevia scoffed again, "Obviously _. They come back and then we have them go work in the mines!"_

She pointed over their shoulders. Jesse and Petra turned, eyes widening as they spotted a section closed off by nether brick fences- housing two rather important individuals.

" _Jesse!"_ Lukas exclaimed, grabbing ahold of the bars He was back in his striped shirt and ocelot jacket, and, to many people's surprise, the injuries he'd suffered from Crown Mesa were non-existent. Behind him, Ivor- in something that was definitely _not_ his usual green robes- approached the bars as well.

"Lukas!" gasped Jesse, to both Ivor and Harper's great relief. He sat up straighter, as though to get a better look of the screen, not seeming to realise he was practically in Ivor's lap. Relief caused Soren's chest to tremble, and he slumped slightly, finding a startling amount of energy drained from his body.

A Gladiator appeared behind them, grabbing Lukas arm and causing the boy to gasp in surprise, still rather shaken from his 'respawn' experience. He tried to grab onto the bars, but he was already being dragged away, out of sight of the audience.

" _Your friends are alive and well,"_ Hadrian declared, although there was a mocking drip to his tone. Mevia planted a hand on her hip.

" _It's_ just _a game."_

Jesse turned, his glare returning, " _Let my friends go."_

" _Sorry, sport,"_ said Hadrian, hands going to his hips, " _But they_ were _eliminated."_

"They didn't even know what was going on!" exclaimed Maya.

Mevia chuckled, " _Them's the rules."_

"But they're not even competitors!" Stampy protested, "They can't do that, can they?"

Jesse and Petra looked at each other again. Hadrian sighed, rolling his eyes.

" _It's called 'respawning,' champ. We're not monsters."_

Jesse bit the inside of his cheek, feeling the gash on it burn. _You could've fooled me._

Otto coughed into his fist, " _In our game, when people 'die,' they reappear in one of our 'respawn zones.'"_

Jesse looked over at the 'respawn zone,' now vacant. Mevia tilted her head to the side a little, lips twitching upwards.

" _I hear it's still pretty painful, though."_

Soren scowled.

" _Well, sport,"_ Hadrian cut in, stalking forwards, " _Now that you've come and interrupted our game,"_ he halted in front of the boy, crossing his arms and sending him a glare, " _I'm sure our fans would_ love _to know how you got here."_

"A magic doorway," drawled Petra. Despite herself, Olivia snorted, wiping at her eyes.

Hadrian jabbed a finger at Jesse's face, " _Spill!"_

" _Oh, why bother,"_ said Mevia, crossing her arms, " _They all end up in the mines."_

" _We're from another world,"_ Jesse said. Hadrian raised an eyebrow, leaning forwards a little; Jesse unconsciously leaned back.

" _Yeah? You and everyone else here, pipsqueak. You know what you are,_ champ _?"_ he spat it as though it were an insult, a fowl word; spittle landed on Jesse's cheek. Hadrian began to back away, moving to stand beside Mevia again. " _You're just a little gate crasher."_

"What does that even _mean?_ " asked Gill. Maya shrugged.

" _Aaaand what do you do with gate crashers?"_ Mevia asked, almost in a sing-song voice.

" _Kill 'em,"_ Slab declared, raising his sword as he and Clutch approached the duo from behind, " _And send 'em to the mines."_

"What?!" shouted Lizzie, "You can't do that!"

"Well, technically," Nell said, "They _can._ It's their world, brah."

" _Back off, muscles!"_ a sudden voice snapped, causing the two Gladiators to freeze. The group turned their attention to one of the doorways to find Harper standing at the top of the stairs.

"Harper!" said Ivor.

" _Jesse's with me."_

" _Weeeell,"_ Hadrian laughed, eyes narrowing, " _If it isn't Harper."_

" _I must say,"_ said Otto, looking almost as suspicious as Hadrian as the inventor hopped down the blocks for a faster approach, " _This return_ is _unexpected."_

"Was pretty unexpected for me too," muttered Harper.

Harper moved to stand beside Jesse, lightly nudging the boy's arm. He glared at Hadrian for a moment, before reluctantly sheathing his sword. Harper crossed her arms.

" _You're telling me. I'm here for Jesse."_

" _Ooh,"_ said Hadrian, eyes only narrowing further, " _Really."_

The real Jesse looked down, swallowing thickly. Ivor pulled him into another hug, shifting him so that the boys back was pressed against his chest.

"It's fine," he muttered into Jesse's hair, "He's alive. We've both alive."

" _So tell me, champ,"_ said Hadrian, returning his attention to Jesse again, " _Why do you_ think _Harper brought you here?"_

The real Hadrian's eyes narrowed, impossibly more than his onscreen selves had. He was still glaring, rage still bubbling. Otto actually scooted away a little.

" _My bets on_ pet _,"_ he chuckled, " _That'd be pretty cute, right?"_

Petra scowled, "What the _hell_ do you mean by that?"

Mevia cooed mockingly, laughing, " _Adorable."_

" _Harper,"_ said Jesse, shooting the inventor a look, " _Is_ supposed _to be helping."_

The real Harper winced. So did her onscreen self.

" _These…_ poor things," Harper decided on, earning a rather deadpan look from Petra, " _Have been lost in the Portal Network and need a way to their home world."_

" _Meaning,"_ Hadrian said, tucking his arms behind his back again, " _You need my Atlas. Very interesting."_

Isa sighed, muttering quietly, sadly, "When did it become _your_ Atlas, Hade? Before or after the fight?"

" _That's all well and good,"_ said Hadrian, pacing over to the layer of snow, his back to them, " _But I'm confused. Why would we give_ anything _to someone like you?"_

Ivor scowled, "And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Yeah," Ellegaard frowned, "Jesse's a great kid. From our perspective, you're acting like quite a jerk."

Hadrian said nothing. He was clenching jaw so hard, Mevia was almost sure his teeth were going to break.

" _You weren't invited,"_ Hadrian pointed out. Mevia piped up.

" _And you interrupted Spleef."_

Jesse bit his lip, glancing away for a moment, " _What if I was about to change your mind?"_

Hadrian turned to face him again, humming, " _That'd be hard. Because, see, I could be watching Slab squash you_ right now, _which would be_ highly _entertaining."_

"Of course it would," muttered Harper.

Slab grinned, holding his large sword a little higher, " _Squash!"_

Magnus' eyes narrowed. He glanced at Jesse, the bruises and bandages all over his body, the leftovers of a rather brutal beating. Then he glanced at Slab, sitting there quietly. Finally, he glanced at Hadrian, rage bubbling beneath his skin, his glare so intense he was almost certain the screen was about to explode (awesome, but inconvenient).

Hm.

A goon.

A goon wouldn't randomly attack someone, provoked or not. A goon takes orders. A goon does as their told.

A goon would attack someone if they're ordered to.

Hadrian sighed almost blissfully, " _Love it when he does that. What could you_ possibly _offer that's better than that, slugger?"_

He came forwards, standing in front of Jesse again, looking, if nothing else, amused, " _I doubt you'd have_ anything _that would interest us."_

The real Hadrian hummed in the back of his throat, although it came out a bit more like a growl. Oh, he did.

_He did._

Jesse looked over his shoulder at Harper, who gave him a helpless look, then over his other shoulder at Petra, who shrugged, arms crossed. Biting his lip, Jesse reached into his pocket and pulled out his sword, its enchanted blade casting shadows across his face.

His inventory appeared on the side of the screen.

"A sword," muttered Sparklez, "The enchanted flint and steel, the Eversource's crown, the…" she swallowed, "The White Pumpkin's mask, and the Redstone Heart."

"Surely they'll want _one_ of those things, right?" asked Axel, "I mean, the enchanted flint and steel's pretty cool."

"But they _made_ the enchanted flint and steel," Olivia pointed out. Axel frowned.

"Oh yeah…"

" _Send them to the mines,"_ Mevia whispered, albeit quite loudly, " _They're cheaters. Let's make their lives miserable. For fun."_

" _This is_ not _against the rules,"_ Otto declared, as Jesse shuffled through his pockets, " _Technically, they are_ still _in the game."_

Maya scowled, "They haven't even _entered_ the game. Not on purpose, anyway. There's such a thing as _consent_ , you know."

" _They don't deserve to be here, Hadrian,"_ Mevia hissed, ignoring Otto. Jesse's fingers stilled against the Redstone Heart, feeling it beating against his fingertips.

" _It's interesting,"_ Otto continued, undeterred, " _I think they could bring some excitement."_

" _Yes, well…"_ Hadrian sighed, " _I see your point."_

The real Hadrian clenched his fists. His nails dug into his skin. He didn't notice the red pooling around them.

" _They haven't been eliminated,"_ whispered Otto, " _Therefore, they could still be-"_

" _Out!"_ Mevia cut him off, " _I want them_ out _!"_

Hadrian huffed a short laugh, " _I'd be_ delighted _to have them in the mines."_

"Of course you would," scowled Petra. She hadn't really interacted with Hadrian, but he'd seemed _decent_ from the few encounters they'd had.

All of that had been thrown out the window now. Her mind shifted back to earlier that morning, when they'd all been sitting at the table after she and Gabriel had a sparring match. He'd retracted his arm really quickly when they'd gotten up. Away from Jesse.

As though… as though he'd been touching him.

Biting his lip, Jesse pulled out the Redstone Heart, its thumping glow vibrating in his hands, " _What about this?"_

Gasps erupted, practically cutting him off. Jesse looked startled for a moment, before holding it up a little higher. It the red stain on his bandages stand out like a sore thumb.

" _I present-"_

" _The Redstone Heart,"_ Hadrian said, properly cutting him off this time. He gave another disbelieving little laugh. " _Seems like just yesterday_ someone _took off with that and vowed_ never to return with it _."_

He shot Harper a look. The inventor shrugged, a hand on her hip.

" _Oh, but_ I _didn't bring it back,"_ she pointed out, " _Jesse did."_

Ellegaard paused, "Well… _yeah_ , I guess that's technically true."

" _Thing's no toy, slugger,"_ said Hadrian, taking a small step closer and seeming _very_ interested now, " _How about you just hand it over, huh?"_

"Well… as long as he gives us the Atlas, yeah," Lukas shrugged; realising they were still standing, Soren tugged him onto the Order's couch, with just enough room to have the boy half on and half off his lap, considering how close Ivor, Jesse and Harper were squished together.

" _It can be, heh,"_ Hadrian fixed his face with a smile, " _Pretty dangerous if you don't know how to use it."_

Mevia coughed into her fist, " _Harper."_

The real Harper scoffed.

" _Oh, don't you get started, Mevia,"_ Harper said, glaring at her.

" _Nuh uh, Hadrian,"_ said Jesse, shaking his head, " _You're not getting one_ finger _on this thing until you hand over my friends."_

"Smart boy," muttered Soren.

Hadrian scowled, " _Not a big fan of_ haggling _, Jesse."_

"Too bad," growled Cassie.

" _Here's the way_ my _offer works,"_ Hadrian continued, " _You give me the Heart. You and your friends go back down to those portals. I never look at your insignificant face again."_

" _Wait, without the Atlas?"_ Petra cut in, " _But how will we get home?"_

Hadrian laughed, " _Sooooo not my problem."_

"It's called _borrowing_ , you stupid prick," Ellegaard snapped. Magnus shot her a surprised look.

" _This is a one time offer,"_ declared Hadrian, " _You've caught me in a forgiving mood."_

Jesse's eyes narrowed; he tucked the Redstone Heart back into his pocket, " _Clearly things have been getting out of hand. Let's start over and see if we can reach an agreement."_

The real Hadrian growled. He needed to get him out of their world. If only his onscreen self would stop underestimating him. It was obvious from the previous episodes that Jesse would stop at nothing to get home, but the chances of him deciding to tear apart the Games and put them to an end were also concerningly high.

He needed to put him out before he could do that.

Onscreen, Hadrian hummed, then shrugged, " _Okay. Okay, fine. I can always appreciate someone trying to be reasonable."_

Isa scoffed, earning a curious look from Milo.

" _Well…"_ Hadrian tucked his hands behind his back once again, pacing back over to the snow field, " _You need the Atlas. And I…"_ he glanced over at them, " _Need competitors. After your unexpected intrusion, I seem to be short a team."_

Hadrian muttered a swear word, looking though he'd be quite happy to punch something. Hard. Mevia and Otto stared at him with wide eyes, then made eye contact with each other. Otto gave a questioning frown.

Mevia shrugged, just as bewildered.

" _So how about this,"_ Hadrian continued, " _You play in the games. If you_ win _, the Atlas is yours to keep,"_ he turned around, moving to stand in front of the boy again, smiling, " _It's a good deal, Jesse. Trust me."_

"I'd rather not," murmured Olivia.

"Everyone _enjoys these games,"_ the man assured. Jesse crossed his arms, chewing thoughtfully on the inside of his cheek, eyes narrowed. Otto cleared his throat a little.

" _You seem suspicious,"_ he noted, " _And I completely understand. Don't you worry, Jesse. Once a rule is written into the Bylaws, we make sure it's enforced,"_ Otto turned to look at his friend, " _Isn't that right, Hadrian?"_

" _Oh yeah,"_ said Hadrian, although that menacing, mocking tone didn't leave his tongue, " _Otto is a_ real _stickler for_ 'the rules.'"

"No need to sound so mocking," muttered Gabriel, frowning.

Otto shot the man a look, " _Hm-hm,"_ he returned his attention to Jesse and began to approach him, " _Alright, then. I suppose we can carry forward with the official addendum-"_

Hadrian groaned, rolling his eyes to cutting in front of him, " _Ugh, Otto,_ enough. _Add it on your own time."_

"Rude," whispered Sparklez.

" _But there's one other thing I want,"_ declared Hadrian.

"Oh boy," muttered Maya.

" _If they lose,_ Harper _has to go to the mines too."_

Harper's eyes widened, and she sighed, " _Oh, gravel."_

"But she was only bringing us there!" protested Ivor.

Otto coughed, "I see you still haven't scrubbed your tongue, Harper. You know, you're the reason Cassie got so creative with her swearing."

Harper's lips twitched, "Yes, I remember we used to make some us together. My favourite was _nether-rod_."

Ivor covered Jesse's ears, who jumped, his attention having been on the screen, "Not in front of the children, please."

" _Harper, wanna be a friend and show our new competitors to where they'll be staying?"_ Hadrian asked. His eyes trailed to Jesse's stained bandages, and his lips twitched. " _Might wanna get his head looked at too."_

Harper's jaw clenched, " _Sure thing."_

No. No, no, _no._ Jesse couldn't be in the Games. He'll ruin _everything_ \- he's hardly been there five minutes and he's already ruined Spleef, and Hadrian had a pretty good idea on what else he'll be ruining. He won't just throw him off the diamond throne he'd spent so long building, had sacrificed so much for, he'd tear it apart with his bear hands and drown his magnificent world in lava.

No. No.

_He wouldn't let him._

Harper turned, leading Jesse and Petra away. Jesse looked at Slab, who glared, and then to Clutch, who grinned toothily, before leaving them behind. Harper glanced over her shoulder as Hadrian and the others began to walk in the opposite direction, before turning her attention to Jesse, eyes briefly flickering to the stained bandages around his head.

" _Jesse, this was_ not _part of the plan,"_ she told him, " _Wrapped up in one of Hadrian's_ deals _,"_ she shook her head, " _Ugh. He's not one to let other people get the upper hand, y'know."_

Jesse's mouth went rather dry. Yes.

He knew all about that.

" _Sorta hoped I had left all his_ negotiating _behind me,"_ Harper admitted, " _Don't know_ how _I put up with him for so long."_

" _Wait,"_ said Jesse, finally, coming to a stop as they reached an archway supposedly leading to where they'll be staying, " _But this was_ your _plan! You said you had it all worked out!"_

Maya hummed. Gill coughed into his fist.

" _Yeah, about that,"_ Harper said, slowly turning to face them, guilt crossing her face, " _I didn't think you'd_ willingly _come here. I might've acted in haste. Before, uh,"_ she winced, " _I could work out the details."_

Petra looked far from impressed, " _You don't say."_

Harper sighed, moving closer to Jesse, who crossed his arm, " _I'm- I'm sorry, okay? I really am."_

"A warning would've been nice," Lukas said, voice a little weak. Soren held him closer, not meeting Harper's eyes. The inventor winced, twisting her fingers in the sleeve of her robe.

" _Lemme show you where the competitor village is,"_ said Harper, gesturing through the archway, " _There should be somewhere they can fix up your head."_

Not waiting for an answer, she turned and began to make her way through. Jesse and Petra looked at each other. The boy shrugged, the redhead frowning slightly. Without a word, they followed the inventor through the archway.

The screen went dark.

A silence descended upon the room. After a moment, Gabriel sighed softly, pushing his helmet further up his head to run his fingers under the stiff curls beneath it. Otto tapped his finger against his elbow, glancing nervously as the man next to him.

Hadrian had schooled his face into a mask of calmness, but those who knew him well could tell that he was angry. Enraged. It was evident in the glimmer in his eyes, the stiffness of his shoulders, the crescent shaped cuts on his palms. It had been ages since Otto had seen him this angry, not since the fight that had Harper fleeing with the Heart, Isa with her Eversource and Soren with the Command Block. Not since the night before Cassie disappeared.

He'd been strangely happy the following morning.

"Why don't we take a break?" Hadrian suggested; his voice as calm as the mask over his face. Many audience members shot him suspicious, even dirty looks. Otto didn't blame them. The man hadn't exactly made a good first impression onscreen.

Magnus looked like he was about to protest, even got as far as opening his mouth, before he faltered. He glanced down at Lukas, still trembling slightly in Soren's arms, then to Jesse, who still had that unnaturally closed off sort of look to his face. He closed his mouth.

"Fine," he grunted, earning a few surprised glances. He met Ellegaard's eyes and gestured with his head to the doorway.

"I wanna show you one of my newest projects."

Ellegaard blinked at him, then snorted, "You mean your newest way to blow stuff up?"

Magnus beamed, "Yup!"

Soren shook his head at his friend, before looking down at Lukas; his face was too pale for his liking, "I'm… how about we go outside for a while, huh? Maybe the fresh air will make you feel better."

Lukas looked up at him. A queasy worm was wiggling in his stomach. He wondered if he was about to throw up.

"Ye- Yeah. Okay."

The architect nodded, before helping the boy to his feet, steadying him when he wobbled a little, and leading him out of the living room, arm wrapped around his shoulders. Jesse licked his dry lips, looking up at Ivor.

"Are- Are you?" he asked, "Okay, I mean?"

Ivor blinked at him, then smiled softly, "I'm alright, Jesse. I didn't exactly… _enjoy_ watching, ah… _that_ , but I'm a bit more concerned about you. Are you breathing fine?"

A heat rose up to brush Jesse's cheeks, "I'm- I'm fine."

"Well, come on, Ellie," said Magnus, getting to his feet and dragging Ellegaard with him, "You'll _love_ this one."

"I highly doubt that," Ellegaard drawled, although there was an amused gleam in her eyes. She didn't resist as Magnus dragged her out into the hall.

Some of the others began to follow, talking quietly. Nell was busy gushing over the fact that she was meeting Jesse, Lukas and Petra outside of the mansion to Em, who tried to point out that he'd injured her, only to be brushed off and reminded that he'd thought _she'd_ done something much worse than just give someone a gash to the shoulder.

In an unfortunate coincidence, Jesse's eyes met Hadrian's. The man was standing in the doorway, watching him, an anger bubbling in his eyes, beneath his skin. He gestured with his head, then vanished down the hall.

 _Follow_.

Jesse swallowed, struggling to calm the pounding in his chest. He slid out of Ivor's lap and onto his feet, the potionologist frowning at him slightly. Jesse shuffled his feet, eyes flickering to the doorway.

"Um, I- I'm gonna go outside too," he said, already backing towards the doorway, "Just, um, check on Lukas."

"Are you sure?" asked Harper, frowning; Petra, Olivia and Axel looked up from their quiet conversation on the floor. Jesse nodded, spittle vanquished from his mouth.

"Yeah- Yeah, uh… I'll be right back."

Before anyone could respond, Jesse slipped out of the watching room and hurriedly made his way down the hall. He turned the corner, stilling when he discovered Hadrian waiting for him. Goosebumps shot up his arms.

Spotting him, Hadrian clenched his jaw and stalked forward. Automatically, Jesse took a step back, raising his arms as though to ward him off. But this, of course, didn't work. It certainly didn't help the rage now openly displayed on the man's face.

Hadrian grabbed his wrist, the same one he'd twisted and dug his nails into earlier that morning. His grip was somehow harsher than it had been then, to the point that Jesse actually found himself gasping, actually thought that he was going to break his wrist, or at the very least leave him with another nasty bruise.

"Come on," the man practically growled, dragging him down the hall and around another corner, almost yanking his arm out of its socket. Jesse tried to quicken his speed to meet Hadrian's long, quick strides, but all that got him was stumbling over his own feet and a harsh tug from the purple suited man.

Throwing open the door of the second living room, Hadrian shoved him inside, almost sending the boy falling flat on his face. Jesse was able to catch himself, albeit barely, and he spun around, unwilling to leave his back exposed. Hadrian closed the door; it seemed to take all of his dwindling will power not to slam it.

"Not _one finger_ , you say," the man growled, face twister in a mocking sneer as he marched towards the boy, who began to back away, "'I've got a _game_ we can play.' _Harper_ didn't bring it back, oh no, it was all _Jesse,_ wasn't it?"

Jesse's back hit the wall, forcing him to a stop. Hadrian towered over him, his nose inches from his, eyes ablaze with a tremendous _fury_ that left Jesse's heart thundering in his chest. "Or should it be _Jason_ , huh? " spittle landed on the boy's cheek, "It's all _Jason's fault._ "

The boy flinched, shrinking against the wall in a desperate attempt to create some distance between them. But the man only leant closer in response, his breath hot against his face.

"We had a _deal_ , Jason."

"I- I know we did," Jesse stuttered, practically squeaking like some sort of terrified, tiny mouse, "We- We still do- it wasn't my fault, Aiden-"

"Stop," Hadrian cut him off, immediately silencing the boy, "Just _stop._ I am sick and tired of your _stupid_ little lies. You said we had a deal, and yet you aren't holding up your end of the bargain."

Jesse swallowed, wishing the wall would just swallow him up and make all of this go away. Hadrian lent ever closer, to the point that Jesse could do nothing but stare into his rage-brimmed eyes.

"Is it because you're _scared_ , slugger?" Hadrian asked, voice quiet, menacing, sending ice spiking through Jesse's veins, "You value _yourself_ over _every single one_ of your friends? Huh? Are you _that_ selfish?"

Spittle had vanished from his mouth. Perhaps it had decided to shoot up to his eyes, considering the liquid pricking at the back of them. Unable to speak around the thick lump forming in his throat, Jesse shook his head. Hadrian shook his head, regarding him with something like disappointment.

"I thought you were better than that, Jason," he said, "At the very least, you could admit that you're too scared, too _selfish_ , to actually save your friends if it means risking your life. Do you honestly, truly believe that _your_ life is worth more than all of theirs?"

Jesse forced his mouth open, forced his uncooperating tongue to work, "N-No."

"No? You're sure? Well, why don't we test that?" Hadrian cocked his head to the side, stepping back a bit and grasping something in his pocket, "Why don't I just go out right now and-"

"No!" Jesse exclaimed, darting forward and surprising himself by grabbing the man's arm, "You can't do that!"

He saw the anger that flashed across Hadrian's face, just before his head snapped to the side, his cheek burning. Jesse released his arm, stumbling backwards, hand automatically reaching up to brush against his cheek. His eyes stung with tears.

"Don't," Hadrian hissed through clenched teeth, " _Yell_."

Jesse took in a shuddering breath, gripped with a newfound bravery- or perhaps stupidity. He remembered Ivor saying there was a fine line between the two once.

"You're not hurting them," he said, "I won't let you."

"Oh, is that so?" Hadrian asked, stalking towards him; Jesse forced himself to hold his ground, "What, you all brave now? You the oh-so-glorious hero standing up to the big bad villain? Get your head straight, Jason. You just get everyone killed."

He reached into his pocket again.

"Your friends."

A step closer; Jesse stepped back.

"Your family."

He pulled it out, gold gleaming in the torchlight. Jesse could see his face reflected in it.

"You couldn't even save your own goddamn pig."

Jesse's legs hit the jukebox. He leaned back on it, practically climb on top of the thing, his heart pounding against his throat, liquid stinging in his eyes.

"Don't you think it'll be so much easier for _everyone_ if you simply weren't there to begin with?"

Yes. He did think that. He did believe that. It's what convinced him to almost leap off the roof of the mansion. It's what convinced him to meet with the Gladiators in the garden. It's what kept his lips sealed when they asked him what happened, when Aiden asked him what he'd been doing. It's what kept him quiet.

Hadrian was right.

_So just let him do it._

"Get-" Jesse choked on his own tongue; he swallowed, forcing the words from his throat, "Get it- Get it over with, then."

Something that might have been surprise crossed Hadrian's face. And then it twisted, burning in his eyes, morphing to reveal the horrid monster that lingered underneath. Hadrian pulled back his golden blade, and Jesse turned his head away, clenching his eyes shut-

Hinges squeaked, a shocked voice causing his eyes to snap open.

"Jesse?"

His head snapped to the doorway, eyes widening as they locked with a familiar dark brown, "Olivia-"

The blade sliced through his stomach, cutting through flesh and organs, tearing open his borrowed shirt. Something thick and hot bubbled up his throat, and Jesse coughed, sticky red liquid flying from his lips and splattering across the floor. He heard Olivia scream, and raised his hand to reach out for her, to make sure she was alright. His eyes locked with Hadrian's, wide and furious. The man was panting as though they'd just had some sort of massive fight. Then his eyes trailed downwards. The blade vanished into his stomach. A drop of blood fell from Jesse's chin and stained it's golden handle.

Hadrian pulled the sword out, backing away, chest heaving. Gold had turned to red. Jesse blinked down at the red spreading over the white of his borrowed shirt. He wondered if they'd ever be able to get the stain out. Hopefully the original owner won't be too mad.

He slumped to the side, falling off the jukebox and hitting the floor. Someone was still screaming, and there was a pounding against the floorboards, as though a stampede had decided now was the perfect time to take a run through the halls.

A loud squeal, directly in his ear. Jesse tried to twist around, but all he was able to do was loll his head to the side. Reuben's pink face greeted his (oddly blurry) sight, still squealing loudly. Jesse reached out with an arm (had it always been that heavy?), wanting to pet him, wanting to comfort him. Why was his tongue so thick?

"Reu- Reub-"

He poofed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you save Ivor or Petra? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> ... *coughs*...
> 
> Well. He's been exposed.


	75. Jason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I believe it's fairly obvious who this is. Quite a lot of you have already guessed, although I'm pretty sure most of that was grasping at straws because there was literally no other character XXD Well, there's still the monster. And that whole 'two lives left' thing. Hmm...

* * *

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Seventy-Five: Jason**

* * *

He woke up choking on smoke.

Spluttering, he hacked his lungs with a brutal coughing fit that tore at his throat and left spittle flying across his lips. He scrambled in his bed, legs tangled in the blankets, and fell hard onto the floor, taking his bed sheets with him.

Eyes stinging and lungs burning, he gasped, finally able to breathe in the little air pocket beneath the black smoke curling above his head. He coughed again, the burn of his chest leaving scared tears beading at the corner of his eyes. His gaze snapped around the room, but the smoke made it hard to see, made it completely unrecognisable. He couldn't even see the other bed.

Where was she?

A terrified sob tore from his raw throat, the tears finally leaking from his eyes and dripping down his cheeks. The room was uncomfortably hot, but he didn't know why, didn't know what was happening, didn't know where the black smoke had come from. He screamed for his mum, screamed as loud as he could, around the sobs and the coughing and the pain spiking in his eyes.

But he received no answer.

Trembling and crying, he dragged himself under the bed, forcing his small frame between the toys and board games stationed under there. He tore the blanket from his legs when it got in the way, shoving it out from underneath the bed.

He pressed himself against the back wall, burying his face in his arms. He screamed for his mum again, as loud as his little lungs could, throat beginning to throb. He tried calling for her as well, hoping that she was still in the room so that, at the very least, he wouldn't be alone.

But he received no answer.

His screams began to die.

* * *

They had been playing in the garden. Must have been about two years after the accident. The sun had been warm against their skin, the grass soft beneath their bare feet. She'd been wearing a green dress with yellow lacing around the trim, and had kicked off her matching slippers because she'd always loved the feel of the grass between her toes.

They'd ended up covered in dirt and mud, pretending to be fighting the Ender Dragon, their sticks their mighty swords and a bucket they'd found in the back closet their armour. They'd usually be called back inside once the sun began to set, and they didn't even notice they hadn't been until winking stars began to appear and the sky was turning a deep purple that was steadily becoming a dark blue.

They found her in her rocking chair, the sweater she'd been knitting for them half finished in her lap. The jukebox had been on a loop, her favourite song. They'd thought she'd been sleeping, so tried to wake her up. Her skin was cold beneath their fingers.

Not knowing what to do, they'd run hand in hand to their neighbours, a nice couple who had babysat them once, and told them how their granny wouldn't wake up. One of them went to the house with his teenage son, while his husband sat them in the kitchen and made them hot cocoa.

They came back pasty pale and spoke to the husband in hushed whispers in a different room. Something about having already been dust by the time they arrived. The son was sent to fetch help.

They gave them extra cookies.

* * *

That was the last time they saw the nice couple and their son. After that, it was constantly moving, from house to house, from home to home. They met people, they made friends, and then they went away and never saw them again. Just like the nice couple. Just like their granny.

Most of the houses had other children there too, some younger than them, some older than them. They were fun to play with. There was one girl with red hair and a blue striped scarf. They thought she was cool; she made a great Gabriel the Warrior.

Then the smiling person came in their neat dress shirt and she blended in with the rest of the children they met, left and eventually forgot.

One day, they met with two social workers, both neatly dressed. They took them to the park, and they ran around and played on the swings and the slide and the sandbox. He tried to climb across the monkey bars but ended up getting stuck on the third bar and needing help down.

Then one of them struck up a conversation with him, asking him what his favourite animal was. He told them that he liked pigs, because he thought they were cute, and how he wanted to open up a farm just for pigs to play in when he was older. The social worker had smiled, laughed, nodded along. They'd taken him by the hand.

He hadn't even noticed she and the other social worker weren't with them as he was led away.

He didn't even get to say goodbye.

* * *

He remembered the screaming afterwards. How he'd yelled and cried and refused to let anyone touch him. He punched and clawed at them, screamed himself hoarse, demanded they take him back to her. He remembered how they'd tried to explain how it just wasn't possible for them to be in the same foster home anymore, how they'd told him to calm down, how they'd told him that he'll understand when he's older.

He'd curled into a tight ball in the corner, screaming into his hands, screaming, screaming, until his throat was hoarse and raw and his eyes were puffy with tears. His cries died down eventually, and after a while he just sat there, unmoving, not responding to anything or anyone. And they left him like that.

What happened afterwards was blurry. He wasn't certain how or when, but he must have been dragged from his corner. He was taken to this little farm out in the woods, a good walk from the closest village, where he met his new foster parents. Unlike the other homes he'd been in, there were no other kids being fostered. And this one was permanent.

His new caretakers weren't a couple, but rather father and daughter. Alexandra must have been in her late thirties, and her father, Owen, was a wrinkled old man with a hunch and limbs that looked too long and thin for his body. They were the only ones living on the farm, and it had been like that for a good few years.

He hadn't liked Alexandra very much from the moment he met her. There was a strict irritation to her face that wouldn't go away, and a scowl almost seemed to be permanently etched onto her brow. Her lips were thin and her face narrow, and it was easy to tell that she hadn't liked him all that much from the start either.

He'd sat in his new room for the rest of the day. It only had one bed. He wished she was sitting next to him. Someone to talk to. Or not. He would've taken just sitting in silence. As long as she was there.

But she wasn't. There was no bed for her. No closet for her things. Only one person was to be sleeping in this room.

And, over time, she became like the others.

Eventually forgotten.

* * *

"I don't want to kill it."

"I don't _care_ ," Alexandra spat, shoving the stone axe into his hands; it was heavy, and perhaps it was his imagination, but it almost felt like it was burning his skin, "The whole point of pigs is to _eat_ them. Now get in there and get me some goddamn pork."

"But-"

She whacked him over the head, but she might as well as hit him with a diamond shovel from the way it makes his skull throb. Grabbing him harshly by the arm, she spun him around and shoved it in the direction of the pens.

"Get in there now, _Jason_."

There it was again. The way she said his name, the way she spat it as though it were poison against her lips, as though it were the dirtiest of dirty words. Her ability to say his name as though it were the foulest thing in the universe baffled him at times, and left him grimacing as though he'd been slapped across the face everytime she said it. It left a squirm inside his guts.

It was with this nauseating squirm and a great reluctance that he slipped into the pen. The chubby pink pigs were lazing about, with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Some were grazing at the grass or pawing at the dirt, some others were taking a nap or staring up at the sky. A few of the new piglets were running around, playing with each other.

The axe felt like a hot iron rod in his hands, searing his skin and leaving his trembling fingers charred and blackened. He gasped for breath, attempted to swallow, only to find his mouth void of spit. One of the pigs watched him lazily from where it was lying in the grass.

"Come on, then!" Alexandra snapped, making him jump and fumble with the burning axe, "Hurry up, _Jason!_ "

He flinched, struggling to breathe properly. He made his way over to one of the napping pigs on legs that had at some point decided they'd like to be jelly rather than flesh and bone. The little pig yawned widely, stretching out on the grass, nose twitching in its sleep. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears.

With trembling arms, he forced himself to raise the axe. One of the little piglets tripped in the grass, toppling head over heels. It sat up, shaking its head and causing its pink ears to flop about, before bounding after the other piglets.

The axe's burning handle became too much. With a gasp, he dropped it, the curved edge digging into the dirt dangerously close to his feet. The napping pig didn't even stir.

Bile rising to the back of his throat, he bowed his head and took a moment to at least attempt to stabilize his breathing. Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes as he forced himself to tug the axe out of the ground, before turning around and leaving the pen, gaze glued to his feet.

"You useless weakling," said Alexandra. She tore the axe from his hands- something he found himself grateful for (his hands burned)- and smacked him hard across the head, almost sending him to the floor. He caught himself at the last moment, pain stinging his face, and bit his lip to avoid crying out.

"Get inside, Jason," she spat, droplets of spittle landing on his cheek, "I don't want to see you for the rest of the day."

Ducking his head, he scuttled around her and rushed back towards the house. Slipping into the kitchen, he hastily grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, before shooting up the stairs as fast as he could. Owen watched him from where he sat in the living room.

He spent the day in his room, door closed, only leaving once when the pressure against his navel became too much and he went to relieve himself. When hunger began to bite at his stomach, he ate the apple, but spent the night struggling to sleep.

In the darkness of his room, he whispered their Happy Birthday.

* * *

"You're a vegetarian."

He blinked, "Huh?"

"Vegetarian," Owen repeated, "It's someone who doesn't eat meat."

"There are other people who don't like eating meat?"

"Of course there is," Owen laughed, leaning back in his seat and turning his gaze out towards the crops across the farm's expanse field, "Not everyone's okay with the idea of killing another living thing for food. It's one of the things that make us humans unique; we don't have the same urges as other mammals."

"Like what?"

"Oh, you know," Owen waved his hand a little, "Asexuals, vegans, vegetarians- humans are biologically carnivores, and yet there are people who decide not to be."

"And that's… wrong?"

"Of course it's not wrong, Jace," said Owen, absentmindedly continuing his whittling, "Why would it be? Everyone's different, and that's fine. World would be pretty damn boring if everyone was the same."

"Okay," he muttered, taking a moment to process this new information, "So I'm not a freak?"

Owen paused, his knife freezing between a stip of wood. After a moment, he continued. "You shouldn't listen to Alexandra. She wasn't always so irritable."

He hummed; he couldn't really imagine her _not_ being irritable, "Why doesn't she like me?"

"She's had a lot of hardship in her life," Owen explained, concentrating more on his whittling, "You just… remind her of parts of it, even though it's not your fault. I'm not the person that should tell you, though."

He nodded, pulling his legs against his chest. A bird twittered from where it was perched on a branch, before abruptly taking flight and vanishing into the sky. He watched it; he wished _he_ had wings.

"What do you think?" Owen asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had descended upon them. He lowered his knife and showed him what he'd whittled. It was a llama, done out of birch wood, with a scarf wrapped around its long neck. He broke into a smile.

"It's beautiful!"

"Glad you think so," Owen smiled down at him, before setting the llama on the little table next to him, "Now, how about-"

A hand shoved into his stomach, frigid fingers stealing his breath and leaving frost creeping through his veins. He looked down, mouth popped open in surprise; wisps of shadow curled in the air, and he followed the wispy arm up to a shoulder, then a body, then to the face of a monster. It had no eyes, no nose and no ears, just a sharp, jagged mouth that was too big to the point that it reached where the eyes should have been. The monster smiled at him with that jagged mouth, revealing sharp teeth the length of a sword; it was panting, drooling, as though it were a starved animal that had just found a delicious sweet.

Something hot and sticky dripped from his mouth. A red stain was spreading over his shirt where the cold hand had shoved its way into his intestines. He hoped its original owner wouldn't be too upset about their shirt being ruined.

"Oh dear," Owen murmured, staring at the hand shoved into his foster son's stomach with surprise, "That looks painful. Maybe we should get you a plaster for it."

The wispy hand twisted, tearing, and he choked, gasping on the hot liquid bubbling up his throat. The monster's breath was frigid against his cheek, ice spiking in his veins. The colour drained from his skin, and he jerked violently, shivers wracking his spine, which only made the searing agony spreading across his stomach all the worse.

The monster leaned closer, gnashing spiked fangs in a vicious grin. Owen watched from his chair, tapping his lip thoughtfully with his carving knife.

"Two lives left, Jesse," he hummed, brow furrowing at the little dilemma, "That's not so good, now is it?"

Cold. Frigid ice in his blood, frost tracing over his skins. He wasn't even bleeding out anymore. He couldn't feel his fingers or his toes or even the tip of his nose. He tried to move, to push the monster away, to get away, but all he was able to achieve was a meagre twitch in his arm.

"Yes, no good indeed," Owen sighed, rocking in his chair. He wasn't looking at them anymore, but had instead turned his gaze to the horizon, gazing out over the farm, looking to all the world as though he were simply wondering what colour they should paint the living room walls.

"Only two lives left."

* * *

_It's all Jason's fault._

One night, shortly after he'd turned twelve, he muttered goodnight to Owen and climbed up the stairs to bed. The next day, he was woken by Alexandra's scream, and when he ran down the hall to see what was going on, she shouted at him to run as fast as he could to the village and get the doctor.

So he did. He ran until he couldn't breathe. He stumbled into the village on burning legs and almost collapsed into the dirt. A villager, his dark leather apron identifying him as the local blacksmith, gripped his arm before this could happen, hauling him up properly.

The villager made a noise in his language, but he couldn't understand. He tried to tell him they needed a doctor, but all that came out was a rasped gasping noise. They were beginning to look at him curiously, some concerned and some just downright confused as to why there was a red-faced, gasping child in the middle of their village.

"Doctor," he was able to get out, finally, "We need- We need a doctor!"

What happened after that was another blur he'd never be able to properly remember. They got a doctor and they brought them to the farm. He remembered that he'd been tugged onto the front of a horse, and someone had sat behind him and steered, although he couldn't remember if it was the doctor or someone else.

He'd been left in the living room as they rushed upstairs. And it wasn't long before they were coming back down, and Alexandra was crying her eyes out, and there was no one there to tell him what was going on. He remembered that a villager had put a comforting hand on his shoulder, an apologetic look on his face, appearing honestly upset that he couldn't talk to him.

Eventually, they left, went back to the village. Alexandra kicked him out of the house, screamed at him when he asked what was going on, and told him to come back with meat or don't come back at all. She slammed the door shut, the click of the lock, and he could hear her sobbing even through the walls.

_It's all Jason's fault._

He began to walk. The sky was a bright blue. He glanced over his shoulder at the farmhouse, before biting his lip and turning away and walking into the group of trees that cut off the clearing.

He just kept walking, leaves and twigs crunching beneath his feet. There was a numbness to his chest, to his skin, leaving his brain strangely fuzzy and just _blank_. He couldn't hear, could hardly see; he might as well have been a zombie, with nowhere to go and no thoughts to think.

Just one foot after the other.

The oink is what tore him from this state, what made him pause in his tracks. He looked down, found the little thing snuffling amongst the blades of grass. It was small- scrawny, practically- and even if he _did_ bring it back to the farm for Alexandra's dinner, she'd probably smack him over the head anyway and throw him into the stables to sleep with the horses because it wasn't fat enough (she'd done it before).

But he'd probably get a lot worse if he came back with nothing.

No, he _knew_ he'd get a lot worse if he came back with nothing. Maybe she'd make him clean the dust off Owen's bed. There's always dust left behind.

His chest hurt.

He didn't have an axe on him, though. Didn't have any sort of tools, actually. His gaze travelled downwards, to the grass and twigs and leaves scattered around his feet. Bending down, his fingers brushed against a stick, before slowly wrapping around it.

Breathing deeply, he rose, bringing the stick with him. The little pig looked up at him, nose twitching curiously, regarding him with big, innocent brown eyes. There was a little brown mark on its back. The stick shook in his hand.

Heart going a mile an hour, he took in a deep, trembling breath- then darted forward, slashing the stick across the animals face as though it were a sword. The pig squealed more in fright than in pain, jumping back as it briefly flashed red. Almost immediately, tears sprung to his eyes, regret causing his heart to twist. Without thinking, he dropped the stick back into the grass, opening his mouth to- what? Apologise? Honestly, he didn't know.

But whatever he was going to say, he never said it. Because the pig gave another loud, ear piercing squeal and lunged at him, causing him to stumble backwards in shock-

The pig locked its teeth around his fist, tearing into his skin and bruising bone. Gasping, he kicked it in the side, sending it sliding back into the grass, forcing its teeth from his knuckles. He stumbled backwards and tripped over his own feet, landing harshly on his bum.

Automatically, he brought his hand to his chest, inspecting the stinging, torn skin of his knuckles. The pig watched him wearily, and for a moment, he stared at it. Then he sighed, flopping back in the grass and staring up at the sky, ignoring the sting of his knuckles. The pig didn't move.

They sat in silence.

_It's all Jason's fault._

* * *

"Oh, hey."

He looked up, blinking as he came face to chest with a green hoodie. His gaze drifted further, and he locked eyes with a burly boy. His hair was dark, and his eyebrows met in the centre. The boy cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow- or a part of his unibrow, he wasn't really sure what to say there.

"You okay, dude?"

 _Was_ he okay? To be honest, he wasn't really sure. After surviving an entire sleepless night of monsters off of pure luck from the sorta safety of a tree branch, only to briefly jump down from said tree branch to save the very pig that had bite his hand open from being eaten by a zombie before scrambling back up it (which was difficult, turns out, when you've got a pig in your arms).

Sure, it had been a rough night, fueled by his reluctance to return home without meat (and without Owen's smile to greet him), and he was tired and a bit sore from being still for so long, and the zombie had clawed up his arm a bit, and the pig was still standing next to him, pressed against his legs and looking up at the burly boy in front of them with suspicious eyes, but he wasn't _too bad_.

Right?

A large hand taking his arm caused him to jump and almost trip over the pig. The burly boy frowned at the scratches marking his skin, the dried blood around his torn knuckles. His eyes trailed over to the bags beneath his eyes, the dazed exhaustion in his shoulders, and then down, to the glaring pig at his feet. After a moment, he seemed to come to a decision.

"Alright, buddy," he said, gently beginning to tug him forwards, "Why don't you come with me? I've got a friend who can fix up your arm- she's really smart like that."

He stumbled over his own feet, blinking dumbly up at the other boy. Man, he was tired. Dimly, he realised the pig was following.

"That your pig?" the boy asked, wrapping an arm around him as though he were afraid he was about to fall over, "He's a cute little guy."

He's not that cute when he's tearing open your knuckles.

"My name's Axel" the boy declared, turning his attention away from the little pig trailing behind them, "The friend I mentioned earlier's Olivia."

His arm was _seriously_ stinging. It was on the same limb as the one with his torn knuckles. He hoped that he hadn't ended up poisoned or something; zombie cuts can do that to you, if they're deep enough. If he's lucky, he'll just get a bit ill or something. He hoped.

"You gotta name, buddy?"

He had a name. Of course he had a name. He opened his mouth to tell him; paused.

It's all Jason's fault.

It's all Jason's fault.

It's all Jason's fault.

_He missed her._

"I'm Jesse."

* * *

He woke up surrounded by fire.

It danced across his skin, gnawing greedily at his flesh until there was nothing but bone to sink its blazing teeth into. It left him charred and black and screaming his throat raw until there was no throat left to scream with, twisting and turning and burning until he was nothing but particles of dust in the air.

And then the particles merged back together.

And the fire became an inferno.

The agony that beseeched him then was indescribable. It was inside him, growing from his core, sewing him back together with a needle and thread as though he were some sort of ripped doll. It was so bad that he couldn't even bring himself to scream, didn't even have the vocal cords to do so, and he'd never felt so helpless, never felt so useless, he couldn't even _twitch_.

Then, all at once, it was gone. He lay there, gasping, struggling to think straight. His hand clutched at his shirt- a different shirt, his other shirt- and the red stain was no longer there, the rip in his stomach had vanished, the blood on his lips, the nail marks on his wrist, the bruises on his skin, the plaster on his nose, the gash in his mouth, the throb of his ribs- it was all gone. As though they'd never been there in the first place.

Jesse struggled to calm his breathing, to still the incredibly obvious tremble going through his entire body. Shakily, he pushed himself up, taking in his surroundings with a haze of confused panic.

He was lying on a bed, in a room he vaguely recognised. A wall of crafting tables and furnaces was to one side; portraits adorned the walls; a pressure plate stood in front of the door, which led down a long, wet tunnel to a pool of frigid water at the bottom of a terrifying drop.

Swallowing, Jesse pushed himself into a sitting position, something that required a bit more effort than it should've- and froze.

Because on the other side of the room, staring at him with wide, disbelieving, familiar eyes. A girl, fitted in dungarees, with a face similar to his own, different in so many ways and yet the same, as though they were still playing in the park together, as though she were still showing him the ladybug she'd found on a blade of grass by the side. A streak of colour fell into her eyes.

"Jason?"


	76. Jessica

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Seventy-Six: Jessica**

* * *

Her world went up in flames.

She watched from where they'd sat her on the curb, wrapped in a soft blanket, as the fire ate away at the walls of her home like a thousand starving termites. There was a man sitting next to her in a doctors jacket, speaking quietly, but she could hardly register what he was saying. Could hardly tell if he was speaking to her or himself.

She couldn't really bring herself to care.

Then she spotted him, black ash in his hair and on his face and over his clothes, lying still on a tall bed with wheels. He was surrounded by doctors and nurses, who were rushing him towards the ambulance wagon, talking to each other so fast and in such big words she doubted she'd ever be able to understand.

It was like a bucket of icy water had been poured over her head. She leapt to her feet, shouting his name without even realising she'd opened her mouth, dropping the blanket from her shoulders to fall in a heap around her legs. Her sudden burst of life caused the doctor beside her to jump, but she didn't care, couldn't bring herself to care.

He was okay.

She darted forwards, felt the doctor's fingers graze against her wrist as he tried to stop her. She screamed his name again, was forced to come to a stop around the legs of the doctors and the nurses surrounding the tall bed they'd put him on, tried to push her way through to get to him, to make sure he _was_ okay, to make sure he wasn't too hurt.

Then hands were grabbing her, pulling her away. She tried to tear herself free, but their grip was painfully tight, only tightening when she struggled. Her feet left the ground, and the hands extended into arms, trapping her against a chest. She thrashed, screaming to be released, but her cries were ignored. He vanished around the bodies of doctors.

She screamed louder.

Her cries were ignored.

* * *

The first time they'd ever heard of the Order of the Stone had been through a bedtime story; looking back, it must have only been a few months since they actually became famous, and their gran must have thought it would make a good tale before bed.

She was certainly right. They'd fallen in love with the story immediately, and it was quick to become their favourite game. Every day, they'd go outside into the expanse back garden, cut off from the woods and the neighbours by a long, birch wood fence, and they'd brandish their stick swords and mud bombs, before rushing off to defeat an imaginary dragon.

He'd been the one to pause in their play to frown at the sky, streaked with blues and purples and sprinkled with blinking stars. That must have been when they'd finally realised how hungry they were getting, so they went back inside.

She had been knitting them sweaters- red for her and green for him- for the coming winter. One lay half finished in her lap, the knitting needles held loosely between limp fingers. There had been something strange about her face; slank and droopy, eyes half-closed, mouth partially open. That must have been one of the biggest things that told them something was wrong.

She'd reached out, calling softly, asking her why she was taking a nap so late in the evening. And she'd pulled back as though she'd been electrocuted, the unnatural cold that laced their grannies wrinkled skin leaving her fingers tingling strangely, because it was wrong, there was something wrong with that, it was usually so warm. Why wasn't she warm?

His fingers curled around her own, holding tightly. When she glanced at him, her fear was reflected on his face, and he was sniffing, rubbing at watery eyes. She held his hand tighter.

They ran to the neighbours.

* * *

Constantly moving. It got to the point that neither of them found much reason to unpack their things, to lay their clothes out in the cupboards; it got to the point that they just kept everything in their bags, because they'd be moving to a new home sooner than either of them they would have liked.

Most of the houses had other children living in them too. Some were younger than them, some were older, and, sometimes, it would just be them. They kept at their games, playing quietly when the younger ones were napping, running about their shared bedroom or in the neighbouring park. She remembered, vaguely, that there'd been a red haired girl in one of the homes who they loved to play their game with.

She made a great warrior.

She was sad to see her go.

It was with surprise that she regarded the two social workers, in their neat dress shirts and smiling faces- usually, they only had one for the both of them. But she brushed it off, especially when they took them to the park, where they ran around and play with their stick swords and mud bombs, sending the Ender Dragon to its doom and saving the castle in the sandbox from destruction.

She'd been busy setting fort in the jungle gym. It was going to be their main base. He'd gone off to look for weapons- sticks, branches, rocks- to defend it with. She hadn't been paying attention.

If only she'd been paying attention.

* * *

She started yelling before they'd even left the park. Had refused to go anywhere the minute she realised he was gone. She'd thought he'd gotten lost, had wandered away, and she needed to find him as quick as possible. Then the social worker- where had the other one gone?- had tried to convince her to leave without him. That he would be alright.

And she'd started screaming.

They'd tried to grab her, grab her and tear her away from him, and her heart was thundering in her throat, and there was black ash and the stink of smoke on her hands and in her hair, _and they were taking him away_ , they couldn't take him away, he couldn't be lost, _she couldn't lose him too._

She'd torn herself free before they could get a good grip. She'd ran as fast as she could, shouting his name. She ran until the park and the social worker was no longer in sight, she ran until she had no idea where she was. The tears were quick to spring to her eyes.

_Where was he?_

Whatever happened afterwards, she couldn't really remember. It was a blur of colour and tears and noise and a chest restricting terror that forced the breath from her lungs and left a painful bulge in her throat. She didn't find him.

But they found her.

It took them a while, though. She remembered it had started raining, gentle droplets of liquid falling from the sky, just a light drizzle. She'd walked for ages, and the sky had even started to darken, and she'd cried her eyes dry. But no matter how far she looked, she couldn't find him.

And no matter how far she ran, they found her.

She wasn't taken to a foster home this time.

The orphanage was in a tall, old building with chipped tiles and a pair of large, heavy doors. The first thing she noticed when they took her in was the little statue of a man nailed to a cross hanging on the wall, a crown of thorns upon his dirty hair and his ribs vibrant against his chest.

Like he was starving.

But there were nice people. There were ladies in black dresses and men in black robes, a strike of white against his throat, and they all smiled down at her. One of the ladies gave her a lollipop- it tasted like cherries, and left one cheek feeling funny from sucking on it for so long, but she didn't mind.

"Jessica's a lovely name," one said, as the social worker talked to the man with the white against his throat, "My niece is called Jessica. It means _God beholds_. Did you know that?"

No. She didn't know that.

She wondered what 'Jason' means.

* * *

The room was a decent size, smaller than some she's had, but also larger than others. It had two beds, and for a while, she was content, happy, certain that he was going to come bounding in sooner or later and claim that bed, because why else would there be two beds?

She heard the door opening, and her head snapped towards it, face lifting in a smile. Then it fell.

It wasn't him that stood in the doorway. It was a girl. A girl with thick glasses and red hair, blinking at her from the doorway.

Her chest became heavy. Like her ribs had decided to become iron.

"Who are you?" she asked, bitter. The girl blinked again, but her face remained strangely blank. Like a sheet of paper.

"Your roommate," the girl declared. She closed the door behind her and climbed onto the second bed. Bile rose to the back of her throat. Her iron ribs sunk to her stomach.

"Where's my brother?" she asked. The girl shrugged.

"No idea. The Nether. The beach. The End. Dead. Somewhere better than here, that's for sure."

"He's not dead," she snapped, "Don't say things like that."

The girl regarded her for a second. Then shrugged again and flopped backwards onto the bed- the bed that was supposed to be his. "Okay."

A silence came upon them. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. The girl stared at the ceiling.

A blank piece of paper.

* * *

"Where is he?"

"Sweetheart, please," Sister Fiona sighed, "We couldn't bring you both in, and we don't where they put him instead. Just know that he's happy, okay? And he'd want _you_ to be happy too. God has a plan for the both of you, y'know, and if that plan is for you to someday reunite, then that'll be what happens."

"So, what?" she said, tears stinging the corners of her eyes, blurring her vision, "I don't have a choice? I don't get to choose anything? You won't even let us _write_ each other?"

"Jessica," Sister Fiona snapped, a scowl crossing her face, "That's enough."

"No!" she yelled, voice rising to a painful pitch, "You can't just keep us away from each other! If God has a plan, then that plan is us to have a choice, not to-"

"That's _enough!_ " a harsh hand grabbed her wrist, forcing it out, palm upwards. Then a sharp, stinging _crack_ of wood on flesh. Three times.

_Crack! Crack! Crack!_

She was too surprised to cry out. Sister Fiona dropped the ruler onto the desk next to her, releasing her wrist and giving her a shove towards the door.

"Go to your room," she ordered, "Or else you're going to the quiet room."

Finally, the stinging of her palm registered in her brain, and she began to cry, shoulders shaking with her sobs. Clutching the red appendage to her chest, she ran out of the room, heart thudding.

Sister Fiona watched her go.

_Happy Birthday._

* * *

_I did it._

"How about this: you've got a bucket of worms, a slightly open door, but only one victim. Who do you pick? Sister Fiona or Sister Joanne?"

"Dunno," she hummed, wincing slightly as Cassie tugged at her hair, "Which one hit me last?"

Cassie seemed to think for a moment, brow furrowing in thought from where she was seated behind her, "Umm… Sister Joanne?"

"Wrong. Sister Lisa."

"Then what was the point of the question?"

"What's the point of anything?"

Cassie huffed a laugh, plastic gloves crinkling as she ran them through the chosen lock of hair, "To be entertained until our eventual death?"

"Exactly."

 _I did it_.

"Well," said Cassie, sucking on the lollipop in her mouth without moving her hands away from the other girl's hair, "I picked Sister Fiona."

She blinked. Twisted to look over at her. "You actually did it?"

Cassie laughed, flicking her on the forehead to get her to face forward again, "Yup. You should've seen her face. She'll never get all those worms out of her hair, that's for sure."

She didn't turn around. Cassie noticed.

"What?"

"She's going to kill you," she stated. Cassie shrugged.

"Well, it's like we said," she pulled the lollipop out of her mouth, glanced at it, then put it back in against the other cheek, "We're just entertaining ourselves until we die. So the only point in actually living is to continue that entertainment. Which isn't always there."

A short beat. Cassie sighed.

"Then again, you've got your brother to look for. Guess that keeps you pretty determined, huh?"

"Yeah," she muttered, finally tearing her eyes away from the redhead and facing forward again, "That's definitely one thing."

"At this point?" said Cassie, adding the last of the dye, "It's the only thing."

 _I did it_.

"That's not _completely_ true," she said, and felt Cassie's plastic wrapped fingers pause. She twisted her fingers, absently, into her shirt.

"I mean, I've got you."

* * *

"Who did it?"

Stand straight. Look down. Hands at sides. Don't speak. Don't stare. Don't answer.

"Who. Did. It?"

She could see, out the corner of her eye, Cassie's trembling fingers curling into a fist in an attempt to stop them. She was scared. She was scared, even though she pretended not to be.

A _crack!_ Deafening, ear piercing. She clenched her eyes shut. She heard a whimper from one of the younger children.

" _Who did it?_ "

Stand straight. Look down. Don't speak. Don't stare. Don't protest.

" _Someone_ did it. _Someone_ scrounged through the dirt and brought those disgusting little things inside. _Someone_ put them in a bucket and perched it, so carefully, atop the specific door of Sister Fiona."

A beat. Her heart thundered.

"You disgusting little creatures. God will see you in hell."

Stand straight. Look down. Don't speak. Don't stare. Don't cry.

"... Unless…"

_Unless?_

"Unless you confess. Then maybe God will forgive you. Maybe."

She saw Cassie's fingers trembling evermore. She risked a glance upwards. To the side. Her eyes glistened. Maybe it was the light. Maybe.

"He certainly won't forgive you if you don't."

Stand straight. Look down. Don't speak. Don't stare. Don't point.

"... Who did it?"

Stand straight. Look down. Don't speak. Don't stare. Don't breathe.

She could hear her heart. She wondered if Cassie could hear it too.

"... Fine."

_Fine?_

"No dinner. For any of you."

_For how long?_

"You there!"

Her gaze snapped upwards, although she kept her head bowed. A bony finger was pointing right at a little girl, a newer girl, with tear streaks on her face and big grey eyes. She couldn't have been any older than six.

"Since no one's confessing, _you're_ paying the price. You're going to the quiet room."

"Bu- But-"

 _Crack!_ Ear piercing. The girl flinched.

Stand straight. Look down. Don't speak. Don't stare. Don't interfere.

"You're going in the quiet room because none of _them_ -" she jabbed a bony finger towards the other children, "Are sinful little brats."

Cassie's hand flinched.

Stand straight. Look down. Don't speak. Don't stare. Don't say it.

The girl was crying. Tiny shoulders shaking with sobs. She didn't even have any idea what the quiet room was. It was so much worse than she was probably thinking, though.

_No._

"I did it."

Every head snapped around to her. She spotted the protest on Cassie's face, her mouth hanging open. She kept her gaze on Sister Lisa. Slowly, the nun straightened. Her lips were pressed into a thin line.

"You did it?"

_No._

"Yes."

"Hm," Sister Lisa hummed. She seemed to think for a moment. She looked down at the crying little girl. "Well. Looks like you're not going into the quiet room after all."

"Jessi-" Cassie protested, but fell silent when she sent her a look. Her cheeks had lost all colour. Stark against her bright red hair.

 _Demon hair,_ she remembered hearing one nun say, _That girl has demon hair._

Sister Lisa was in front of her. She looked smug.

_She should've poured those worms on you._

"Well done, Jessica. Maybe our Father will forgive you now."

She saw, over her shoulder, the man pinned to the cross. His ribs struck out against his chest.

Starving.

* * *

The quiet room was not a room. It was so small that she couldn't even spread her arms out properly. The floor was smooth and hard and soon had her bum cold and numb. It was dark.

It was so dark.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed. She'd already tried the door; locked. Of course it was locked. There were no windows. No lights. There wasn't even any shelves or a bucket or something. She wished there was a bucket. Something to pee in.

Time passed. Darker. Darker. Ever darker. A monster grew in the pit of her stomach, twisting, withering, rumbling. But she couldn't satisfy it, no matter how much she wanted to.

Time passed. The silence thickened. Suffocating. Was she suffocating? Was her breathing becoming laboured? She didn't know. Maybe it was just her imagination.

Maybe.

The monster grew. Desperate, it nibbled, clawed, at her own insides, biting away with a thousand tiny little teeth. Demanding to be fed.

If only there was something to feed it.

She banged on the door. Rattled the doorknob. Screamed. _I'm hungry! I'm hungry! Please! Please, let me out! You can't leave me here!_

No one answered.

She fell asleep against the door. It was impossible to tell if she'd been sleeping for a few minutes or a few days when she woke up. It was just darkness. Suffocating darkness. She'd never felt claustrophobic until now.

Time passed. Or maybe it didn't. Maybe.

She imagined he was there, with her. His smile lit up his entire face. Told her about all the fun things they were going to be doing for their birthday. Birthday? It was their birthday?

_Of course, silly! We're twelve today!_

Oh.

It grew darker. Impossible. But it did.

She wondered how Cassie was doing.

She wondered how that little girl was doing.

Maybe they were together. Maybe Cassie was taking care of her. She'd looked so scared.

Maybe he'd find her. Maybe he was coming for her. She liked that idea. Clung to it. Maybe he was going to tear open the door and tackle her to the floor in a spine-breaking hug, and she'd hug him just as tight, telling him just how much she'd missed him.

Maybe.

Maybe she'd die instead.

Maybe.

* * *

The monster screeched, tearing apart her stomach, demanding, demanding, demanding. She screamed too, crying, banging against the door. Clawing. Desperate.

_Let me out._

_Please, let me out._

_I'm starving._

Her nails broke, skin tearing. Red, hot liquid dripped from their hands. She wasn't sure it was there, though. Maybe she was imagining it. It was too dark to see anything. Maybe it was blood. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe she was going mad. Maybe.

But the monster was angry.

There was no maybe there.

It screeched, growled and clawed, ripping and tearing and biting. It was painful, a hunger she'd never felt before, and left her on the floor against the locked door, too exhausted to even cry. The stinging throb of her knuckles was a gentle prick compared to the monster eating away at her stomach.

She dozed. Or maybe she didn't. She wasn't sure.

It didn't matter.

Because one moment she was there.

The next she wasn't.

It didn't even occur to her that this was her dying.

* * *

She watched, startled still. He gasped breathlessly from where he'd appeared on the bed, fingers tangling into his shirt, eyes glazed as he struggled to drag himself to his senses.

Slowly, grunting, he pushed himself up onto his elbows and he turned his head, taking in his surroundings, eyes lingering upon the door. Then his gaze shifted, ever slower, over the furnaces, the crafting tables, the portraits.

Then he locked eyes with her. And her suspicions- her doubtful, yet undying hope- were confirmed. She could hear her heart thundering in her throat. The coloured strip of hair fell into her eyes.

"Jason?"

He gasped. A soft, shuddering intake of breath. A boy, in a shirt and suspenders, with a painfully familiar face that was only slightly different, that still had that round chubbiness to it. Like he was beaming at her, telling her what they were going to be doing for their birthday. Like he always used to.

"Jessica?"


	77. Quiet Night

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Seventy-Seven: Quiet Night**

* * *

It was night.

The sun had finally set a good few hours ago. Magnus wasn't exactly sure when; he'd just looked out the window and spotted a zombie stumbling across the garden. The sky was splattered with the twinkles of early stars. You couldn't even see the moon over the wall yet, but it had become dark enough for the monsters to roam without being fire hazards.

It was night. And the mansion was quiet.

Being as big as it was, finding yourself in complete and utter silence when alone was not an uncommon event here. But this was a different sort of silence. It was a silence that pressed down on you from every side, every angle, suffocating and claustrophobic and stifling. It was the type of silence that weighed down on your chest and left you with no idea what to do with yourself. It was the type of silence that Magnus was horribly familiar with.

Grieving silence.

It had been hours now. Hours since Olivia's scream had pierced every wall in the mansion. Hours since he'd watched, shocked still in the doorway, as a sobbing Petra beat Hadrian until his bones were broken and his skin was black and the floor was splattered with (more; god, _more_ ) blood. She'd broken her own knuckles in the process.

But no matter how hard she hit, it wouldn't bring him back.

Magnus sighed, leaning his head back to press against the wall behind him. He watched, through the window across from him, as a creeper peered through with suicidal black eyes. He wondered if those stupid things _wanted_ death. If it hurt for them to live. But they were bloodthirsty enough to want to take someone else out with them. Or maybe hateful enough.

A little part of Magus wondered if they had a right to hate humans. A right to hate humans when one would go as far as to both mentally and physically abuse such a sweet, innocent little boy. And eventually kill.

He'd made Ivor happy. Damn, he'd made that man _so happy_. He'd never seen him as happy as he was when with Jesse. Not even with potions. He didn't deserve to have that torn away from him.

And yet it had been.

The creeper was still watching him. Then it's black, soulless eyes drifted to the boy lying next to him. Magnus' jaw clenched, a protective rage sparking in his heavy chest, and he gave it the finger. Whether it understood the gesture or interpreted his jerky, violent movements or just didn't like him (as though _any_ monsters liked humans), the creeper hissed and slid to the side, vanishing from view but still, most likely, there. At least it couldn't see them either.

Magnus let his arm drop limply and leant back again, that hopelessly useless feeling returning. He glanced down at Axel, fast asleep next to him on the bed. Tear tracks stained his cheeks. Something twisted in his chest. Magnus slumped against the headboard and closed his eyes with another sigh.

Privacy had been the best option, he'd decided. The first hour had been screaming and yelling and confusion throughout the entire mansion; no one had even noticed the sky darkening and the first signs of monsters appearing. The second hour had been when the shock had finally settled, and those who had been able to keep a relatively straight head without breaking down- the Founder, Isa, and that guard of hers had taken charge, something Magnus wasn't surprised about when he actually took a moment to think about it, seeing as how they ran an entire city. They'd locked Hadrian up somewhere. He wasn't sure where and he wasn't sure what they planned to do with him, and, frankly, Magnus couldn't really bring himself to care. They could throw him to the monsters for all he cared. In fact, he'd happily be the one to do it.

The third hour. That was when the shock had worn off, if only enough for the tears to start. He'd watched as Ellegaard had dragged a hysterical Olivia away to console her privately, away from the eyes and the noise and the blood on the floor, and Magnus, at a total loss as to what else to do, had followed her example and taken Axel down to his bedroom, for a lack of a better place to go. It certainly lowered the chances of someone randomly walking in.

And he'd cried. Face buried into Magnus' shoulder, the large boy had cried his eyes out until he was eventually so exhausted he'd fallen asleep. And Magnus hadn't said anything, couldn't even muster up some mumbled nonsense of comfort, so he'd just held him and tried not to cry himself. He'd been completely and utterly useless.

This was something an explosion couldn't really fix. Something not even the brilliance of redstone could solve.

They were all useless.

The fourth hour was silence. And the fifth. And the sixth. Suffocating, grieving silence, with nothing but the screaming and the crying left to echo in Magnus' ears.

_("You killed him!" Axel screamed, "You killed my brother!")_

Who knew silence could be so loud?

Not for the first time, he wondered where Ivor was. If someone was with him. He hoped he wasn't alone. He'd probably locked himself down in the basement, in his makeshift potions lab; maybe Harper was with him.

Maybe he'd thrown himself to the monsters already.

The thought made Magnus' throat tight, and he hastily shoved the idea away, fingers gripping the fabric of his armour. No. No, Ivor wouldn't do that. They wouldn't let him do that. _He_ wouldn't let him do that.

Magnus couldn't lose anyone else.

Axel shifted then, mumbling something in his sleep, brow slightly furrowed. Magnus glanced down at him, before reaching out without thought and running his fingers through his black locks in hopes of comforting whatever distress he could possibly be in. The furrow eased into a more peaceful slumber.

Silence stretched. His chest remained heavy. Magnus returned his gaze to the window.

The creeper watched. Waiting.

* * *

Drained. He was completely drained. It was like someone had sucked every tiny bit of energy out of him with a vacuum cleaner. He hardly had the energy to feel.

So Aiden sat there. Numb.

Milo was next to him. His head was on his shoulder, actually, although Aiden wasn't exactly sure when that had happened. He couldn't really bring himself to care, though. A little, tiny part of him wondered if he was in shock. Probably. He didn't care about that either.

The Founder- Isa- was sitting on the innkeeper's other side. Their fingers were tangled. Her arm was wrapped around Maya and Gill. No one had spoken for a good while. Distantly, Aiden wondered where Reginald had gone. He was probably guarding Hadrian.

Huh. Typical. He tries to make up for bullying Jesse, and he doesn't even realise he's being manipulated into suicide. That's why he was on the roof. Peering over the edge. And he hadn't realised. He hadn't told anyone except for Cassie. He didn't even _do_ anything. Not really.

He was such an idiot. Stupid, moronic, selfish, _blind_ idiot.

He should've done something. _Anything_. Then maybe there wouldn't be blood on the living room floor.

But he hadn't. And now he couldn't.

So Aiden sat there.

Numb.

* * *

"Why would you _do_ that?!" Gabriel snapped, the moment the doors had closed behind them. Petra wrenched herself out of his grip, chest heaving and sweat beading her forehead. Even with her knuckles wrapped securely in layers of bandages, her grip strangled the hilt of her sword.

"What do you mean _why would I do that?_ " Petra sneered, glaring at him with obsidian hard eyes, "It's called _monster hunting_ ; not like _you'd_ know anything about that."

Gabriel grit his teeth, eyes narrowing, "Oh, is that what that was? Excuse me, I didn't realise leaping into a _swarm_ was considered _monster hunting._ "

"I had it handled!"

"Handled? _Handled?_ " he grabbed her arm, perhaps a little too harshly, and jerked it up, displaying the bloody wound across her forearm, "You consider _this_ being _handled?!_ "

"Let me _go!_ " Petra yelled, trying to tear her arm free. Gabriel's grip only tightened.

" _Stop_ ," he hissed, "You'll make it worse."

Grunting, Petra did stop, the colour draining from her cheeks in consequence of aggravating the gash. She breathed in desperate, heaving gasps, a slight tremble to her limbs. Her glare, however, didn't falter.

"You're not my dad," she declared.

"Perhaps not," Gabriel grumbled, "But that does not mean I will allow you to do something so _idiotic_. I may not be your father, Petra, but I care for you like one, and Notch forbid if I allow you to get killed."

"That doesn't _matter!_ " Petra yelled, again trying to jerk her arm free of his hold, but, again, he held fast, "I've never had anyone looking after me, so why do I need someone to _now?_ "

Gabriel grabbed her other arm, pulling her forward so that he was right in her face, ignoring her surprised gasp, "You _don't_. But just because someone doesn't necessarily need a shield doesn't mean it's not useful to have one."

Petra stilled then. The rage drained from her face, leaving something a bit sadder, a bit resigned. Her eyes were red and shiny. Her voice trembled. "Jesse had a shield. He had _loads_ of shields. But that didn't help him."

"Maybe because he didn't realise he could use them," Gabriel said. There it was; the first suppressed sob. The girl ducked her head, as though trying to conceal the tears, shoulders shaking. He let go of her arms and pulled her into a hug.

She cried.

The monsters banged on the doors.

* * *

Even hours later, Olivia trembled. The tears had eventually died, leaving stains in their wake, and she dozed in a state of restless half-sleep. But the trembling, sometimes dulled to the tips of her fingers and other times wracking her entire body, remained.

Ellegaard had long since lost any idea of what to do. She could only sit there and provide as much comfort as she could, but even that was futile. She felt useless, a feeling that she had no interest in associating herself with. She was a genius; she built extraordinary machines and calculated mass amounts of redstone in a matter of moments.

But she couldn't do anything here. And that made her feel like less of a genius and more of a desperate fool. Promising that everything was going to be alright when she had no idea if it ever would.

Not even _she_ could bring back that dead, after all.

She'd already asked Mevia about it, when the woman had been passing. She'd been… quiet. Reserved, almost. Rather different from the woman they'd met onscreen. Ellegaard wondered if she was just as affected by these… _events_ as the rest of them.

She wondered if she helped Hadrian do it. Maybe she felt guilty.

Maybe not.

Ellegaard sighed, wrapping her arm slightly tighter around the girl half-asleep against her side. She could still feel the slight tremor along her limbs. The poor girl was in shock, most likely. She _had_ watched her best friend get stabbed through the gullet. They'd seen the dust. They'd seen the blood. Some had seen him poof.

But only Olivia had seen it all.

The girl jerked slightly, mumbling something unintelligible. Ellegaard shushed her, rubbing her arm. Olivia settled, glazed eyes half-lidded. The inventor sighed softly, resting her head atop of Olivia's.

She had no idea where the others had gone. Ivor was probably locked away in his basement. Magnus was with Axel, she was pretty sure, and Gabriel was probably with Petra. Soren and Lukas had been outside when it had happened; she'd seen them talking to a shaken Dan as she'd herded Olivia away, seen the colour steadily drain from their faces until they were as white as the YouTubers' hair.

She had no idea where Reuben was. She hadn't seen him since he'd been poking at the pile of inventory on the floor with his snout, whining.

She hoped Ivor was okay.

Even though she knew he wasn't.

* * *

Stampy sat in the watching room, curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around him like a giant cocoon. He could hear the distant, familiar groans of zombies, the rattle of bones, the gentle, spitting hiss of spiders. Maybe even the skin-tingling _fwoop_ of Endermen. Did that mean the mansion was in the mountains?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Sighing, the boy huddled deeper into the blankets, closing his eyes as a shudder that had nothing to do with the temperature wracked his spine. It was so quiet. A massive difference in comparison to the noise that had deafened them only a few hours earlier. His mind still whirled and spun even now, and the slight tremor to his fingers continued to plague him. He was reminded, rather against his will, of Cassie's death mansion; except he wasn't sure whether or not this was somehow worse.

They'd interrogated the- Stampy hesitated to even call him a _man_ at this point- for a good while, although he himself hadn't been there (he wasn't sure he'd have been able to stomach it in the first place, be it from what he told them or whatever it is they'd done to get him to). The only reason he knew anything about what happened was because he'd overheard Reginald talking to Otto in the hallway, asking if he'd known anything about it. The man had been quick to assure him that he hadn't.

Jesse was definitely something else. Well.

 _Had_ been.

Sniffling and scrubbing at irritated eyes with his sleeve, Stampy sighed deeply, resting his head against the couch's armrest. He couldn't believe he was actually gone. Just like that. Only a few hours ago, he'd been sitting on the couch just across from Stampy's, huddled between what he was _pretty sure_ were his mum and dad, struggling to breathe but _alive_. Regaining his breath, only to lose it again. This time with no chance of getting it back.

He'd been right there. Right across from where Stampy was now.

The thought chilled him more than the potential Endermen outside.

Shuddering, Stampy burrowed deeper into his blankets, tugging them over his head as though he were a child afraid of the monster lurking under his bed. The mansion seemed a lot darker now; a lot colder. A lot scarier. As though there really, truly was a monster lurking in its halls.

He supposed there _was_ a monster in the mansion. Currently under the watchful eye of Sky City's Captain of the Guard.

Why _Jesse?_

There was- had been, _had been_ \- something undeniably amazing about the boy. But Stampy hadn't thought it would get him killed. Not like that, at least. Not before he'd even built the new Order of the Stone.

Everything was going to change now, he realised. And not in a good way. Without Jesse there to be the glue between his teammates, would they even be able to stop Cassie in her mansion? Would they all end up dead like TorqueDawg and Sparklez and Lizzie? Heck, would they even survive the Witherstorm and actually _make it_ to Stampy's world? He didn't know.

God, he didn't know.

And what about when they _did_ return home? Would any of them even remember Jesse had died? Would his friends and family be looking for him, convinced he was out there, but with no memory of what had truly happened to him? Would they forget, only to break down all over again when they finally remembered?

Everything was so messed up now. Granted, it hadn't all been pristine clean before, but now it was like they'd been wrecked by the angriest hurricane to ever exist. Was Hadrian really that power-hungry, that afraid of being knocked from the top, that he'd go to this extent? That he'd commit murder when there was even a _chance_ Jesse could take him down?

It would appear so.

There truly were some horrible people in this world.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Stampy stiffened. He held his breath. Listened to the silence.

Then that silence was broken.

_Tap, tap, tap._

For a moment, he thought it was a zombie tapping against the glass of a window- tried to convince himself, actually. But no. That wasn't glass. It was wood. And it was coming from the opposite side of the room. Away from the windows.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Stampy clenched his eyes shut, shoving down the panic rising in his chest. Maybe it was just his imagination. There was no way they'd appear now, after so long of not even a whisper. In fact, Stampy had almost completely forgotten there was a stranger roaming the mansion, what with everything that was going on. Maybe if he lay perfectly still, they'll go away…

_Tap, tap, tap._

Maybe they're watching him.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Maybe they watched Jesse die.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Maybe they tried to intervene.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Maybe they helped Hadrian instead.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Maybe they're the reason Jesse was so scared.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Maybe they're the reason Jesse's dead.

An abrupt, foreign rage flushed Stampy's cheeks. Without time to reconsider, he flung his blanket off, almost got tangled in it, and shot to his feet, jaw clenching as he cast the sheep portrait a glare.

"Will you _stop it?!_ "

The tapping stopped.

For a moment, Stampy could only stand there, shocked that they'd actually listened. His brain catching up with his actions, the colour drained from his previously flushed cheeks. He swallowed thickly.

"Th- Thank you," he stuttered.

"You're welcome."

Stampy screamed, spinning around. The person behind him jumped, raising their hands, eyes wide. They opened their mouth to speak- then Stampy realised what he was looking at.

 _Who_ he was looking at.

The following scream was even louder than the first, which would actually be rather impressive had either of them been in the right mind to appreciate it. There was a bang somewhere further down the hall.

" _ZOMBIE!"_ Stampy grabbed a pillow off the floor and threw it right into the 'zombies' face. He scrambled across the watching room and darted out into the hall, still screaming. The zombie shook his head, wincing, and jogged out of the watching room in search of the boy.

"Stampy! I'm not-"

Something rammed into his shoulder, and the back of his head smacked against the wall. A golden blade (red, red, red) pierced its surface inches from his head, and he was looking into the murderous, red-rimmed eyes of Petra.

The recognition came slowly. It drained the rage from her eyes, eased the twist of her features, loosened the tightness of her jaw. Her death grip on the handle of her blade slackened. She drew in a sharp intake of breath, eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.

"Jesse?"

The zombie gave her a weak smile, "Hey, Petra."

Down the hall, more yelling, muffled and hard to understand. Abruptly, he realised Petra was beginning to tremble, a spark of liquid in her eyes. His own widened.

"Are you okay?" he caught sight of her arm, slick with blood, and they widened further, "Holy _crap_ , what happened to your arm?!"

"My-" Petra gasped, voice cracking, "My arm?" her face twisted, "My _arm?_ You _died_ and you're worried about my _arm?!_ "

He winced, shrinking further against the wall, "Uh… yeah?"

Petra stared at him. Then she laughed, a broken little laugh, and the dam overflowed and washed down her cheeks like tiny waterfalls. She reached forward, cupping his cheek, and inhaled sharply when he didn't dissolve into dust. He opened his mouth to say something, concerned, but didn't get the chance because she was pulling him into a tight, suffocating hug and crying into his hair.

Jesse hugged back, realising Gabriel was standing off to the side, a broad beam on his face. There was another bang, more yelling, and suddenly Nell appeared around the corner, panting. She locked eyes with Jesse, still squished in Petra's arms, and burst into a wide grin.

"Respawn!" she shouted, as loud as she could, "This place has respawn!"

* * *

It was night.

And it was quiet.

The blankets were rumpled and untidy on the cot in the corner. He'd been meaning to fix it up sometime during lunch- probably scold Jesse into doing it- before they got back to brewing another set of potions. The cauldron was still bubbling, stewing, waiting to be emptied.

It was night. It was quiet.

Quieter than it had been in a long while.

Ivor scrubbed tiredly at his forehead, feeling far older than he actually was (which was saying something, certainly). He was seated on the edge of the cot, unable to bring himself to actually touch anything. The cauldron continued to bubble, the only noise in the quiet. But even that seemed strangely muffled.

They'd been making healing potions. They'd been making healing potions to fix the things that had been hurt. He had two on him. Two on him, because he always had at least some sort of potion in his inventory. Had he been there quicker, he could have gotten one ot him. Could have gotten _both_ to him and it would've been enough. He would've been fine. He would've saved him. Hell, if he'd made sure _he_ had a healing potion on him at all times then he could've downed it the moment that blade sliced through his stomach and it would've been enough to stabilise him long enough for them to get to him.

And it would've been fine. _It would've been fine._

But it wasn't.

Ivor closed his eyes, red and itchy and blotchy but no longer wet, and buried his face into his hands. Of all the places in the mansion, the basement had become his solitude of sorts; his home away from home, if you will. There was a silent understanding amongst the rest of the audience members that the basement belonged to _Ivor_.

And yet, he was beginning to wish he'd gone anywhere else.

Because the basement had started to become _Jesse's_ as well.

Those were _his_ clothes, mostly the ones that had been ruined but were fixed enough to be worn again, stacked neatly in the chest. That was _his_ golden axe, the one he'd used to help build the treehouse, leaning against the bookcase. That was _his_ book, a candy wrapper in place of a bookmark crushed between its pages, seated on the floor at Ivor's feet.

He hadn't even realised that the boy had started to make this little corner _his_.

And that made it hurt all the more.

The inventory certainly didn't help. Although Ivor would probably die before he let anyone take it. He wasn't sure whether or not he was glad to have it or not. On one hand, it was proof. Hard, gut-wrenching proof still covered in speckles of dust. On the other hand… it was all he had left. All that was left.

A stuffed carrot that gave a feeble little squeak when squeezed. A cookie, passed between folds of blankets and pressed into an unexpecting hand sometime during watching. And a flimsy wooden sword that hadn't even been used to kill animals, let alone monsters. Having hardly hit anything at all besides a dummy with a pumpkin head in the corner of a treehouse.

A kid sword.

 _His_ kids' sword.

Ivor felt sick. He should've noticed. He _had_ to have noticed.

Why the _hell_ hadn't he noticed?

The bitter sense of failure that churned in his chest was horribly familiar. A humourless smile tilted his lips. What a man he was, huh? Couldn't even protect his own goddamn kid. Didn't even realise he was in trouble in the first place. Not really.

He didn't deserve to be that boys father.

He supposed it didn't really matter now.

There was no boy _to_ father.

Something shuffled beneath the cot. A pink head pressed against the back of his leg. Ivor swallowed, having almost forgotten he was there, before reaching down and tracing his fingers along the top of the little pigs head. Reuben whined softly, but otherwise made no move nor noise.

It was night. It was quiet. And his world was cold.

"I'm sorry," Ivor whispered, voice breaking, "Notch, I'm so sorry."

Reuben leant into his touch, brown eyes big and impossibly sad. Ivor wondered if he had any idea what he was saying, what he was even apologising _for_ ; the pig always seemed incredibly intelligent, always seemed to understand what was going on like any other person in the mansion. Ivor was sure whether or not he hoped he _did_ understand what was happening now, though; if he understood that Jesse wasn't coming back.

Ivor closed his eyes, taking in a deep, trembling breath. He'd already cried. He'd already cried a lot. So much that he wasn't even sure he'd be able to do so again. But just because he wasn't crying didn't mean it didn't hurt. And dear Notch, it hurt.

It _hurt_. Even more than it had when the Order had broken up. Even more than it had when they turned their backs on him. Even more than it had when he'd been alone.

Because now… now, he knew it really _was_ his fault.

He'd promised he'd protect him. He'd promised he'd _be there_.

And he wasn't.

He wasn't.

_He wasn't._

The knocking was rapid and sudden, sending a startled jolt up his spine. He blinked down at the wooden weapon in his hands, realising with a dull surprise that he'd gripped the edge of the blade with his bare hand, now pierced with splinters and glistening with little beads of red blood. He grimaced, picking at a particularly large splinter, only to jump again when the knocking persisted, louder and harsher this time.

"Ivor!" came Gabriel's muffled voice, "Ivor, open this door!"

The potionologist rolled his eyes, glaring at the cold floor. He'd been wondering when one of them would come back; he's already had Soren pounding on the door, although the man had been more intent on just making sure he wasn't about to do anything stupid, that he was still _there_. Making sure he wasn't spiralling down the rabbit hole again with a blade slashing through his veins.

No. No, Ivor hadn't been that deep down in a long while.

Gabriel banged his fist against the door again, "Ivor, this is important!"

Harper raised her head from where she was lying on the bed across the room, the one Ivor had got so he could keep an eye on an injured Jesse (and look at all the good _that_ did), "Is that Gabriel?"

Ivor grunted. The banging sounded again, harder.

"Ivor! I swear upon my sword, you will not regret opening this door!"

Harper pushed herself up, scrubbing at her eyes (just as itchy as his), "I think you should open it, poppy. Otherwise I think he'll break it down."

Then what? Hug him and promise everything'll be alright? No, that wasn't really Gabriel's style. To be honest, Ivor could care less about what the warrior had to say. He just wanted to sleep. Sleep and never wake up.

Heh. No wonder Soren had thought he'd turn to a blade, if he wanted that outcome.

The banging persisted. Ivor didn't move.

Finally, Harper sighed and pushed herself off the bed, trudging up the stairs. Ivor's chest twisted further. He couldn't bring himself to feel guilty, though. Maybe later.

He heard the door open mid-knock, something he would have no doubt found funny had he been in the mood for it. Sighing, he ignored the sound of faint conversation and directed his attention back to his splinter covered hand, but couldn't find the energy to pick them out, let alone get up and go in search of a pair of tweezers. He didn't even have the energy to care. The prickles of pain along his fingers was almost _welcome_.

Slipping further down the rabbit hole.

The stairs creaked again. Ivor turned his eyes towards them, watching as Harper slowly appeared around the corner. She looked… unsure. Fingers brushing the wall as though to both ground and potentially support herself. She met his eyes. Opened her mouth. Closed it. Then opened it again.

"You should come."

Ivor frowned, straightening slightly as he turned to properly face her, "Where?"

It wasn't until his already hoarse voice cracked that he realised he hadn't spoken for longer than he'd initially thought. How long had it been? How long had he been gone?

Harper shook her head, gesturing up the stairs. Brow furrowing deeper, Ivor slid the kid's sword ( _his_ kid's sword, his _dead kid's sword_ ) into his inventory and stood on legs tingling with pins and needles. Shaking them, he made his way after Harper, pausing briefly at the base of the stairs as Reuben dragged himself out from under the bed and trudged after him, whining, low to the floor.

He probably didn't want to be alone. Ivor couldn't really blame him.

The pig trailed behind him as he followed Harper up the stairs.

Gabriel was waiting at the door, impatiently tapping his fingers against his thigh. Ivor came to a stop in front of him, but did nothing else. After a moment, seemingly slightly put off by his lack of silence, Gabriel cleared his throat.

"I've, ah...you look tired."

Ivor sighed. He _felt_ tired. "Why aren't you with Petra?"

"Petra's fine."

"Gabriel, you can't honestly-"

"Interesting, the new episode," Gabriel cut him off, tucking his hands behind his back. Ivor blinked slowly at him. "Can't help but wonder how they manufactured this _respawn_ protocol. It's certainly impressive."

Ivor stared, "... Gabriel, I'm not really in the mood-"

"Oh, I'm sure you will be," the warrior said, a genuine smile beginning to fill his face, "Considering it's been established _here_ as well."

Harper drew in a sharp breath, "You don't mean… ?"

Gabriel's smile widened. He nodded. Harper covered her mouth. Ivor looked between them.

"What are you two going on about?"

"Nothing thought of you as _dense_ , Ivor," Petra stated, appearing around the corner. She had most definitely been crying recently, and quite a bit. But that didn't seem to stop the face-splitting grin on her lips. "The mansion has respawn."

Her words registered slowly. The realisation hit him like a stack of bricks. Respawn had him and Lukas surviving being crushed by pillars of cobblestone, reappearing someplace else. Respawn brought back the dead before they could properly die.

Respawn was in the mansion.

Petra reached around the corner and tugged something- someone, _someone_ \- over. He almost tripped over his own feet, a little unsteady, but free from cuts and bruises and bandages and blood as though none of it had ever actually happened.

Jesse smiled crookedly and raised his hand in a sort of half-wave.

"Hey, Ivor."

The potionologists' breath stuttered. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Then Reuben squealed and tackled Jesse to the floor.


	78. I'm (Not) Fine

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Seventy-Eight: I'm (Not) Fine**

* * *

There was, without a doubt, a lot of crying.

Jesse ended up being gripped so tightly that he was fairly certain he'd be sporting a fair few new bruises to replace the ones that had vanished with his respawn. He'd yet to let go of Reuben since being tackled by him, even as a startlingly teary eyed Ivor squeezed him, talking at an impossible speed.

Nell's screams of respawn circled throughout the entire mansion, and hardly half an hour after Jesse had accidentally sent Stampy running, everyone had heard her. Which, considering the size of the mansion and amount of people occupying it, was a rather impressive feat.

Another impressive feat was how fast Olivia, Axel, Lukas, Aiden, Maya, Gill and basically _everyone in the mansion_ found them in the watching room to see for themselves that Jesse wasn't actually dead. He'd been hugged and kissed and shook by just about everyone who didn't have time to respect personal boundaries, one of which consisted of a bawling Facemeat picking him off his feet and bruising his magically healed ribs.

So, yes. There was a lot of crying. Some even from Jesse himself.

Because _dammit_ dying had been scary.

Ivor was relatively quick to drag him from the crowd of astonished watchers and down into the blissful quiet of the basement, Harper, Petra, Olivia, Axel and Lukas in tow with Reuben safely nestled in Jesse's arms. Despite his protests, Jesse found himself being poked and prodded by an insistent Ivor, checking every injury he'd had before and double-checking them again to make sure they were _really_ gone, and he kept returning to his stomach, brushing his fingers against a clearly fresh scar that hadn't been there before. It didn't hurt, and it wasn't tearing, but that didn't stop Ivor from insisting on putting some sort of cream over it.

Jesse was too tired to protest much. Not that he didn't try, though.

"I want to keep an eye on that," the potionologist declared, as he finally allowed Jesse to tug his shirt back on, "I don't want it getting infected or tearing."

"You think that's possible?" asked Lukas, turning a rather pasty colour. Ivor's brow furrowed, grunting.

"Perhaps."

"I'm fine," Jesse assured for the hundredth time, albeit rather weakly; they had made it rather clear that they didn't care how many times he said it.

To his surprise, however, Ivor's head jerks up. And he glares at him.

"Stop _lying_ ," he hissed, and the bite in his voice caused Jesse to flinch, "You said you were fine when Reuben died onscreen. You said you were fine when we found you _beaten_ and _bleeding_ in the garden. You said you were fine when Aiden found you about to _jump off the roof_ \- yeah, he told us about that! He told us how you were standing on the edge!"

His blood went horribly cold, draining colour from his cheeks. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Ivor continued before he even had the chance.

"You have been saying you were fine this _entire time_ , but you aren't! You're not! If you were fine, there wouldn't be _blood_ on the living room floor!"

Jesse flinched. Ivor turned away from him, glaring at the floor with mysteriously shiny eyes and trying to regain control of his abruptly erratic breathing, curling trembling fingers into fists.

Harper didn't look up from where she was wrapping Petra's arm in a bandage, slipping a pin into the thick cloth to hold it fast. Finished, she released the girls arm, but still didn't raise her head. After a long moment, she breathed a soft, tired sigh.

"Respawn hurts," she stated, still not looking up, "And it's terrifying. Especially when you have no idea it's even there. Even if this had been an… an accident, you wouldn't be fine."

Jesse swallowed thickly, ducking his head and blinking wet eyes. Olivia inched closer, entwining their fingers and pressing her face into his shoulder in a sort of hug, causing the boy to blink again, this time in surprise. Ivor shifted his weight, crossing his arms as he forced himself to take deep breaths.

"Stop lying," Olivia muttered, voice thick, and oh come on. They've all been crying from the moment he got back and they were going to do it again. Shouldn't his eyes have been dried out or something by now? It was unfair. Completely unfair. But that didn't stop the restriction in his chest. "Please, Jesse, just stop lying."

_She'd been there. She'd watched. You made her watch._

Jesse's next breath was more of a shuddering gasp than anything else. He tried to hold them back- really, _really_ did, because why should _he_ be allowed to cry when this was all his fault?- but it didn't work, and fat tears streaked down his face and those shuddering gasps turned into thick sobs. He ducked his head, trembling, trying to stop- then Ivor was wrapping his arms around him and all his resolve was flung out the window.

He sobbed into his shoulder, clinging to both him and Olivia and being clung back with the same amount of force. He couldn't even stop trembling, but in that moment he couldn't bring himself to care.

 _("I am sick and tired of your_ stupid _little lies.")_

No, he was fine with it. He'd been fine with it, he'd- he'd _agreed_ to do it. Why was he crying over something he agreed to do? It was to protect them. He shouldn't be crying because he'd done it to _protect them_ and that should be good enough for him, that should be fine, _he should be fine_. So why- _why_ couldn't he stop crying?

_("Get your head straight, Jason. You just get everyone killed.")_

They wouldn't get hurt if he played along. They wouldn't get hurt if he simply wasn't _there_ to begin with. But oh god, the thought terrified him, he realised. It terrified him to the centre of his core with a spiking passion; Hadrian was right, he _was_ too scared, too selfish, and maybe a little part of him hadn't been trying to uphold his end of the deal as hard as he could have been.

_("Your friends.")_

Ivor was muttering. It took Jesse a moment to realise it was comforting nonsense. The potionologist was gripping him tightly, Olivia squished in from where she still had her face buried into his (dampening, he realised with a slight start) shoulder. She was trembling almost as hard as him. He'd done this to her.

_("Your family.")_

He'd done this. He'd done this, he'd done this, _he'd done this to them._ Didn't they understand he'd been doing it for them? That he hadn't expected them to even remotely be this upset? Sure, they'd cry, but they'd get over it, right? Why was _he_ the one cry when they were the ones that weren't fine?

_("You couldn't even save your own goddamn pig.")_

… But he wasn't fine either.

So Jesse let himself cry.

* * *

Petra and Axel ventured upstairs at one point to drag down their pile of pillows and blankets from the watching room, tossing them onto the floor of the basement and (after Harper convinced Ivor to let him join them instead of sleeping on the cot) allowing the kids to settle down into it in a newly made pile of blankets, pillows and human bodies (and one pig).

Maybe being respawned was draining, or maybe that (incredibly embarrassing) sobbing fit had taken up all his energy, but for whatever the reason, Jesse was fast asleep the moment he laid down.

He wasn't sure how long he was asleep for, but when he woke up, he was still most definitely at least half asleep. Blinking blearily, he unstuck his cheek from where it had been previously glued to a snoring Axel's chest- which turned out to be the only thing he could move, because the rest of his also snoring friends were all practically piled on top of him (his… his head, not- not his cheek, you can't really _move_ your- yeah).

Attempting to blink the sleep from his eyes, Jesse turned his head to the quiet muttering on the other side of the room, taking a moment for his droopy brain to register what he was seeing. It was Aiden, talking quietly to Harper and Ivor.

"-to Nell's room," the boy was saying, "Reginald's letting Gill, Maya and I help guard him."

"Why Nell's room?" Harper asked. Aiden shrugged slightly.

"She's got the smallest bedroom," he explained, "Was more than happy to let us convert it in a cell. 'Specially since that means she gets Hadrian's giant bedroom."

Harper shook her head, "Leave it to him to claim the biggest room."

"Yeah," Aiden muttered, then glanced over at the pile on the floor- then did a double take when he locked eyes with Jesse, "Oh, uh- hey, Jesse."

Ivor and Harper turned to look down at him as well. Jesse blinked again, eyelids still heavy, and tried to rub his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up more, only to discover that his arm was trapped underneath Lukas. He settled for a tired little hum, resting his chin on Axel's chest.

"Hey."

"You… still feeling alright?"

Jesse hummed again, already drifting back to sleep, "M'Good."

Aiden chuckled, "Well, uh, that's good to know. I'll leave you to it."

He yawned, blinking open his eyes again when Petra shifted next to him, mumbling something about zombies. Aiden was saying something to Harper, then he was vanishing up the stairs. Jesse stared after him for a moment, before dragging his eyes over to Ivor, slightly startled to find him watching him.

"What time's it?" he asked, voice slurred with sleep. Ivor glanced at something on the wall (probably a clock) over his head, although he was quick to falter when he realised it was stuck in the same spot as it had been an hour ago.

"It's, uh… around eleven at night, I think," he said, returning his gaze to Jesse, "You should go back to sleep. It's late."

Jesse didn't say anything in response, just rested his cheek against Axel's chest again. The larger boy beneath him grumbled something, before sighing and settling. Jesse fought to keep his heavy eyes open, focusing his gaze on a portrait on the far way. Spider eyes blinked back at him.

His own slipped shut.

* * *

"Eat some more."

"Ivor, I-"

" _Eat._ "

Jesse sighed, reluctantly accepting another plate of pancakes drowning in syrup. They were eating in the basement, sitting cross-legged amongst the pillows and blankets. He spotted Lukas hiding a smile behind another forkful of gooey pancake, and shot him a half-hearted glare that only seemed to make him smile more.

Ivor nudged his shoulder, and, rolling his eyes, Jesse picked up his fork, cut piece with the side and stabbed at the fluffy meal. The potionologist didn't look away until Jesse shoved the piece into his mouth, nodding happily as he chewed.

They ate in relative silence. Jesse was halfway through his (forced) second stack of pancakes when he paused, brow furrowing. Axel looked up from his (probably fifth or sixth) own mostly finished stack.

"You okay there, buddy?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, fine," Jesse said; they were asking him that a _lot_ , "Just thinking."

"'Bout what?" asked Petra, licking syrup off her knife. Jesse was quiet for a moment, fiddling with his fork.

"What… What are you gonna do with Hadrian?"

The silence that followed the question was stifling. Lukas and Petra looked at each other. Olivia kept her eyes on the blankets. Axel froze with a forkful of pancake halfway to his mouth. Ivor and Harper stiffened.

Slowly, Axel lowered his fork back down to his plate without eating the pancake.

Finally, Ivor broke the silence.

"We're not sure yet," he admitted, "We think we're going to keep him locked up until we can go back home. But one thing for certain is that you're staying far away from him, okay?"

Jesse drifted his gaze downwards again, "Okay."

Silence drifted in again like a tide. Then Olivia took a deep breath and raised her eyes to lock with Jesse's.

"Why didn't you tell us he was hurting you?"

Jesse bit his lip, tearing his eyes from hers, unable to hold contact, "I… he- he said he was going to hurt you guys."

"But he's just _one person_ ," Olivia continued, grip tightening ever so slightly on her plate, "He's _one person_ against _all of us_. He wouldn't have been able to do anything!"

"I know, I know," said Jesse, still not meeting her eyes, "But- But he said he… knew stuff. About the mansion."

Out the corner of his eye, he saw Ivor's eyes widen. Axel's brow furrowed.

"Knew stuff?" he echoed, "What kind of stuff?"

"Um…" _blood, crawling up his throat, bubbling in his mouth,_ "I- I'm not sure. Maybe about the traps. I thought- maybe he would lure you guys into one of them. Or activate them or something."

"I… guess that makes sense," Lukas muttered, frowning down at his own half-finished stack of syrupy goodness. He shook his head, raising his gaze. "Except… he _did_ hurt someone."

Jesse's head snapped to him, horror constricting his chest, "He- He did?"

"Yeah," Lukas' frown deepened, " _You_."

Jesse stared, the horror quickly replaced with surprise. He opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "Oh."

"Yeah. _Oh_." Petra leant back on her elbows, setting her empty plate aside with only a _slight_ scowl, "So don't go about saying you did it to protect everyone. Because all you did was give him an easy target."

"That-" Jesse swallowed, mouth suddenly dry, "That's not- I'm fi-"

"Don't you _dare_ say you're fine," Ivor cut him off, shooting him a warning glare, "We've already been through this."

Jesse promptly shut his mouth and ducked his head back down to his plate.

After a moment, Harper sighed, "Well, it's over now. Just… no more secrets."

The boy took a deep breath and nodded, "No more secrets."

Harper gave him a small smile, "Thank you."

They descended back into silence. Ivor nudged him again and looked pointedly at the uneaten pancakes on his plate. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes (again), Jesse sliced off another bit and stuck it in his mouth.

"How long's it been dark out?" he asked, once he'd swallowed. Axel shrugged.

"Dunno, dude. Think around the same time you… left."

 _Left_. Okay. So saying he'd died and all that was taboo. Alright. That makes sense. Jesse was fine with that.

Olivia sighed, "So much for getting out of here before nightfall, huh?"

"I'm sure it's fine," Lukas assured her, somewhat awkwardly holding his empty plate as though he were unsure what to do with it, "I mean, we set up all those traps and stuff."

"Yeah," Axel frowned, "But we don't really know how long those'll last. I mean, they're cool and all, but with how long this night's gonna last, more monsters be replacing the dead ones in no time."

"Which is why we're still going to be finishing the episodes as fast as we can," Harper stated, "Overall, the plan hasn't changed."

_The plan you delayed._

Jesse violently shoved that thought away, but it didn't do much to stop the abrupt guilt churning in his gut. The pancakes were even less appetizing than before.

"We- We should get back to it immediately, then," he said, earning a few startled blinks, "The sooner we start them, the sooner we finish them and the sooner we leave."

Ivor hummed, "Yes, I suppose. I think we're continuing after breakfast," he glanced at Jesse's plate, "Now _eat_."

Jesse was able to stomach a few more bites before Ivor had to resort to convincing him to eat three more. Then they piled their plates together, grabbed the pillows and blankets and went back upstairs, dropping the dishes and cutlery in the kitchen before heading to the watching room.

Most of the other watchers were already there, and many greeted Jesse with wide grins or, in some cases for those unfamiliar with respawn, open stares. Jesse did his best to ignore the latter as he helped his friends set the blankets and pillows back up, slightly closer to the Order's couch than it had been before. Close enough that Jesse was able to press his back against Ivor's legs.

He tried not to look at the empty spot between Otto and Mevia.

Milo picked up the remote this time, pointing it at the screen and taking a moment to figure out where the _on_ button was.

The _play_ arrow onscreen flickered. Then stayed.

Milo blinked. Pressed the button again. This time, the arrow disappeared. But the screen didn't play.

_Everyone must be present to continue watching._

They stared.

Then Magnus swore.

"Of course," he said, shaking his head, "Of _friggin'_ course."

Gabriel groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Typical."

Something heavy had sunk to the pit of Jesse's stomach. His friends looked angry; Petra was scowling at her bandaged arm, and Olivia looked like she was going to start crying again. Reuben whined, rubbing his head against his chest. Ivor's hand reached out and gripped Jesse's shoulder.

After a long moment, Reginald sighed, turning to look at Isa, "Shall I retrieve him, Founder?"

Isa's lips twisted in displeasure, but she nodded stiffly, "We don't appear to have much choice."

Grimly, Reginald nodded as well, before standing and making his way out of the room. Jesse kept his eyes on Reuben.

There was some quiet grumbling from some of the others. He spotted Dan hugging a slightly trembling Stampy in an attempt to comfort him. It must have been around ten to fifteen minutes before Reginald returned, but that time seemed to drag on forever and yet somehow snap too quick at the same time.

The guards hand was on his shoulder in a bruising grip. Purple and yellow bruising was splattered across Hadrian's face, and his hands were tied in front of him. He met Jesse's eyes. And smiled.

Ivor's grip on Jesse's shoulder tightened. Growling like some sort of guard dog, Axel shifted so that he blocked the smaller boy from the older mans view. Petra's fingers inched towards her sword. They were all glaring. Jesse turned his own gaze back to Reuben.

_(Stop trembling, stop trembling, why are you trembling?)_

Reginald shoved Hadrian forward, towards the couch Otto and Mevia were seated on. He paused in front of them and gave them a somewhat apologetic look.

"Could you please move to where I was sitting before?"

Mevia and Otto looked at Hadrian, then Reginald, then each other. Slowly, Otto nodded. "Of course."

They stood, making their way over to Isa and Milo's couch, who scooted to the side slightly to make enough room for them. Hadrian sat down on the newly emptied couch. Reginald sat next to him.

Jesse kept his eyes away. After a moment, Milo pointed the remote at the screen again and pressed the button.

The message disappeared.

A snowy landscape flanked by mountains faded in, snowflakes drifting lazily from the sky. Along a path off to the side, Harper led Jesse and Petra around the corner.

" _We used to have competitors from all over,"_ she explained, looking at them over her shoulder, " _Travel here to play in the Games. At least until the others ruined it."_

Mevia rolled her eyes, muttering too low for the others to hear, "Of course _we're_ the ones that ruined it."

" _What happened?"_ asked Jesse. Harper sighed.

" _Hadrian and Mevia let power go to their heads,"_ she said, " _They started pinning people against each other. Just for sport."_

Hadrian rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to speak. A warning glare from Reginald halted him.

" _Forcing people to be here,"_ Harper shook her head, eyes to the ground, " _It isn't right."_

"That sounds horrible," mumbled Stampy. Sparklez frowned.

"Yeah, it's like a… a prison camp or something."

Nell and Em looked at each other. The larger girl shrugged slightly.

"That's, uh… one way to put it."

They came to a giant gate made of light blue with lines of a darker blue amongst its middle. A towering ice sculpture of crossing swords was stationed above it, hilts connected to the pillars on either side of the gate. The group came to a stop in front of it, looking up.

"Oh, wow," said Maya, "That's a pretty cool sculpture."

" _Come on,"_ said Harper, beginning to lead them inside, " _I'll show you where you'll be staying."_

Block by block, the gate sunk into the walls on either side, granting them entrance. Harper gestured to the little town before them. " _Well, here it is."_

The place was covered in snow. People in colour-coded uniforms ran about training; two in purple rounded the corner at a run, one coming to a stop to press their hands against their knees and try to catch their breath; one in blue was doing push-ups in front of what appeared to be some sort of memorial with a guy in fancy armour, while his buddies sparred on the platform around it.

" _The Competitors Village,"_ Harper continued, as _Minecraft: Story Mode_ appeared in the sky, Jesse planting his hands on his hips as he looked around, " _Sort of a home away from home' for all the people playing the Games."_

Lizzie scratched at the back of her neck, "Well… at least it doesn't look _too_ bad."

Glancing around, Harper began to lead them deeper into the village. Petra turned to watch the two blue competitors sparring on the little platform with a slight frown.

" _Wait,"_ she said, " _Are_ all _of these people competitors?"_

Nell shrugged, "Yeah, brah. S'Why it's called the Competitors Village and all that."

"But who's even _watching_ the Games, then?" asked Stacy, brow furrowed. Otto shrugged.

"When Harper and Cassie were still with us, they hooked up a redstone signal that broadcasts the Games across our world. It's also how we ourselves watch the Games in instances where we can't always see the Competitors."

Stacy blinked, "Oh. That's… huh."

" _Yup,"_ said Harper, " _At least the ones who aren't stuck working in the quartz mines,"_ they came to a stop, Harper turning to properly look at Jesse and Petra, downcast, " _Those poor souls are just waiting for their next shot."_

"Kinda being reminded of prisoner camps again," Sparklez murmured. Dan nodded in agreement.

" _Mining is tough work,"_ the inventor continued, gesturing to a little shop behind her labelled _Shovel Planet_ , where a group of dirty and obviously exhausted miners were exiting, " _I feel bad for the people that are too scared or weak to play in the Games."_

Em's jaw clenched slightly, "Yeah, well, that's their own fault, then."

" _They're just stuck here, unable to leave."_

" _Wow,"_ Jesse frowned, " _That's just horrible."_

" _I know,"_ Harper sighed. She turned and began leading them deeper into the village again, the last of the miners vanishing from view. The screen panned off to the side, revealing a purple-suited competitor trudging towards some sort of stand, clutching at her stomach and looking desperately at the bread on display.

Then there was a loud yell, and Clutch came charging from the side with an axe raised, sending the hungry competitor running. The pink sign above the food display declared it _Clutch's Kitchen._

"They're not even being _fed_ properly," Ellegaard frowned, glancing over at Petra and Jesse, "I don't really like the idea of you guys staying there."

"It's not like we have much of a choice," Petra pointed out, "If we don't do this, we'll never get home."

Ellegaard's frown deepened, but she didn't say anything in return.

" _They didn't make a deal like you did, Jesse,"_ declared Harper, as they passed a grinning Clutch, " _They're stuck here 'till they win the Games."_

Milo shook his head, eyes wide with horror, "This is… _disturbing._ "

" _And what if they lose?"_ Petra asked, looking for all the world to be dreading the answer. Harper bit her lip, turning to face them again. Her eyes found a Nether Portal off to the side, guarded by Facemeat, as two miners reluctantly made their way through its purple swirls.

" _Hadrian sends them to toil in the mines,"_ she explained, " _If they're lucky, they'll get another shot at the games. But it might take a while."_

"That must be where Ivor and Lukas are!" gasped Olivia. Aiden bit his lip.

"But… how are you gonna get 'em out?"

" _I'm gonna go confer with Otto,"_ Harper declared, returning her attention to Jesse, " _We go way back and, well, he's usually the most reasonable of the three."_

Otto hummed, lips twitching, "I like to think so, yes."

Mevia snorted.

" _Wait,"_ Petra cut in, as Harper began to walk away, " _We still haven't found Lukas or Ivor."_

Harper sighed again, halting to shoot them an apologetic glance, " _I'm thinking that Hadrian must have sent them through the portal to the mines,"_ she looked to the Nether Portal again, frowning as Facemeat moved to stand in front of it, as though admiring the purple swirls, " _Which is technically against the rules- no one is supposed to go there until their whole team is eliminated."_

Otto frowned, "Oh, yes, they _do_ appear to be absent. We'll have to get that sorted as soon as possible."

Lukas, Ivor, Soren and Jesse looked rather relieved at that.

" _Nuh-uh, no way,"_ said Jesse, a slight scowl on his face, " _They do_ not _get to put my friends in their stupid mines."_

Hadrian huffed quietly. _We'll see about that._

" _Yeah, we gotta bust them out of there,"_ Petra declared.

" _Hadrian always was on for maximizing useful- er, productivity,"_ said Harper, grimacing slightly at her choice of words. She wrapped an arm around Jesse's shoulders, guiding him away a little. " _See what you can do here._ I'm _going to try and find Otto."_

Otto smiled softly, "It will be nice to speak with you again."

Harper shot him a smile of her own, "Yeah, it's certainly been a while."

" _I've got confidence in you, Jesse,"_ Harper continued, " _You might just get out of this."_

With that, Harper turned and went in search of Otto.

"How are they supposed to get Lukas and Ivor out of there?" asked Gill, frowning. Otto shook his head.

"Even if they're unable to find a way to convince the Gladiator's to release them, Harper will be returning with me shortly and I will make certain that they are released and do not return unless Jesse and Petra are also eliminated."

Onscreen, Jesse watched Harper go for a moment, before making his way back to Petra, " _We gotta get our friends out of the mines, quick."_

Petra nodded, " _I'll go ask some of the other competitors."_

"Not sure we'll be able to do much to help," Em admitted, "Besides, since everyone's so bent on getting out of there, it's all really everyone for themselves in there."

"We can help 'em, though!" Nell exclaimed, a grin breaking out on her face. Em shot her a look.

"Nell, he cut open your arm."

"Well, yeah, but I killed his dad."

Em stared blankly at her. Both Jesse and Ivor were rather pink. Then the girl shrugged and turned back to the screen.

"Whatever, Nell."

Jesse looked around, his gaze finding Facemeat lounging on the slabs leading up to the portal. After a moment of consideration, he made his way over to him.

" _Um, hello?"_

The Gladiator glowered at him, balancing his axe on his hilt, " _Don't you 'hello' Facemeat!"_

"He's pleasant," muttered Ivor.

Onscreen, Facemeat paused. Then his eyes narrowed. " _Wait a minute!"_ he stood, towering over the boy like some sort of giant; Jesse hardly reached his stomach, " _You're the cheater that blew up my friend,Slab! And Facemeat,"_ the screen zoomed in on his face with each word, " _Doesn't. Like. Cheaters."_

"That wasn't cheating, though! They weren't even apart of the Games!" protested Olivia.

" _Don't stand around breathing all of Facemeat's air,"_ the Gladiator said, grinning rather menacingly down at the boy; one of his front teeth was missing, " _Facemeat prefers dweeb-free air."_

" _Do you know where my friends are?"_ Jesse asked, a little hesitantly. Facemeat blinked down at him.

" _In the mines. Duh. And they're not going anywhere. Not on Facemeat's watch!"_

"Why is he speaking in third person?" whispered Stampy. Dan shrugged.

He glanced down at Jesse, raising an eyebrow, " _That doesn't mean just stand there. Staring at Facemeat. With_ your _face."_

" _Please, what can I do to get them out?"_ asked Jesse, ignoring the comment. Facemeat paused for a moment.

" _Well, now that you mention it…"_

Harper's eyes narrowed, "Oh boy…"

" _Facemeat was busy slamming mad reps at the gym and missed lunchtime. Ya see?"_

Clutch blinked. Then slowly turned to glare at her fellow Gladiator.

"You better not be about to do what I think you're about to do."

Facemeat blinked at her, "What?"

" _Facemeat's hungry. Do something about_ that _and Facemeat'll think about getting your friends out,"_ with that, he seated himself back down on the slab steps. Jesse bit his lip, looking up at the Nether Portal, then back down at Facemeat. He left him to his business.

He walked around, patches of snow crunching beneath his boots, passing Petra before finding himself at the memorial he'd spotted earlier. He cocked his head, taking in the sign perched on its edge.

"' _Here lies the platform on which Tim stood to win these great games,'"_ he read.

Nell threw her hands in the air, "Whooo, Tim!"

Jesse looked up at the memorial, humming, " _Hope I'll be standing there soon."_

Hadrian's eyes darted over to the real Jesse. The boy firmly kept his own eyes on the screen.

The blue team were still training on the edge of the platform. Jesse looked at them for a moment, gnawing on his bottom lip. " _Wow. They look focused. They must really wanna win this thing."_

Em rolled her eyes, " _Everyone_ wants to win this thing. It's the only way we can get home."

Deciding not to disturb them, Jesse walked around them and made his way to the other side of the plaza, glancing over at the _Shovel Planet_ store they'd seen the miners exiting earlier. His eyes found Clutch stationed at her kitchen. He climbed onto the platform dotted with picnic tables, approaching a tad cautiously.

" _Heyyy,"_ Clutch greeted, with a rather friendly smile, which seemed to put Jesse at ease a little, " _Get out of here before I see if I can attach this sign to your head."_

Jesse immediately stiffened again, wincing. Clutch continued, still smiling.

" _It's so nice when new contestants are in the village,"_ she said, " _It's_ lovely _having fresh meat for us Gladiators to destroy."_

"She's… nice?" said Sparklez. Dan shook his head.

"Her words don't match her tone and it's somewhat unnerving."

Onscreen, Jesse swallowed, " _Would it be possible for me to… uh, have some of that bread?"_ he gestured to Facemeat on the other side of the plaza, " _It's for that guy over there."_

The real Clutch shook her head, "Nope. Sorry, pipsqueak, but I don't give handouts."

" _Seriously?"_ said Clutch, outright glaring at him now, " _I'm not falling for that. No bread until lunchtime. Get out of here before I make_ you _into a meal."_

Petra scowled, "Jerk."

Jesse faltered, looking at Clutch wearily. Then he turned around and made his way off the picnic area, sighing to himself " _Does_ anyone _have any food I can borrow? Or, well, have?"_ he glanced around the plaza, spotting Slab off to the side, the yellow team and what appeared to be two familiar girls in green, " _Guess I should ask around."_

"Talk to me!" Nell exclaimed, "I can totally help!"

Slab shot her a suspicious look, "How so?"

Nell froze, "Uh…"

Spotting the Purple Team seated at a table on the picnic platform, Jesse made his way over to them, " _Excuse me?"_

The team looked down at him. Then two snickered, the other one rolling her eyes with a dismissive scoff, and they returned to their conversation. Jesse's brow furrowed as he turned away. " _Wow. Rude."_

"He hardly even said anything!" said Soren.

Jesse made his way down a small, empty street, but came to a stop when a grinning blond Gladiator in a black cowboy hat grinned at him (with some missing teeth), raising his axe. The boy promptly turned around and walked away.

He made his way across the plaza again, glancing around- and froze, eyes widening, as he came to Slab, " _Hey, that's Lukas' journal!"_

Lukas' eyes widened.

" _You say something, Tiny?"_ Slab asked, glaring down at him, "' _Cause I'm tryin' to read here."_

Jesse's jaw clenched slightly; the somewhat timid behaviour he'd developed around the Gladiator's had all but vanished, " _Hey, where'd you get that book you're reading?"_

" _Oh, this?"_ Slab shrugged, " _Fished it out of some Respawn's inventory after he-"_ he made a neck-slicing motion, complete with gut-wrenching sound and everything, " _Full of tales of adventure, feelings, and other dumb stuff."_

Cassie raised an eyebrow, lips twitching, "Feelings, huh?"

"Shut up, Cassie."

Slab's eyes widened suddenly, " _Wait a minute. You're the pipsqueak that knocked me outta my tower!"_ he glanced down at the journal, putting two and two together, " _Yeah, and this belonged to that little blond buddy of yours! Lemme guess. You want this back?"_

"Uh… yes, please?" tried the real Jesse.

"' _Cause I'm actually enjoying myself,"_ Slab declared, " _There are some fascinating and thrilling tales in here."_

Lukas blinked, "There are?"

" _And I like to read slow to absorb it better. So I'm gonna be a while."_

" _Hey, don't get too steamed,"_ said Jesse, " _Maybe we can make a deal?"_

" _I'm Slab the Immoveable!"_ shouted Slab, spreading his arms, " _Oh, we can make a deal. If you do everything I say, when I say, and don't make me mad again…_ maybe _I'll consider giving you this stupid book back."_

"He's upset," muttered Isa.

"Well," said Milo, "I think anyone would be rather upset if they got blasted out of their tower."

"I like how it specifically has to be a tower."

Jesse winced, hovering for a moment. But when it became clear Slab had returned to his (slow) reading, he reluctantly continued his trek across the plaza.

" _Wow!"_ said one of the Yellow Team members, as Jesse passed a group of them, " _Hey, you were that crazy person in Extreme Spleef. Decent. Not as good as Time, but… decent. That's more than I can say for most. But not even a_ third _of what Tim was."_

"They _really_ like this Tim guy," hummed Stacy.

Onscreen, Jesse raised an eyebrow, " _Everybody loves Time around here."_

" _Uh, yeah,"_ said Yellow, " _And justifiably so. He_ literally _saved his entire team. And in_ style _. His armour didn't even get dirty."_

Gabriel's eyes narrowed slightly. He met Soren's gaze. The man seemed to have come along the same thought process as he had.

" _He's a real Tim-spiration."_

The audience looked entirely unimpressed. Even onscreen Jesse.

" _Yeah,"_ said Yellow, nodding all-knowingly, " _It's true. He could do the Tim-possible."_

"Please stop," said Ellegaard.

" _Here's the secret,"_ Yellow paused for dramatic effect, " _We're all just trying to be like Tim."_

Jesse blinked, slumping slightly. Yellow remained oblivious to this.

" _He's_ perfect _,"_ she declared.

" _Ooookay,"_ said Jesse, seemingly have decided he'd had enough of Tim-Worship for the moment, " _I'll leave you to it, then."_

"They were _weird_ ," declared Axel.

Onscreen, Jesse made left the Yellow Team to themselves, and began to make his way down to where the Green Team was. One member was doing sit-ups, while Em was jumping around an oak plank block up on a platform.

"Look!" Nell exclaimed, jabbing a finger at the screen, "It's you, Em!"

" _Uhh, hey,"_ Jesse greeted, coming to a halt at the edge of the platform. Em pulled out some iron weights, seating herself on a slab and raising an eyebrow at him. Then she scowled.

" _You're the one that eliminated the_ one _decent member of my team."_

Nell's smile faltered slightly. She quickly plastered it back on before anyone could notice.

Behind Jesse, the other Green Team member looked up at her from the floor, then cast his eyes downwards.

"Poor guy," muttered Magnus.

" _I'll barely be able to get through the next round,"_ Em declared, " _I mean, I know I'm good at this, but I'm not_ that _good."_

" _Hey, no hard feelings,"_ said Jesse, raising his hands slightly, " _I didn't know what I had gotten into. Let's just move past this."_

" _No,"_ said Em, glare hardening, " _I will eliminate you next round_ and _make you suffer."_

"Oh. That's… wonderful," muttered Aiden.

Em finally tore her eyes away from him, focusing on the weights, " _It'll be fun for me."_

A moment passed. Jesse didn't leave. Em huffed.

" _Next round. If I don't get you… one of the Gladiator's will,"_ she grunted, lifting the weights, " _You haven't been here long, so you wouldn't know- But the Gladiators are trained for_ everything _. And they are completely under Hadrian's control."_

Facemeat and Clutch shared a grin, wondering if they'd be able to do some more of those games they'd been playing earlier- except, this time, with a few less rules.

Jesse raised an eyebrow, then shrugged, " _Please. They don't seem so tough."_

Slab snorted, but kept his voice to a murmur, "Says the pipsqueak that could hardly look at us."

" _Then you haven't been paying close enough attention,"_ countered Em, " _Or you're cocky. Either way, bad business. I feel kinda bad for you. Most of us got snatched against our wills but you got tricking into coming_ willingly _. That Old Builder should've told you these games were impossible."_

"She's got a bit of a point," whispered Stampy.

" _Have you ever won the games?"_ asked Jesse.

" _Yeah, I won,"_ said Em, sarcasm dripping from her tongue, " _But decided to give up the prize of 'going home' to stay in this awesome place longer,"_ her face hardened, " _Of course I haven't won."_

Jesse bit his lip, glancing away. Before he could speak, Em stood, shrugging her broad shoulders. " _Yeah, well. Good luck with getting home."_

She walked off without another word. The other Green Team member climbed to his feet and darted after her.

The boy watched them go for a moment, before sighing and beginning to make his way further down the street. He didn't get far, however, before he spotted a Gladiator with a pink mohawk standing up ahead, who grinned and punched his fist into his hand, looking for all the world like he'd be more than happy for Jesse to try and come over. Deciding that was probably the last thing he wanted right now (not like he'd find any other competitors to lend him food over there anyway), Jesse turned back.

"Why are all the other areas blocked off?" asked Maya. Mevia seemed to think for a moment, then shrugged.

"No idea. They're not blocked off _now_ , at least. Maybe we're redecorating."

"Perhaps the wall has been blasted in," suggested Otto, "Or something happened to the security measures."

Sparklez stared for a moment. Then he coughed into his fist. "Sounding a bit like prison camps again."

He made his way back down the side of the plaza, starting to become slightly frustrated. Then he came across Nell, arm wrapped in bandages, sitting on an elevated slab on the side of a building. Spotting him, her face lit up and she hopped down.

" _Woah, it's you from Spleef!"_ she said, grinning widely, " _You were, like, amazing! I'm Nell. And I am_ so _supper sorry about your friends. I get you're probs upset. Especially since you had_ no _idea what was going on,"_ she chuckled slightly, shifting her bandaged shoulder, " _It, um, well, it wasn't very chill."_

" _Yeah, uh,"_ Jesse winced, " _Sorry about your shoulder."_

" _Oh, it's totes fine, brah,"_ Nell assured, waving him away, " _Just glad I didn't get, like, eliminated, yeah?"_

Jesse cracked a small smile, " _Speaking of my friends, have you seen them lately?"_

" _Nope, sorry,"_ said Nell, shaking her head, " _They're, like, probably in the mines. And that's one me,"_ she drew a breath between her teeth, wincing apologetically, "Such _bad karma. Bad karma."_

Milo glanced at Isa questionably. The Founder shook her head at him.

" _I will_ never _do that to one of your friends again,"_ Nell assured, giving another chuckle, " _Because,_ man _, do I not want to be on your bad side,"_ she shifted her bandaged shoulder again. Jesse winced, opening his mouth to probably apologise again, but Nell waved him off again and continued. " _I gotta say, you keep playin' like that and you'll be, like, Tim status."_

"Still no idea who Tim is," muttered Aiden.

Raising his eyebrows, Jesse glanced over his shoulder at the memorial. Sensing he didn't know much about the oh so glorious Tim, Nell went on, an awed beam on her face, " _Tim, like,_ won! _Like,_ you _could! People are, like, already talking about it. They're gonna, like, say stuff…_ compare _you to Tim. It might be a little uncomfortable. Or not. It's cool."_

" _I'm not here to be a 'Tim,'"_ Jesse frowned, " _I just want to get home."_

" _But that's, like,_ exactly _what makes you Tim status!"_ exclaimed Nell, seeming even _more_ excited, " _Tim didn't wanna be Tim either!"_

Magnus blinked, "That… came out depressingly."

" _He got his_ whole team _home,"_ Nell said. Then she straightened slightly, glancing to the side. " _Listen, I still feel super bad about taking out your friend. I owe you, so if you ever need_ anything _, you just come and ask, cha?"_

Em blinked once. Twice. Then slowly brought her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Your _arm_ , Nell. Your _arm._ "

" _No, I mean, seriously. I mean anything at all. Like, I wanna help out people. Like, be a good person, you know?"_

The kids on the floor glanced hopefully at each other.

" _Well, actually,"_ said Jesse, slowly, " _I'm trying to bribe that guard, Facemeat,"_ they glanced over at Facemeat further off to the side, fiddling with his axe, " _And he's hungry."_

Nell hummed, " _Well… if I had some wheat, I would totally give you some."_

Clutch blinked slowly, "What."

" _Sadly, I_ don't _have a secret stash,"_ Nell leant forwards a little, voice low; Jesse looked rather confused, " _And if you_ didn't _ask, I_ wouldn't _loan you some,"_ she gave him a slow, obvious wink, " _Wink."_

Slowly, Em shook her head, opening her mouth, but then closing it, at an absolute loss for words. Clutch's face was beginning to darken.

Nell began to creep forward, tip toeing through the crunchy (and not very silent) snow. She turned to look back at a confused Jesse when he didn't move, whispering loudly. " _Come on! Quick before anyone sees us."_

"And tip toeing in the snow isn't suspicious at _all_ ," said Magnus, rolling his eyes. Ellegaard's lips twitched.

Nell continued tip toeing across the plaza, Jesse following at a regular walk, absolutely bewildered. They passed Slab, who was too invested in Lukas' journal to pay any attention to them. It cut to Nell waiting at the opening of an alleyway next to Clutch's Kitchen, continuing down it when Jesse reacher her. She went around a short wall, peeking to make sure Jesse was still following before vanishing. Jesse stared at the spot she'd been for a moment, before walking around the wall.

The girl stood off to the side, grinning. Right next to a small patch of wheat.

Clutch growled, "Hey! That's not allowed!"

Nell winced, shrinking slightly in her seat, "Uh, ye-yeah, but… I don't have a secret stash! Not, like, _right now_ , at least. So I haven't _technically_ broken any rules _yet?_ "

Otto shook his head, "I am sorry, Nell, but outside resources are forbidden. Even if you do not currently have a wheat stash, I am obliged to make sure you never develop one."

Nell slumped, wincing again.

" _Go ahead,"_ said Nell, gesturing to the wheat, " _That should be enough for your bead."_

" _All of it?"_ asked Jesse. Nell shrugged, nodding.

"' _Course, brah. It'll grow back. Just, uh, leave the seeds, yeah?"_

Jesse shot her a grateful smile. He bent down and harvested some of the wheat, plopping it into his pocket and throwing the seeds down, mumbling to himself, " _One… planting as I go…"_ he made his way over to the next one, cutting it from the ground and throwing the seeds down, " _And that's another…"_ Humming a song, he turned to the last one, grinning, " _Sweet! Aaaand that should all grow back soon."_

" _Nice!"_ said Nell, as they made their way back to the plaza, " _Looks like that should be enough for some epic loafage."_

Gill's eyes narrowed, "Loafage… ?"

Jesse raised a confused eyebrow at her, brow furrowed slightly. Nell glanced to the side a tad awkwardly.

" _Yeah, that means bread."_

" _Hopefully bread'll be enough to get that Facemeat guy to help me,"_ Jesse said. Nell's smile returned.

" _Righteous," she shrugged, making her way back to the slab she'd been sitting on earlier, "They don't let us use crafting tables, though."_

"What?" Lukas blinked, " _Why?_ "

"If the competitors have access to crafting tables and the correct resources, they could potentially craft a tool that would assist them in the games," Otto explained, "Which is against the rules."

"I guess that makes sense," Lukas frowned, "But I don't think it's necessary to _ban_ them."

" _Wait,"_ said Jesse, beginning to follow her, " _I saw a few wood blanks by the Dojo!"_

"The Do- you better not take those wood planks!" Em said, scowling, "Those are for work-outs only!"

Nell turned to face him again, grinning, " _Right on."_

Jesse smiled back, " _Thank you, Nell."_

" _Hey, no prob,"_ said Nell, " _Happy to help. Catch ya later, yeah?"_

"You shouldn't even be _talking_ to him," Em growled down at her teammate. Nell looked like she was about to protest, but decided against it and instead sighed, slumping in her seat.

Jesse nodded, and Nell left him to his devices. The boy turned his attention to the Dojo Em had been at earlier.

Climbing up onto the platform, he glanced briefly at Pink Mohawk, but he seemed to be a little distracted with his daydreaming. He came to a halt in front of the plank Em had been jumping around earlier, kissed his fist and began to punch.

The screen sped up, albeit only slightly, as he punched up four different wooden planks, before returning to its regular speed as he straightened, " _There. That should be enough for a table."_

"Go progress!" cheered Axel.

Jesse jumped down from the platform and made his way over to the side of it, out of Pink Mohawk's sight. He fumbled with the wooden planks for a moment, and then, in a puff of dust, a crafting table appeared before him.

" _Aha!"_ he grinned, hands going to his hips, " _That's some fine crafting."_

Mevia frowned, "Hm. Perhaps we should take some precautionary measures. Nothing for the competitors to be able to craft a table with."

Otto hummed, "Perhaps. Although I do suppose he's not _technically_ breaking any rules, considering he's only making bread to give to Facemeat, who missed lunch in the first place so isn't gaining any extra food anyway, to release his friends from the mines, who shouldn't be there in the first place."

Mevia's frown deepened. She didn't say anything.

" _Let's make some food!"_ the boy tugged the wheat from his pocket and sat it in a line along the middle row of the table; the ingredients trembled, before merging together and forming a single loaf of bread. Jesse beamed down at it, scooping it up.

" _Boom! Bread. Now I should be able to get my friends back!"_

"Let's hope," muttered Soren, brow furrowed. He knew how twisted Hadrian could get.

Equipped with his newly crafted bread, Jesse quickly returned to the Nether Portal, smiling a tad nervously as he approached Facemeat, " _Um, hello."_

The Gladiator raised an eyebrow at him, standing from his seat on the stairs and waiting expectantly. Jesse tucked his hand into his pocket and pulled out the bread.

" _Heey, Facemeat,"_ he said, holding the food out, " _Got some bread for ya."_

Facemeat sniffed, sheathing his axe and snatching the food from Jesse's outstretched hand, " _Bread, huh?"_ he grunted, then shrugged, " _It's not cake, but Facemeat_ is _starving."_

Harper glanced at the real Facemeat, "This mean you gonna let 'em out now?"

Facemeat seemed to think for a second, then shrugged, "Facemeat sees no reason to break deal."

" _It's so warm,"_ Facemeat murmured, mouth practically drooling, " _And full of carbs. Hmm, fresh bread."_

" _Please get my friends?"_ Jesse asked. Facemeat smiled, laughing in a surprisingly non-mean way.

" _Facemeat appreciates the politeness. Hang on,"_ beginning to bite into his newly acquired bread, Facemeat turned around and vanished through the purple swirls of the Nether Portal.

"Oh, there we go," said Lukas, smiling, "Everything should be alright now."

"Well, somewhat," corrected Ivor, "We _do_ still have to beat these apparently unbeatable games, after all."

"Stop smothering my optimism."

The bang was loud and entirely unexpected. Every audience member jumped, startled, heads snapping towards the archway. Time ticked slowly in silence. Magnus broke it.

"What was that?"

"I'm unsure," Gabriel's brow furrowed, "Perhaps it was the person that's been spying from the portraits?"

Petra's eyes lit up and she shot to her feet, "If that's the case, we can finally catch them!"

Jesse's own eyes widened; something heavy sunk to his stomach, "Uh, I don't think-"

A second, even louder bang sounded. This time, eyes turned to the ceiling. It was coming from above them.

"Okay," said Gill, face pale, "This is getting cree-"

A third, ear-ringing _bang._ Then the lights went out.

For a moment, absolute silence.

A fourth, earth-shattering _**BANG!**_

And they screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were you mean, polite or impatient to Facemeat upon giving him the bread? Let me know in the reviews!


	79. To Keep A Promise

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Seventy-Nine: To Keep A Promise**

* * *

"Will you _calm down?!_ "

"Panic! Panic, panic, panic, panic, panic-"

"Facemeat blind! _Facemeat blind!_ "

"Ow- Winslow! _Claws!_ "

"-Panic, panic, panic, panic, panic, panic-"

"Everybody _SHUT UP!_ "

Silence. Magnus sighed.

"There. Now that you're all done _screaming_ , we can figure out what the heck's going on."

Red light flickered to life, painting the walls in bloody shadows. For a second, Jesse thought shadowed fingers and a jagged smile was about to greet them, but then his eyes found the source of the light. Harper was standing, keeping her hand pressed against the button on the redstone lamp so it wouldn't go out, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the new light.

Stampy glanced around, blinking blearily, "I- I'm not sure that's any better."

"At least we can see," countered Harper. She glanced around. "Well… what now?"

There was another _**BANG!**_ If possible, they jumped even higher than before. Jesse's head snapped to the ceiling, as though willing himself to suddenly develop the power of x-ray vision. What is that stupid- _thing_ doing up there? How can it even _cause_ that kind of noise when it's a freaking _shadow_?

Un- Unless it _wasn't_ that thing.

Unless it was _her._

Jesse's chest morphed into bars of heavy iron, dropping down to his stomach to melt into a frigid pool. He set Reuben on the pillow next to him, the little pig whining, and shot to his feet. He spotted Ivor's eyes widening, opening his mouth to say something, but Jesse was already ducking around Harper's redstone lamp and darting out into the hall.

"Jesse!"

"Wait!"

"Dude, where are you going?!"

It became too dark to see almost immediately. Jesse faltered, but only briefly; his hand found the opposite wall, and he hurriedly made his way down the hall, fingers trailing along portraits and wood. At the back of his mind, he registered someone shouting for him to come back, but he was already rounding the corner and blindly reaching for the stairs, tripping over the steps as he scrambled up them.

He slammed around the corner and into the hall, tripping over the last step and almost face-planting the floor. He pushed himself back up, head snapping left and right as though he could actually _see_. Realising the action was useless in the dark, he turned left, heading in the direction the watching room was downstairs, fingers trailing against the wall.

He bumped into a good two tables, before reaching the more open area of the hall. Squinting as his eyes (somewhat) adjusted, he peered through the dark metaphorical curtains, trying to make out if there was anyone here. He should (roughly) be somewhere above the watching room now. Hopefully.

Seeing nothing, Jesse grimaced, before experimentally bringing his hand to his face. He couldn't see it. He dropped it and leant a little closer to the wall.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

Well. He was here now.

"Jess?" Jesse called hesitantly, almost automatically keeping his voice low; just in case someone ( _something_ ) was listening, "You here?"

The mansion groaned in response. He wondered if it had always been this creaky. Swallowing, Jesse inched a little more into the open area, fingers brushing against the corner of the wall.

"Je-"

Someone- _something, something, oh god-_ appeared behind him, grabbing his arm. Jesse gasped, jerking away, but then he was being pulled back, a hand going over his mouth. There was no breath on his ear, but he heard the tight terror in the voice.

"Be quiet," she rasped, voice even lower than his had been, "I don't know where it is."

They fell into silence. Jesse could hear his heart thudding in his ears. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could've sworn he heard scuttling along the floor, claws scraping along the walls, frigid fingers reaching for them. They waited.

But nothing happened.

Slowly, the hand slipped from his face. The one gripping his arm, however, didn't loosen.

"We need to get out of here," she whispered. Stiffly, Jesse nodded, realising too late that she couldn't see it. A tug on his arm had him shuffling back the way he'd came, the fingers on his free arm still trailing along the wall. After a few moments of shuffling away, where Jesse expected something to lash out at them at any second, they came to a stop. He heard fingers that weren't his own brushing against the wall, before what he could only presume to be a portrait was pushed aside with an almost painful gentleness, afraid of making noise.

Jesse was nudged through a newly revealed hole (one they couldn't see). This ended up with his foot getting caught on the edge and him face-planting a rather cold and dusty floor. The portrait swung back into place as his companion scrambled through, and then there was simply more darkness.

A moment passed. Then another.

"Wh- What happened?" Jesse whispered, finally, still sprawled across the floor. He was rather reluctant to get up. Just in case he made too much noise. Just in case he touched something icy cold.

"That stupid thing showed up again."

"And the lights?"

He could almost _see_ her shrugging.

"No idea."

There was an audible flicker, and light poured through the cracks between the portraits. Jesse squinted, grimacing and blinking rapidly to get his eyes to adjust. He looked up and around, searching, and found her only a moment later.

She was sitting on the floor at the base of the portrait, watching him. She didn't seem as affected by the sudden burst of light as he was.

"Take it the lights are back on," Jesse muttered, pushing himself up properly. He paused, looking away. "You know-"

"No, Jay."

He shot her an exasperated look, "You didn't even know what I was gonna say."

Jessi huffed a small laugh, "Sure I did. Mum always called it our twin thing, remember?"

Jesse's lips twitched into a small smile, "Yeah. I remember."

They fell into silence. Jesse glanced wearily at the portrait she was sitting under, wondering if that _thing_ was going to decide to pop in at any time. A sigh had his gaze trailing down to Jessi.

"They really love you, huh?"

He blinked, "Sorry?"

Jessi smiled at him, "Your friends. Your… the bearded guy. They really love you."

"Oh," he blinked again, then smiled, "Yeah. They really do."

Another brief silence. Jesse bit his lip.

"They wouldn't hurt you."

Jessi sighed again, smile slipping, "I don't want to have this conversation, Jason."

He flinched, berating himself seconds after. To his dismay, it didn't go unnoticed.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Flinch," Jessi stated, brow furrowed, "Whenever I say your name."

Jesse opened his mouth. Nothing came out. He closed it again.

The silence crept back in. He broke eye contact, but could still feel the stare on the side of his head. Finally, she grunted.

"Fine. Don't tell me." Jessi shifted, climbing to her feet and brushing rather real dust off her dungarees, "But I expect an eventual explanation as to why you're _Jesse_ now. No offence- and it does suit you, don't get me wrong- but it's kinda confusing."

Jesse shot her a (admittedly weak) smile, "You noticed that, huh?"

Jessi shrugged, "I've been watching these episodes from the beginning. Thought it was just some weird coincidence at first. Definitely didn't help me realise you were you, though."

"Yeah, guess so," Jesse muttered, eyes trailing the faint patterns in the floor only partially visible in the weak light, "But, um… I don't really want you to stay stuck here forever, okay? Just… please come out sometime? I promise no one will hurt you."

Jessi crossed her arms, shifting her weight slightly. She wouldn't meet his eyes. "We'll see."

"I think Ivor'd like you," Jesse declared, pushing himself to his own feet to stand in front of her; he noticed, absently, that they were roughly the same height (which was, in retrospect, was only impressive in consideration to how _small_ that height was), "And Harper. And Axel. And Olivia. And Lukas. And Petra. Heck, I think pretty much everyone-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Jessi cut him off, chuckling despite herself, "I'll… think about it, okay? But for now, I need you to keep your promise. Please?"

Jesse sighed, and (with reluctance) nodded, "Yeah. Okay, Jess."

Jessi shot him a grateful smile, "Thanks, Jess."

He smiled back. Then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, his own automatically coming up to return the gesture, and they simply stood there in the darkness of the passageway, neither wanting to let go. So neither didn't.

"... I'm kicking Hadrian in the nuts, though."

Jesse snorted, "I'm sure he'll appreciate that."

Jessi pulled back just enough to beam at him, "I'll kick him _multiple_ times, then, if he appreciates it that much."

"Okay, now you're scaring me."

"But why?" she cocked her head, seemingly genuinely curious (and in the most angelic tone you could possibly achieve), "I'm not a very scary person."

Jesse scoffed, unable to fight the smile on his lips, "Maybe not to someone who doesn't know you."

Jessi giggled, "I can be the creepy voice in the walls, then."

"I don't-"

"Jeeeeeessssseeeee," she said, cutting him off in her best ghostly voice, "I'm coming to pooooooooke yooooouuu."

"Jess-"

A finger jabbed into his stomach. Jesse jumped back with a startled laugh, finally breaking the hug.

"Jessi, come on-"

"I have cooooooome," Jessi declared, although the oh-so-spooky voice she'd adopted had been forcibly dropped in favour of giggling like a maniac. Then she poked him in the chest, shoulder, stomach, cheek, basically everywhere and anywhere she could reach. Jesse laughed, weakly fending her off. It didn't really work.

Of course, the both of them dissolving into fits of laughter to the point that neither of them could really poke or fend off said pokes technically worked.

Slowly, their laughter died, leaving the united twins breathlessly beaming at each other. A muffled shout tore them back to reality.

"Jesse! Jesse, where are you?!"

They looked back at each other (when had they looked away?). Jessi's smile had slipped. Jesse chewed on his lip a little.

"You could come with me."

She shook her head, "No. Not… not yet."

He sighed, but smiled at her anyway, "Okay. I'll wait 'till you're ready."

She smiled back, "It's appreciated," she glanced at the portrait they'd come through. Then back at him. Smiled again and raised her hand.

"Jessie five?"

Jesse blinked, surprised. Then smiled himself and raised his own hand. "Jessie five."

The clap was quiet. But it held a thousand words.

* * *

Okay.

So.

Jesse had regrets.

Those regrets mostly centring around not pressing Jessica to reveal herself hard enough, because he was fairly certain the revelation that his twin sister that no one knows about was alive (well) would diffuse the situation and turn attention to _her_ instead of _him_. But, of course, that was not what had happened.

So here he was.

Pretty sure that this was Ivor's version of the naughty chair.

"I'm _fine_ ," Jesse stated, for the _billionth time_ since this morning, as Ivor pushed him (rather roughly) back onto the cot upon his attempt to get up, "See? No bruises. Not even a scratch."

"What have I told you about saying that?" asked Ivor, shoving a potion into his hands. Jesse's brow furrowed. "No more ' _I'm fines.'_ Remember?"

Jesse sighed, "I remember."

"Good. Now drink."

He looked down at the potion. And blanched. "Oh no. This isn't the potion you gave me when I tried to tell the guys about that _thing_ , is it?"

Ivor raised an innocent eyebrow, "Perhaps. Why?"

Jesse shot him a scowl, "I'm _not_ drinking this."

"You're drinking it because I _told_ you to," Ivor pushed Jesse's hands- and the potion- closer to his face, "You shouldn't have run off like that. Do you realise how much you _terrified_ me?"

"I thought someone was hurt!" Jesse protested. Ivor glared at him.

"Hurt, huh? Of course, you don't care if _you_ get hurt, do you?"

Jesse faltered. Ivor huffed and pushed the potion closer.

"Drink. _Now_. Unless you want me to force-feed you."

"I didn't mean to scare you," Jesse murmured, guilt weighing down his shoulders. Ivor's glare softened, and he sighed.

"I know you didn't," he nudged the potion closer, "Now drink."

Jesse sighed, shoulders slumping. Tugging off the cork, Jesse swallowed, braced himself and downed it.

It was worse than he remembered.

* * *

After downing a few glasses of water to get the taste of his mouth, getting hit over the head by a glaring Petra, hugged by Olivia, Lukas and (bone-crushingly) Axel, and told by Harper to never, _ever_ do something like that again, they all settled back down into the watching room.

No one was really sure _how_ or _why_ the power had tripped like it had, but everyone agreed that they were lucky no monsters immediately spawned in. However, when taking into consideration the size of the mansion, it was silently decided that everyone keep their guards up. As an extra precaution, just in case the power tripped again, Ellegaard, Olivia, Stampy and Harper rigged up some lights in the watching room that would turn on if their current ones went out. Not like Jesse understood any of it, but he decided it was cool.

He just hoped there were no monsters in the passageway.

Especially grabby ones.

The screen, which had switched off with the lights, was back, pause button in place. Someone pressed play.

" _Hey, Petra,"_ Jesse greeted, turning to the side only moments after Facemeat vanished through the Nether Portal. The girl approached with a small smile.

" _Hey,"_ she greeted back, " _Glad to see you already figured out the whole Nether Portal thing."_

Jesse nodded, smile widening, " _Lukas and Ivor should be right out. One of those huge guys is getting them for me."_

"They _are_ pretty huge," Stampy muttered, glancing over at the real Gladiators. Dan shrugged, although the action proved to be rather difficult considering Stampy had been clinging to him since the first bang.

" _Nice, nice,"_ she paused, glancing away, " _It seems like we keep ending up in situations."_

Magnus snorted, "That's putting it _lightly_."

 _"First with PAMA_ ," Petra continued, still not looking at him, _"Now with that stupid_ sploof _game..._ _"_

Lukas coughed into his fist, "Spleef."

Onscreen, she trailed off, before shaking her head and finally looking back at him, " _Look, what I'm trying to say is thanks."_

"D'Awww," Maya cooed. Petra shot her a glare.

Onscreen, Jesse smiled at her. Petra shuffled her feet, cheeks tinting _slightly_ pink.

" _You know, don't make this awkward,"_ she said, glancing away again, " _It was just… on my mind and… I thought I should say something."_

 _"Hey, of_ course _I saved you_ , _okay?_ _"_ Jesse said, shooting her a reassuring smile, _"You're one of my best friends."_

Petra smiled back, _"Well... I just hope Ivor isn't too jealous."_

Ivor blinked, then snorted, "Ha ha, very funny."

Harper chuckled, nudging him, "Don't let her steal your kiddie, poppy."

"Oh, be quiet."

Jesse chuckled, " _I'm glad you're in this with me, Petra."_

Petra's smile softened, " _Me too."_

"D'aawwwwwwwww-"

"Shut _up_ , Maya!"

" _Here!"_

Their heads snapped towards the portal, just in time to see Facemeat shoving Ivor and Lukas out with a considerable amount of force, sending them face-planting the floor at the base of the platform, " _Go away, respawns."_

"They live!" cheered Axel.

Lukas groaned, sprawled across the floor at Jesse's feet. The blond looked up, meeting his eyes, and immediately looked relieved. " _Jesse,"_ he climbed to his feet, rubbing a bruised jaw but beaming at him with a large smile, Petra coming over to pat him on the back with a smile of her own, " _Man, is it good to see you."_

" _You too, Lukas,"_ said Jesse, returning his friend's smile. Then he looked to the side as his second companion got to his feet. " _Aaaannnnd Ivor."_

Then he paused. The screen started at the man's feet and trailed up to his beaming face. He looked unusually happy to be standing there in his undergarments.

The audience stared.

Then Magnus started chuckling. Which then proceeded into full-blown laughter. Ellegaard covered her mouth, torn between horrified embarrassment and following the self-proclaimed Boom Master into fits of laughter. Soren was clapping, of all things, and Gabriel was hiding his face in his hands, shoulders trembling with suppressed giggles.

The rest were in a similar state. Although some had gone red and decided averting their eyes from the screen was the best course of action.

Harper shook her head, cheeks aching from her own smile, "I see what you mean now."

Ivor huffed a small laugh of his own. He was fairly certain his onscreen self had decided to just go with it, at this point.

" _Uh,"_ Petra blinked, having also noticed the potionologist's (lack of) clothing, " _What are you wearing?"_

Lukas snickered, " _Right?"_

" _Shut up!"_ snapped Ivor, straightening slightly but smile not slipping, " _My outfit breathes wonderfully."_

Magnus promptly fell onto the floor, howling.

" _Anyway,"_ said Lukas, turning back to Jesse, " _How's it been going out here? You, uh, don't have our stuff by any chance, do you?"_

Ivor rolled his eyes, cutting in before Jesse could answer, " _He's worried about his diary."_

The real Lukas' cheeks tinted, and he scowled, "It's not a diary."

Cassie snorted, "Well, whatever it is, the big guy over there likes it. And didn't he mention there were _feelings_ in there?"

" _Shut up_ , Cassie!"

" _I'm working on that,"_ Jesse assured, hand going to his hip, " _It's… tricky, though."_

" _Well, don't beat around the bush,"_ said Ivor, brow furrowing, " _What has Harper got us wrapped up in?"_

The real Harper winced.

" _Yeah,"_ Lukas muttered, frowning, " _Harper is a tricky one."_

" _As long as we stick together, it's gonna be fine,"_ Jesse assured, " _We'll either get the Atlas and go home or we'll be stuck in the Nether together…"_ his smile faltered, " _Forever."_

Lukas scratched his neck, " _That is_ not _reassuring, Jesse."_

"I _tried_."

" _Hey!"_ abruptly, the portal shimmered, and a miner appeared, eyes snapping around, " _Jesse! I need to talk-"_

Jesse's widened in surprise. Facemeat made his way up to the miner, glowering down at him with a menacing grin. Then he grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him around and shoved him back through the portal with a laugh.

"Wow," murmured Olivia, "Wonder what all _that_ was about."

The group stared at the portal for a long moment, startled. Lukas' brow furrowed slightly and he turned to look back at his friend. " _It's pretty bad in there, Jesse. They don't even do anything to keep the pigmen away, so they just…"_ he shuddered, " _Stare at you while you mine."_

Stacy pulled a face, "Ugh. That's… creepy."

Isa sighed, "It really got bad over there, huh?"

" _It's been_ terrible _,"_ declared Ivor, shaking his head, " _And we weren't in there that long."_

The real Jesse frowned, rubbing his thumb against Reuben's floppy pink ears. Maybe they'll be able to get them all out?

" _We can't just leave,"_ said Jesse, " _I really think we can win this."_

Em snorted, "Won't be thinking that for long, trust me."

Lukas raised an eyebrow at him, then nodded, " _Good. We need to."_

Jesse turned, gesturing to the pedestal with Tim's picture on it, " _Apparently this guy Tim did it."_

"TIIIIIM!" Nell cheered.

" _That's true!"_ said Lukas, he and the others following Jesse away from the portal, " _He's all they talk about in the mines. Guess he won the games a long time ago and got all his team home,"_ his eyes locked onto the portrait, " _They say he was three blocks tall and that he carried his entire team across the finish line."_

"That's…" Gabriel frowned, "Impressive?"

" _Yeah,"_ Petra frowned, " _It's super fishy."_

Nell shook her head, "Nah, brah! Trust me, Tim's _real_."

Otto and Mevia shared a glance.

" _Well, you're out of those mines now,"_ Jesse stated, turning to face them again, " _According to Harper, until our entire team is eliminated, you're allowed to stay here in the village."_

" _That's right."_

The group jumped, turning to find Otto and Harper already making their way towards them. Otto continued.

" _Your friends weren't supposed to go to the mines yet. I am sincerely sorry about that."_

Hadrian rolled his eyes. Leave it to Otto to be a good for nothing traitor.

" _Jesse, this is Otto,"_ Harper introduced, " _My old friend. Like I said, he may be able to help."_

Jesse shifted, crossing his arms and shooting the newly introduced Old Builder a weary look, " _So you're the one that's supposed to help us?"_

" _Well,"_ said Otto, " _I'll enforce the rules at any rate. If_ that _helps you, then…"_ he shrugged and smiled, " _Can't be games without rules."_

Sparklez raised an eyebrow, "I guess?"

" _Harper's been filling me in about you,"_ Otto continued, " _From the stories she's told, I'm impressed. You might actually make it to the top."_

Olivia shot Jesse a grin, which he happily returned.

" _In fact, you're the most exciting thing to come to this place in a looooong time,"_ the Old Builder marvelled, " _A real wild card."_

Hadrian's scowl deepened.

" _I think you might be a real Tim in the making,"_ Otto declared, shaking his head with a small air of amazement, " _Yup. A_ real _Tim."_

Magnus, who had finally clambered back onto the couch to sit (cuddle) with Ellegaard, raised an eyebrow.

" _Really interesting,"_ hummed Otto. He paused. " _You being here. I can feel change in the air."_

" _Great,"_ Jesse blinked, " _As long as I get to go home."_

"Yeah," Axel said, "And tell us about all this crazy stuff you've been up to. I wonder how long you guys have been gone."

"With the amount of portals we went through? Probably weeks," Petra said, frowning, "And we don't even know how long it took for us to get _back_ to the hallway with each one."

"Yikes," Olivia muttered, frowning, "I wonder what Axel and I have been up to."

" _That_ is _the point,"_ said Otto, " _But you have to win first. And my job is to make sure everybody- even Hadrian- plays by the rules."_

"That doesn't sound _too_ bad," Lizzie murmured, "I mean, if _everyone's_ playing by the rules, then there _has_ to be a way to win, right?"

Em simply shook her head, not bothering to properly answer. Nell's smile faltered slightly.

" _I'm rooting for ya, kid,"_ Otto declared, shooting the boy a smile, " _Just don't disappoint me."_

With that, he turned around and left them to their devices. The group watched him go.

" _Can we trust him, Harper?"_ Petra asked, hesitantly. Harper sighed, finally tearing her eyes from her friends retreating form to look at her.

" _Who knows? Otto's been doing this forever. At least he_ seemed _interested."_

The real Otto frowned, eyes turning to his hands, clasped in his lap. Trust was a fickle thing amongst the Old Builders, he supposed.

After a moment, Harper gestured to a building off to the side, the one right in the centre of town, " _Anyway, dorms are over there. You got a big day tomorrow, Jesse."_

" _Oh, that sounds awesome,"_ said Lukas, exhaustion creeping into his voice, " _Can't wait to just sit for a little while."_

Petra chuckled, "Yeah, don't think we've been doing much sitting lately."

" _And in the morning,"_ said Jesse, " _I'm winning and getting us all out of here."_

Hadrian's jaw clenched, but he quickly schooled his expression into one of blank boredom when Reginald glanced at him. _We'll see about that, Jesse._

Harper smiled and nodded, before turning and leading them towards the dorms. Petra frowned, snow crunching beneath her armoured boots.

" _Wonder what the next event will be."_

Ivor's own brow furrowed, " _Hopefully nothing_ too _deadly."_

Lukas choked on a laugh, snickering behind his hand. He took a deep breath. " _I- I'm sorry, but-"_ he chortled, which must have been contagious because Jesse was beginning to grin next to him, " _I can't take you seriously looking like that."_

" _It. Breathes._ _Wonderfully!"_

Oh. Will you look at that. Magnus was on the floor again.

The group made their way into the dorms, the screen panning out slightly to give them a good look at Tim's memorial. Then everything went black.

"Well," Magnus huffed, a bit breathless from all the laughing; he pushed himself off the floor and back onto the couch, "That went alright."

Ellegaard raised an eyebrow at him, faintly amused, "Yes, I suppose it was. At least they got Ivor and Lukas out of there."

"Hm," Soren hummed, eyes darting over to Hadrian, "There _is_ that at least."

He said nothing more.

But he was fairly certain that Tim wasn't real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was your response to Otto calling you a real Tim? I'm better than Tim, You better not cheat or As long as I go home? (or silence) Let me know in the reviews!


	80. A Dash of Lava

* * *

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Eighty: A Dash of Lava**

* * *

" _Hello, competitors!"_

Hadrian's meere voice alone received multiple scowls from the audience, as the screen faded in to show the dorms, the Purple Team grinning at each other as the tugged on their helmets. One was waving his arms about, while his two teammates shared a special handshake. The Old Builder's voice seemed to be coming from speakers along the walls.

" _Welcome to the next day of the games! And it's gonna be a_ hot _one!"_

"Hot one?" echoed Ellegaard, sharing a weary look with Soren, "What does he mean by that?"

"I suppose we're about to find out."

" _Whoo! Yes it is, Hadrian,"_ said Mevia's voice, as the screen panned to the side to reveal Em doing pushups with Nell and their unnamed teammate close by, " _And how are our teams looking, Otto?"_

" _Well, Mevia,"_ came Otto's voice, as the screen crossed over a small section of wall, " _Purple, Green and Yellow are still making a strong showing. But after yesterday's performance in Spleef,"_ they came out the other side of the wall, revealing the Yellow Team crowded together, muttering and nodding with wide grins, " _I'm afraid to say that the Red Team has been completely eliminated."_

Jesse winced. He hoped they were okay in the mines…

" _Aww,"_ Mevia mocked, " _I guess it's back to the mines for them!"_ the giggle that followed was more than a little disturbing.

Stampy shuddered, huddling closer to Dan.

Then, at the very back of the dorm room, stood Jesse and Petra.

" _And, of course,"_ Otto continued, " _About our lucky newcomers-"_

" _Otto,"_ Hadrian cut him off, " _Shut up."_

Isa raised an eyebrow, "As pleasant as ever."

" _We don't need to hear about them,"_ Hadrian declared, as Jesse and Petra turned to glare at the speakers, " _Well, for everyone else: don't forget to be like Tim out there!"_

Nell cheered.

Onscreen, Petra scoffed, rolling her eyes with twitching lips, " _Wonder how this is going to go. Those other losers don't look so tough."_

Em scowled.

" _Yup,"_ Jesse chuckled, " _It's gonna be a good one. I can feel it."_

Petra grinned at him, " _Alright. I can get behind that kind of optimism. No idea what this event is, but I'm sure we'll kick. Butt."_

"Yeah! You guys can do it!" cheered Axel.

The Yellow Team jumped, throwing their hands in the air with excited cheers all across the dorms. Hadrian's voice filtered through again.

" _Alright, competitors. The next event is almost upon us- time to head to the starting line!"_

"Here we go," muttered Aiden.

" _Starting line, huh?"_ muttered Jesse, raising an eyebrow at Petra. The redheads face lit up.

" _A race! We've_ totally _got this!"_

The real Petra and Jesse grinned at each other. Racing, if the episodes were anything to go by, had sort of become their thing.

A scoff had their onscreen selves turning to the entrance of the dorms- to reveal none other than Hadrian.

" _Got this, huh?"_

"Woah!" Stacy stiffened, "What's _he_ doing there?!"

" _Boom! Surprise Locker Room Visit!"_ Hadrian laughed, striding over to Jesse and Petra with a toothy grin, " _How we doing, everybody?"_

The teams gaped at him, some even inching away. One of the yellow team members leant towards their friend, whispering loudly, " _It's Hadrian!"_

"Surprise, surprise," muttered Lizzie, "No one seems all that pleased by this."

Hadrian came to a stop in front of Jesse and Petra, ignoring the heated whispers of the other teams. He tucked his hands behind his back. " _And here are the newcomers that everyone's been talking about since their, heh,"_ he paced in front of them, their mistrusting eyes following, " _Explosive debut in spleef."_

Slab looked torn between wincing and grinning. It _had_ been rather explosive.

If only he didn't get the butt end of the stick.

" _Tell me, champ,"_ Hadrian continued, looking more to Jesse than Petra; over in the background, Em and Nell curiously peeked around the wall, " _What's on your mind as you approach the next challenge?"_

"How they're gonna kick your butt!" Axel declared. The real Hadrian rolled his eyes; he said that as though _he_ were going to be playing in the games.

 _Moron_.

" _Make sure you smile when the spotlight's on you,"_ the Old Builder advised, " _We have appearances to keep up here."_

Jesse put his hands to his hips, shooting him something that wasn't _quite_ a glare, " _Winning."_

" _Oooh, in the zone, huh?"_ Hadrian grinned, " _That's excellent, that's just excellent."_

Ivor grit his teeth.

" _Well,"_ the Old Builder continued, ignoring Jesse's outright glaring now, " _I hope you manage to hang onto that optimism when the_ heat _is on out there."_

Harper raised an eyebrow. She wasn't liking that…

Hadrian crossed his arms. Then his head snapped around, eyes locking on the watching Nell and Em. Nell scrambled back behind the wall, and Em took a small step back, but otherwise held her ground. Then his head snapped to the other side, to where the Yellow and Purple teams were watching, and they hastily looked away, feigning conversation or fiddling with their helmets as though they'd been putting them on the whole time.

"They're terrified of him," muttered Gabriel, brow furrowing. He wondered what he'd done to make them so scared.

He wondered if he was going to demonstrate whatever it was on Jesse. Or maybe Ivor. Or Lukas. Or Petra.

Notch, he hoped they didn't get hurt…

" _I admire your confidence, Jesse,"_ Hadrian stated, turning his attention back to Jesse; his smile was gone, " _But I must ask. What makes you think you can win when so many others have failed, huh?"_

"Blatant stubbornness?" suggested Lukas. Jesse snorted.

" _Do you really think you're…_ special _?"_

" _Thing about me and my team, Hadrian,"_ said Jesse, hands moving from his hips to cross over his chest, " _No matter the challenge, we always find a way."_

Axel cheered.

" _Oh, really,"_ said Hadrian, face hardening, " _Because it_ seems _like two members of your team have already been eliminated."_

"Unfairly!" protested Maya.

" _Yeah, and there's two left,"_ declared Jesse, sharing a glance with Petra, " _More than enough to win this."_

Em shook her head. She hated newcomers. They were always so _optimistic_.

No one stayed that optimistic for long.

" _Yes,"_ Hadrian hummed, jaw tightening, " _Perhaps we should just get on with this."_

Then he grinned, and turned around, striding out of the dorms with the same overwhelming confidence he'd strode in with, laughing, " _What a lovely day for a game."_

"I don't like how happy he is," admitted Stacy, eyes narrowing. Sparklez nodded in agreement.

Hadrian vanished from their sight, but was soon replaced by Em, Nell and their third member, somewhat hesitantly approaching Jesse and Petra, who had turned their backs to face the wall.

The real Em's brow furrowed.

" _Jesse."_

The boy's eyes widened, and he turned, coming face to chest with an uncomfortably close Em. Her voice was light and friendly; the complete opposite of what it had been the day before.

" _Good luck out there."_

Ivor raised his eyebrows in surprise, sharing a look with Harper. The inventor shrugged.

Onscreen, Jesse stepped back so that they weren't standing inches apart. Nell slid up next to Em, shooting the other two a wide grin.

" _I'm sure you'll be great, but,"_ Em shrugged, " _Well, everyone could always use a little dose of luck, right?"_

A slow smile spread across the real Nell's face. She wasn't sure what had made onscreen Em so friendly all of a sudden, but it was welcome; she wondered if this meant they got to become friends with Jesse and the others.

That would be so _rad._

Jesse blinked up at her in surprise. Then he smiled. " _Thanks, Em. Good luck to you too."_

" _Of course,"_ said Em, returning his smile, " _I saw what you could do in Spleef. Then you made that deal with Hadrian and I thought…"_ she shrugged, still smiling, " _An enemy of my enemy is my friend."_

Dan raised an eyebrow, "That's… a bit sudden."

"Yeah," Magnus snorted, "Thought you hated the squirt or somethin'."

The real Em shrugged. She had to admit, though; she was a pretty decent actress.

Petra leant a little closer to Jesse, lowering her voice so only he could hear, " _Em might be up to something."_

" _So, yeah,"_ Em continued, pretending not to notice this, " _How 'bout we work together on this?"_

Aiden raised his eyebrows, "Oh boy."

" _I could use an ally. And you could use my help."_

Jesse hesitated, sharing a glance with Petra. Em sighed.

" _Come on, Jesse, I'm trying to help you out here. Like a mutual agreement."_

Ellegaard frowned, "Somehow, I doubt that."

" _How's that gonna work?"_ Jesse asked, after a moment.

" _A bitter group has a better chance of getting past the Gladiators,"_ Em informed, " _Trust me."_

Slab hummed, "She has a point."

The moment lapsed into silence. Em looked left and right, as though to make sure no one was watching, and then suddenly leant closer to Jesse, lowering her voice.

" _In the middle of the race is a part with tons of Gladiators."_

Jesse took a step back so she wasn't right in his face; Em still kept her voice low, " _That's when we should all team up. Defeat them, then race to the finish."_

Olivia frowned, biting her lip, "She makes a good point…"

"It's not a _bad_ idea," admitted Lukas, meeting Jesse's eyes, "And if there's as many Gladiator's as she says, then it wouldn't be horrible to have an extra pair of hands…"

Jesse frowned thoughtfully. He said nothing.

" _Well?"_ Em raised an eyebrow, voice returning to its normal level, " _What do ya say?"_

Petra grunted, "I don't trust her."

"I'm right over here, you know."

" _Unless you_ don't _want the help of a former Gladiator,"_ Em shrugged, turning away a little and absently flexing her muscles arms, " _I mean, that's okay too. I'm sure you'll be fine."_

Aiden and Cassie shared a suspicious glance.

Jesse was quiet for a moment longer, before turning to look up at Em properly, " _You gotta deal."_

The real Jesse suppressed a flinch. Hadrian's lips twitched into a smirk.

" _Good,"_ Em grinned, raising her hand to high-five the boy, " _I won't let you down."_

"I hope not," Harper murmured. She couldn't help, however, being a bit amused by the increasing excitement growing across Nell's face.

The speakers crackled, Hadrian's voice coming through, " _Competitors to the starting line!"_

"Here we go," muttered Dan.

The teams began to make their way to the doors. Em turned back to Jesse, smiling.

" _See ya at Gladiator Junction,"_ with that, she began to trail after her team.

Petra and Jesse watched her go for a moment, before the redhead turned to her friend, an excited grin spreading, "' _Gladiator Junction'? That sounds awesome. At least we won't have to fight her_ and _the Gladiators."_

"I suppose there's that," Isa shrugged.

Jesse nodded in agreement, and the two began to make their way after the other teams. Petra cracked her knuckles.

" _I'm_ ready _for this!"_ she declared, " _Those Gladiators' are going_ down _!"_

Clutch scowled, "We'll see about that, huh?"

" _Hint,"_ Petra continued, " _It's gonna involve a lot of punching. And kicking. And all around awesomeness."_

Jesse chuckled, " _Give 'em all ya got, Petra!"_

Gabriel and Ivor shared an amused look.

Onscreen, Petra's grin widened, " _I've been waiting aaaall day for you to say that."_

They came to the end of the hall they'd been going down, pausing to take in the starting line. The Purple Team were at their line, already jumping and flexing to get ready to go. Jesse and Petra looked to the other end of the hall, where to Yellow Team were doing the same- except for one member, who was shooting them a death glare and sliding their finger across their neck.

Gill pulled a face, "Well. That's unpleasant."

The two friends looked at each other, before making their way to the vacant red line in between the Yellow and Green Teams. They peered down the tunnel stationed in front of the line, a familiar orange glow casting the stone walls in shadow.

"Oh, I don't like the look of that," Lukas admitted. Jesse and Petra glanced at each other, torn between excitement and weariness.

Jesse knelt down on the red line, getting ready to take off.

" _Pssst, Jesse."_

Blinking, the boy looked to the side to find Nell, also kneeling, grinning at him.

" _I just wanted to say,"_ she began, " _It's, like, an honour to be working together."_

The real Jesse raised an eyebrow, "Uh, thank you?"

" _And I'm glad Em, like, totally suggested that!"_

"Hm," the real Em hummed, brow furrowing. Whatever she was up to, she just hoped it finally got her home.

The third Green member nodded, face setting in determination, " _We can do this!"_

" _Uhh,"_ Jesse nodded, smiling as Petra knelt next to him, " _Yeah!"_

" _I knew you were cool from the moment we met,"_ Nell declared, grin widening.

A slight heat rose to the real Jesse's cheeks. He ducked his head in an attempt to hide it, but Petra's grin found him anyway.

" _Competitors!"_ the speaker's bellowed, " _On your marks!"_

Jesse and Petra leant forward, resting their hands on the floor. The Yellow Team did the same, then the Purples, and finally the Greens, a grin spreading across Em's face.

" _Get set!"_

Jesse turned his attention to the tunnel ahead of him, eyes narrowing in determination.

" _GO!"_

Then he was off, shooting down the tunnel with Petra only _inches_ behind him. Thin streams of lava appeared on either side of the pathway, the source of the orange glow they'd spotted earlier, and sweat almost immediately began to bead upon their foreheads. Then, right up ahead, lava poured from the ceiling.

" _Woah!"_ Petra yelled, " _Watch out!"_

"Oh Notch," breathed Ellegaard, colour draining from her face, "That's… not very healthy."

Petra leapt to the side to avoid the fall, coming dangerously close to slipping into the thin stream in the process. Jesse tried to do the same, but was too slow, so instead leant backwards as though he were playing limbo, the boiling liquid inches from his face, and ran right under it.

"Dear lord, that was close," Maya winced. Milo nodded in agreement, face a tad ashen.

The moment he straightened, however, Jesse was immediately faced with a second lava fall, just a small opening off to the side that was quickly filling in. The boy didn't slow, dropping low and sliding across the floor, liquid fire burning the tips of his hair, Petra directly behind him. And then they were out the other side, leaping back to their feet, and kept running.

Gabriel breathed a small, relieved sigh, although the tension that had grown in his shoulders didn't lessen. Ivor and Harper were gripping each other's hands so tight it was almost bruising, yet neither noticed.

More lava falls fell from the ceiling, these ones in small bursts. Jesse and Petra dashed to the side to avoid one, then darted to the other side to avoid another. Up ahead, two falls fell only blacks apart, boiling trails connecting at the bottom.

"Jump!" Nell yelled, as though they could hear her, "Jump over it!"

Almost as though he _had_ heard her, Jesse leapt over the trails, coming out the other side unharmed. Petra landed behind him, and the two dashed onwards. The fall up ahead connected at the bottom like the last, except _more_ came from the ceiling, filling up that small gap.

Cassie muttered a swear. Olivia gasped. "Oh no- !"

With a grunt, Jesse leapt forwards, flying through the ever-shrinking rectangle in the middle of the fall, the liquid fire scorching at Petra's armoured boots. The two friends landed and rolled, coming back up and continuing to run without a falter.

Ivor released a shaky breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, slumping slightly against the couch. Nell cheered loudly, ignoring the glare Em shot her way.

Both Jesse and Petra grinned, although they didn't dare spare a glance at each other. Then their grins fell, eyes widening, and the screen shot out to reveal that they were dashing right towards a pit of steadily rising liquid fire, small platforms dotted about it.

Gabriel, Ivor and Harper abruptly looked rather sickly. Soren covered his eyes, only to peak between his fingers. Stampy hid his face into the crook of Dan's neck.

The screen slowed as Jesse approached the edge. Then he leapt forwards, landing on the platform, and leapt again not a moment later, coming dangerously close to slipping on the edge. Again, he jumped, lava scorching the heels of his boots, and then there was a giant pool in front of him, a bigger jump than the others- Jesse leapt forwards, stretching towards the final platforms- and slammed onto solid ground, stumbling. Petra appeared behind him.

"Oh my god," Harper groaned, practically collapsing against Ivor, as though all the strength had been drained out of her, "Is it over?"

"Perhaps?" Gabriel said, hopefully.

" _Ha!"_ Jesse gasped, looking over his shoulder at the lava pit behind them, " _I think we did it!"_

"Now for Gladiator Junction," Cassie muttered, shooting Em a suspicious glance.

" _This has been pretty tough,"_ Petra gasped, eyes sparkling, " _Can't wait to see what else they throw at us!"_

"Of course you can't," Lukas sighed, shaking his head.

A lava fall appeared behind them, inches from their heels. Jesse didn't seem as excited as the redhead, though.

" _What did we get ourselves into?!"_ he asked.

" _And you're only just getting started!"_

Ivor groaned.

Jesse and Petra's heads snapped to the side.

" _Huh?"_

The wall disappeared, leaving them on an open pathway- and revealing the yellow team, the member that had been glaring at them earlier now grinning, bowstring drawn taunt with an arrow.

"Incoming!" gasped Stacy.

The arrow went flying, narrowly missing Jesse and lodging itself into the wall. Their heads snapped back around to the Yellow Team, and Jesse drew his sword, the Yellow member's grin turning into a scowling glare as they drew back another arrow.

" _Outta the way, chumps!"_

The arrow flew, the screen slowing down; Jesse leant back to narrowly avoid it.

Ivor grit his teeth, muttering something that probably wasn't very pleasant. Harper was too invested in the screen to scold him.

The two teams began to spread out on their enlarged running lane. Yellow- the girl that had been going on about Tim back in the Competitor's Village- stabbed out with her sword, but Jesse dodged and swiped with his own. She ducked, but then he swiped again and hit his target. She flashed red, pain flickering across her face, and fell behind.

Axel whooped, "He got her!"

Jesse grinned, turning to face forward again. More Yellow team members darted passed; one got close, glaring, lashing backwards with his sword to hit him; Jesse blocked with his own, the clang of blade on blade; he raised his sword and slashed, the Yellow member flashing red with a yell.

" _No!"_ they fell flat on his face, skidding slightly, and puffed into dust.

The real Jesse flinched, although the major portion of the audience was too busy staring at the screen to notice. Lukas, however, was not part of this portion, and turned to give him a concerned frown.

"You okay?" he whispered, keeping his voice low. Jesse jerked his head in a nod.

"Fine."

Onscreen, the biggest lava fall yet spread across the floor, the Yellow team ducking out of danger. Jesse and Petra skidded across the floor as the lava stretched towards them, hopping back to their feet on the other side and darting after the Yellow team, quickly catching up to them.

"Go, go, go!" chanted Gill.

One of the Yellow members glanced over their shoulder as Jesse and Petra approached, gritting their teeth. They lashed out, but Jesse blocked, the cling of blade on blade. He got ahead of them, but another voice had his head snapping to the other side of the track.

" _Not quite!"_

Yellow Glare drew their bow taunt, shooting Jesse yet another one of their infamous glares. They fired, but Jesse ducked down into a roll, shot up, and suddenly everything was slowing down. He drew his sword forwards, and then out to the side, and everything sped up as Yellow Glare spasmed red and tumbled over their own feet, smacking harshly against the track. They puffed into dust.

The real Jesse jerked, as though he'd been shocked. A few more noticed this time.

"Jesse?" Ivor leant forwards a little, keeping his voice quiet to avoid attracting any unwanted attention, "What's wrong? Do you need to step outside?"

"No- No," Jesse murmured, heat rising up his neck, "I'm good."

Ivor's frown deepened, but he didn't push.

The last two remaining Yellow members gaped at him, faces draining of colour as they realised engaging these two had not been a good idea. They turned all their efforts into running, a wall of lava greeting them at the end of the track- then they jumped, vanishing down the hole directly in front of it.

Jesse sheathed his sword and he and Petra leapt after them.

The screen turned, revealing a large pool of water directly beneath them; they landed in a spray of bubbles.

"Yes!" Nell cheered, pumping her fist, "They've made it!"

"That's the race over?" Aiden asked, raising an eyebrow. The girl shook her head.

"Nah, brah, they've got to get past, like, the Gladiators first!"

"Ah."

Jesse and Petra swam back to the surface, breaking it with a gasp for breath. But then they were being caught in the current, moving forwards, towards an opening- Jesse gave a startled yell as he abruptly went over a waterfall, the screen shooting out to reveal that they'd arrived at the Gladiator Junction.

Cassie glanced over at Em, brow furrowing in distrust. She'd been far too insistent on their partnership for her liking.

The boy had already drawn his sword again as he clambered out of the pool, rather accurately resembling a drowned mouse. He coughed up some water that had tried to replace the air in his lungs, but was already climbing to his feet, looking around at the large structures, platforms, towers and piles of TNT. There were already people screaming as they too fell from the waterfalls, and the Purple Team were already darting onwards.

Lukas' eyes narrowed, "Wait a minute, where... where are the Gladiators?"

 _"Okay,"_ Jesse gasped over the screaming, gripping his sword tighter, _"Sounds like this is Gladiator Junction, but-"_ off to the side, more competitors fell from the waterfalls, scrambling back onto dry land, _"-Where are the Gladiators?"_

The real Lukas and Jesse glanced at each other.

A trembling _boom_ answered their question. Jesse's head snapped to the side, just in time for everything to slow down as the third Green Team member soared over his head, flashing red, in a burst of grey ash and smoke, scream lengthened with the slowed motion.

_"Ow, my boddyyyyyy!"_

Then everything sped up and they landed with a _splash_ into the pool on Jesse's other side.

"Oh, come on!" Em groaned, "Why _them_?!"

Nell winced, leaning away from her teammate slightly. Reginald shot her a small frown.

 _"Whoa!"_ Jesse gasped, turning back to the junction, _"That answers that question!"_

"Yeah," Olivia said, sounding rather weak, "Yeah, it definitely does."

Before him, the Gladiators had appeared everywhere, as though they'd always been there. They were on the columns, on the ground- Slab had already knocked one of the Purple team members that had been running ahead to the ground.

The screen shot to the side, revealing three Gladiators- one with a bow, dark skin, warpaint trailing down their face like black tears, a mohawk that was half blue and half black, another the familiar face of Clutch, the last with a pink mohawk and a menacing grin- on one of the columns; Clutch leapt down with a loud yell.

It swiped around again, revealing Slab and Facemeat back to back on the ground, both grinning. Petra gasped, and the screen shot back to the two friends.

 _"Look out!"_ she yelled, _"Arrow!"_

Jesse jerked around, just in time to lean backwards and narrowly avoid an arrow. It lodged into a block of TNT directly behind him, just as the same green competitor was climbing out of the water, a gasp tearing from their throat as they noticed the flashing bomb-

The explosion had Jesse and Petra flying forwards, flashing red as they skidded across the harsh floor.

"Jesse!"

"Petra!"

"Green guy who's name I don't know!"

Onscreen, the boy groaned, pushing himself up properly and grimacing. Upon one of the columns, Pink Mohawk drew his bow taunt and fired, setting off an explosion as competitors ran like trapped rats. The third green team member was running around on fire.

Ellegaard winced, covering her mouth. Nell covered her eyes.

Clutch swung her axe, sending a purple competitor soaring in a flash of red as though they'd been launched from a catapult. They smacked against the top of a balcony, before slowly peeling off and falling to their dust.

" _From bad to worst,"_ Jesse groaned, shaking his head. He and Petra climbed to their feet, just in time for Em to skid to a stop in front of them, grinning, an iron sword in her hand.

" _Jesse!"_ she greeted, " _Sup! You ready for the fun part?"_

"This is not fun!" Olivia squeaked, having covered her eyes again. Axel patted her on the back (gently).

" _I sure hope so!"_ Jesse said, a slightly worried look on his face. Em's grin widened.

" _Come on, then!"_

She barrelled forward, crashing through competitors like an enraged bull. She slashed with her blade, sending opposing competitors flying, flashing red- a Purple crashed to the side, a Yellow went flying over Jesse's head with a terrified scream.

Stampy winced, tugging his hood further over his head with a look of dawning horror. Lukas winced leaning away from the screen slightly.

" _Glad she's with us, Jesse,"_ Petra gasped, eyes wide.

The real Em grinned.

Up ahead, Slab knocked away a competitor with his shield, Clutch slicing through someone's chest and sending them to dust. Jesse skidded to a stop as Slab turned towards him, a menacing grin crossing his face, jabbing his sword at him.

" _You're mine!"_ he declared, " _I've been dreaming about this since Spleef!"_

"So, uh…" Magnus raised an eyebrow, "Since yesterday?"

" _Oh, yeah, Slab?"_ Jesse sneered- well, tried to, it didn't really turn out as he'd probably planned- and glanced over his shoulders at Petra and Em, " _Because you seem pretty outnumbered."_

Nell cheered.

Slab sneered (properly, unlike Jesse's rather weak attempt), " _Just means more fun for me."_

Nell gave a much less unenthusiastic and slightly confused cheer.

" _We'll about that, right, Em?"_ said Jesse, turning to look over his shoulder- only to falter when he found the ex-Gladiator to have vanished, blinking in surprise, " _Em?"_

She re-appeared on his other side, kicking him in the back of his knees and sending him sprawling onto the ground with a yell. She laughed.

" _Boom!"_

"I knew it!" Cassie hissed, teeth clenching. She shot Em a murderous glare. "You betrayed them!"

The ex-Gladiator ran off, leaving Jesse dazed in the dirt. He looked up, just in time to see Slab approach with an even wider grin than before.

" _Bye, squishy!"_

"Oh no!" gasped Harper.

Slab raised his sword, preparing to bring it down on the boys head- then Jesse rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the diamond bade as hit the ground where he'd been mere seconds before.

Ivor winced.

Slab, however, remained undeterred. His grin didn't falter as he raised his sword again, but before he could bring it down, Petra flew towards him and kicked the Gladiator right in the face, sending him stumbling backwards with a flash of red.

" _Ugh, what- !"_

Axel cheered, "Go, Petra!"

" _Jesse!"_ Petra yelled, as Jesse clambered back to his feet, " _I've got your back! Go!"_

"That's my girl," muttered Gabriel, beaming.

Petra's golden blade clashed with Slab's giant diamond one with a metallic _clang!_ Jesse scrambled to his feet as their blades continued to clash, but then Slab kicked out, knocking Petra to the ground, and then Clutch was there, raising her axe-

" _Gotcha!"_

The enchanted diamond sliced right through Petra's armour, right into her chest.

"No!" Gabriel yelled, shooting his feet. If Jesse had flinched violently earlier, it was nothing compared to the flinch he gave now, the force enough to rock him back into Ivor's legs. Olivia gasped loudly, hands clapping around her mouth; Lukas suddenly found himself clinging to Petra's arm without realising he'd even moved, and Petra herself had become a pasty pale colour, fisting her shirt with her free hand, where the axe had penetrated her onscreen self. Axel looked rather sick all of a sudden.

" _NO!"_ Jesse screamed, staring at Petra's limp body with wide eyes- and there was blood, oh god there was blood, pooling beneath her, a wet, gut-wrenching _thunk_ of sliced meat as Clutch drew her dripping axe free.

"Oh dear lord," Stampy muttered, cheeks tinted green.

Then Petra burst into dust, her inventory scattering across the ground- her armour, a diamond pickaxe, some sticks she'd had left over from Cassie's mansion, some lapis lazuli. Jesse's gaze trailed his friends remains to Clutch and Slab, who were fist-bumping each other with their grins still in place. As though there wasn't still blood on the floor. As though they weren't surrounded by terrified screams. The stink of burning flesh. As though there wasn't blood and dust on their armour.

As though people weren't dying all around them.

" _Looks like you're all alone now!"_ Slab jeered.

" _Yeah!"_ Clutch cackled, " _That's math!"_

"Don't touch him," Ivor growled, reaching forward to grip Jesse's arm without even realising, "Don't you _touch_ him."

Onscreen, Jesse grit his teeth, unwilling tears sparking in his eyes. But then pure _rage_ flashed across his face, and he raised his sword, gaze snapping between briefly between Slab and Clutch. Then his eyes found Clutch's still crimson dripping axe and the rage doubled.

Jesse darted forward, slashing out with his sword at a lightning speed. Clutch was too slow; she stumbled back with a grunt, flashing red.

"Go, Jesse," Axel said. Then, louder, as though finding his voice again, "Go, Jesse!"

" _You're gonna pay for that one, Clutch!"_ he shouted. Clutch sneered.

" _Prove it!"_

For a moment, everything slowed down as Clutch swung her crimson-stained axe, aiming right for the boy's neck; Jesse leant backwards, the edge of the curved blade scraping the tip of his nose. He shot back up the moment he was clear of the deadly weapon, but Clutch didn't pause, already drawing the axe back for a second swing-

Jesse jumped up, slamming his feet into the Gladiators chest. The force sent him flying back and landing on the ground, but almost as soon as he landed, he was leaping back up to his feet and charging, raising his sword-

"Come on, Jesse!" Petra yelled around the slight crack in her voice, "Avenge me!"

" _No, you don't!"_ Slab shouted, smacking the boy away with his shield before his blade could meet Clutch's flesh. Jesse stumbled back, only to regain himself within seconds, turning a glare to the second Gladiator.

Slab slashed out with his giant blade; Jesse jumped back to avoid it; Slab swung again, and Jesse brought his sword up to block it- only for it to burst into dust right in his hand the moment they made contact.

Magnus swore loudly. Everyone was too invested in the screen to glare at him for doing so in front of the children.

Jesse stared down at his hand at horror. Slab's grin returned with a vengeance, an evil glint entering his eye. Over his shoulder, upon one of the columns, Facemeat cackled.

" _Here comes the boom!"_ he launched a flashing block of TNT right towards them.

"Get out the way, get out the way, _get out the way!_ " Gill screeched.

Slab and Clutch gasped, darting away to avoid the bomb. Jesse's eyes widened and he leapt to the side, the following blast sending him further than anticipated. He flashed red.

Ivor winced, then frowned when he noticed that Jesse was trembling ever so slightly against his legs. He leant forward, arm snaking across the boy's chest.

"Are you alright?"

Swallowing thickly, Jesse jerked his head in a nod. Ivor's frown only deepened.

Groaning, Jesse pushed him up, looking over his shoulder at Slab and Clutch, who were still recovering from the sudden blast a few blocks away. He pushed himself upright, on his knees, just in time to see Em backing away, before turning around and darting through the opening just ahead, flaming arrows lodging themselves into the ground. Nell appeared, following her, and glanced briefly over at Jesse.

" _Go!"_

Realising Gabriel was still standing, Ellegaard reached out and nudged him. The warrior blinked, turning to look down at her, and the engineer gestured towards Petra with her head; the girl was still a pasty pale sort of colour, despite her earlier attempt at an 'avenge me' joke. Lukas was still clinging to her arm.

After a brief moment of thought, Gabriel slipped around Jesse and knelt next to the redhead, who blinked at him in surprise. No one seemed to notice; they were too busy watching the screen. He kept his voice low.

"Are you okay?"

Petra stared at him for a long moment, before mustering something that _might_ have been an attempt at a smile, "I'm good. I mean, it's not like I'm _dead_ or- or anything, right?"

Gabriel's brow furrowed. He reached out, curling his fingers around Petra's. His frown deepened.

"You're shaking."

"Adrenaline," she said, a little _too_ quickly, "I told you, I'm good."

Lukas glanced up at her, cheek pressed against her shoulder, "It- It's fine, you know," he muttered, "I got scared when it happened to me too."

"Yeah, but you actually thought you were _dead_ ," Petra grunted, resisting the urge to tear her hand from Gabriel's, "I _know_ I'm fine, just… with a lot less stuff."

In response, Gabriel simply let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead, squishing her against his side and resting his cheek on top of her head. Petra tensed, surprised by the sudden extra contact, but slowly relaxed, ducking her head in an attempt to hide the pink tint to her still rather pale cheeks.

" _Yeah!"_ Clutch cackled, as Jesse glanced back over at her and Slab; they both looked like they'd completely forgotten about him, instead beating the living daylights out of all the other competitors that weren't quite fast enough to escape them, " _Killing time!"_

Jesse, Petra and Lukas all winced, pressing themselves closer to their respective 'cuddle buddy.'

" _Okay,"_ Jesse rasped, turning to look at where Em and Nell had vanished and scrambled to his feet, " _Maybe I can still win this thing."_

"Come on, tiny!" shouted Magnus, "Win the race!"

The screen cut to Jesse skidding to a stop after rushing through the tunnel, looking up at the towering wall of vines before him, the glow illuminating the bottom indicating the pool of lava directly beneath it. Nell was already part way up the vines, despite her injured shoulder, Em just ahead of her.

Cassie growled, "I hope she falls."

Aiden winced, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder, "Ah… maybe not say that so loud."

Em paused, looking over her shoulder, down at the boy glaring at her from below. Her own face hardened, and she turned to continue climbing with even more urgency than before. Nell laughed, an excited grin spreading across her face.

" _Dude! I'm, like, so close!"_ she said, " _I could do this!"_

Sparklez smiled, clapping his hands, "Yeah, go Nell!"

"That must hurt," Reginald muttered, frowning, "Climbing with that arm. Shouldn't they give you a pass instead of throwing you into this chaos?"

Nell shrugged, "Nah, I've had worse."

This only made the guard's frown deepen.

Jesse appeared at the bottom of the platform before the (very obvious now) pool of lava, looking up at the two girls, " _Sorry, Nell!_ I'm _winning this thing!"_

The real Nell waved him away, "Eh, it's fine, brah."

Darting forwards, Jesse leapt over the pool of liquid fire and clung to the vines. Looking up, he began to climb after Nell and Em, quickly advancing on the two Green members, the greenery swinging slightly as he passed over an open-mouthed cave. Nell glanced down at him, grin widening.

" _He-ey, whoa, Jesse!"_ she said, " _Way to catch up, dude! Very nice!"_

Em growled, " _You just can't take a hint, can you?"_

Nell blinked, turning to look at her, " _Huh- ?"_

" _Get dunked on, you stupid-"_

" _Woah, hang on-"_

" _-Slacker!"_

The ex-Gladiator lashed out and kicked Nell right in her bandaged arm.

The scream that tore from Nell's throat was blood freezing.

Jesse yelled, flinching back into Ivor's legs, "Nell!"

Everything slowed down. Jesse looked down, horror clear on Nell's face as she fell towards the liquid fire below them. Then Jesse's hand shot out and he grabbed her, grunting as the force almost jerked his arm out of its socket, his other hand tightening on the vines. Nell drew in a deep, shaky breath, looking up at Jesse, the shadows cast by the lava making her face seem even paler than it already was.

"Oh notch," Maya breathed, slumping against the couch, "That- That was _close._ "

Reginald shot the real Em a glare, "And just what was _that_ about? You two are on the same team!"

Em frowned, eyes still on the screen, "Dunno. Maybe I finally got _sick_ of her."

Nell flinched, hurt flashing across her face. She ducked her head, blinking rapidly in an attempt to fight the tears springing to her eyes. Aiden's eyes widened, and his head snapped around to Em with a harsh glare, jaw clenching.

"What the hell has she done to _you_ , huh?" he asked, earning quite a few surprised blinks, "She's done nothing but be nice to _everyone_! Be cheerful! Try to be freaking _optimistic_ in a horrible situation! And you decide she deserves to be shoved into a friggin' pit of _lava?!_ "

Em grit her teeth, face twisting, and shot to her feet, "Why don't I shove _you_ into a friggin' pit of lava, you stupid-"

"Hey!" Isa cut in, jumping to her own feet, glaring at the former Gladiator, "Don't you _dare_ threaten him!"

"He threatened _me_ -"

"Uh," Milo winced, shrinking into the back of the couch, "Isa-"

"Why- Why don't we all just calm down, okay?" Stampy tried, holding up his hands in what he _hoped_ was a calming motion, "I- I mean, she's fine! Jesse caught- caught her, so all of- everything's _fine_!"

Ellegaard frowned, "I wouldn't say shoving your teammate to their death is fine, whether or not they were fine in the end. Her intentions were rather clear."

"That _has_ to be against the rules, right?" Olivia asked, turning desperate eyes to Otto, "There's no way she can just _do_ that, right?"

The Old Builder winced, "Well, _technically_ she can. It's perfectly within her right to sacrifice a teammate- whether or not a sacrifice is strictly necessary."

Reginald scowled, "It's not right."

Em scoffed, "Yeah, well, neither's forcing a load of people to play in their stupid games."

Hadrian rolled his eyes.

 _Idiots_.

" _Oh, come on!"_ Em groaned. She tugged an iron pickaxe from her pocket, raising it out- and mined out a block of stone in the wall, releasing a gush of water. Jesse gasped.

" _Nonononononono- !"_

Olivia's eyes flashed, "You have got to be _kidding me!_ "

Cassie growled, pushing herself to her feet and grasping for an axe that wasn't there, Winslow meowing unhappily as he was abruptly shoved aside, "I'm going to _kill her!_ "

"Cassie, _don't_ ," Soren stressed, getting to his own feet, looking about ready to yank Cassie back.

The water hit them. Jesse lost his grip on the vines; lost his grip on Nell. They fell, lava flashing beneath them, ready to catch them, ready to burn them, ready to poof them- and then Jesse grabbed the vines again, at the edge of the open-mouthed cave, and grabbed Nell, swinging her inside it before dropping in after her, landing near the edge of the opening.

Ivor breathed a sigh of relief.

Jesse stood there for a moment, gasping. Then Nell suddenly shot up, beaming despite the obvious grimace on her face.

" _Dude!"_ she exclaimed, shaking the boy a _tad_ violently, " _That was_ so _Tim! Righteous!"_

"She… doesn't care," Reginald muttered, "She doesn't care her teammate just kicked her to the lava."

Isa frowned, her eyes finding the real Nell; the girl was still watching the screen. She didn't seem all that upset anymore, as though she were over it. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Cassie's scowl deepening, Soren inching closer to her to put a hand on her shoulder, muttering something in her ear. The scowl didn't disappear, but the redhead grunted something back.

Above them, Em clambered to the top of the cliff, turning to grin down at the liquid fire below- unawares that the two were in the cave, fully believing she'd just sent Jesse and her teammate to their respawn. There wasn't even a hint of regret, a hint of apology, a hint of remorse on her face. Just satisfaction.

She turned and made her way down the rest of the tunnel as the waterfall met the lava, turning all it touched to cobblestone.

Aiden curled his hands into fists, tearing his eyes from the screen and blinking rapidly. He was being horribly reminded of watching himself shove Jesse and Lukas and the Founder- who'd never, ever, _ever_ said a shred of something mean to him that he didn't deserve, who'd all at the very least _attempted_ to be his friends, all of who he'd betrayed without a second thought- off the edge of the world, of watching himself grin the same grin Em wore now. The reminder sent goosebumps shooting up his arms, and he didn't even realise he'd started trembling until Milo abruptly appeared next to him, seemingly out of thin air.

"Are you alright, Aiden?" he asked. The boy gritted his teeth- because of _course_ he was fine, it was _them_ that weren't fine, weren't fine because of _him_ \- and nodded. Milo frowned.

"You're trembling."

"I'm _fine_ ," Aiden ground out. However, Milo didn't leave. He just frowned further.

" _How are we gonna get out of here?"_ Jesse asked; the waterfall was covering the entrance of the cave.

" _Oh!"_ Nell's grin widened, and she approached the cave entrance, " _The waterfall, little dude! We can ride that wave right back up to the top- follow me!"_

With that, she leapt right into the waterfall and began to swim upwards. Jesse stared after her with wide eyes for a moment, before following her into the water and beginning to swim after her. He went upwards, struggling against the current, before reaching the edge of the fall and clinging to the vines again, pulling himself free from the water and climbing after Nell; whatever parts of them that had dried in the heat of the fire and ash of the Gladiators Junction had been soaked anew.

"Maybe he'll be able to catch up with Em?" Stampy suggested, weakly. Stacy lifted her shoulders in a small shrug, a sort of 'eh' look on her face.

" _Woah,"_ Nell panted, as Jesse clambered onto the top after them, " _Man. Intense enough for ya?"_ she shot him a breathless smile, which he returned, his own chest heaving, " _Thanks for saving me."_

" _Yeah, don't mention it,"_ Jesse said, already skirting around her to dart after Em. The screen swapped around to show him hastily climbing a set of stairs leading to light that _probably_ wasn't lava, Nell running after him with her arms raised above her head in a victory he didn't really share.

The screen darkened.

There was a brief moment where no one spoke. Finally, Gabriel broke it with a tired sigh.

"Well. That was… intense."

"That's one way to put it," Soren muttered, still gripping Cassie's wrist; the girls glare remained on Em the entire time.

Harper bent forward so her head was next to Jesse's, resting a hand on the boys' shoulder, "Are you doing alright? You flinched a lot this scene."

A heat rose up Jesse's neck, "I- I'm okay. Was just… startled."

The inventor raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the excuse. Next to her, Ivor absently ran his fingers through Jesse's hair.

"What time is it?" he asked, "Should we have lunch now?"

Gabriel frowned, gripping Petra a little tighter. He didn't really want to do anything until he saw that she was okay, that she'd _actually_ respawned. "Well… perhaps we should eat in here today. Continue watching at the same time."

The other audience members glanced at each other. Magnus shrugged.

"Sounds good to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you save Nell or let her fall? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> WHOOOOOOOOOO! CHAPTER EIGHTY! I did not expect this story to get this long!


	81. Deal With the Devil

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Eighty-One: Deal With the Devil**

* * *

Jesse followed his surrogate father into the kitchen, Reuben trailing behind him like the loyal pig he was. Cassie and Lukas were already rummaging through a chest and arguing over whether they should have watermelons or apples; an exasperated Soren told them they can just have both and if they could bring themselves not to argue for _five minutes_.

Gill, Milo, Nell and Reginald had come with them as well, the blonde girl happily rambling in such heavy slang that Jesse had lost any idea of what she was saying. Jesse paused, frowning at the doorway and wondering where Petra and Gabriel had gone. Ivor gave his arm a small tug, shooting him a reassuring smile, and led him deeper into the kitchen.

Nell had clambered up onto the counter to rummage through the cabinets, still rambling. Reginald looked torn between confused and amused as he waited for her to pass stuff down to him. Milo and Gill wandered over to another chest.

"What sort of drinks should we get?" Ivor asked, leading him over to the fridge and tugging it open, "I think we have some juice boxes…"

"Orange is good," said Jesse, "So's berry."

Ivor nodded, taking out a few and handing them to Jesse, "How many do we need?"

Jesse paused a moment to think, "I think that depends if _you_ guys want juice boxes too."

"It's either that or bottled water," said Ivor, "How about we bring some of everything?"

The boy nodded, "Okay. Then we'll need… um…" his brow furrowed, "Maya, Olivia, Reginald, the Gladiators… thirty-two?" then, remembering a certain someone in the walls, "No, thirty-three."

Ivor raised an eyebrow, "Thirty-three? Hm… let's grab forty, then."

With that, Ivor piled a load of juice boxes of various flavours- orange, berry, pear- into Jesse's arms, then took a load of water bottles into his own. He nudged the fridge shut, the both of them juggling the contained liquids with a bit of difficulty. Jesse blinked upon realising Reginald had dug up a basket to carry the food in, regretting that he hadn't thought of that himself.

Upon returning to the watching room, Jesse (with the help of Olivia) handed out the juice boxes, earning himself an unimpressed glare from Mevia and a thankful beam from Facemeat, the latter of who took a near five minutes deciding which flavour he wanted (he didn't actually get to decide in the end, Clutch just got irritated and grabbed one for him at random). When everyone was too busy picking between the two kinds of sandwiches Lukas, Cassie and Soren had whipped up, Jesse slipped back out into the hall and pushed aside a portrait to set the food and orange juice box he'd smuggled out on the floor. Hoping she'd find it, he returned to the watching room just in time to find Ivor looking around for him. The potionologist immediately relaxed when their eyes met.

A sandwich, berry juice box and a packet of salt and vinegar crisps was shoved into his hands, before he settled down on the blankets against Ivor and Harper's legs with Reuben munching on a carrot from where he was curled up against his leg. Magnus handed Axel the remote (who was, Jesse absently noted, sitting a lot closer to him then he had been before) and showed him how to continue the episode.

The black of the screen faded to show a stadium at the edge of an icy lake, the crossing blades made of ice they'd spotted earlier directly behind it. An opening built in the middle of the lake led to a long path lit by torches to the stadium, a small fenced in area to the side marking the respawn zone. Sitting in throne-like chairs upon the stadium were Mevia, Hadrian and Otto.

" _This race is almost over,"_ said Hadrian, a grin dancing on his lips, " _And we will soon have a winner. And I think I know who it might be."_

Isa's eyes narrowed. Then she rolled them in her realisation. "Oh. Of course."

Milo shot her a curious look, mouth full of sandwich, "Hm?"

As if on cue, Em appeared through the hole, covered in soot and ash and bruises and sweat and perhaps a speckle of blood. But the grin on her face was wide and proud. Proud of shoving her teammate to a burning grave.

" _And the winner of the Lava Race,"_ Otto began, as Em made her way down the walkway, " _The Gladiator formerly known as…"_ he splayed a hand to her, " _Emily!"_

There were a few scowls at this. A few glares shot towards the real Em, all of which she ignored. Nell kept her eyes on the screen, her appetite dwindling.

It was fine.

Even if it hurt. It was fine.

A sly smirk on his lips, Hadrian pushed himself from his seat and approached Em at the edge of the stage, keeping his voice low so the other two couldn't hear.

" _I trust you made good on our deal?"_

Milo blinked, swallowing his food, "Oh. Oh, okay. I get it now."

Harper sighed, shaking her head, "Should've known, to be honest."

Em nodded, " _I did."_

" _If that's true,"_ Hadrian continued, a harshness entering his voice that made Em's smile falter; over in the respawn area, a Yellow member abruptly appeared, " _Then why hasn't Jesse respawned yet?"_

The real Jesse winced. Ivor scowled, gripping the boy's shoulder.

Onscreen, Em bit her lip, seemingly struggling for words. Before she could find any, however, there were steps behind her- and Jesse appeared through the opening, a glare on his face. Nell trailed behind him, not meeting Em's eyes.

Magnus lips twitched into a small smirk, "Way to go, Tiny."

Jesse came to a halt in front of Hadrian, Em stepping away with an almost unnoticeable wince (not, Jesse knew, for betraying him; for failing to make sure he burnt). Nell came to a hesitant stop a few steps behind him.

Hadrian's face melted into a scowl, his hands going to his hips. He shook his head, like a disappointed teacher or parent. Em glanced away, a slight pink tinting her cheeks, and turned to glare at Jesse.

" _Jesse."_

The boy glared right back, crossing his arms.

" _And there appears,"_ came Mevia's voice, " _To be a confrontation on the field."_

Cassie shot Mevia an unimpressed look. She simply raised an eyebrow back.

" _Jesse looks very heated."_

"This is weird," murmured Lukas. Jesse nodded in agreement, sipping at his juice box.

" _Bet you didn't expect to see_ me _here, did'ja?"_ he asked, deciding to ignore Mevia

The real Em seemed to think for a moment, "Well, after all I've seen from the episodes, I kinda did. Onscreen me probably didn't, though."

Reginald grunted, "Surprised you have the nerve to talk."

She scowled at him, "Well, ex _cuse_ me for playing a game correctly."

"If _that's_ what you wish to call it."

" _This just went from bad to worse,"_ declared Em, Otto raising his eyebrows over in his own seat. Hadrian raised his own eyebrows, stepping closer to the edge of the stage.

" _So you sacrificed winning the race to save someone else…"_ the Old Builder hummed; Jesse turned his glare to him, Nell wincing behind him and backing out of the screens sight, " _Good to know."_

The real Hadrian chewed on his tongue slightly, ignoring the glares shot his way from an almost startling amount of audience members. He couldn't really get rid of Jesse here; he didn't have anything on him besides the life of his friends, and even _that_ had been flimsy to begin with.

But onscreen… he has power onscreen. He has his Gladiators. He has the Atlas dangling over the brats head. He has _power_ over him.

So even if he didn't have any now… well. Hadrian'll make sure the stupid boy will regret breaking their deal.

" _And_ you _,"_ Hadrian said, pointing to Em; the ex-Gladiator tensed, ducking her head in shame; Otto shook his head sadly, " _You were supposed to_ eliminate _Jesse. Our deal's off."_

Em's head snapped up, eyes widening in horror. Jesse jerked, jaw slacking.

" _Deal?!"_

"Deal?" Stampy echoed quietly, pulling the straw of his orange juice box free from his mouth, brow furrowing, "So… so he tricked her too?"

"Looks like it…" Dan muttered, frowning himself. He bit into his watermelon.

" _No!"_ Em gasped, desperation clear in her voice as the three Old Builders exited the stage, " _Please!"_

Her begging was only ignored. Reaching a patch of water, Hadrian tugged obsidian from his pocket and built a bridge to solid ground in a matter of seconds, allowing him and the other two to cross, leaving Em, Jesse and Nell standing at the base of the stadium.

A silence descended upon them. Em bowed her head, shaking it in dismay. She gave a soft, defeated little sigh, keeping her back to Jesse.

" _You probably think I'm scum or whatever,"_ she said, " _But you know what? I don't even care."_

Mevia's brow furrowed slightly. She sipped at her juice box.

" _You have_ your _deal, Jesse,"_ Em continued, finally turning to face him; there was a slight shine to her eyes, " _If you win, you and your friends will just leave us anyway."_

Behind Jesse, in the respawn zone, Petra appeared, armourless. She was pale, mouth open in a silent gasp, fingers curling into her shirt where axe had pierced flesh. She glanced around, obviously startled, and her shoulders slumped in slight relief.

Gabriel immediately looked relieved himself, releasing a small sigh. Good. She was there. She was okay.

He finally started eating his lunch.

" _My shot at going home just went up in smoke,"_ declared Em, " _So feel free to judge all you want."_

Jesse's glare softened. Em shook her head again. " _Hard to hurt me more than Hadrian did just now."_

The Gladiators glanced at each other, slight frowns on their brows. Facemeat tore his eyes away to blink rapidly down at his lap.

" _No, I get it, Em,"_ Jesse sighed, dropping his crossed arms, " _I might have even done the same thing in your position."_

Cassie frowned, shaking her head in astonishment as Winslow ate fish from her hand. She'd never understand that boy. Then again, she'd never really understood that girl either.

That stupid, _stupid_ girl.

Em blinked down at him, startled; it slowly melted into a somewhat grateful smile, " _Well… I'm glad you get that it wasn't personal, at any rate."_

Reginald grunted quietly, "I suppose…"

Jesse nodded a little, gaze drifting to his feet. Em awkwardly shuffled, then sighed again.

" _I… I gotta go,"_ biting her lip, she turned and made her way across Hadrian's obsidian makeshift bridge without so much as a goodbye. Jesse watched her go with a slightly furrowed brow, crossing his arms almost self-consciously over his chest again. Then Petra, groaning, appeared next to him.

" _Okay, respawning is the_ worst _,"_ she declared.

The real Petra, Ivor and Lukas winced. They definitely weren't looking forward to that…

The screen panned out, showing Em walking away as, behind her, Jesse abruptly leapt at Petra in a tight bear hug. The former Gladiator vanished from the screen, but was quickly replaced by an approaching Slab.

Gabriel's eyes narrowed. His weariness was momentarily distracted by the fact that Magnus was chewing really, really loudly. And that was with _Ellegaard_ sitting between them.

" _You!"_ Slab said, pointing a large finger at Jesse. He came to a stop in front of the boy as the two friends parted their hug, towering over him with a glare that was met in turn. The Gladiator growled. " _Hadrian wants you."_

Tension in the watching room immediately shot from two to ten. Suspicious glares found the real Hadrian, who rolled his eyes and glared right back. Reginald cast him his own look, hand inching to his sword as though he half expected the Old Builder to abruptly launch into an attack.

The real Jesse winced, shrinking further against Ivor's legs. The potionologist tangled his fingers into his hair.

Onscreen, Petra frowned, " _Hadrian?"_

" _Why does he want to see me?"_ Jesse asked, brow furrowing further. Slab took a small step closer.

" _You made him reaaaally mad,"_ he declared. Then he gestured with his head for him to follow and turned to made his way back across the bridge. " _Come on. I don't have all day."_

Neither Jesse nor Petra moved. Jaw clenching, Slab turned to look at them again.

" _I'm warning you, Jesse,"_ he snapped, " _Hadrian doesn't like to be kept waiting."_

The real Slab grunted, biting into his apple, "Come on, kid, cut me some slack…"

" _And are you mad too?"_ Jesse asked, still not shifting from his spot next to Petra; it was almost as though he were standing protectively in front of her, " _That I didn't get eliminated?"_

Slab seemed to honestly consider the question for a moment, hand slipping beneath his horned helmet to scratch at his head, " _... No."_

" _No?"_ Jesse raised an eyebrow, " _Because you_ seem _mad?"_

" _Okay, fine,"_ Slab admitted, reluctantly, " _I'm mad that he wouldn't let me kill you a few times before I brought you upstairs. And you should know I asked. Now_ come on _."_

The real Slab hid a wince in response to the scowls he received. Especially the particularly protective ones of Ivor and Harper.

The Gladiator turned, beginning to walk away. Jesse and Petra glanced at each other, then shared a single nod. Petra began to follow, but Slab's arm lashed out to block her.

" _No. Just Jesse."_ he shoved her away, causing the redhead to stumble back. He stalked forward, pointing a finger in her face with a glare. " _Hadrian doesn't allow dirty respawns into the palace."_

Gabriel scowled, "Don't touch her."

Stacy raised an eyebrow, "These guys have a _palace_? Seriously?"

The Gladiator stalked away. Jesse shot a glare at his back. Petra scoffed slightly.

" _Okay,"_ she muttered, before meeting Jesse's slightly worried eyes, " _Well, be safe, Jesse. I don't trust them."_

Jesse gave her a promising nod. He turned and began to follow Slab, leaving Petra to return to the village on her own.

Ivor and Harper shared a concerned look. They didn't like where this was going…

For a moment, Jesse followed Slab in silence. The Gladiator glanced briefly over his shoulder to make sure he was following, then huffed and faced forwards again.

" _Pssst!"_ a miner- _the_ miner, the one that had appeared through the Nether portal after Ivor and Lukas back in the Competitors Village- appeared from behind a tree, Jesse coming to an abrupt halt in the snow, " _I need to talk to you!"_

"Hey, it's that guy!" exclaimed Lizzie, "What's he doing here?"

"He's really insistent on talking to Jesse, isn't he?" muttered Olivia, "I wonder what he wants."

"Maybe he can help?" suggested Lukas, setting down his juice box.

" _Keep up!"_ Slab called, stopping further ahead, " _Come on!"_

" _Come here,"_ the miner insisted desperately, " _I'll be quick."_

" _Jesse!"_ said Slab, " _You gonna do what I say or not?"_

"I wouldn't really want to make him mad," muttered Maya, frowning. Gill bit his lip, thumbing his uneaten apple.

"But what if this guy has something really important to say?"

Jesse glanced from Slab to the miner, the latter hastily gesturing for him to come. Slab growled.

" _Jesse, I'm warning you."_

" _Come on,"_ the miner whispered, " _I'll be quick!"_

The real Slab grunted quietly, eyes flickering to Hadrian. He really didn't want to make him mad. Not after what happened last time.

Not after what he did to Em.

Biting his lip, Jesse shot the miner an apologetic look before turning back to slab, " _I'm coming!"_

He passed the miner, who slumped in disappointment. Slab, actually smiling now, turned to continue walking as Jesse jogged to catch up.

Axel frowned, wiping breadcrumbs from his face, "But what if he had something important to say?"

"Honestly? He probably didn't," Em shrugged, "It was probably just some crap about not angering the Old Builders because then they'd take it out on the miners."

Jesse blanched, "But that _is_ important!"

"You're the one that walked away."

" _I appreciate you bein' considerate,"_ said Slab, genuinely, " _My job's on the line here too, y'know."_

Soren bent over Ivor to nudge Jesse, "See? Even if that _was_ what that miner wanted to inform you of, you are following his advice by _not_ following his advice."

Jesse blinked slowly, "Huh?"

"Just go with it."

" _I hope Hadrian's in a good mood,"_ Slab continued, suddenly scowling again, " _I hate being sent out on dumb errands. Like_ this _one."_

"Pretty sure he doesn't like it as much as you do," muttered Lukas.

" _Hey, Slab?"_ said Jesse, looking up at the Gladiator with a slightly furrowed brow, seemingly deciding to ignore his previous declaration, " _Do you even like this job?"_

The real Slab shrugged, "It's got its pros, it's got its cons."

" _You know,"_ Slab shrugged much like his offscreen self had, " _It's got its benefits. I get to beat up people. And most people are scared of me, which is cool."_

Clutch and Facemeat whooped, playfully knocking their giant fists against Slab's helmet and making the other Gladiator wince, although he grinned.

" _It's not bad, but…"_ Slab lowered his voice considerably, as though afraid someone might overhear them, " _The Old Builders aren't so great."_

Mevia and Otto frowned slightly, although whether they were saddened or angered by this declaration from one of their Gladiators remained unclear. Hadrian scowled.

Just wait until they got home.

Gladiator and Competitor fell silent at that, the understatement of his words hanging in the air. The screen panned out to reveal Hadrian's palace jutting out of the side of a mountain in the near distance.

The screen darkened.

Olivia sighed, looking down at her half eaten sandwich and wondering, absently, where her appetite had gone to, "What does he want him for?"

Axel frowned, wrapping an arm around her, "It can't be _that_ bad, can it? I mean, they have a deal…"

Ellegaard shook her head, "I'm not so certain about that."

The screen light back up, revealing Jesse following Slab down a hall dotted with gold, quartz, obsidian and sea lanterns. They came to a large, open room with towering windows and sea lantern lights encased in yellow stained glass emitting a golden glow dangling in the air. Purple glass was lit up across the floor, illuminating Hadrian's desk. Off to the side upon an obsidian stand, lit with purple light, was a set of gleaming, diamond encrusted armour.

" _Wow,"_ Jesse muttered, looking around with wide eyes, " _So this is how the Old Builders live."_

"Well," Harper muttered, glancing over at the others, "Most of us."

Slab nodded, lips twitching upwards, " _Totally epic, right?"_

"Yeah," Lukas breathed, "It's _really_ impressive. Look at those lights! And the lining on the wall!"

Soren frowned. Noticing this, Gabriel grinned and nudged him.

"Jealous?"

"Oh, be quiet. My builds are impressive also."

The warrior chuckled, "Of course they are."

" _Sometimes,"_ Slab continued, " _I just like to stand here and…"_ he gestured to the room, breathing a deep sigh as though taking it all in all over again, " _Just do_ that _a whole bunch."_

Jesse nodded in agreement, making his way a little deeper into the room to get a better look around, " _This is incredible. Such an amazing use of scale and angles."_

"I wish I could be there," Lukas murmured. Jesse patted him on the back.

"Hey, who knows what could happen, right?"

" _Right?"_ Slab grinned, " _Knew you'd be impressed. I get to hang out here whenever I want."_

"That's an exaggeration," Hadrian muttered, rolling his eyes. Reginald shot him a warning look.

" _And thanks to you actually helping us keep on schedule,"_ said Slab, shooting him a grateful smile, " _We have some extra time to enjoy the place."_

"Well," Petra said, "At least you're on _his_ good side now."

The two stood silent for another moment, admiring the room a moment longer. Then Slab nodded to himself and turned to make his way back down the hall.

" _I'll go get Hadrian."_

"Oh boy," murmured Maya. Aiden winced.

Jesse watched him go; the Gladiator paused, turning so that he was walking backwards.

" _Oh, and don't touch anything!"_

The boy bit his lip, nodding. Slab disappeared around the corner.

Mevia glanced at the real Jesse. She wondered if he was actually going to listen to that.

Alone, Jesse turned back to the room, the screen panning up to look down at him from the lamps. The tall windows were reflected in the floor. Quietly, Jesse hummed.

" _Slab said don't_ touch _anything,"_ he said, " _He never said don't_ look _at everything."_

Slab opened his mouth. Closed it. Finally, he grunted, "That's fair."

Gaze drifting, Jesse made his way over to a bookcase off to the side that had been stationed in an 'X' formation. He paused in front of it, searching the spines. His mouth twisted downwards. " _No Portal Atlas…"_

Otto's lips twitched upwards, "Of course not. I suppose it was nice of you to hope, though."

The boy bent down, squinting, "' _A Man Forever Voyaging' by…"_ his eyes widened, " _Soren? How did Hadrian get_ this _?"_

A pause. Then multiple eyes turned to stare at the real Soren. After a moment of being frozen, the ginger shrugged at them as if to say 'what do I know?'

Jesse filtered the mystery (for this was no longer a coincidence) to the back of his mind and returned to his inspection of the room. He walked around the desk, quartz stairs encircled with purple glass and flanked by armour stands with sea lanterns on top of them, and raised an eyebrow.

" _I've never seen a quartz desk before…"_

Hadrian huffed quietly, leaning back in his seat and doing little to suppress the smug smirk that danced on his lips. People could call him whatever they liked, but he knew he was superior to them in many ways. He was certain they were beginning to understand that as well.

Jesse turned his attention away from the desk and to the massive windows, peering through the white stained glass down at the snowy Competitors Village below. He whistled. " _Now that's a view."_

"These guys may be crazy," said Sparklez, "But they've got _seriously_ good taste."

" _Hey, there's Petra and Lukas!"_ Jesse exclaimed, waving as though they could also see him.

The real Petra snorted, while Lukas shot their friend an amused smile, sipping his juice box, "I doubt we can see you, Jess."

Jesse shrugged, cheeks tinting pink, "Yeah, well… maybe you can?"

"If that makes you feel better."

"... Maybe."

Possibly realising they couldn't see him and wave back, Jesse's eyes found a bat hanging off to the side. Leaning closer for a better look, he tapped on the glass. " _Pst, hey, bat. Hey, batsy."_

The bat squeaked at him, then opened his wings and flapped away. Jesse winced apologetically, " _Oops."_

Maya rolled his eyes, "Really, Jesse."

"I didn't _mean_ to."

He watched it go for a moment, before leaving the windows to take a look at the other side of the room. There wasn't much else there besides the armour, illuminated on its pedestal.

"Dude," Nell breathed, unaware of the watermelon seeds currently clinging to her face, "That's _Tim's_ armour."

Lizzie squinted, "Oh, yeah. I thought it looked familiar."

Nell turned to look at Jesse, grinning; it was rather comical, with the seeds and all, "Dude! You're in the _same room_ as _Tim's armour!_ Do you realise, like, how _rad_ that is?!"

"Um…" Jesse shot her a hesitant smile, "I guess?"

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes found the armour. Then he stepped back and his gaze drifted upon the surface behind it. " _Wow. An all-quartz wall. Impressive."_

Nell gestured frantically to the screen, "The armour! The _armour!_ "

Finally, as though hearing her insistence, Jesse turned his attention to the armour, moving so that he was standing at the edge of the pedestal. He cocked his head slightly, squinting in the light reflecting off the polished diamonds, then blinked in surprise, recognition crossing his face.

" _Hey, that's that 'Tim' guy's armour,"_ he said.

Nell beamed, nodding; the force of it caused a seed or two to slip off, "Yeah, brah! _Knew_ you'd recognise it!"

For a moment, Jesse just stared at the armour, brow furrowed in thought. For a moment, he looked like was about to try and get a closer look.

" _Welcome, Jesse."_

The boy yelped, twisting around so fast he came _this_ close to tripping over the edge of the pedestal and falling over. Hadrian grinned down at him.

"Oh my god," breathed Olivia, clutching at her chest and slumping against an equally startled Axel. Lukas choked on his juice, leaning away from the screen as though afraid the Old Builder would launch out of it; this led to him accidentally pressing himself against both Soren's legs and Jesse.

Petra scowled to hide her fright, "Where did he _come_ from?"

"Probably the door," muttered Cassie, although she was gripping Winslow a little tighter. The cat meowed in protest and she forced herself to loosen her grip.

"He's too close," Ivor grumbled, gripping Jesse's shoulder as the boy shrunk against his legs. Harper bit her lip and gave a small, silent nod of agreement.

" _Fantastic to have you here, just fantastic,"_ Hadrian declared, moving to stand next to Jesse and glancing up at the gleaming armour himself, " _Thanks for accepting my invitation."_

The real Jesse frowned, "Accepting… ?"

"You didn't give him a choice!" exclaimed Petra.

" _Seems appropriate that you'd gravitate towards Tim's armour,"_ Hadrian hummed, tucking his arms behind his back, " _What with everyone calling you the 'New Tim' down there."_

"Yeah, brah!" Nell cheered, "If anyone's a New Tim, it's Jesse dude!"

Jesse raised his eyebrows, "I've… only been there, what? Two days?"

Petra snorted, digging her elbow into his side, "You leave a good impression."

" _Yes,"_ continued Hadrian, answering a question Jesse didn't ask, " _I've heard the rumours that they're calling you that. And I can_ definitely _see why. People_ love _an underdog story."_

"That's one way to put it, I guess," said Aiden.

" _It's quite the little journey. A humble adventurer, lost in the Portal Network… now just one more victory away from owning the Atlas."_

"He _is_ actually alone this time, though," Dan admitted, a tad reluctantly, "Ivor, Lukas and Petra have all been eliminated, so...it's gonna be difficult to beat the next round by himself."

The real Jesse winced, "Thanks for the confidence boost."

"Sorry."

" _Give it to me straight,"_ said Jesse, frowning at him, " _Why did you invite me up here, Hadrian?"_

" _Why,"_ Hadrian said, still looking up at the armour, " _So we could continue to discuss the terms of our deal."_

"Of course," growled Isa. Milo, apprehensive, gripped her hand.

"Continue?" echoed Maya, "What is there to continue?! Neither of you agreed to _alter_ the deal!"

"It's not _altering_ ," Hadrian hissed, shooting her a glare that she returned with a surprising ferocity. Reginald's head snapped around to him.

"Hey!" his hand gripped his sword hilt, "Know your place."

Gritting his teeth, Hadrian tore his eyes away and back to the screen. Reginald didn't take his hand away from his sword. Lips twisting, Ivor shot the Old Builder a glare and tangled his fingers into Jesse's hair; the boy sat his mostly finished sandwich aside and tugged Reuben into his lap to hug him.

Onscreen, Jesse barked a humourless laugh, " _More terms?"_

" _Hmph,"_ Hadrian's eyes didn't stray from the armour. After a moment, he glanced at Jesse and gestured to it. " _You can look closer. Go ahead."_

Cassie's eyes narrowed, a low growl rumbling in her throat. He _hated_ that man.

Jesse frowned, glancing back up at the armour. Hadrian left his spot next to him to walk into the expanse space behind them.

" _I assume by now you've heard all about Tim?"_

"He's changing the subject," muttered Axel, scowling. Olivia gnawed on her bottom lip.

Jesse turned away from the armour to keep his eyes on him, " _Repeatedly."_

" _Everyone loves him,"_ Hadrian declared, standing in front of the nearest window and looking out across the steadily darkening sky, " _And why shouldn't they? After all… he's Tim."_

"Well, yeah, brah," Nell shrugged, "He won the _games._ He got home! Of course we love him."

Soren and Isa shared a look from across the room.

" _Doesn't that bug you?"_ asked Jesse, eyes narrow as he glanced at the armour, the banners that resembled the pattern on its chest plate, " _Are these supposed to be_ your _games?"_

Nell and Em glanced at each other, meeting eyes for the first time since the previous watching. Over on their couch, the Gladiators shared a look of their own, brows furrowed. They'd never thought of it before…

" _And they_ are _still my games!"_ Hadrian snapped, his voice echoing in the large room as his head snapped around to glare at Jesse over his shoulder.

The real Jesse suppressed a flinch. Reuben whined, looking up at him.

" _I love having a legend that can inspire my competitors,"_ the Old Builder explained, turning his eyes back to the window to gaze down at the Competitors Village below, " _Tim is an inspiration to them, even when he's not here. One could say he's an inspiration_ because _he's not here."_

"What's he getting at?" Clutch asked. Slab shrugged.

Jesse's eyes narrowed again. He crossed his arms. " _What do you mean?"_

" _It's so much easier,"_ Hadrian continued, something strange entering his voice, " _For a legend to stay nice and shiny when it's a fond memory,"_ he turned, beginning to walk around the front of his desk, " _Easier to control it."_

Harper's brow furrowed, "What is he up to?"

" _I've been watching your legend grow, but I worry that with you still in the picture it could get…"_ he stopped a few feet in front of Jesse, tucking his arms behind his back once more, " _Messy."_

"'Messy,'" echoed Stacy, "What does he mean by ' _messy'_?"

Stampy winced, "I'm not all that sure I wanna know."

" _I've been starting to think,"_ Hadrian continued, Jesse taking a few slightly hesitant steps closer, " _It would be best if you made a quiet exit."_

"I don't like the sound of that," Lukas muttered. Petra growled.

"Why can't he just get to the _point_?"

" _You don't belong here. These games aren't for you."_

" _Tell me something, Hadrian,"_ said Jesse, an _almost_ glare on his face, " _Do you even have a point when you start talking or do you just hope you find one along the way? Because I'm getting really tired of listening to you blab."_

Magnus blinked. Then barked a loud laugh. "Burn!"

"Think he'd like some cold water for that?" Ellegaard asked, lips twitching. Gabriel shook his head, smirking himself.

"Withhold it."

"Who knew you could be so _cold,_ Jesse?" Petra laughed, lightly punching the boy's shoulder. Jesse winced, rubbing it slightly, but grinned shyly.

"Thanks? I think?"

Nell cackled, "Nice one, brah. Like, _super rad._ You just dissed _Hadrian!_ "

Jesse ducked his head, cheeks tinted pink, and buried his face into Reuben's back.

" _Wow,"_ Hadrian's face hardened, " _Well that is… that's just kinda rude, champ,"_ he chuckled; it lacked humour, and his next words were spat, " _Haven't you heard that_ patience _is a virtue?"_

The real Jesse winced, the shy grin that had been twitching on his lips immediately falling.

Onscreen, Jesse clenched his jaw. Hadrian strolled passed him, heading back towards Tim's armour.

" _See, there's something you should know about the games…"_

Mevia raised her eyebrows. He was going to tell him?

" _No one ever wins unless we want them to,"_ he declared, stopping at the bottom of the pedestal, " _Not even Tim."_

The grin that had been on Nell's lips slowly fell. She gave an uncertain chuckle. "What's he- What's he, like, talking about? Tim _won_. Why would they, like, _let_ him win?"

She glanced around, as though hoping someone would answer her. No one did.

Hadrian turned to face Jesse again, a sly sort of grin on his face, " _Let that sink in for a moment, eh?"_

Jesse stared at him with a furrowed brow, before slowly trailing his gaze over to the armour. That frown deepened, and for the first time, a hint of worry shone in his eyes. He looked back to the Old Builder, that almost glare sliding back in place.

" _I'm not buying it, Hadrian,"_ he said, " _Is Tim even real?"_

Facmeat frowned, "Of course Tim real! Facemeat knows because Facemeat heard of him!"

"Have you ever actually _seen_ Tim, though?" Em asked. Facemeat faltered. Slab and Clutch shared a look, a horrible clench in their chest. After a moment, Nell frantically, stubbornly, shook her head.

"No way, brah. There's no way Tim just, like, _never_ existed! It's impossible!"

"Is it?" Olivia asked, glancing over at the original Order of the Stone. None met her eyes.

Mevia and Otto kept their gazes to the floor.

Hadrian smiled, " _I knew you were a smart one, bucko. Of course he's not real."_

Nell's eyes widened, "But… but he… Tim's…" she shook her head again, "He's _got_ to be real!"

"No."

Eyes turned to look at Mevia. She didn't look away from the screen.

"No, he's not."

Nell slumped, looking down at her feet, "... Oh."

" _Tim gives them hope,"_ Hadrian explained, looking back to the armour as Jesse watched in silence, " _He keeps them playing the games. But… no one wins,"_ he glanced back at Jesse, " _Ever."_

Em gave a humourless chuckle, "What'd I tell ya, Jesse? I made that damn deal for a reason."

Jesse was silent.

" _Which is why I think it'd be in your best interest to…"_ the Old Builder shrugged, returning to the armour, " _Play along."_

Petra growled, "Yeah, right."

" _Don't you miss your friends?"_ Hadrian asked, " _Your treehouse?"_

The original audience member's eyes widened.

"His- His treehouse?" echoed Olivia, " _Our_ treehouse?"

"So it _hadn't_ been destroyed by the Witherstorm!" Gill exclaimed. He faltered. "Well, um… unless it _was_ destroyed and you made a new one."

"I don't really think that matters at the moment," Lukas admitted, "How does he _know_ about the treehouse?"

Harper and Soren glanced at each other.

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes widened, taken aback, " _Wait. My_ treehouse _?"_

" _The Atlas can see where people are from, you know,"_ said Hadrian, facing him again, " _So I had Mevia check it out."_

Otto glanced at the real Mevia. She remained impassive.

" _Turns out you're pretty famous!"_ Hadrian continued, sliding a little over to the side, " _I was impressed!"_

Axel huffed, "You should be."

Hesitantly, Jesse trailed after him. Hadrian came to a stop before the quartz wall, looking up at it.

" _Had her bring back some things you might be interested in."_

Gabriel's eyes narrowed, "What is he talking about?"

Hadrian looked over his shoulder and grinned at him, a grin that made the boy take a step back. A diamond pickaxe appeared in his hand, and then he sped up, mining away at the quartz wall- revealing black, black obsidian darkened by the shadow of liquid fire, cold grey iron crisscrossing and twisting before two familiar faces that lit up when they met his own.

" _Axel!"_ Jesse gasped, ignoring Hadrian in favour of running towards the obsidian cells, " _Olivia!"_

" _Jesse!"_ the two exclaimed in unison.

"Wha- _What?!_ " gasped Lukas, "They- He-"

"You stupid piece of _crap!_ " Magnus shouted, shooting to his feet and looking just about ready to blast Hadrian into a thousand pieces, "How _dare you_ so much as go _near_ -"

"They weren't even a _part_ of this!" Ellegaard exclaimed, getting to her own feet, "They didn't even know the Portal Network _existed!_ "

"Oh boy," muttered Axel. Whether he was referring to being kidnapped onscreen or the fact that Magnus and Ellegaard were about to murder someone was unclear. It could've very well been both.

Hadrian glared at them, "Hey, _I'm_ not the one that took them. You should be glaring at _Mevia_ , not me!"

Mevia shot him a wide eyed look, "I was following _your_ orders!"

His eyes snapped towards her, then narrowed, "Are you _defying_ me?"

"Leave her out of this, Hadrian!" snapped Harper. Magnus growled, marching towards the purple-suited Old Builder.

"I swear to notch, you're going to regret this, you _stupid_ little turd-"

"You think you can _touch_ me?" Hadrian spat, "Someone with such a low IQ that they resort to destruction as the answer to everything?"

"Why don't I show you just how _destructive_ I can get?"

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Ellegaard hissed, moving to stand just behind the fuming Magnus, "They're _children_!"

Hadrian launched to his own feet, rage and irritation crossing his face in a scowl, "You think you can talk to _me_ like some sort of-"

"That's _enough!_ " Reginald yelled, standing with a warning glare and looking just about ready to draw his sword, "You _agreed_ to not speak!"

"They're _antagonising_ me-"

"For good reason!" he cut the Old Builder off, taking a step closer; the few inches the Captain of the Guard held over him became obvious, "Now shut up, sit down or we see just how reliable this places _respawn_ is."

Hadrian glared at him. Then, after a moment, he grunted and sat back down. Reginald nodded to Magnus and Ellegaard, the former of who opened his mouth to probably continue yelling and was only stopped by the latter placing a restraining hand on his shoulder, before sitting down himself and crossing his arms over his chest.

There was a brief moment where no one did or said anything. Then Magnus scoffed, shot Hadrian a disgusted sneer, and turned around to plop himself down on the floor next to Axel. After a second of contemplation, Ellegaard seated herself next to Olivia.

Ivor leant forward, lowering his voice, "You're shaking."

Jesse blinked, realising he _was_ shaking. Gritting his teeth, annoyed with himself, he curled his hands into fists in an attempt to stop. It didn't work.

_("Get your head straight, Jason. You just get everyone killed.")_

" _Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're here!"_ Jesse exclaimed, and in that moment he didn't even seem to register the fact that they were locked behind bars, didn't seem to register the fact that they looked tired and sore and definitely uncomfortable. He just looked relieved, excited, because maybe a small part of him had begun to wonder if he'd ever see them again.

" _Yeah,"_ Axel said, pressing his face against to bars in an attempt to see his smaller friend better; he was smiling widely, mirroring Jesse's relief, and seemingly unaware of the nasty bruise decorating his jaw, " _This scary lady showed up, knocked us out…"_ he wrinkled his nose, " _And now we're in these smelly boxes."_

Both Magnus and Ellegaard scowled. The real Axel absentmindedly rubbed his jaw, distantly wondering whether he'd hit it off something or if Mevia was just _that_ strong. Mevia herself looked torn between amused and annoyed at being referred to as a 'scary lady.'

" _What's going on here?"_ Olivia asked; she, at the very least, was sporting no obvious injuries, although there were heavy bags under her eyes and she looked like she hadn't slept properly in weeks. Something that Mevia probably had very little to do with.

The real Jesse's brow furrowed. Who _knows_ what those two had been up to while they were lost in the Portal Network. They definitely didn't look like they'd been having all that much fun, to say the least.

" _And that guy's voice is the_ worst _,"_ declared Axel, jabbing a finger at the watching Hadrian through the bars, " _I can hear it even through the obsidian."_

This earned quite a few amused snorts.

" _Not gonna lie, guys,"_ Jesse winced, " _It's bad. We're in a world where everyone is forced to compete in these crazy games and we'll be prisoners forever if I don't win."_

Stampy paused, "... Well, when you put it like _that_ , it sounds really bad."

"It _is_ really bad," pointed Stacy.

"If I'm being honest, I think it's just now hitting me _how_ bad this is."

"Things are just going from bad to worse," muttered Lukas. Jesse nodded in agreement.

" _Uh…"_ Axel stared at him, eyes wide, " _This_ is _bad."_

Jesse shot him an apologetic look, " _I'm so sorry you guys got roped into this."_

" _Yeah,"_ Olivia winced, leaning tiredly against the side of her dingy box-cell, " _That's… not the best."_

Ellegaard frowned, glancing at the real Olivia. She and Axel must have been up 24/7 trying to find the others, if not at the very least lying awake worrying about them. It seems to have affected her a tad more, however; maybe they'd converted the Amulet so it was linked to the kids and she'd thought the machine was broken when it failed to find them, so had tried to find a way to fix it.

" _Wait until I tell the others you're here,"_ said Jesse, regrettably looking at the cells currently stopping him from launching into their arms, " _I've missed you guys so much."_

" _Wow,"_ the boy jumped, the relief draining from his face as he spun around to face Hadrian again, having completely forgotten the man was there; he was smirking again, clapping his hands as though they'd just put on a fantastic show, " _This is just… wow."_

Many audience members immediately tensed.

" _Such a… tapestry of human drama and emotion,"_ the man said, smirk only widening at the glares he received from all three of them, " _And we haven't even gotten to the best part!"_

Ivor's eyes narrowed, "There's _more_?"

"Oh, great," muttered Magnus, not even realising he'd curled a protective hand around Axel's wrist. A thousand scenarios were flying through his mind, most consisting of deadly traps that would go off the moment someone stepped out of line. His grip tightened.

Hadrian walked off to the side, his smirk sly and wider than it had been before, if that was even possible, " _I saved that for last."_

Jesse's eyes narrowed, his whole stance weary, " _What?"_

"I don't like where this is going," Milo muttered.

" _Oh, yes,"_ said Hadrian, turning to face him again, smirking at him with such damn _smugness_ it was hard to not want to punch him in the mouth, " _Your best friend."_

He stepped aside to reveal the dark cage behind him.

" _Reuben."_

The audience's eyes widened. Harper and Ivor looked at each other, wondering if this was some sick joke. Jesse looked down at the real Reuben, who was blinking as though startled, and hugged him tighter. Petra's eyes narrowed.

"Reuben?" Stacy muttered, sharing a look with Lizzie. It was common knowledge, even amongst those that had arrived after the Witherstorm episodes, that the little pig hadn't made it.

Onscreen, Jesse stiffened. He stared at the dark cell for a long moment, before ever so slowly beginning to approach it. The screen cut to the inside of the cage, looking out at Jesse through the bars- and then his eyes widened because something was moving, shifting inside, the flash of something that might have been pink skin-

An usher with a chicken phobia appeared in the bars with a lazy smile, seemingly completely uncaring of the fact that he was trapped in a 'smelly box,' "' _Sup."_

The audience stared.

"Oh," muttered Stacy. She actually looked rather disappointed.

"Who is that?" asked Isa. Milo shrugged at her.

Mevia squinted, cocking her head slightly, "He looks very… laid back, considering he just got knocked out and locked up in a box."

Aiden raised his eyebrows, "Isn't that… isn't that the usher from episode one?" he glanced at the kids on the floor, "You know, Mr 'Don't Let the Chickens Peck Out Your Eyes'?"

Cassie turned her stare to him, only seeming even _more_ confused than before, "What?"

"Oh, yeah," said Axel, blinking at the screen, "It _is_ that guy!"

Harper gently nudged Jesse's shoulder, "Are you okay?"

He was silent for a moment, before snorting, "It's a little funny."

Idiot. Idiot, idiot, idiot.

You shouldn't even be disappointed. He's dead, you moron.

He's _dead._

Jesse blinked slowly at the usher, looking taken aback if nothing else. Over in his cell, Axel was shaking his head. He shot Jesse a worried glance. Finally, the boy sighed and shook his own head, pressing his hand against his forehead, unable to hide the disappointed slump of his shoulders.

Ivor's brow furrowed in concern, eyes flashing down to the real Jesse. Whilst he was hiding it worryingly well, there was a definite twist of his mouth and a furrow to his brow. He'd hoped, despite knowing that it was unlikely. The Old Builders had respawn, after all, something they didn't really know the full extent of. But something told him they couldn't bring back someone who died without it already in place when it happened.

" _I've heard all about him,"_ Hadrian continued, completely unawares of the horribly deadpan looks he was receiving from the three friends, " _Your best friend. Your partner in crime."_

The real Jesse held Reuben tighter.

" _Um,"_ Jesse turned to look at the usher, awkwardly raising a hand in greeting, " _Hi, 'Reuben.'"_

" _Uhh,"_ the usher shrugged, apparently wondering who this guy was and why he was talking to him, "' _Sup?"_

"This is really, really awkward," muttered Petra. The real Jesse nodded in agreement. Over on his couch, Hadrian was pinching the bridge of his nose and trying not to start yelling again.

God _dammit_ , Mevia.

" _Nothing too much,"_ said Jesse, the awkwardness rather clear in the way he held himself, " _How about yourself?"_

" _Oh…"_ the usher glanced away, Hadrian still smirking at the boy, " _Same?"_

Axel leant closer to the bars, whispering loudly to Jesse, " _This is so awkward."_

Magnus chuckled a little weakly, rubbing his forehead, "Oh, this is so hard to watch."

" _So, uh,"_ Jesse shook his head, turning his attention back to Hadrian, " _You used the Atlas to kidnap all my… best friends. Why?"_

" _Incentive, Jesse,"_ Hadrian waved him away, moving to stand next to him again, " _Incentive. See, even if you win- and that's a mighty 'if'-"_

"Yeah, right," Nell ground out, her tone of voice actually gaining a few surprised looks, "Even- Even if Tim's not, like, real, Jesse can still win! He has to!"

" _-_ They _will be staying to work in the mines forever,"_ Hadrian shrugged, " _Or until they get shot at competing, which is… still basically forever."_

Magnus grit his teeth, "I'm going to fu- freakin' kill him."

"I can't believe this," growled Ellegaard, wrapping an arm around Olivia, who's cheeks coloured at the protective affection, torn between being embarrassed and ecstatic because she _definitely_ still idolised her even with the amount of time they were spending together and the fact that she lied about the Ender Dragon; she was still an _amazing_ engineer.

" _No!"_ Olivia protested, gripping the bars. Jesse glanced at her and Axel, before clenching his jaw and turning back to Hadrian.

" _Okay, so what's your 'deal'?"_

Hadrian's smirk stretched, " _If you_ lose _the next match and work in my mines… then I'll let your friends go. All of them,"_ he shrugged, almost nonchalantly, but that blasted smirk never once left his lips, " _You'll just have to stay behind in their place."_

"No!" exclaimed Harper. Axel and Olivia shared a horrified look; Lukas frantically shook his head.

"No, no, no, we can't- you can't do that to him!"

"Jesse," Ivor said, trying to catch the boys eyes, but he wouldn't even look at him, gaze to the screen, biting his lip. The potionologist's jaw clenched. "Jesse. Don't you dare."

"I dunno what you're talking about," Jesse muttered. But he did. He knew very well.

His fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt where the tender scar on his stomach remained hidden.

" _I hear it's terrible in those mines,"_ Hadrian continued, humming to himself, " _But aren't your friends worth it? Hm?"_

"Don't listen to him, Jesse!" yelled Petra. No one decided to point out that he couldn't actually hear her.

Jesse's face was hard, " _If you're_ this _scared of me, I must have a better shot at winning than you're letting on."_

"You tell him, little dude!" cheered Nell.

Hadrian huffed, his own face hardening, " _Or maybe I'm just tired of a little pipsqueak interfering with my games."_

Axel coughed into his fist, "Lies."

Magnus didn't bother hiding a smirk at that. He glared at Hadrian when the man turned to scowl at the large boy.

" _Okay, I had hoped that watching your sad reunion would be entertaining,"_ said Hadrian, turning to regard his caged prisoners with a shrug, " _But I'm done now."_

Ellegaard scowled at the dismissal. It reminded her of a spoiled child getting bored of his toys.

" _Whaddya say, sport?"_ Hadrian asked, turning to face the boy again, " _Your freedom for theirs? Huh?"_

"Not a chance!" exclaimed Maya, "You can find another way, Jesse!"

There were similar shouts, similar protests, glares and scowls shot towards the real Hadrian who merely glared right back. Ivor's grip was tight on his shoulder. Jesse swallowed thickly, chest horribly tight, unable to stop the way his fingers trembled.

_Your freedom for theirs._

_Your life for theirs._

" _Do you think_ you're _worth more than all of_ them?" Hadrian asked, as Jesse turned away, gnawing on his bottom lip, " _Do you even_ really _think you can_ win _these games?"_

("Is it because you're _scared_ , slugger? You value _yourself_ over _every single one_ of your friends? Huh? Are you _that_ selfish?")

" _Wow,"_ hummed Axel, tapping his chin and wincing slightly when he accidentally hit his bruise, " _Tough one. That's actually kind of a good deal."_

"Axel!" exclaimed Petra, turning to glare at the boy. Axel frantically shook his head.

"I didn't hear him properly! I _definitely_ didn't hear him properly!"

" _Uh, yeah,"_ drawled Olivia, " _Except the part where Jesse would be stuck here forever."_

("I thought you were better than that, Jason. At the very least, you could admit that you're too scared, too _selfish_ , to actually save your friends if it means risking your life.")

" _Oh, yeah,"_ Axel winced, " _No, I take it back, it's a terrible deal."_

"You're not taking that deal," Petra declared, turning to glare at the real Jesse, "There is _no way_ you're taking that deal."

Jesse opened his mouth. Nothing came out.

Onscreen, the boy sighed and turned to face Hadrian again, " _You gotta deal."_

"No!" Petra shouted, leaping to her feet so fast no one saw her move, "He can't do that! You can't do that!"

Lukas groaned, burying his face in trembling hands. He was looked like he was having a hard time breathing. "I can't- I can't believe you- why would- oh god, not again, not _again_ -"

"Why would you do that?!" Petra screamed, spinning around to glare at Jesse with eyes brimming with tears, "Why the _hell would you do that?!_ "

"I- I-" Jesse was frozen, unable to speak. He was hardly given the chance to realise this, because he was abruptly knocked aside into some pillows. He looked up, startled, just in time to see Ivor's face twisted in rage and something like glass glimmering in his hand-

The potion smashed against the seat Hadrian had been sitting in moments before, the Old Builders eyes wide in shock as he took in the harmful swirls that danced in the air. The Gladiators were on their feet, torn between protecting their boss and defying him after going as far as murder, which only left them standing frozen. Hadrian turned his glare to Ivor, opening his mouth to scream at him-

But Petra screamed first, charging at him, and it was only Gabriel ramming into her and practically picking her up off her feet that stopped her from committing murder. Ivor was tearing out another potion from his bag, but then Jesse was up and grabbing his arm.

"Stop! Dad, don't-"

"What is the _matter_ with you?!" Ivor yelled, turning on the boy, and suddenly _he_ was gripping _his_ arm and Jesse wasn't even sure when that had happened, "Why do you _do_ these things?! Do you _hate_ yourself? Do you _want_ to die? Well?!"

Jesse frantically shook his head, tears sparking in his eyes, "N-No, I-"

" _What_ , then?!" Ivor asked, his grip tightening enough to make the boy wince, "You keep _doing_ these things! You do things for people, you forgive people, you keep them safe, but you never give a _damn_ about yourself! Why can't you just be selfish for one single _moment?!_ "

"I- But-"

"But _what?!_ " his father growled, "If you don't hate yourself, then _what?!_ "

His bottom lip trembled. Jesse tried to turn away, ducking his head, but the grip on his arm stopped him. He gasped in a breath; the tears escaped and trickled down his cheeks. "I didn't- I never wanted-"

"Ivor," Harper appeared next to him, resting a hand on the potionologists shoulder, "You're scaring him."

The grip on his arm loosened. Jesse didn't look up, chest heaving. Ivor sighed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled."

Jesse wasn't even able to think of an answer before he was choking on a sob. The grip on his arm slid away in favour of wrapping him in a hug, and Jesse buried his face into his dad's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, trembling, "I'm so, so sorry."

"I know," Ivor muttered, holding him tighter. The noise around them, the shouting and screaming, Petra struggling against Gabriel's grip, Soren and Cassie trying to remind Lukas how to breathe, Ellegaard and Olivia attempting to discourage Magnus and Axel from seeing just how high they can blast an old man, was still horribly loud.

"-Why are you blaming _me?!_ " Hadrian yelled over it all, "It was _Mevia_ who took them! _She_ probably came up with it in the first place!"

" _What?!_ " Mevia screamed, eyes widening, "You- You can't blame this on _me!_ "

"It was her!" declared Hadrian, "This was all _her_ idea!"

"You _prat!_ " exclaimed Mevia, "I can't believe you! You stupid, twisted old _prat!_ "

Jesse wasn't sure what made him open his eyes, but when he did it was with a blurry gaze that he locked on to Jessi. She'd pushed the portrait of a sheep aside, and she was trembling, jaw clenched. But she wasn't looking at Jesse.

Her gaze was locked on Hadrian.

His eyes widened. He opened his mouth- to say what, he wasn't sure- but the Jessi was pulling her arm back behind her head-

She launched something small and red across the room. Jesse heard it smack against something, then clatter to the floor. Pure silence followed.

Startled, Jesse pulled away from the hug just enough to see what was happening. Every pair of eyes was on Hadrian; on his knees, mouth open and face pinched with pain, with his hands covering the area between his legs.

A small, red robot toy lay on the floor directly in front of him.

Jesse's gaze snapped back to Jessi, but the portrait was back in place, as though it hadn't ever been moved in the first place. He returned to Hadrian, who looked just about ready to curl up on the floor. The silence was stifling.

Then, suddenly, Petra started chuckling. It evolved into cackling, then full blown laughter that shook her whole body and left her doubling over in Gabriel's arms. They stared at her for a moment. Then Magnus started laughing too, and so was Axel, until almost every member of the audience was either about to throw up from laughing too hard or were staring, wide eyed, with their hands covering their smiling mouths. A few just continued to gape, while others had buried their faces into their hands. Some boys were actually protectively covering their own sensitive areas, as though afraid more tiny robots were going to start flying from the walls.

Ivor huffed a small laugh of his own, before turning to Jesse. Face softening, he wiped the sniffling boy's tears with the sleeves of his robes. "Are you alright?"

Wiping his nose, Jesse nodded, "Ye- Yeah. I'm okay."

The potionologist nodded. He placed a quick kiss to the boy's forehead, then pulled him into another hug. Jesse relaxed against him almost immediately.

Reginald bent down and picked up the toy, frowning at it before glancing around in confusion, "Where… Where did this come from?"

Harper reluctantly left Ivor and Jesse to their hug, frowning at the guard, "What is it?"

He shook his head, "It's… a toy?"

The inventor took it from him, squinting at it. She blinked. "This is Jesse's," she glanced at the potionologist, whose attention was still on his boy, "I thought Ivor still had it."

"Well, neither of _them_ threw it," Reginald pointed out. He glanced around again. "Where did it come from?"

Harper shook her head and, after a moment of hesitation, pocketed the toy, "I'll ask around later. You just deal with _him_ ," she gestured towards Hadrian, who remained on the floor, groaning. Reginald nodded.

"Of course, ma'am."

As Reginald hoisted Hadrian back to his seat, Harper returned to Ivor and Jesse, who were finally pulling out of their hug. The original Order seemed to have decided to sit on the floor rather on the couch this time. Soren was seated next to Lukas, their backs against the couch, talking quietly to him with a comforting arm wrapped around his shoulders. Cassie was kneeling on the architect's other side, watching silently.

Harper made her way over to where Ivor and Jesse had seated themselves, Reuben already crawling into his person's lap, also against the couch a little down from Soren and his own kids. The boy had stopped sniffling, but was still rubbing at his eyes, heat touching his cheeks. He looked up when the inventor sat next to him; she smiled down at him, and he returned the gesture hesitantly. There were still tear tracks on his cheeks.

Cassie must have started to realise they were all settling down to continue watching, because she abruptly looked torn between staying where she was and returning to her seat. After a moment, Soren chuckled and wrapped his other arm around her shoulders, tugging her against his side. The girl stiffened, but slowly relaxed.

" _Jesse!"_ exclaimed Axel, eyes widening. Hadrian beamed.

" _He-ey, there we_ go _, sports fans!"_ he exclaimed, taking a few steps forward; Jesse stepped back, " _Well, I gotta tell ya, I'm pretty excited about this! I think we're_ all _winners here."_

Petra growled; any earlier amusement had vanished, "Yeah, right."

"What is it with him and that 'announcer' voice?" asked Axel, "I don't think any of us are really sports fans."

Hadrian turned to look back at Jesse's caged friends, " _But just to be sure you don't, heh,"_ his smile became a little darker, " _Try and renege on me… we'll keep your friends nice and safe."_

The real Olivia's eyes widened, " _What?_ He can't do that!"

Magnus looked at Ellegaard, "I have TNT."

She raised her eyebrows at him, "And I have redstone."

"Fantastic."

" _Remember,"_ continued Hadrian, as Jesse opened his mouth to protest, " _They're counting on you,"_ he glanced across his office, " _Slab!"_ The Gladiator skidded into sight, almost tripping over his own feet, " _Be a pal and our new friend a walk home?"_

Aiden blinked, "Has- Has he been there the whole time?"

Slab shrugged, "Probably."

" _Sure thing,"_ said Slab, grabbing Jesse's arm, " _Come on, squishy."_

Jesse tried to jerk his arm free, but Slab held tight, dragging him away. Hadrian began placing down blocks of obsidian, speeding up, covering his friend's horrified faces. The boy yelled, trying to tear himself free from Slab's bone-breaking grip, trying to get back to them, because _dammit_ he just wanted to talk to them at least a little longer, make sure they were okay, he hadn't seen them in so long-

But Slab's grip was unrelenting and his struggling did little to deter him. Then Hadrian placed obsidian in front of the screen and everything went dark with an echoing _slam._

Magnus grit his teeth, hand curling around Axel's wrist again. The large boy blinked down at it, then at Magnus, before ducking his head to hide his smile. From where she was seated next to the self-proclaimed Boom Master's other side, Ellegaard silently squeezed Olivia's knee.

Ivor glanced down at Jesse, the boy hugging Reuben close to his chest; he looked like he was about to start crying again. Sighing quietly, the potionologist wrapped his arm around his shoulders and tugged him into a half hug.

Jesse watched from behind the portrait, struggling to breathe in the dusty air. She rubbed trembling hands over the scars on her knuckles. Then tentatively raised them to the back of the portrait.

_Tap, tap, tap._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you accept or decline Hadrian's deal? Let me know in the reviews!


	82. My Hero, My Lie

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Eighty-Two: My Hero, My Lie**

* * *

It was so, so quiet.

There was no trickle of a leaking tap. No gentle creak of floorboards. No quiet squeak of shifting door hinges. The mansion was silent. Dead.

Dead, dead, _dead._

She wondered if even the thing that lingered was alive.

Somehow, she doubted it.

She wandered the halls. Explored every inch of every room. No lights would turn on, leaving her shuddering in the shadows; every chest was empty. Even the flowers seemed dead. There was nothing, _nothing, nothing, nothing_ , but walls and halls and rooms and things that didn't work. There was a black screen in one, but it just sat there; there was a jukebox in another, but it never made a sound; she'd found a library, and at this point she was certain she'd flipped through every book, every page, but no matter how many times she opened and closed them and put them away and took them back down, the pages were always blank.

There were trees outside. Trees and lakes and a whitewashed wall that stretched far up into the clouds and out of sight. There was a farm, too. With empty pens and empty lanes of ploughed dirt and even more empty chests. There were no cows, no sheep, no pigs, no chickens. There weren't even any birds.

It was so, so quiet.

But she knew it was there.

Watching.

Waiting.

If only she knew what for.

She was hungry. A monster gnawing at her insides. Black spots danced in her eyes and the world swayed around her. But she was always hungry, the pain never left, and there was lost and confused and scared and god _dammit_ how did she even get here?

So she cried. But she didn't scream, just in case it heard her, just in case it came for her. She tried to breathe. She starved.

All in the silence of her new quiet room.

* * *

The black of the screen melted away to reveal the snow covered paths of the Competitors Village, a Tim banner swaying gently from where it was pinned against the wall of a building. Then there came the running of footsteps, the crunch of snow, and Jesse abruptly darted past the banner.

He was panting, slightly doubled over from the clenching stitch crawling up his side, tripping over his own feet and coming close on multiple occasions to falling flat on his face. But he didn't stop running.

Mevia's eyes widened, "He ran all the way from the palace?"

Maya frowned, "I think so. Why?"

The blue-haired Old Builder shook her head, "Nothing, just… that's a long run. Especially in the snow."

The screen cut to an empty road, the tall windows of Hadrian's palace glowing a faint purple on the mountain just behind it. Flakes of chilling snow floated lazily down from the sky, joining each other in clumps of frost on the ground. Jesse appeared around the corner, skidding to make the turn and coming dangerously close to slipping on a patch of ice.

Cassie raised her eyebrows, head resting on Soren's shoulder, "He's going to end up on the ground if he keeps running like that."

It cut forward, revealing just what he was running towards; his friends, huddled together directly up ahead, the other teams scattered about in the snow, seemingly minding their own business. Ivor, the only one who didn't have his back to the street the boy was running down, immediately straightened, relief crossing his face.

" _Jesse! You're okay!"_

Magnus relaxed slightly, if not entirely. At least that jerkwad hadn't got his hands on any of _them_.

Immediately, Petra and Lukas spun around, relief crossing their own faces. The redhead darted forward first, skidding to a stop in front of Jesse as the boy doubled over, inhaling deep, ragged gasps as he tried to catch his breath. He was trembling, if only slightly, and looked close to collapsing into the snow.

" _What happened up there?"_ Petra asked, as Ivor, Lukas and Harper hastily joined them. Jesse forced himself to straighten, chest still heaving, shoulders still trembling; his face was a pasty sort of pale.

" _Hadrian has Axel and Olivia."_

"Don't remind me," Ellegaard sighed.

" _What?"_ almost the entire group gasped in unison, eyes widening. Harper frowned, lost, but didn't say anything.

Jesse nodded, still struggling to catch his breath, " _He- He used the Atlas to snatch them from our world."_

"Mevia did that," Hadrian scowled, although his words were too low for anyone to properly hear them. He was still rather sore.

" _No,"_ Lukas gasped, tangling a hand in his hair and turning his wide eyed gaze to the snow. Petra swallowed, almost hesitating to ask.

" _Are they… okay?"_

Jesse nodded, attempting to swallow; the action was rather difficult, considering how dry his mouth was, " _Other than Hadrian having them trapped in obsidian prisons. But he- But he offered me a deal. He said he'll send you all home…"_ he took a deep, shuddering breath, and spoke quickly, almost too quickly to understand, " _If I lose and go to the mines in your place."_

Ivor clenched his jaw at the reminder, absently rubbing small circles just behind Jesse's ear with his thumb, the boy pressed against his side. He shared a small glance with Harper.

At least he told them.

Behind Petra, Ivor, Lukas and Harper glanced at each other. But Petra's eyes were still on Jesse, brow beginning to furrow. She crossed her arms.

" _You didn't take it, right?"_ she asked, an almost warning note entering her tone.

The real Petra huffed, but Gabriel's restraining hand on her shoulder stopped her from speaking. The real Jesse winced and held Reuben tighter.

Much like his offscreen self, Jesse winced, eyes drifting away to avoid looking his friend in the face and hand lifting to scratch the back of his neck. Ivor drew in a sharp breath.

" _Oh dear."_

" _No!"_ Petra exclaimed, colour draining from her face. And for a moment something like terror flashed across her eyes, something like heart stopping fear, before it was replaced by a burning fire and her eyes sharpened into a glare. " _Why would you_ do _that?!"_

"Because he's an idiot," Petra muttered.

The redhead marched around him, gripping her headscarf and shaking her head. The others circled closer, faces pale; Ivor inched a little closer to Jesse, mouth opening and closing as though he wanted to say something but wasn't sure what. The boy himself hunched in on himself, gripping his arm with his hand. Harper shook her head, struggling to wrap her head around it.

" _Oh my… oh my, oh my…"_

" _I would have_ never _let you do this!"_ Petra snapped, pacing behind him, her sudden shout making all of them jump

" _I did it to save you guys!"_ Jesse exclaimed, turning to look at Petra desperately, " _That's what this has all been about!"_

"No it hasn't!" said Petar, leaning forward to shoot Jesse a glare, "This has all been about us getting home! _All_ of us!"

"She has a point, Jesse," Harper admitted, gently taking the boys hand into her own when he turned to look at her, "What's point of them going home when you aren't there to complete it?"

Jesse opened his mouth, but then closed it with a soft sigh, slumping against Ivor. Reuben looked up at him, whining softly. The boy's voice was a mumble when he spoke.

"At least you guys'll be safe."

" _But you'll be trapped!"_ Lukas protested, crossing his arms in a way that was more of him hugging himself than anything else, " _Probably forever!"_

" _And_ he'll _have the Redstone Heart!"_ Harper pointed out. Jesse's eyes briefly darted to his feet.

" _Yeah, but… at least I know you guys will be free."_

Next to him, Ivor, who had his own arms crossed, dropped his gaze down and closed his eyes with a soft sigh. Before he could speak, however, a familiar voice broke through the ever so brief silence.

" _That's ridiculous."_

They turned to find Em making her way towards them, brow furrowed deeply, " _There's no_ way _Hadrian will actually send your friends home."_

Lizzie hummed, frowning herself, "She… has a point. He might not force them to compete or send them to the mines, but he'd probably just throw them all back into the Portal Network."

"Uh, yeah," Aiden winced, "I noticed that. He said he'll 'let them go.' He didn't say he'd send them back to _our_ world."

Jesse bit his lip, but said nothing.

" _He'll wait 'till you lose and then send you all to the mines anyway."_

Harper winced, sighing; Em leant against a pillar, the inventor turning back to Jesse, " _Probably. While claiming_ that _was the original deal."_

"He's the one that altered it!" protested Olivia.

" _So who's supposed to help us, then?"_ asked Petra, somewhat pushing down her anger; Jesse did his 'thinking' thing where he crossed an arm over his chest, resting his elbow on it and tapping his bottom lip, " _Hadrian and Mevia are_ clearly _the worst."_

The real Mevia rolled her eyes.

Jesse looked up, eyes wide, " _But what about the third guy?_

" _Otto?"_ Harper raised an eyebrow, " _How could_ he _help?"_

The real Otto frowned, humming, "Yes, I am curious as to where you're getting at."

" _He's always stayed out of the more… lever-pulling sides of the games,"_ Harper continued, as Jesse, still in his thinking pose, trailed over to the villages open square where most of the competitors were huddled, the others following. Jesse frowned thoughtfully and turned to look at her again.

" _Seems like he might not like Hadrian that much. That true?"_

Isa hummed, glancing at the real Otto and Hadrian, "Much hasn't changed, then."

Harper huffed, raising her eyebrows as she crossed her arms, " _Good eye. Hadrian thinks Otto's a boring stick in the mud, Otto thinks Hadrian's a megalomaniac… Not a lot of love lost there."_

"'Megalomaniac,'" echoed Maya, a slight sneer crossing her face, "It fits."

Hadrian grit his teeth irritably.

" _If you won,"_ said Harper, " _I know he would definitely make sure you got that Atlas."_

"But then there's Axel and Olivia," pointed out Gill. Harper frowned.

"Yes, there… there is that."

" _That_ was _the original deal,"_ Harper shrugged, " _And he's an honourable man."_

Otto smiled at that.

Jesse, however, glanced unsurely around the square. Or more specifically, at the other competitors. " _Harper, what about all the people that are trapped here against their will?"_

Nell beamed- the first proper one she'd done in a good while- and turned to face the real Jesse, "Dude, I think you're even _better_ than Tim. Like, _radically_ better! Especially since you're, like, real and all."

Jesse huffed a small laugh, returning her smile, "Glad you think so, Nell."

"Righteous."

" _I can win the Atlas, but I'm gonna need you to get them out."_

Hadrian growled, "We had a _deal!_ "

"One _you_ have a history of cheating on," countered Soren.

Harper reached over his shoulder and pulled out a diamond pickaxe, " _You can count on me, Jesse. I'll make sure everyone is out of the mines before the next game is over."_

Hadrian bristled, "What?!"

" _Wait, wait, wait,"_ Em butted in again, pushing herself off the wall she'd been leaning against, " _You really think you can free everyone in this place_ and _win the games?"_

She came to a stop in front of Jesse, once more towering over the boy. Jesse regarded her with slight suspicion, turning his body slightly as he crossed his arms.

" _Yeah?"_

Em chuckled, " _Good luck with that last part. You really think you can just_ beat _all the other teams by yourself?"_

Stacy winced, "She's, uh… kinda right…"

Jesse rolled his eyes, before his gaze found three Purple team members just off to the side, staring and whispering loudly to each other. It was a little hard to tell if they were making fun of them or not.

" _That_ is _a pretty tall order,"_ Harper admitted, " _Even for you, Jesse."_

"Wait, I'm confused," Axel said, "Is Jesse going to the mines or not?"

"How can he go to the mines if there's no mines to go to?" asked Olivia. Axel frowned for a moment, and then his eyes widened.

"Ohhh!"

" _It's impossible, is what it is,"_ declared Em, rolling her eyes.

" _The Old Builders expect us all to fight each other,"_ said Jesse, " _I don't intend to give them the satisfaction."_

Slab's eyes widened, "He doesn't mean…"

Em raised her eyebrows, large arms crossing over her chest, " _You're, what? Gonna convince everyone to work together?"_

Sparklez twisted his fingers together, "Well… teamwork makes the dream work?"

The real Em stared at him for a long moment, "... That is the _cheesiest_ thing I've ever heard, and I see Nell every day."

"I have decided to take that as a compliment."

Jesse huffed a small laugh, shooting the former Gladiator a smile, " _Oh, yeah."_

Em's eyes narrowed. So did Jesse's. Then the whispers around them got louder and some competitors in blue suddenly began to trail into sight behind him, and when the small group glanced around, it was to reveal that almost everyone in the square were now outright staring at them. Lukas lowered his voice slightly.

" _Woah, looks like we've got a little bit of an audience here."_

Jesse glanced around, suddenly looking nervous. He backed away a little. Every single pair of eyes was on him, the screen swooshing from each face from Jesse's own eyes- the three Green team members (the third member had forgone their helmet, revealing a shock of bright green hair), his friends, the yellow team, whispers everywhere- Petra abruptly appeared at his side, leaning closer.

" _I think that's your cue to do your thing!"_

The real Jesse winced, "Oh boy."

Jesse stared at her for a moment, before biting his lip and turning his gaze to the ground. His face hardened with determination, and he looked up again, taking a deep breath and facing the sudden crowd that had gathered in front of him.

" _The Old Builders make you all compete in the games,"_ he began, " _Event after event after event. They build up hope, but they're still controlling everything!"_

Otto and Mevia glanced at each other. Hadrian rolled his eyes.

Like this'll ever work.

" _They'll never_ really _let anyone win unless we work together!"_

Sparklez cheered.

" _Hadrian keeps twisting and changing the rules,"_ said Jesse, " _I say it's_ our _time to change the rules on them!"_

" _What's the point?"_ asked Em, turning away from him, " _Hadrian will still have all the power. There's no way he's just gonna let us take that from him,"_ she looked at the Yellow Girl that had talked to Jesse in the square earlier that evening, who was looking steadily uninspired, " _He'll just make up some more rules. It's useless."_

"Well… so's just sitting there and taking it," Stampy pointed out. Em frowned, but said nothing.

" _Hadrian's not fully in control,"_ Jesse declared, moving to climb up onto the small platform around Tim's memorial, " _Winning_ is _possible, Em."_

The real Em rolled her eyes.

Onscreen, Jesse turned to face her, standing on the edge of the top of the platform, " _Don't you_ want _to win?"_

" _I do,"_ said Em, face softening slightly, " _More than anything. But…"_ she shook her head, " _No one beats Hadrian at his own games. Nobody."_

" _Hey!"_ the Yellow girl abruptly skidded into the short space between Em and Jesse, eyes sparkling, " _Tim did!"_

The majority of the audience winced. Aiden scratched the back of his neck.

"Uh… well. Awkward."

Almost immediately, cheers burst forth from the crowd. Jesse blinked down at Yellow, then bit his lip, awkwardly scratching the back of his head as he briefly glanced at the portrait of Tim over his shoulder. The crowd turned to look up at him again, smiles on their faces. Yellow breathed a sigh.

" _That's the only thing keeping me going in here."_

" _Oh, yeah. 'Cause if it were not for Tim… I probably would've given up a_ long _time ago."_

Nell winced, "Well, this is, like, _so_ awkward."

" _Actually,"_ said Jesse, slowly; he took a deep breath, " _Tim's not real."_

Gasps erupted from the crowd, the accusation physically knocking the competitors back a few steps. Yells burst, arguments, denial. Yellow frantically shook her head.

" _That's- no way! Of course Tim's real! Look at the banners!"_

Ellegaard winced, "Well, ah… no. No, that's not exactly… proof of existence."

" _Are you sure?"_ a Purple member asked. Jesse nodded.

" _Yeah. Hadrian told me."_

The gasping returned. Lukas shook his head, looking up to meet Jesse's eyes.

" _I_ knew _it. All that stuff about him seemed too implausible."_

Soren ruffled the real Lukas' blond hair.

" _So, wait,"_ Em said, voice booming- and cracking, if only slightly- over the noise of the crowd, " _Tim's_ made up _? They just… invented him?"_

Ivor's voice came up, " _What a highly elaborated fabrication…"_

" _Of course he did,"_ said Jesse, moving to stand high up on the platform, directly in front of Tim's portrait, " _It's all apart of how the Old Builders keep their control over everyone."_

" _That's awful,"_ Yellow muttered. A Blue member sighed.

" _Seriously…"_

Dan sighed, "These poor people…"

" _But we can beat them!"_ Jesse declared. Em, however, shook her head.

" _The Old Builders already controlled everything else,"_ she turned away, " _Of_ course _they control the games. Why should I even_ try _anymore?"_

Jesse frowned, tapping his bottom lip as he began to pace along the stage. The crowd glanced from him to Em, the latter of whom continued talking, more to herself than anyone else.

" _Sitting in their stupid tower, pulling all the levers,"_ she grit her teeth, " _Like they've got us all on leashes."_

" _Hey, but the Old Builders don't know that we know,"_ Jesse pointed out, still pacing, " _We have surprise on our side!"_

Isa hummed, frowning as she absently stroked Benedict's feathers, "I _suppose_ that's an advantage."

" _Surprise,"_ Em drawled, " _Awesome. That'll be a_ ton _of help when the Gladiators are running at me with enchanted swords."_

Next to her, Nell winced, " _Yeah. I mean, like, your plan to take down the Old Builders_ sounds _cool and all, but, um… those Gladiators are, like, super tough,"_ she laughed, a little nervously, as Jesse continued to pace with his hands tucked behind his back, " _Like, max-level scariness, okay? Boo! Oh no, I mean totally OP."_

Gill leant closer to Maya, "OP?"

She shrugged at him.

Jesse stopped pacing to face the crowd properly, " _It's true. Anyone of those Gladiators could probably beat any of us to a pulp one on one."_

"Uh, where is he going with this?" Petra asked. Gabriel shrugged.

Lukas frowned, lowering his voice and leaning closer to Petra, " _Uh, where's Jesse going with this?"_

" _But there's_ no way _they'd be able to do that if we all tried to fight them at once!"_

" _Oh,"_ Ivor said, eyes wide, " _I get it now."_

Harper snorted quietly.

" _If we work together,"_ said Jesse, " _As a team!"_

Sparklez raised a fist in the air, muttering to himself, "Yessss."

" _Okay,"_ Petra whispered loudly, looking up at Jesse with a reassuring grin, " _Now just bring it home, Jesse."_

" _You can do it!"_ declared Ivor.

" _Doing awesome,"_ said Lukas.

" _Those Old Builders think they're the greatest thing since chiselled quartz,"_ Jesse said, his friends grinning up at him proudly, " _But we will show them that that is not true! Right now, Hadrian is up in that tower,"_ he pointed to said tower, looming in the distance, a constant reminder of dominance, " _Plotting how he's gonna beat us all, but what he doesn't know is that his plans are doomed from the start. Because they are going_ down _!"_

"Whooo!" Axel cheered, "Go, Jesse!"

The crowd started to cheer and clap- a Blue member even leapt, rather elegantly, into the air- but then they began to disperse, muttering to each other- " _Not real? I can't believe it!"-_ until it was just Jesse's friends, although Nell did wink at him before vanishing to do whatever it is she did (perhaps tend to her secret stash).

"Well," muttered Olivia, absentmindedly resting her cheek against Ellegaard's shoulder, "I _think_ that went well."

Jesse, who still had his hands in the air, blinked at the sudden disperse, before awkwardly dropping in hands and scratching the back of his head. He made his way off the platform.

" _Look, it was a nice speech,"_ Em said, shoving aside the linger Blue team member that had leapt into the air as she approached, " _But strength doesn't come from speeches,"_ she came to a stop in front of Jesse as the boy stopped on the lower steps; he seemed quite content to stay there, probably due to the fact that it made him taller than her, " _Actions speak louder than words. Can't expect to just talk your way through this, Jesse."_

"My _strength comes from my friends,"_ stated Jesse, his gaze shifted over to them, " _We're always there for each other."_

Lukas' lips twitched into a soft smile, "That's beautifully cheesy."

Aiden's gaze fell to his lap.

" _It's true,"_ said Ivor, meeting Em's gaze head-on, " _Jesse never even gave up on me. And_ I _used to be a bad guy!"_

The real Ivor gave his boy a gentle squeeze, smiling when Jesse shot him a grin.

Em glanced down, brow only slightly furrowed. She looked back up at Jesse. " _Maybe."_

Then she turned and walked away.

Jesse watched her go for a moment, jumping down from the steps to join his friends. Lukas scratched the back of his neck.

" _Man,"_ he muttered, " _Some crowd. Think that got through to them?"_

" _Wait, so,"_ they turned to see Yellow walking across the plaza, looking quite confused, " _Who are we fighting, then?"_

The real Jesse blinked slowly at the screen, then gave a long-suffering sigh and buried his face into Ivor's shoulder. Harper patted him sympathetically on the back.

Onscreen, Lukas winced and looked at Jesse. The boy stared after Yellow for a moment, before making a noise that was somewhere between a groan and a sigh and promptly facepalming, shaking his head.

" _Reaction definitely seemed… mixed,"_ admitted Lukas. Petra raised her eyebrows.

" _Yeah, no kidding."_

" _Lots of die-hard Tim fans,"_ muttered Ivor.

" _Uh, yeah, totally,"_ Jesse frowned slightly, " _I mean, you did hear it, right?"_

" _Loud and clear,"_ said Petra, sighing slightly as she tangled her hand into her hair, " _It just might not have been enough."_

"But that speech was _righteous!_ " exclaimed Nell, "It totally must have got through!"

Em glanced at her and said nothing.

" _Well,"_ Ivor appeared next to Jesse, wrapping his arm around him and beginning to lead him towards the dorms, " _I guess we'll find out for_ sure _in the morning."_

The screen panned out, showing the group as a whole making their way towards the dorms. Petra sighed and began to follow as well. Whispers continued to be quietly tossed about as Tim's portrait sat perched where it always had, a broad face that had never truly been a hero- a broad face that had only ever been a lie.

The screen faded to black.

"I hope that worked," muttered Maya. Isa sighed.

"Well, even if it didn't… all we can do is hope Jesse wins and that Harper doesn't get caught."

"Ditto on the not get caught thing," said Harper. Jesse glanced over at Hadrian. He was glaring at the screen as though he'd quite like for it to set on fire.

Swallowing, the boy tore his eyes away and took a deep, steadying breath.

_No deal._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you tell the competitors that Tim was fake or not? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> This chapter was surprisingly difficult to write. Probably because we weren't really learning anything all that new and there wasn't much to react to. Hope it's decent anyway.


	83. Where Dust Lies

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Eighty-Three: Where Dust Lies**

* * *

Blackness melted from the screen to the sound of Hadrian's voice through the speakers, revealing him standing at the edge of the Old Builders personal high box seating in the arena, the crossing blades built in diamond directly about him.

" _Lllllladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege- nay, my_ honour _\- to be here today, kicking off another wonderful day oooof,"_ he gestured to the massive arena before him, " _The Gaaames!"_

Dan frowned, "Who… Who is he talking to?"

" _That's right, Hadrian,"_ said Otto, the screen switching to show a rather worried looking Jesse being led by Facemeat down a hall, " _And not just any day, but the_ final _day of,"_ dramatic pause, " _The Games!"_

"They like their dramatic pauses, huh?" Stacy muttered. Lizzie nodded in agreement.

The three Old Builders settled down in their seats as Otto continued, Hadrian lounging across ins chair and kicking up his feet, " _Are our competitors ready for the final challenge? The Wa-"_

" _It's the Walls!"_ Mevia cut him off, a rather malicious grin on her face.

Harper rolled her eyes.

Jesse and Facemeat reached the arena, the shorter of the two regarding the space before him with an ever mounting weariness. Maybe even fear.

Ivor hugged the real Jesse a little tighter.

" _So,"_ said Facemeat, grinning, " _Scared?"_

Milo hummed, thinking for a moment, "Hm… Petrified is a better word, I believe."

" _Because it's okay if you are. No one will,"_ Facemeat snorted into his hand in an attempt to hold back his laughter, "Judge _you for it."_

Olivia shook her head, "Isn't he pleasant?"

" _You can tell_ me _if you were scared,"_ Facemeat assured, although the toothy grin on his face said otherwise. Jesse rolled his eyes and shot him a small glare.

" _After putting up with your breath this whole walk? Please. This 'Walls' thing doesn't scare me at all."_

Axel cackled, "Burn!"

Facemeat chuckled, crossing his arms, " _Still got your sense of humour. Cute."_

" _Mevia,"_ said Hadrian, the screen cutting back to the Old Builders lounging on their couches, " _For those unfamiliar with 'The Walls,' you wanna walk us through how it's played?"_

" _Sure thing, Hadrian,"_ Mevia said; the screen panned over the arena, revealing four different landscapes cut off into sections by four sand walls with a tall podium in the middle, " _Teams start out separated in their own sections divided by the high inner walls,"_ it cut down to one of the landscapes, revealing a tree, a small hill, stone dotted here and there on the surface and a crafting table already made, Em looking around with narrowed eyes, " _Each time has a short amount of time,"_ it cut to the Blue team, taking in their own section, " _To gather materials to build defenses and craft in their section,"_ the Purple team, wandering around, " _Before 'the Walls' come down."_

Maya blinked, "That… actually sounds pretty fun."

"Honestly, I think the whole Games would be fun if they weren't rigged," admitted Aiden. This earned a good few nods of agreement.

Facemeat shoved Jesse into his section, the boy tripping over his own feet and almost face-planting the ground. He glanced around, the slight irritation melting from his face to be replaced by alarm.

" _Wait, I only see dirt and gravel in my section!"_

Sure enough, while the other sections had dirt and grass, at least one tree and some stone and maybe a few flowers dotted around, Jesse's section only consisted of dirt, some gravel… and a single crafting table.

Harper sighed, "Of course. Can't risk him backing out on the deal, right?"

Aiden shook his head and gestured to the screen, "Exactly what I mean. Rigged."

" _Oh, I'm sorry,"_ said Facemeat, still grinning, " _Is that gonna be a problem?"_

"Well… yeah!" said Petra, scowling.

" _The sections are drawn at random,"_ Hadrian declared through the speakers.

This earned the real Hadrian a few deadpan looks.

" _Well,_ yeah _,"_ said Jesse, turning to look at Facemeat with a frown, " _Didn't you hear them? I need to gather up things to build defences, craft tools and-"_

Facemeat was staring down at him blankly. Jesse's face fell into a deadpan look and he crossed his arms.

" _Aaaand you don't care at all, do you?"_

" _Nope."_

Jesse sighed, " _Awesome."_

"Well, this is just _great_ ," murmured Lukas. Cassie snorted.

"I think that's an understatement."

The screen panned over the arena again, rising to show the Old Builders in their little box seats. Mevia's voice filtered through the speakers.

" _Once the Walls are down, it's every team for themselves."_

" _But is surviving 'the Walls' the end, Mevia?"_ asked Hadrian.

" _No, it is not, Hadrian,"_ Mevia said, " _Whichever teams survive the free for all,"_ the screen cut down to Jesse, looking up at them with a glare, " _Needs to step onto the Winner's Platform in the centre of the arena."_

Jesse's head turned to look at the Winner's Platform, the sand walls ending there.

" _Winner. Takes. All,"_ Otto declared.

" _But let's not get ahead of ourselves,"_ said Mevia, as the screen panned out to show the top of the Winner's Platform, a single quartz pillar block in the middle and nether fences sticking up around the sides like spikes, " _Because that's_ only _if the would-be winners can defeat-"_

" _Our Glaaaaadiatooooors!"_ Hadrian exclaimed; Facemeat flexed his muscles with his toothy (and somewhat toothless) grin, Jesse glaring at the floor with his arms crossed; Slab gave a rumbling laugh, pumping his fist in the air, " _That's right! So all competitors better get to gathering materials,"_ the Blue team were hastily running around their section, " _Because that clock!"_ the Purple team were shoved into their own section, tripping over their feet as they rushed to prepare. It cut to Hadrian, a malicious grin on his face. " _Is! Ticking!"_

Facemeat shoved Jesse to the side as he passed him, grinning, " _Tick tock."_

"Everyone is so _rude_ here," muttered Gill.

Jesse shook his head after him, before turning to face his baren section, " _Well… hopefully it's not_ all _dirt and gravel."_

Isa made a face and twisted her hand from side to side, "Ehhhh."

Jesse began to make his way across his section, Facemeat guarding the door with his arms crossed and enchanted axe in hand, still grinning his toothless-toothy grin. Otto's voice filtered through the speakers, a hint of disapproval in his voice.

" _Hadrian, I can't help but notice that our newcomer, Jesse's, section has a disproportionate amount of dirt and gravel."_

"You don't say," said Petra, rolling her eyes.

Jesse began to dig up the dirt and gravel- only to find more dirt, more gravel aaaaand more dirt and gravel. Groaning, he whacked his now filthy gauntlets against his legs in a rather useless attempt to clean them. " _Nope. Just dirt,"_ he glanced around, a rather anxious look crossing his face, " _C'm_ on _!"_

Hadrian was saying something as Jesse scrambled out of his newly made hole, and they only got the end of his sentence, " _-for a_ deal _."_

"At least Otto doesn't seem all that happy with this," sighed Harper.

Jesse made his way to the other side of his section, looking increasingly frustrated. Mevia cackled.

" _Hilarious."_

He started digging up another hole, gritting his teeth, only to clamber out a moment later and give another loud groan of despair, " _Gravel? Gravel?! That's worse than dirt!"_

"Well, I mean, you can get some flint from gravel, although it does tend to crumble a lot more than dirt, and…" Lukas trailed off at Jesse's glare, before turning his attention back to the screen, "I'll… yeah. I'll stop talking."

" _Oooooh, you know what time it is?"_ Hadrian asked, the screen turning back to him as he pushed himself out his seat to stand at the edge, " _Ask me what time it is, Mevia."_

" _What time is it, Hadrian?"_ Mevia asked, coming up behind him. Even Otto stood from his seat.

" _It's tiiiiiiiiime for the Walls to come down!"_ Hadrian exclaimed.

"But Jesse hasn't gotten anything!" Ellegaard protested.

The whole arena trembled and Jesse spun around, face draining of colour as the sand walls collapsed into the ground. Behind him, Facemeat cackled, waving his axe.

" _Good lu-uck!"_

" _This should be interesting,"_ said Otto.

Before Jesse, the last of the walls collapsed, leaving him exposed and defenceless. Up in his stadium, Hadrian's grin widened. " _Very."_

Jesse glanced to the side- the two Blue team members were standing side by side, one with a wooden sword and the other with a wooden hoe, possibly due to not having enough blocks for a second sword. He looked to his other side- the two Purple team members look worried, one with a stone pickaxe and the other a fishing rod.

Olivia groaned, sinking against Ellegaard's side, "I can't watch this."

" _The competitors are like wild ocelots,"_ said Hadrian, the screen panning over Blue team, " _Sizing each other up,"_ it wiped over to the Purple team, one beginning to tremble, " _Unmoving,"_ the other Purple member's eyes found Em in her own section, standing at a crafting table as she finished making something, " _Before they go in for the kill!"_

"If only Jesse still had his sword," said Stacy, "Then he'd at least stand a chance."

"At least he has his armour?" tried Stampy. Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, now they can take their time with pummeling him to death."

"I can hear you and it's not very comforting," Jesse called over.

"I don't think you're gonna be able to find _anything_ comforting about this situation," admitted Dan.

Em turned away from her crafting table, narrowed eyes finding Jesse. Nell burst out into a wide grin, a wooden sword in hand.

" _Jess-ay!"_ she exclaimed, " _Yo, Jess! Hoo-ey!"_

Mevia rolled her eyes, although for some reason couldn't help the amused twitch of her lips. She made sure to cover it fairly quickly before it was noticed.

That wouldn't do, after all.

Em looked up at the Old Builders, then growled and ducked her head, jaw clenching and teeth gritting. She made a noise that was something between a grunt and a yell, before turning her glare to Jesse and beginning to march towards him.

Olivia squeaked and buried her face into Ellegaard's side. The engineer wrapped an arm around her without thinking.

" _We've got movement!"_ declared Otto.

" _Em?"_ said Jesse, looking at the former Gladiator in disbelief and holding his arms out as though to say 'you're kidding me,' " _Really?!"_

The real Jesse winced, "Oh boy."

Reuben whined, sinking deeper into his person's lap.

" _Looks like the Gladiator formerly known as Emily is preparing her attack!"_ said Hadrian; none of the other competitors were moving aside from Em, who was fast approaching a steadily panicking Jesse.

" _And Jesse, the newcomer,"_ Mevia butted in, " _Is just_ painfully _unarmed and unprotected."_

Petra huffed, crossing her arms, "I wonder _why_."

Em crossed into Jesse's section, hands clenching at her sides, " _Jesse."_

The boy took a step back.

" _This could get ugly,"_ Hadrian stated. Mevia chuckled darkly.

" _Let's hope."_

Cassie rolled her eyes. Then paused, realising she probably wasn't one to talk considering she built a mansion for the sole purpose of murdering people.

… Well, at least she was doing _that_ for a valid reason _. They_ were doing this just to watch people murder each other.

" _Now hang on, Em,"_ said Jesse, taking another step back, " _You don't have to do this."_

"Really, _really_ don't have to do this," insisted Olivia, eyes still covered, as though the former Gladiator could actually hear her. Well, the _real_ Em could, but that's besides the point.

" _Already made up my mind,"_ Em declared, reaching over her shoulder and pulling out a stone sword, without a doubt the most deadliest weapon amongst any of the competitors. Jesse began to back away, eyes darting from side to side in hopes of escape.

"Oh, this is bad," Stampy groaned, sinking into Dan, "This is bad, this is bad, this is so _incredibly_ bad."

His eyes found the Blue team, who were frozen in place, seemingly unsure what to do. Jesse bit his lip- over his shoulder, they could see Facemeat eagerly cheering Em on.

" _Jesse isn't even_ trying _to defend himself!"_ said Otto.

Ivor's grip tightened around Jesse. Harper squeezed the boys hand.

Onscreen, Jesse kept backing away, and Em kept advancing. Dirt and gravel crunched beneath her feet.

" _Here it comes!"_ cheered Mevia.

Lukas buried his face into Soren's shoulder. Cassie unconsciously held Winslow tighter. Axel leant away from the screen, closer to Magnus, the king reaching out to grip his wrist. Olivia kept her eyes covered, shrinking against Ellegaard. Jesse held Reuben closer, peeking over him to look at the screen.

No one moved. No one breathed.

The screen cut to Jesse's face, then Em's, then the sword, then back to Jesse and the boy squeezed his eyes shut, tensing as he prepared for the first and final blow that would end everything- " _The Finishing Blow!"_ Hadrian exclaimed, excitement clear in his voice, and-

Nothing happened.

Jesse stood, tense and eyes closed, for a long moment, trembling ever so slightly. Then, after a moment, slowly opened his eyes- and they widened.

Em was kneeling in front of him (although she was still a few inches taller than him), smiling as she held out her stone sword. Gasps erupted from the speakers.

"Oh!" Harper gasped, a startled but relieved smile spreading across her face. Axel grinned and reached around Magnus and Ellegaard to shake Olivia.

"Olivia! Olivia, look! It's okay!"

The dark skinned girl hesitantly peeked out of Ellegaard's shoulder. Then she blinked, mouth opening in shock.

Multiple eyes glanced to the real Em. The girl herself looked rather surprised, eyebrows raised, but didn't seem necessarily upset.

The screen switched momentarily to the Old Builders, gaping down at the arena. It cut back down to Em and Jesse, the former Gladiator still smiling.

" _Thought I'd try giving this 'friends' thing a shot."_

This had many audience members grinning. Magnus cheered.

"Yeah, alright! Revolution!"

Hadrian's hands curled into fists.

" _It appears that the Gladiator formerly known as Emily to not, I repeat_ not, _strike down the unarmed newcomer-"_ Otto said, as Jesse finally returned Em's smile and accepted the sword.

" _Thank you,"_ said Jesse, drowning out the last of Otto's words, " _You made the right decision."_

The real Em's eyes trailed downwards.

She really, really hoped so.

" _Well,"_ Em shrugged, " _You could say you really inspired me."_

" _Wait,"_ came Hadrian's voice, " _What's going on?!"_

" _Aw, well, that's-"_ Jesse shrugged slightly, a pleased, thankful and yet somewhat awkward smile in place. Em shook her head, looking away, although her smile failed to falter.

"Could _. But don't."_

Suddenly, Nell cheered loudly, right in Em's ear, throwing her hands into the air with a bright beam.

"We're teaming up with Jesse! We're totally teaming up with Jesse this time! THIS IS SO RIGHTEOUS!"

"I swear to _notch,_ Nell-"

" _This isn't how it was supposed to_ go _,"_ Hadrian hissed, the screen cutting up to the Old Builders stadium, " _What's going on?!"_

" _I have no idea!"_ Mevia whispered loudly.

"Revo-lu- _tion_ , revo-lu- _tion_ , revo-lu- _tion_ ," Magnus and Axel chanted, earning a few amused glances, "Revo-lu- _tion_ , revo-lut-t _ion_ , revo-lu- _tion_ -"

Down in the arena, Em turned to look at the two rather confused and weary looking Blue team members, waving them over, " _Come on, over here!"_

They started trailing over a little hesitantly at first, but then began to speed up into light jogs, the Purple team and Nell joining them as well. Jesse smiled widely at them all, relief clear on his face.

" _Yeah,"_ a familiar voice said; Jesse's head snapped to the side, the screen whipping around to reveal Slab leading the rest of the Gladiator's over to them, looking quite baffled, " _Why aren't you all killing each other?"_

The real Hadrian grunted quietly, silently relieved. The Gladiator's would sort this out.

Onscreen, Nell chuckled a little nervously, inching slightly behind Jesse, "' _Cha, man, I can_ totally _see why you'd be confused."_

" _Yeah, we're, uh… confused!"_ said Clutch, the screen panning over the unsure faces of the Gladiators, " _Usually the little teams all try to kill each other, you know?"_

"Time for another speech," muttered Lukas, grinning.

" _Aren't you tired of letting the Old Builders use you like this?"_ Jesse asked. Slab glanced unsurely at the other Gladiators.

" _Like a…"_ Slab grinned slightly, " _Like awesome people?"_

"Like goons," Stacy clarified. The three Gladiators frowned at the term.

" _No!"_ said Jesse, " _Like little pieces in their games! Doing whatever they say!"_

Cassie bit her lip, looking down at Winslow. She remembered what that was like.

" _Don't you see?"_ Jesse continued, walking forward and raising his voice so that everyone- including the Old Builders- could hear him, " _None of_ us _are the enemy! It's_ them!"

He pointed over Slab's head, the Gladiator's turning to look up at the watching Old Builders.

" _They're the enemies, they're behind everything!"_ the boy declared. Slab suddenly looked unsure, maybe even a little lost. Beside him, Clutch groaned, clutching (ha) her head.

" _My head hurts."_

Facemeat looked as though he were in a similar sort of pain, groaning himself, " _Too… many… perspectives."_

Ellegaard looked rather unimpressed by this.

" _Aaaaand it appears,"_ said Hadrian, voice filtering through the speakers; heads tilted to look up at the Old Builders stadium, " _That Jesse has decided that deals don't_ need _to be kept and is trying to convince the Gladiators to follow suit."_

"You're saying that as though you didn't basically scrap your earlier deal and force him into a completely new one!" exclaimed Olivia.

" _Guess what?"_ Jesse called up to him, returning his glare ten-fold, " _Deal's off!"_

Cheers burst from the audience. Ivor breathed a small, relieved sigh and ruffled his boy's hair.

Up in the stadium, Mevia growled, " _Imbeciles!"_

" _Slab?"_ said Clutch, panic entering her voice; she grabbed the other Gladiator by the shoulders and promptly began to shake him, " _Slab! What should we do?"_

" _Uhhh,"_ Slab said, frantically looking from Jesse to Clutch to the Old Builders, " _Uhhhhhh."_

"Wow, they actually look… torn," murmured Lukas, frowning. Gabriel hummed softly.

"Well, this is all they've known for a long time. They realise that what they're doing is wrong, but all they really know is that they need to obey and they'll be good. Besides, I suspect Em was used as an example to those who disobey."

" _I'm_ sure _the slaughter will commence soon, right?"_ said Hadrian, a hint of warning- but also nervousness- in his voice. The Gladiators continued to glance around, lost, Clutch holding her head and Facemeat gripping his other arm.

" _With Slab leading the charge,"_ Mevia said, " _It should be_ no _problem at all."_

Jesse took a step forward, looking up at them, " _You should be on our side! Join us!"_

"Revo-lu- _tion_ , revo-lu- _tion_ , revo-lu- _tion_ -"

"Getting a little old, Magnus."

"The revo-lu- _tion_ never dies, Ellie. Never."

" _I dunno…"_ Clutch said, shuffling her feet. Facemeat glanced to the side.

" _Facemeat finds that idea… weird."_

The two Gladiators glanced at each other, before seemingly coming to a decision and walking away. Slab hovered, watching them go uncertainly. Jesse bit his lip.

" _Not… going with them, Slab?"_ he asked

The Gladiator looked at them. His brow furrowed as he glanced away. " _In my life, I've done some things I'm not proud of,"_ he looked up at the Old Builders, eyes hardening, " _But I won't work for bosses who use people, or manipulate them. That's inconsiderate."_

Ivor and Harper glanced hopefully at each other.

Slab's eyes found Jesse, furrowed brow deepening, " _But you? When I was you, pushed you around and made you go to the tower with me? You got that I was just doing my job and came anyway so we could be on time,"_ he reached out and gripped Jesse's shoulder, face softening, " _That was real considerate."_

Petra raised an eyebrow, looking up at Gabriel. The warrior just smiled down at her and shrugged.

Slab gave a single nod, smiling now, " _I_ will _join you, tiny Jesse."_

The real Jesse smiled, although it faltered slightly a moment later, "I'm not… I'm not _that_ small."

Harper regarded him for a moment, before shooting him an apologetic look, "Ehhhhhh."

Jesse returned Slab's grin, " _I think it's time for us to finish this. Together."_

Sparklez whooped.

With that, Jesse began to lead them towards the Winner's Platform. Otto's voice filtered through speakers, amazement and excitement clear in his tone.

" _It appears all the competitors are heading towards the victory platform,"_ the screen cut to Em, Nell and the other teams behind her, faces set in determination, " _As stated in our rules,_ anyone _who is_ not _eliminated may step on the victory platform and win the games!"_

"Come on, guys!" cheered Gill.

" _It looks like they're all going to do this,"_ said Otto, as they gathered around the bottom of the Winner's Platform, Jesse meeting Em's eyes from his own ladder; he nodded, and she and Nell nodded back, " _Together!"_

" _Right behind you, fearless leader,"_ said Em. Jesse grinned back.

Slab approached his own ladder, Hadrian's voice making him pause only for a moment.

" _E tu, Slab? You'll pay for that!"_

He was ignored. Jesse sheathed Em's stone sword and began to climb the ladder; the rage in Hadrian's voice grew.

" _This wasn't the deal, Jesse!"_

"Didn't you hear?" asked Isa, smiling, "He said deal's off."

Jesse began to climb.

" _No. No!"_

Within moments, he was clambering over the top of the ladder and getting to his feet at the top of the Winner's Platform.

Cheers burst from the majority of the audience, Nell leaping to her feet and tackling Em in a hug. The burly girl gaped down at her, holding her arms out as though afraid to touch her and looking at a total loss at what to do; she seemed somewhat torn between returning the hug and pushing her off.

" _And they've done it!"_ Otto exclaimed, " _The competitors have all stepped onto the platform together,"_ cheers came from the competitors as they stepped onto the platform after Jesse, Em grinning widely, the Blue team first pumping the air, " _Which, by the Builder Games bylaws, means they are!"_ Jesse and Em shared a high five, " _All!"_ the girl grinned down at him, before her eyes narrowed and trailed up to the Old Builders, " _The! Winners!"_

Hadrian began to look like he might be having a stroke of sorts, making a lot of rather frustrated and physically pained noises as he paced along the edge of the stadium. Mevia's eyes darted nervously between Hadrian and Otto.

" _Which, my colleague means to say, we are going to find some way to disqualify them?"_ she glanced at Otto, but the man shot her a small glare.

" _No, we are not!"_ he declared, " _They_ all _win!"_

"Yes!" Lukas cheered, grinning widely. Petra reached around Gabriel to high-five him, before reaching around Ivor to do the same with Jesse.

Mevia made a noise somewhere between a screech and a growl, throwing her hands up like a child having a tantrum, " _No!"_

Hadrian brought his pacing to a stop at the entrance of the stadium, harsh glare finding the other two Old Builders, " _Mevia! Otto! With me! We're ending this."_

"Oh, we're _soooo_ scared," Magnus mocked, rolling his eyes. Olivia pulled a face from where she was half on and half off Ellegaard's lap, said face partly buried in her armour.

"Uh… yeah, actually."

The screen cut to the bottom of the Winner's Platform as Jesse reached the ground again alongside the other competitors. He turned around, grinning- only for his grin to fall into a glare a moment later as the screen whipped around to reveal Hadrian leading Mevia and Otto over to them.

" _We. Had. A._ Deal _."_ the man stressed through clenched teeth, " _And you_ broke _it, bucko!"_

"You _changed_ it!" Lukas pointed out.

" _We had an agreement! You_ promised _me!"_

" _You should be ashamed of yourself!"_ Jesse declared, " _Manipulating all these people like this!"_

The other teams nodded in agreement.

Hadrian growled, " _How dare you."_

Suddenly, Mevia shoved passed him, marching up to Jesse with pure venom on her face, " _This isn't up to you!_ We _control the Games!"_ she was right in his face now, the boy leaning back and grimacing as spittle flew on his cheek, "We _decide their outcome!"_

"So you admit they're rigged!" Aiden exclaimed.

" _Mevia…"_ Otto butt in warningly. Mevia snapped around to glare at him.

" _Shut_ up _, Otto!"_

Milo hummed, brow furrowing, "She's… pleasant."

" _Come on, Mevia,"_ said Jesse, crossing his arms, " _Just admit you lost. You'll feel better."_

Cassie snorted.

" _Lost?"_ Mevia hissed, " _We_ never _lose. We- We still have the Atlas."_

Hadrian's eyes widened, and his scowl turned back into a grin, " _Yeah! Ha!"_

" _Weeeell,"_ said Otto, slowly, " _That's the thing…"_

Jesse grinned.

Harper rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a smile, "Good ol' Otto."

" _Jesse won these games fair and square,"_ Otto declared, pushing his way passed Hadrian and Mevia to stand before the boy, " _He's earned the Atlas."_

Petra fist pumped the air, "Yes!"

Jesse, Em and the rest of the winners grinned. Hadrian's scowl was back.

" _Otto,"_ he said, slowly, " _I would think very carefully about what you're doing."_

" _I have,"_ Otto assured, shooting him a rather deadpan look, " _Jesse,"_ he turned back to the boy, " _With the power vested in me as an officiator of the Builder Games,"_ from his robes, he pulled out a book- a book of gold and light blue, emitting a faint glow, " _I am proud to-"_

He was cut off with a startled gasp as obsidian blocks abruptly sprung up around him, slamming into place- his face was covered, blocked from sight, his cries muffled, and the dark walls rose higher and higher and higher until Jesse had to crane his head all the way back to see the top, to see Hadrian and Mevia standing at the top and grinning down at him.

" _Otto!"_

"Otto!" yelled Isa, moments after onscreen Jesse; Benedict jumped, startled, flapping her wings and sending feathers flying. Cassie winced, Soren's grip tightening around her and Lukas. Harper's hands came up to cover her mouth, eyes wide.

The real Otto tore his eyes from the screen, gaze darting from the real Mevia to the real Hadrian. The blue-haired woman wouldn't look at him; Hadrian's face was completely blank.

"What- Why would you do that?" Otto gasped, "Why would you _do_ that?"

Hadrian stared at him. A blank sheet of paper.

"You disobeyed."

" _Hadrian!"_ came Otto's muffled voice, " _Mevia! What are you doing?!"_

He was ignored.

Hadrian and Mevia leapt down from the newly built prison, standing before the competitors with malicious grins.

" _Now, it's been fun, really,"_ said Mevia, " _But I think it's about time we end this."_

"This isn't good…" muttered Axel. Olivia winced.

"No kidding."

 _Whoa,"_ said Nell, her face hardening slightly, " _This is majorly bogus, dudes."_

"I don't know what she said," admitted Dan, "But she's probably right!"

" _Surrender the Redstone Heart,"_ demanded Hadrian, glaring at Jesse; the boy took a small step back, " _Now."_

"No way!" shouted Petra.

" _Because,"_ Hadrian chuckled humorlessly, slowly stepping closer, " _I_ will _trap you here. Forever."_

Jesse returned his glare; behind him, the Purple and Blue team fled, " _You want the Redstone Heart? You're going to have to pick it out of my inventory."_

"Come on, Jesse!" cheered Aiden, "Kick his butt!"

The real Jesse took a deep breath, pressing himself a little closer against Ivor. The potionologist gave him a comforting squeeze.

Onscreen, Hadrian shook his head and gave a light shrug, " _Fine by me. The hard way's more fun anyway."_

Nell and the Blue and Purple teams suddenly skidded to a stop, gasping as dark walls appeared before them, blocking their path- they made to turn back, but walls were springing to life there too, on all sides, in every direction- and suddenly there was no sky, just black, black, black, and the screen panned out to show Hadrian and Mevia sharing a smug look atop the new obsidian cell, the cries of the trapped competitors muffled from within.

"Nell's in there!" gasped Lukas. Cassie swore; Soren was too invested in the screen to ripramade her.

Em groaned, face stark white, " _This is useless!"_

She darted passed Jesse, across the Blue team's section of the arena and through the doorway, Jesse gaping after her. Hadrian chuckled.

" _Well, well."_

" _Just when you thought Em had your back,"_ Mevia cackled.

The real Jesse gaped at the screen, then turned to (attempt a) glare at the real former Gladiator, "Em!"

"What? I don't know what I'm doing!"

Petra groaned, "She's doing it _again!_ "

Onscreen, Jesse groaned, " _Are you with us or not, Em?"_

" _Tsk, tsk,"_ said Mevia, as she and Hadrian jumped down from the second prison, facing Jesse, now standing completely alone.

" _Seems like classic Emily,"_ hummed Hadrian, " _She's always been a touchy one."_

" _I'm still with you, Jesse!"_ Slab declared, brandishing his diamond greatsword. Jesse shot him a relieved look.

" _Thank you."_

The real Hadrian shook his head, smiling. This would all be over soon. He had no idea what he'd been so worried about.

Then suddenly Hadrian was darting forward at an impossible speed, a diamond sword appearing his hand, " _You're gonna need all the help you can get, Jesse!"_

Jesse drew Em's stone sword, but as he reached the halfway point, Hadrian started to build- quartz blocks sprung up in a makeshift staircase, higher and higher, " _Time to take what is mine!"_ \- and he leapt off the top, the screen slowing down as he raised his enchanted blade over his head to slice the boy in two-

Jesse rolled to the side just in time and Hadrian landed where he'd been standing mere moments ago, blade piercing thin air- they were both back on their feet within seconds, facing each other, stone to diamond-

Stone swung, but then Hadrian flicked his wrist and a shield appeared, gleaming with enchantment, and the common blade rebounded. Jesse stumbled back, startled, as Mevia ran behind him with a diamond axe almost terrifyingly similar to Cassie's in hand.

"Don't forget about Mevia, little dude!" exclaimed Nell, as though Jesse could actually hear her, "You totally got this!"

Hadrian chuckled, an axe replacing his shield and steadily advancing, the boy backing away with his own sword at the ready, " _I'll admit you're quick, sport. But not quick enough for my axe!"_

Jesse's back hit something solid, and his head snapped up, confused, revealing a quartz wall that had definitely not been there before, " _What the-"_

" _Don't forget_ my _axe, Hadrian!"_

Mevia appeared around the bend of the quartz wall, enchanted axe swinging- Jesse ducked, and the blade hit the wall so hard that the block shattered and crumpled into dust, exactly where his head had been not moments before. Mevia cackled.

"Ohhhhh she's insane, she is so very much insane," said Stampy, clutching Dan's arm to the point that the colour-haired boy was fairly certain he was cutting off the blood flow.

Jesse stumbled back from the wall, only to turn around a moment later to find Hadrian leaping at him again- the Old Builder kicked him harshly in the ribs and Jesse flew to the side, flashing red, directly towards Mevia- or more accurately her slime blocks, the woman cackling again as he hit them and bounded right back towards Hadrian- except, there was no Hadrian there, just a block of flashing TNT.

Olivia squeaked, covering her eyes; Ivor and Harper held Jesse tighter; Petra suddenly found herself gripping Gabriel's arm with no memory of reaching out for him; Axel gasped loudly; some looked away, while others stared on in absolute horror; Hadrian leaned forward in his seat.

" _No!"_ Slab exclaimed, running as fast as he could. Jesse shook his head, still somewhat dazed, his gaze finding the incoming Gladiator. His eyes widened.

" _Slab!"_

The Gladiator reached down and flipped the boy into the air like a pancake, sending him spinning, landing painfully on his back but still in the boom radius of the TNT, the breath forced from his lungs. Slab sprawled himself over the top of the flashing block.

" _It was an honour to fight beside-"_

Then the TNT exploded.

"Slab!" Jesse yelled, the colour draining from his face. Reuben squealed loudly.

" _Slaaab!"_ screamed Jesse, unharmed aside from bruised ribs from Hadrian's earlier kick. He stared at the newly made hole in horror for a long moment, before his eyes hardened and his head turned to spot Hadrian running along the top of one of the obsidian prisons. He grit his teeth, tightened his grip on his sword, and ran after him.

"Come on, Jesse!" cheered Maya.

The screen cut to Jesse jumping up on the roof of the prison, Hadrian grinning at him from the other end.

" _Gotta admit, kid,"_ said the Old Builder, " _You've shown you got skills,"_ Jesse's eyes darted down and to the side, to the hole directly behind Hadrian, " _But you're still no match for-"_

" _We'll see about that!"_ Jesse exclaimed before he could finish, already running towards him- and then Mevia was leaping between them, swinging her axe in a wide arc to slice off the boys head.

" _I've got this, Hadrian!"_

But then Jesse dropped down and skid beneath her curving blade, leaping back up as he reached the other Old Builder- he rammed into him and Hadrian went flying over the edge, right into the hole.

"Go, Jesse dude, go!" cheered Nell, bouncing in place. Petra grinned.

Jesse leapt down from the roof, standing at the edge of the hole and looking down at Hadrian, his purple suit covered in dirt, at the bottom of the hole. " _Had enough, Hadrian?"_

" _Wait, wait!"_ the Old Builder shouted, holding up a hand as though to ward him off, " _You're right, this has gone too far!"_ He climbed to his feet, desperate eyes looking up at the boy, " _It was just supposed to be a game!"_

"Don't listen to him!" Cassie exclaimed, speaking up properly for the first time in a long while, "Don't listen to him!"

Jesse's glare hardened, " _You expect me to believe that?"_

" _Come on, sport,"_ said Hadrian, taking a step closer, " _Haven't you ever had anything get away from you before? Can't you…"_ something strange entered his voice, " _Forgive me?"_

Jesse frowned. And from behind him, Mevia rose, cackling, with a diamond sword- he realised too late, gasping, and brought up Em's stone sword to block the blow. But stone is nothing compared to enchanted diamond, and Mevia only had to _push_ and the weapon was dust, the sudden lack of support sending the boy to the floor.

"JESSE!" Ivor yelled, but there was nothing he could do. Nothing he could do but watch, horrified, as his son was sprawled on the floor, weaponless, defenceless, faced the manic grin of someone who enjoys making death painful.

He could do nothing.

_Nothing._

" _This game,"_ said Mevia, in a voice that was almost sickly sweet, twin axes appeared with a burst in her hands; her foot on Jesse's chest, crushing his already bruised ribs and making it hard to breathe, the boys face twisted in pain, gasping for air; she raised her axes raised above her head, " _Is OVER!"_

She brought the axes down.

Flesh. Bone. Muscle. Ripping, tearing, a wet, sickening _thud._ Jesse's hand trembled, raised as though to halt the weapons descent. His mouth was wide open; he looked surprised. Blood stained Ellegaard's armour. Splattered across Mevia's grinning face. She pushed down, putting her weight on the axes, sinking them deeper into Jesse's chest with the most horrible, sickening wet sound to have ever existed. The boy tried to gasp, but it caught halfway. His trembling hand curled around the hilt of the axe. Warm, red liquid trailed from the corner of his mouth.

Mevia's grin widened.

Then he was dust, hist inventory bursting into the air- Ellegaard's armour, Benedict's crown, the White Pumpkin's mask, the Redstone Heart, the Enchanted Flint and Steel- and all came floating down into the hole like balloons.

"Oh- Oh my," breathed Harper, looking rather sick, "She- She actually-"

"You killed him," muttered Lukas, a pasty pale, "He _killed_ him."

"There's respawn," Cassie quickly reminded him, before he could forget how to breathe again, "He's fine, there's respawn. He'll come back."

Petra growled, running her fingers through her hair and gripping the red strands, "I'm going to murder him. See how _he_ likes it."

"Olivia?" Ellegaard said softly, looking down at her girl in concern, "Olivia, are you alright?"

The girl shook her head, hands over her mouth; she actually looked moments away from vomiting, "N-No."

The engineer winced, rubbing the girls back. Magnus leant a little closer.

"You want me to get a bucket?"

"You want a bucket?" Ellegaard asked, looking down at Olivia. The protegee shook her head, although she didn't look any better.

"That- That was horrible," breathed Stampy, wrapped in Dan's arms, "That was absolutely horrible."

People were glancing at Mevia with a newfound weariness now. The Old Builder herself seemed rather content with this, lounging in her seat with her arms crossed. Otto's eyes were on his lap, biting his lip; he looked a little disappointed.

"Oh," said Jesse, quietly; he was still staring at the screen, "That looked… sore."

Reuben whined, in clear distress, burying his face into Jesse's chest. The boy hugged him tighter, petting his head in an attempt to comfort him. He jumped slightly as Ivor tugged him closer, pulling him into a proper hug and leaving him half on and half off his lap. Jesse took a deep, shaky breath and buried his face into his dad's shoulder.

" _Aaaaand that's our game, sports fans!"_ declared Hadrian, reaching out as the thumping Redstone Heart floated right into his hands. Mevia grinned, blood still splattered across her face.

" _The Redstone Heart has been returned to its proper owners."_

"She has his blood on her face," Axel murmured, looking rather sick himself. Magnus shot him a slightly worried frown, reaching out to lightly pat his back.

"Hey, no worries, buddy. Jesse's right here."

"I- I know that," Axel said, taking deep, shaky breaths, "It's just… that was really, really disgusting."

The screen suddenly flipped, zooming across the arena at an impossible speed, zipping around the prisons, the Winner's Platform- right into the Respawn Zone, where Jesse abruptly reappeared, uninjured, and back in his regular clothes, gasping and clawing at his chest.

"Jesse!" Aiden grinned, looking rather relieved; it had been lingering on Mevia and Hadrian for a bit longer than he'd like.

Onscreen, the boy shook his head, looking rather dazed. He blinked, eyes quickly taking in his new surroundings. They flew down to his chest, as though making sure he truly was okay, before his eyes widened and he darted to the fenced in wall separating him from the arena. He looked out towards Hadrian and Mevia, who were laughing victoriously, holding up their thumping prize with massive grins.

" _I…"_ Jesse sighed, pressing his forehead against the bars, " _I lost."_

The relieved looks that had appeared on various audience members faces fell at the reminder. Grinning, Hadrian crossed his arms and leant back in his seat.

There. That was that sorted. Now there was no need to worry.

He always won in the end, after all.

" _Hey,"_ a hand landed on his shoulder, and Jesse looked up to find Slab, lacking his shoulder pads, gauntlets and horned helmet, revealing a buzz of dark hair on his head; he was smiling sadly, " _Fancy meeting you here."_

"Now what?" asked Maya, glancing hopefully around at the other audience members. Gabriel opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it with a sigh.

"I… do not know."

" _You know,"_ Slab continued, " _I've sent hundreds of competitors to these respawn pits. Never knew it hurt so much."_

The real Gladiators frowned at that, glancing at each other.

Slab shook his head, " _Sorry. That's probably not helping your mood right now."_

Jesse sighed, shaking his own head in dismay, " _It's… over. I-"_

" _Oh, I don't think so!"_

The audience blinked, eyes widening.

Onscreen, Jesse and Slab turned to face the entrance. Jesse burst into a wide smile.

The screen cut to Em's grinning face, then zoomed out to reveal that she wasn't alone; Olivia, Axel, Lukas, Petra, Ivor and Harper all grinned back at him on either side of Em.

" _It's us!"_ Axel declared, " _Yeah!"_

"They're all together!" Nell exclaimed, "They're all together! They _totally_ don't stand a chance now!"

" _I am_ so _happy to see you guys!"_ Jesse exclaimed, relief clear on his face. He darted forward and ran right into Olivia and Axel, wrapping them into a tight hug that they were quick to return. Axel practically picked the both of them off their feet, laughing. The others watched in amusement.

" _I know you said you were done helping me,"_ said Em, as the three reunited friends finally separated, " _But I hope you can give me another chance. You know, 'cause I'm awesome. And we both need to get out of this."_

Jesse grinned up at her, " _As someone once told me… teamwork makes the dream work."_

Sparklez gasped, "He quoted me!"

Axel, Olivia and Lukas grinned at him.

" _So let's get to work!"_ exclaimed Axel. Olivia's hands went to her hips.

" _Let's take 'em down."_

Nell whooped, "Righteous!"

Jesse's smile faltered, and he frowned, " _But… I lost my inventory when I respawned. How am I supposed to get the Atlas back without any weapons or armour or anything?"_

" _Well,"_ said Harper, approaching the boy with a small smile, " _We may have made a little stop in Hadrian's inventory room and…"_ she pulled out a twin pair of diamond pickaxes, handing them to the boy, " _Helped ourselves to a few things."_

The real Hadrian bristled, "You _what?!_ "

Reginald promptly shushed him.

Jesse accepted the pickaxes, grin returning, " _Awesome!"_

" _Here, buddy,"_ said Axel, handing him a diamond sword. Then Lukas appeared at his other side, holding out an enchanted- and, of course, also diamond- axe.

" _Take this!"_

" _Thanks!"_

" _Hey, suspenders!"_ Em called; Axel and Petra moved out of the way to reveal the former Gladiator, standing directly next to Tim's armour with a large grin, " _Over here!"_

Nell's jaw practically dropped. Then there was this small, high-pitched squealing noise that had a few audience members glancing around in confusion, steadily gaining in volume; one by one, heads turned to look at Nell. The girl had a was grinning widely, the small noise turning into proper squealing.

Jesse blinked, then smiled, " _Tim's armour!"_

" _Belongs to you now,"_ Em declared.

The screen cut to Tim's armoured boots, then trailed up to reveal Jesse clad in the entire set, holding the helmet in his hands. He raised it over his head and slid it on with a grin. " _Time to kick some Old Builder butt!"_

The real Axel grinned, "Shiny."

"Yeah," muttered Em. She glanced at her teammate, unimpressed. "Okay, that's enough squealing, Nell."

Jesse pulled out his enchanted sword, raising it above his head. Then he darted forward, right through the doors, with the others running right behind him with excited yells.

" _Eliminate!"_ Em shouted.

Then the screen darkened.

"This is going to be totally _RIGHTEOUS!_ " Nell yelled, throwing her hands into the air. Jesse grinned at her, still huddled against Ivor.

Otto glanced at Mevia. She was staring at the screen, expressionless. His frown deepened. He wondered whether or not that was a good thing.

Hadrian's jaw clenched.

Fine. _Fine._

He'd kill him again. And again. And again. He'll kill him a thousand times over if he has to.

But Hadrian never loses.

And he'll be damned if he lets this stupid pipsqueak think otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What weapon did you choose to go with Tim's armour? The sword, the axe or the pickaxes? Let me know in the reviews!


	84. The Old Builders Downfall

* * *

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Chapter Eighty-Four: The Old Builders Downfall**

* * *

She kept coming back.

Again and again and again and again in a horrible cycle that left her sobbing every single time she woke up, sometimes in that blasted little room with the crafting tables and the furnaces and the double bed, sometimes in the garden, the living room, a bedroom, the front of the mansion. But no matter what she did, she always woke up.

You can't escape a nightmare when you're never actually asleep.

She starved. So many times. She didn't want to; she hated it. Hated it, hated it, _hated it._ There was nothing but the horrible, painful pangs of hunger. Desperation had her scrambling to eat dirt and leaves, the water from the lakes, but it never worked in the end. She always starved.

Over and over and over again.

The cycle never changed. She'd wake up, thin but relatively healthy. She'd cry or scream or sometimes just lie there, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if the Sisters had been right and she'd been sent to Hell; whether she saw it or not, she knew the thing watched her. Eventually, she would begin wandering the mansion again, but nothing was there to distract her from the way her stomach slowly began to digest itself. No matter how many times she came back, nothing ever changed.

The hunger, somehow, got to the point where the mere thought of eating was as painful as the pangs. She told herself she wasn't hungry. She wondered, distantly, if a part of her had started to believe it.

Eventually, she'd get so weak that she couldn't stand. She'd lie in a pained daze on a bed, couch or even the floor, waiting to burst into dust only to be forced back together in a horrible agony even worse (impossible, impossibly, and yet) than the gnawing hunger.

And then the cycle would begin again. Wash, rinse, repeat.

She's not sure when, exactly, she'd decided to do it. She's not sure she ever decided at all. It didn't really matter though, she supposed; all that mattered was that one moment she was in the library (the empty library, with books with blank pages and covers with no titles), then the next she was clambering through the window and onto the roof.

The sun never set. It stayed exactly where it was, glitching in the sky like a glaring eye. She'd long since lost count of how long she'd been there. Of the amount of times she'd died and come back, died and come back, again and again. She'd even take monsters spawning everywhere just so she wasn't the only one there.

Aside from the thing.

But she tried not to think about the thing.

She reached the edge of the roof. The tiles squeaked beneath her feet. Far, far below, a flower bed sprung up from the grass. She stared down at these flowers for a long moment. She could feel the ever present tingle on the back of her neck that meant she was being watched.

The thing. Try not to think about the thing.

She took in a deep, trembling breath. _Don't wake up._

_Please, Notch, don't make me wake up._

She stepped over the edge.

The flowers caught her.

* * *

Black faded to reveal Hadrian and Mevia approaching the obsidian prison they'd trapped Nell and the other competitors in, their cries quieter but still slightly audible. Mevia hummed, a rather sickening smirk on her face.

" _Now what should we do with all the other competitors who betrayed us?"_

"Don't they realise Jesse and Slab can easily escape the Respawn Zone and start fighting again, even without the others showing up?" asked Magnus. Otto shook his head.

"This particular Respawn Zone is closed off by iron doors a little further down that tunnel you saw them going through," he explained, "The other Respawn Zone you saw was only an open fence due to the competitors being unable to rejoin the race, whereas it would be possible for them to slip back into the arena here. It's mostly for precaution."

"Besides," Harper butted in, "It's not like they expected us to be raiding their storage units. As far as they know, even if Jesse and Slab were to get out, they'd have no weapons or armour."

"Point."

" _Well, Mevia,"_ said Hadrian, a considering look on his face, " _Spending eternity in the quartz mines doesn't seem like punishment enough,"_ he turned to look at Mevia, a menacing, delightful little smile crossing his face, " _I have something_ special _in mind for them."_

Nell grimaced, the colour abruptly draining from her face. She shrunk in her seat. Mevia glanced over at her and held back a frown.

Before Hadrian could elaborate, the glistening boots of Tim's armour appeared at the corner of the screen and Jesse's voice cut through their conversation.

" _Hadrian! Mevia!"_ the two Old Builders whipped around, revealing Jesse glaring at them from across the field, armed to the teeth, " _This game just went into overtime!"_

"Here we go," muttered Ellegaard, holding Olivia a little tighter.

" _Well, isn't that cute,"_ Hadrian chuckled, " _You found Tim's armour."_

"Well, Em did, anyway," the real Jesse muttered.

" _Aww,"_ Mevia cooed, putting on a 'baby voice,' " _Well isn't that just the sweetest thing, Hadrian?"_

" _So sweet and so pathetic, Mevia."_

Harper rolled her eyes, "They just love talking down to people, don't they?"

Jesse, however, only smirked at them, " _You don't know my friends, Hadrian-"_

" _Those friends of yours will just hold you back in the end, slugger,"_ the Old Builder declared, practically cutting the boy off.

Isa shook her head, unsurprised and yet a bit disappointed at the same time. Otto looked away. Harper glared at her lap. A very slight, almost entirely unnoticeable crease came to Mevia's brow.

If the real Hadrian noticed any of this, he didn't show it.

" _Ohhh, I am going to_ enjoy _crushing you,"_ Hadrian declared, pointing his enchanted diamond sword towards the boy- then he was running forwards, and Jesse was meeting him halfway-

Their diamond blades clashed, and for a brief moment it was a battle of strengths. But then Jesse shoved him back, their blades ceasing contact. Hadrian flipped backwards and landed on one knee, his sword embedding the ground just out of reach.

"You got this, Jesse!" Axel exclaimed.

Hadrian straightened, his face hard. He didn't bother reaching for his sword; instead, in a burst of sparks, a diamond axe appeared in his previously empty hand and he was charging forward again. Jesse dodged to the side at the last moment, the curved blade singing through the air where he'd been standing not moments before. Hadrian skidded back around, polished shoes digging into the dirt, and raised his axe for another blow-

In a flash of sparks, Jesse's sword vanished and was replaced by his shield. The screen briefly slowed, Hadrian's axe coming down, Jesse's shield rising- then it sped it as diamond bounced off enchanted shield.

Nell cheered, "Come on, little dude!"

Hadrian grit his teeth, before swinging his arm back to chop the boy in half, but Jesse swung his shield back at the same time, everything slowing down once more as it became a race as to who could bring back first-

Then Jesse's arm launched forward and his shield smacked Hadrian right on the side, the man flashing red as the force of the blow sent him sprawling onto his back. Jesse stepped forward, an axe replacing his shield. Hadrian pushed himself onto his elbows, eyes wide, a purple-black bruise already appearing on his face where he'd been hit by the edge of the shield. He raised his arm, as though to ward him off, but Jesse's axe was already coming down-

The deafening _clang_ of enchanted diamond on enchanted diamond, Mevia's ever-pleasant grin staring back at him. With a grunt, she shoved him away, Jesse stumbling back a step. But within moments he was throwing himself forward again, and there was a second _clang_ as their blades remet. Then it was another battle of strengths, interlocked blades trembling- Jesse gave an almighty _shove_ and Mevia flew backwards, the air forced from her lungs as she hit the ground.

"Alright, tiny!" exclaimed Magnus.

Mevia leapt back to her feet, Jesse already running towards her. Then the woman cackled and a tower of quartz rose beneath her, Jesse skidding to the stop at the bottom- only to gasp, the hissing sizzle of a stack of TNT directly in front of him.

Olivia yelped, burying her face into Ellegaard's shoulder again. Ivor gripped Jesse tighter,

" _Agh!"_ Jesse gasped, axe disappearing from his hand in place of cobblestone, " _Wall!"_

One, two, three, four, six, nine blocks in front of him- the TNT exploded, obliterating his wall and sending him flying backwards, flashing red, to land painfully on his back directly next to a newly made giant hole, revealing rows of pistons beneath the dirt. Jesse groaned as he sat up, a small but rather nasty burn across the bridge of his nose, then sighed, otherwise unharmed- two of the hearts stationed in a little row in the corner had gone grey.

" _Thanks, wall."_

Harper sighed, relieved, "That was too close."

Jesse made to get up- but then a block of obsidian appeared, and then another, another and another, the manic laughter of a man in a purple suit, " _No, wait!"_

"I spoke too soon," Harper squeaked, "I spoke too soon, I spoke too soon!"

The sky was blocked from sight; Jesse stood up, hardly able to see as his head desperately snapped around for some way out. Hadrian's muffled voice filtered through the walls.

" _There. That should keep you quiet."_

" _No one gets out of obsidian."_

"Oh notch," groaned Lukas, "Oh notch, oh notch-"

"Where the hell are _we?!_ " Petra exclaimed.

"Pickaxes!" Aiden abruptly gasped, "He's got- He's got the pickaxes- !"

As though on cue, Jesse reached over his shoulders and drew out his twin pair of pickaxes, his slightly out of breath voice bouncing off the obsidian walls in an echo, " _Harper, I'm gonna owe you one."_

The real Harper smiled, looking relieved, "Glad I could come in handy."

" _Time to go to work,"_ he felt his way to the closest wall, then, upon finding it, brought up his pickaxes and began to mine. The clack and clink of his pickaxes against obsidian echoed across the makeshift cell at a rapid speed- and then Jesse burst free from the wall, squinting in the abrupt light.

Mevia, who was standing almost directly in front of the boy, spun around, her already pale face going a few shades whiter, " _No. No! It- It can't be!"_

She began to back away, Jesse steadily advancing. She threw down a block of obsidian, but he ploughed through it with a single blow of his pickaxe- she put down another, but he did the exact same thing as the last time- and then she put down another one, and Jesse ploughed through another one, and another one and another one-

" _It's useless, Mevia!"_ Jesse said, ploughing through another and another and another, " _Give up!"_

The real Mevia's eyes were wide. Why was she… so _scared?_ Of _Jesse?_

Her eyes flickered to Hadrian.

Maybe it wasn't _Jesse_ she was afraid of...

Mevia placed another block down, took another step back- then gasped, eyes widening, as she titered over the hole she'd blown with her TNT- and she fell, slamming into the glass, the only thing stopping her from a sizzling death by liquid fire.

Cassie's eyes widened, "The-"

Pistons slammed together, squishing flesh, crushing bone. Mevia burst into dust in a spray of diamond tools, weapons, a shield, slimeballs, blocks of gold, iron, quartz, obsidian- Jesse's took a step back, looking startled.

The real Mevia stared, shocked. Her stomach churned.

She could've sworn she was about to throw up.

" _Wow,"_ he muttered, looking only a _tiny_ bit shaken, " _Her inventory was huge."_

"No doubt," muttered Maya, "Considering the amount of blocks they tend to place down."

Milo shook his head, looking astounded, "With all those resources… that would have been enough to last Sky City over a year."

Isa hummed, "Two and a half years, if you'd like to be specific."

" _Mevia, come on!"_ Hadrian groaned, Jesse's head snapping up to find him standing on the other side of the pit, " _What kind of rookie move was that?!"_

The Old Builder held back a flinch. She must have only been semi-successful, because Otto shot her a worrying look she pointedly ignored.

Hadrian shot forward, rapidly placing down blocks of obsidian as he raced over the pit to get to Jesse, his reclaimed diamond sword gleaming in his other hand, yelling in outrage- although whether it was outrage towards Mevia's death, Mevia herself or Jesse's continued annoyance was unclear. Jesse's eyes narrowed as Hadrian came to a stop and leapt into the air, before landing and launching himself at the boy in one fluid motion.

Jesse skidded backwards, narrowly avoiding his blade. One of his pickaxes took the brunt of the blow and the diamond tool went flying. With a spray of sparks, his other pickaxe was replaced with a sword, just as Hadrian brought his blade above his head to bring down on his skull.

For a brief moment, everything slowed. Then Jesse rolled to the side, avoiding the blow, and came up behind Hadrian, sword at the ready.

"Kick his butt, Jesse!" shouted Em.

The two were face to face, swords up. Hadrian began to advance, grinning menacingly, and Jesse began to back away- right onto the obsidian bridge, the pistons slamming together again, again, again directly beneath them.

"Oh dear," Ivor muttered, gripping Jesse a little tighter. The potionologist looked rather sickly all of a sudden.

Hadrian swung his sword back, and for yet another moment everything was slow- but then he shot forward and there was the deafening _clang_ of blade on blade, the force sending Jesse's arm back. He brought it forwards together in a swing, but Hadrian jumped back, out the way, and then jumped forwards again, blade bashing against Jesse's; the boy stumbled back, tripped over his own feet and landed on his back.

"No!" gasped Ellegaard.

" _Tah-tah for now, bucko,"_ said Hadrian, a second sword appearing in his other hand. He raised both blades as the boy pushed himself up onto his elbows, preparing to stab right through armour, flesh, bone- but then he faltered as a voice burst over the sound of smashing pistons.

" _Hey, Hadrian!"_

" _Huh?"_ the man frowned, looking to the side.

" _Over here!"_ the screen wiped over to the other side of the pit, where Petra grinned over at him. The screen panned out to reveal the pit was half-circled by every one of Jesse's friends- Lukas, Olivia, Em, Petra, Axel, Ivor, Harper. They were weaponless, the majority of them armourless, but that didn't soften their deathly glares.

"There we are!" said Petra, looking relieved. Gabriel hummed.

"They must have been busy elsewhere."

Magnus frowned, "Doing _what?_ "

The warrior shrugged, "Helping the other competitors, perhaps? I'm unsure."

" _You mess with one member of the Order of the Stone,"_ Axel began. Olivia finished.

" _You mess with all of us!"_

Soren smiled, a little sadly. He missed days like that…

" _Go, Jesse!"_ Em exclaimed, eyes snapping around in search of a weapon, anything at all, just so she could leap in and help, " _I believe in you!"_

" _Time to shut you up!"_ Ivor yelled, ruffling through his (rather small) pockets.

The real Ivor's mouth twisted downwards slightly. He liked his potions bag for a reason. Hopefully he'll get it back…

" _You think_ this _is going to help?"_ Hadrian sneered, " _You're deluded!"_

Ivor must have found whatever he was searching his pockets for. Because not a moment after the words had left Hadrian's mouth did a snowball smack him directly in the face.

Magnus gave a startled laugh, which quickly dissolved into a fit of giggles. Ellegaard covered her mouth, grinning. Harper appeared to be choking.

"Right in the face!" Axel gasped, "That was- Right in the _face!_ "

"Oh dear," Otto muttered, although couldn't help his own smile, "That's… well."

Onscreen, Hadrian shook the snow off his face, roaring in anger, " _You_ never _coulda won on your own!"_

" _Wish you had friends like mine yet?"_ Jesse asked, grinning.

" _Shut up!"_ Hadrian screamed, " _Just shut up! All of you, shut up!"_

The real Jesse's smile faltered somewhat, shoulders stiffening. Ivor gave him an assuring squeeze.

" _I see you don't like having a live audience, Hadrian,"_ said Jesse; over on the grass, his friends were staying close but looking around, probably in search of other things to throw; Hadrian practically trembled with rage, spluttering.

The real Hadrian grit his teeth.

Just _kill him already!_

" _Jesse!"_ Em called over, the screen shooting over to her as she pulled what appeared to be a stick from her pocket, " _Remember Spleef!"_

The stick went soaring and conked Hadrian right on the forehead.

Olivia winced, although she was grinning, "That looked sore."

For a moment, Hadrian titered, stunned. Then he shook his head and growled. Jesse shot Em a single nod.

" _Got it!"_

In his free hand, his last pickaxe appeared with a burst of sparks. His brow furrowed in determination; he looked up; just in time to see Hadrian leaping towards him, swords raised over his head, a rock soaring through the air where he'd been only moments before-

Jesse met Hadrian's dual blades with his own, slashing out and sending one sword soaring. Hadrian swung violently with his remaining blade, and Jesse ducked just before he could lob off his head; he brought up his pickaxe, still ducked down.

And took out the block of obsidian directly beneath Hadrian's feet.

"Oh!" Nell gasped, eyes sparking, "Spleef! He- He, like, did a _Spleef!_ "

Hadrian's eyes widened.

Everything slowed down. Another snowball went flying, just over Hadrian's head. The only reason it hadn't hit him was because he wasn't there anymore. His mouth was open in surprise. His eyes were large and startled. His grip on his sword remained tight, but it was of no use to him in that moment; he fell.

The screen cut to the top, looking down on him. Then it cut to the bottom, looking up at Jesse, whose hard expression was melting into something a bit more uncertain. Then up close to Hadrian, horror on his face; he must have dropped his sword at one point, for now it appeared behind him, a little off to the side. Then he hit the glass and everything sped up as the pistons slammed together and his ginormous inventory went flying into the air.

Milo gaped, "Oh my…"

Hadrian was gaping as well, eyes wide in shock. No. No, no, no, no, _no._ This wasn't right. This wasn't _possible._ He _couldn't_ have lost. He _couldn't_ have! _How could he have lost?!_

Diamonds. Blocks of gold. TNT. Quarz. Obsidian. Iron. The Redstone Heart. Jesse's determination seemed to have completely slipped from his face; in fact, he looked almost sickly.

Ivor glanced down at the real Jesse, only to find the boy not looking at the screen at all. His gaze was to his lap- or, well, to Reuben, since he was in his lap. Frowning, the potionologist ducked his head a little, lowering his voice.

"Everything alright?"

"Hm?" Jesse blinked, surprised. He hastily nodded his head. "Ye- Yeah. I'm okay."

Ivor frowned, not entirely convinced. He decided to drop it and squeezed him closer instead.

The screen cut to the Respawn Zone as Hadrian reappeared in a burst of sparks. He glanced around, looking somewhat startled, until Mevia's voice came up.

" _I knew it!"_ she moaned, the man turning around to find her glaring at him from the other side of the Zone, " _You and your stupid deals!"_

"You- You're blaming _me?!_ " Hadrian exclaimed, shooting Mevia a venomous glare, "How _dare you_ blame-"

"That's enough!" Reginald cut him off, hand inching towards the hilt of his sword, "You are not allowed to speak by order of Founder and various members of the Mansion!"

"Oh, like I give a _damn!_ " Hadrian yelled, turning his glared onto the Captain of the Guard, "None of you have _any_ power of me!"

"If you do not obey, I will be forced to resort to physical restraints and gagging," Reginald warned, returning the mans glare head-on, "Your cooperation is prefered, but ultimately unnecessary."

"Why don't we just throw him to the monsters?" Petra asked, scowling, "That'll teach him to shut up."

"Petra," Gabriel said, giving her a warning look.

"What? It's _true_."

Onscreen, Mevia marched towards Hadrian, still glaring; Hadrian, however, wasn't glaring. In fact, he looked almost frantic, and grabbed Mevia's shoulders, shaking her.

" _There's no time for that now, Mevia,"_ he said, " _We have to get out of here- c'mon!"_

"Is he- Is he _running?_ " Lukas gaped. Magnus tutted, shaking his head.

"Cowardly. Simply cowardly."

The real Hadrian scowled.

Releasing Mevia, Hadrian began to march towards the doors- only to come to a halt as he realised they weren't alone in the Respawn Zone. He had to tilt his head all the way back to look up the three Gladiator's the stood before him, glaring down at him and looking quite unpleased.

Slab, Clutch and Facemeat grinned at each other.

" _Woah, woah!"_ Hadrian laughed nervously, both him and Mevia backing away, " _He-ey, guys…"_

" _How's it going?"_ Mevia asked, sounding just as nervous as Hadrian.

" _It's going 'not the best,'"_ Clutch declared, scowling down at them, " _And_ you're _not going anywhere!"_

"Alright, Gladiators!" Nell cheered, "Awesome stuff, brahs!"

" _Yeah,"_ Facemeat grunted, " _Facemeat wants to discuss his benefits plan."_

The Gladiators began to advance on them, the two Old Builders backing away until their backs hit the fences. Hadrian held up his hands in a useless attempt at warding them away.

" _Now hang on, hang on- !"_

The screen cut away, back to the arena, where Jesse was reuniting with his friends. Lukas beamed at him.

" _Jesse, you did it!"_ he pulled an odd face, although his smile didn't falter, " _Again."_

Aiden snorted

" _Feels like I say that a lot,"_ Lukas admitted.

" _I couldn't have done it without all of you,"_ Jesse declared pulling off his helmet; his friends grinned back at him.

" _Well done, Jesse,"_ Otto appeared, brushing dust and dirt from his robes as Harper led him back to the ground, a diamond pickaxe in hand- she must have mined him out, " _An excellent job."_

Otto hummed softly, looking rather relieved that he wasn't trapped in that makeshift prison for more than an hour.

" _Uh, thanks, Otto,"_ said Jesse, smiling a tad awkwardly.

" _You have truly shown my friends and I the error of our ways,"_ Otto continued.

The real Hadrian rolled his eyes.

" _I'm glad to put this whole messy business behind us,"_ he said, " _Start over."_

Nell, Em and the Gladiators looked rather excited at the prospect.

" _Man, you do need some new friends,"_ said Jesse, " _You know that?"_

" _Yes,"_ Otto sighed, " _I have come to that same conclusion and I am… working on it. I also know that the Atlas is not mine to keep."_

Jesse and his friends shared wide smiles.

Screams had their heads snapping around to Respawn Zone, only to find the Gladiators seemingly pounding the life out of Hadrian and Mevia. Otto shook his head, unimpressed.

The real Jesse winced, "Uh… is that- is that necessary?"

"Hey, we wouldn't do that unless they said the wrong thing," Clutch declared, "Gladiators word."

Nell blinked, "That thing's, like, reliable?"

"In this case."

Hadrian grit his teeth, biting his tongue.

" _You have fairly defeated them,"_ Otto continued, " _Seems only fair that you get to decide their fate. And with the Atlas, you can send them anywhere you want."_

Petra raised her eyebrows, "Anywhere?"

Otto gave a single nod, "Anywhere."

Mevia groaned, "Oh joy…"

Jesse hummed, considering. His eyes flickered across his friends, hovering on Olivia, before returning to Otto. " _You know, there was this game Olivia and I used to play back in our treehouse."_

Stacy blinked, "Uh… that's nice?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow at her friend, looking confused, " _Huh?"_

" _Remember?"_ said Jesse, " _We called it 'Which Would You Rather Fight?'"_

Olivia's eyes widened in realisation and she grinned.

"Oh!" Aiden exclaimed, his own eyes widening, "Oh yeah!"

"I'm confused," Harper admitted. Soren waved her away.

"The first episode opened with it; you weren't present for that."

"Ah."

With that, the screen faded to black.

"Well," Dan muttered "There you have it. Jesse's won."

Harper reached out and ruffled her boy's hair, Jesse giving her a tentative little smile. His eyes flickered over to Hadrian, who was glowering, glaring at the blank screen as though it had personally offended him- probably had, actually. They must have noticed where he was looking, because both Ivor and Harper inched a little closer to him, the potionologist's body (undoubtedly on purpose) blocking the Old Builder from sight.

"You did great," he declared, "There's no way you can't defeat him now, right?"

Jesse gave him a tiny little smile, Reuben oinking affirmatively in his lap, "Right."

The lights flickered. Every pair of eyes turned to the ceiling.

"Uh… what was that?" Axel asked, rather pale. Magnus reached out and protectively gripped his wrist.

"I'm just it was just a, uh… a storm or somethin'. Or maybe the lights need changed."

Ellegaard shook her head, "Not these lights."

"And it's not raining," Lukas pointed out. Cassie looked up at Soren.

"They gonna go off again?"

"Of course not," Soren assured her, although he didn't look all too sure himself, "I'm sure it was just-"

Another flicker. Then another.

Then the lights went out altogether.

"... Ah. Nevermind."

"What the hell?" Petra muttered, "Why's this happening?"

"I'm not sure," admitted Harper. Both she and Ivor were gripping Jesse tightly, as though afraid he was going to run off again; even if he'd wanted to (which he kind of did, just to make sure she was okay, just to make sure she was safe), he doubted he'd be able to go anywhere.

Gabriel shifted, hand on the hilt of his sword, "Perhaps we should-"

A scream- right there, in the room, amongst the watchers- broke the tense air, high-pitched and terrified and startled, and there was a horrible _bang_ as something hit the coffee table, the screech of its legs against the floor. Jesse jumped, heart leaping into his throat, eyes dart back and forth even though he couldn't _see_.

"GET OFF OF HER!"

"What's going on?!"

"Guys? Guys?!"

"PANIC PANIC PANIC-"

The lights flickered back on, but they didn't righten, only continued to flicker. It took Jesse's eyes a moment to readjust, and when they did, he couldn't see beyond Ivor; the potionologist was gripping him protectively, two potions held between his fingers. In fact, he was practically covering both him and Harper.

Gripping Reuben close to him with one arm and clutching a fistful of Ivor's robes in his other hand, Jesse leant around him, trying to see what happened, why there was so much noise-

Blood. Red. On the corner of the coffee table. She lay sprawled awkwardly on the pillows and blankets beneath it, unresponsive; Ellegaard was talking rapidly, near tears, holding her arm but unwilling to move her in case she makes things worse. Magnus was kneeling next to her, trying to calm both her and Axel at the same time, speaking just as fast. Jesse couldn't hear them.

An open wound on her forehead. Blood. Red. All down her face. In her beanie. In her hair. On the blankets. The pillows. He didn't realise he was crying until Harper pulled him into a tight hug, forcing his gaze from the scene, muttering comforting nonsense into his ear. Ivor hesitated for only a moment, before grabbing his potions bag and rushing over.

There was so much noise.

So much noise.

_Which would you rather fight?_

_A monster you can't see, hear or speak of or a man who'll hurt everyone you'll love just to make you pay?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you say to Otto? You need new friends, Not sure I believe you or We ALL showed you? Let me know in the reviews!


	85. A Splinter in My Skin

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Eighty-Five: A Splinter in My Skin**

* * *

You know what's funny? Just how quickly things can happen. Just how quickly someone can pull a trigger, just how quickly a bullet can zip through the air, completely unseen until it lodges itself into an eye. Just how quickly the calm can turn into the storm before anyone even realises a storm was coming.

Just how quickly someone can die.

Funny, huh? How seconds tick so fast, yet so slow.

So very funny. To the point that Jesse almost laughed. It definitely made him chuckle. And he kept chuckling, because all of this was just _that_ funny, and those chuckles grew thicker and thicker as his throat squeezed tighter and tighter, shoulders trembling, until they turned into gut-wrenching sobs.

Funny. Just so, so funny. Hilarious.

Hilarious.

She's in the basement, nestled into the little cot that he'd been sleeping in for the past few nights (or days, depending on how you want to look at it), stark white bandages wrapped around her head and her chest gently rising and falling. It was a comfort, that steady lift and sink, the promise that everything was going to be okay.

Jesse wasn't sure how long that promise could hold out until it was broken.

He really hoped it wasn't ever broken.

_(Promises are just words; in the end words can be everything, or they can be absolutely nothing.)_

He's sitting crossed legged on the floor, back pressed against one of the bookshelves, playing a game. It didn't have a name; it was a stupid thing, really. Could hardly be considered a proper game, when it came down to it. The wood of the bookshelf was decaying, at least in this particular patch. Water or some other sort of liquid must have dribbled onto it, which is more than likely what made it so easy to pick off little bits of splinters with his nails.

Silly game. Stupid game. He wasn't sure why he liked the sting of little pricks of wood digging into his fingers, his hands, palms, forearms. Or if he even liked it at all. But it was better than the nothing. Anything was better than the nothing.

At least this way he felt something.

It was all so funny.

He wondered how many splinters he could stick into one hand.

Ellegaard was sitting next to her in a chair, much like Jesse had seen Ivor sit next to him when he was recovering in that same cot. The engineer looked tired, so very tired, face almost as stark as the bandages around the prone form's head beside her, eyes red from recent tears. Jesse had never seen her as scared as she had been when she was desperately trying to staunch the blood flow with the corner of a blanket. Not even when she'd watched herself die.

(So very funny.)

Magnus was there too. He was sitting on the floor right next to Ellegaard, holding her hand. Axel was with him, exhausted and already half-asleep despite his reluctance to greet it, somewhat leaning against Magnus with a blanket draped over their laps. Lukas was there as well; he'd tugged a book from one of the shelves and was sitting with it open in his lap, yet had been staring at the same page for much longer than could be considered necessarily normal.

Petra was the closest to the stairs, glancing up them every now and again, as though she were a soldier guarding an area or object or person of importance. As far as Jesse knew, Gabriel and Soren were helping upstairs. Maybe they were helping clean up the blood.

He wondered who cleaned up _his_ blood.

Another splinter pricked into his finger.

No one was speaking. There was only the gentle breathing of an unconscious Olivia on the cot.

He slowly pulled out the splinter (splinter number ten- splinter number twelve?), only to dig it into his skin again, this time at the base of his thumb. He wasn't really paying attention, staring into space, into the nothing, nothing, nothing but the prick of splinters.

"What are you doing?"

Jesse jumped, the splinter breaking between his fingers. He twisted, looking up, to find Ivor frowning down at him. He had a potion gripped in his hand, more than likely for Olivia. His eyes darted over to his hand, splinters poking out of his skin, little tiny beads of blood; Jesse hastily hid it next to his leg, but he was too slow. Always too slow. Their eyes locked. Neither moved.

"Everything okay over there?"

Jesse's eyes flickered over to Petra. Her voice was quiet, as though Olivia was only sleeping and she was afraid of waking her, a softness that was not often heard from her. She was watching them with a slightly furrowed brow. She was still pale.

"Yes," Ivor muttered, not looking away from Jesse; after a moment, he finally did and marched his way over to Olivia as though he'd seen nothing, "Yes, everything's fine."

Petra watched him, brow furrowing deeper. For a moment, she almost looked as though she were about to press further, but then sighed softly and looked away. "Okay."

Jesse watched Ivor check up on Olivia, taking her temperature, adjusting her bandages. Ellegaard helped sit her up so they could pour the potion down her throat. Embarrassed at being caught paying his game (silly game, stupid game), Jesse ducked his head and began to pick the splinters out his hand. Maybe he'd forget about it.

(Hilarious.)

"She'll be alright," Ivor declared, as they settled Olivia back down on the cot, "She's just going to be a bit incoherent for a while."

"Incoherent," Ellegaard echoed; a chuckle that held no humour, "Better than the alternative, I s'pose."

"You mean better than finding out whether or not this 'respawn' crap's reliable?" Magnus asked, "Heh, you make a good point."

"It's not just that," Lukas muttered, fiddling with the cast still encasing his healing arm, "Even if the respawn doesn't work a second time, we know it must hurt a lot. And I don't know about you guys, but… I- I'd rather not see another pile of inventory."

No one seemed to have anything to say to that. No one needed to.

Petra's eyes flickered over to Jesse, "Did it?"

He blinked at her, startled, "Uh, wh- what?"

"Did it hurt?" she asked, "Respawning."

(Bursting apart, stitched back together, tiny piece by tiny piece, as though he were some sort of ripped doll.)

"It was agony."

No one seemed to know how to respond to that either. Petra bit her lip and looked away.

After a long moment, Ivor sighed, "Well… at least Olivia won't be going through that as well."

"Yeah," Jesse muttered.

In the end, he supposed, that's all that mattered. Keeping his friends safe. His family. Making sure they didn't have to be in pain, at the very least.

Isn't that what he's been trying to do this whole time?

(And look what happened.)

Funny. Everything was so funny.

A splinter sunk into his skin.

* * *

"Did you see what happened?"

Jessi regarded him for a moment, brow slightly furrowed. She shook her head, fiddling with her fork. "Of course not. I don't have night vision."

"Oh," Jesse muttered, eyes slipping down to his lap. He was quiet for a moment. "Do you… do you think it was that thing?"

She seemed to think for a moment. Then shook her head. "No. The room always gets cold when that thing shows up, even for a moment. Besides, why would it do that to your friend?"

"Why does it do anything?"

Jessi snorted, "S'pose that's true. To an extent."

She glanced down at the bowl of pasta in her lap. She hadn't eaten any of it yet. Shaking her head, she sighed.

"It wasn't that thing."

Jesse swallowed, blinking abruptly wet eyes. He took a deep, trembling breath.

"So it _was_ him, then."

Jessi kept her gaze to her untouched bowl of pasta, "Can't think of anyone else."

They sat in silence for a long time. Finally, Jesse sighed and scrubbed tiredly at his eyes.

"You haven't eaten."

"I'm not hungry."

"You _look_ hungry," he declared, frowning, "It's like you haven't eaten in months."

Jessi didn't say anything in response. She just sat the bowl aside and climbed to her feet, stretching her arms above her head and popping her back.

"How's your friend doing?"

"She's doing okay," the boy muttered, "But I'm sure you already knew that."

"More or less," Jessi admitted quietly. She sighed and leant against the wall, looking down at him. "How are _you_ doing, then?"

"I'm not the one with the head wound," Jesse pointed out. He gestured to the abandoned pasta. "Nor am I the one that's refusing to eat while imitating a skeleton."

"Look who's talking."

"I eat enough."

"So do _I_ ," Jessi stressed, looking somewhat exasperated, if not annoyed, "You don't get to lecture me on eating when you hardly eat either."

Jesse shook his head, rubbing at his face, "You know what? Just… fine. Whatever. Do what you want."

Jessi blinked, looking surprised. She glanced away, a tad awkwardly. "Well, uh… good. Good."

They descended into silence. It wasn't slow to grow awkward, the dusty air of the passageway becoming all the more stifling. Jesse massaged his forehead tiredly, the heavy weight on his body growing ever heavier. Like an anvil on his shoulders.

"I should head back," he muttered. For a moment, it looked as though Jessi was about to protest, even got as far as opening her mouth. But then her face fell and she sighed.

"Okay. You'll come back soon?"

Jesse nodded, pushing himself to his feet. His legs tingled with pins and needles. "Of course. Just… just be careful, okay?"

Jessi smiled, and maybe there was a tiny hint of sadness to that smile, and nodded back, "You too."

"Me too."

* * *

_("You don't know who we are. Not yet. But I have a feeling you will.")_

"Why were you doing that to your hand?"

Jesse paused, not looking up from the Nether Wart he was crushing into powder. He quickly continued, schooling his face into a neutral expression. "Doing what?"

_("I've decided that we should simply change things before we're even sent back.")_

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

" _Jesse._ Please."

 _("You're insane. Why- Why would I even_ agree _to this?")_

The boy paused a second time. After a moment, he sighed.

"I was just bored. It's nothing, really."

"Really."

" _Yes_ ," Jesse stressed, his grip tightening on the paddle, "Just… I dunno why I was doing it. Just… just boredom."

Ivor sighed softly, frowning down at the bubbling cauldron before him, "That's not how you get rid of boredom, Jesse."

"I know."

_("Dunno. Maybe because I'll kill your friends.")_

"Then why'd you do it?" Ivor asked, turning to face him properly, "Do you- Do you _want_ to hurt yourself?"

"No- No, it's just… I've never purposefully hurt myself before, I- I promise."

Ivor stared down at him for a long moment, as though searching his face for the traces of a lie. Finally, he slowly nodded.

"Okay. I believe you."

_("I thought you were better than that, Jason.")_

The potionologist's eyes flickered over to Olivia, still fast asleep, still with that stark white bandage around her head. Ellegaard remained in the seat next to her, out cold. She was undoubtedly going to have a sore neck when she woke up.

"Is it because of Olivia?"

"I don't _know_ , okay?" Jesse said, suddenly frustrated. He turned his eyes back down to the crushed Nether Wart. "So just- just _drop_ it."

Ivor sighed, shaking his head; he began to stir the cauldron, "Keep up that snark and you'll be saying a lot more than just ' _I don't know.'_ "

Jesse winced, hunching in on himself a little, "I… I know. I'm sorry."

The potionologist sighed again, but reached out and squeezed his shoulder, "It's fine. I'm only worried about you."

 _("Do you honestly, truly believe that_ your _life is worth more than all of theirs?")_

"I know."

_("You just get everyone killed.")_

"Olivia's going to be just fine," Ivor promised, still gripping his shoulder, "She doesn't even have to go through respawn. She'll be better in no time."

"If you say so."

_("You couldn't even save your own goddamn pig.")_

"I _do_ say so," said Ivor, "And that- that _disgusting_ man will never lay a hand on any one of you again, alright? I'm going to make sure of it."

 _("Don't you think it'll be so much easier for_ everyone _if you simple weren't there to begin with?")_

Jesse swallowed, throat closing. He kept his eyes down, blinking rapidly against the sting. His voice was choked. "You promise?"

Ivor reached out and wrapped him into a tight hug.

"I promise."

_("Maybe because I'll kill your friends.")_

* * *

Her head was pounding. It was like someone was drilling away from the inside of her skull- whether they were drilling into the skull itself or her brain was debatable. Perhaps both.

Yeah, both makes sense.

She didn't want to open her eyes. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she could. She wanted nothing more than to slip back into blissful oblivion, where they was no drill inside her skull, no ache behind her eyelids. Nothing. Why couldn't there just be nothing?

Something was gripping her hand. No, wait- _someone_ was gripping her hand. Tightly, with both of their own, as though afraid of letting go. As though afraid something horrible would happen if they did.

As though holding her hand would will her to wake up.

She honestly considered it.

But the drill whirred louder and she was more than glad to greet the nothing.

* * *

"He- Hey."

Mevia blinked her thoughts away, not having even realised she'd been staring blankly at the wall for an extended amount of time. She looked away from it, down to the blonde girl staring up at her almost nervously. She blinked again.

"Hello."

Nell shuffled her feet, fidgeting with one of the beads in her hair. She took a deep, steadying breath. "I was, like, wondering if, you know… uh…"

"Spit it out."

The girl winced, "If you were… if you, like… _agree_ with… with what Hadrian did."

Mevia regarded her with a slight frown, before looking in the opposite direction, "Just be happy this place has respawn."

Nell's own brow furrowed, clearly unhappy with the answer. She bit her lip, as though debating whether or not to push further. She seemed to decide it would be worth the risk.

There's respawn, after all.

"Did you, like… _know_ he was going to do it?"

"No," Mevia admitted, still not looking at her, "Why do you even care?"

"I dunno," Nell admitted quietly, "I suppose I just, like, want to know? Like, to satisfy my inner curiosity."

Mevia shot her a strange look, before shaking her head, "I didn't know about anything Hadrian was up to," she looked away again, "I never know what that man's up to."

"Oh," Nell muttered. She was quiet for a moment, as though processing this, before looking back up at the Old Builder. " So, uh… you never, like, answered my first question."

Mevia rolled her eyes, "I did, technically."

"Yeah, but, not like a _proper_ answer. Y'know?"

"Not really."

Nell huffed, looking a little frustrated, "Well, uh… do you have, like, _another_ answer?"

Mevia sighed, "What do you want me to say, kid? Hadrian's a crappy person. _I'm_ a crappy person. I don't like what he did to Jesse or that Olivia girl, but if he'd actually told me, he'd have probably convinced me. Even if there really was no respawn."

The blonde anxiously wrung her fingers, gnawing on her bottom lip, "Well, uh… I- I think you wouldn't've. If that, like, means anything to you."

The Old Builder stared down at her, surprised. She looked away and Nell, getting the hint, slipped out of the library. Mevia glanced over at the door upon hearing it close.

_It does._

* * *

Olivia woke up around lunchtime on the second day.

She was dazed and disorientated, mumbling slurred nonsense (Ellegaard smiled, eyes wet, stroking her curls, and those eyes started to overflow with a questioning little "Mum?"), but she was awake. It didn't take long for her to slip back into slumber, but it couldn't have been more than four hours before she was waking up again.

This time, she was a lot more aware. Enough to ask what the _heck_ had happened and look absolutely bewildered when Ellegaard pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. She was able to stay awake for a good hour and a half, but was soon knocked out again shortly after taking one of Ivor's potions for the headache. Although not before Ellegaard insisting she eat, which she was more or less happy to.

From what little information Jesse could squeeze out of the adults, Hadrian had been confined to his makeshift cell since he'd been dragged from the watching room after Olivia's injury. Jessi, who seemed to almost be keeping an eye on him herself, informed him that he'd been denying having done anything, claiming to have remained in his seat throughout the entire blackout. Jesse had asked her if she believed him. She hadn't answered.

Jesse wasn't sure whether or not he wanted it to be the truth.

_("Maybe because I'll kill your friends.")_

He glanced over at Olivia again, once more fast asleep. Then, sensing a stare on the side of his head, turned to find Ivor watching him. Looking him up and down. Watching his hands.

Making sure he didn't have any splinters.

A slight heat rising up his neck, he crossed his arms a little self-consciously, tucking his hands underneath his armpits. Reuben shifted against his leg, little nose twitching in his sleep as he chased butterflies in his dreams.

Jesse wished he dreamed of butterflies.

(So funny.)

Magnus shifted, maw opening in a jaw-cracking yawn. He glanced over at Olivia, then up at Ellegaard, and climbed to his feet.

"Hey," he muttered quietly, giving her a tiny nudge; the engineer blinked blearily, looking up at him. There were bags under her eyes. "Why don't you go get some fresh air? I'll watch over her for you."

Ellegaard frowned, "But-"

"I won't let anything happen to her," said Magnus, "Promise."

She continued to frown, unsure. She glanced over at Olivia. "I dunno, Magnus."

"Come on, Ellie," Magnus muttered, gripping her shoulder; his voice was sincere, "I'll be right next to her the entire time. You trust me, don't you?"

"Depends what I'm trusting you with."

"Okay, fair," the king admitted, "But you don't honestly think I'd let something happen to her, do you?"

Ellegaard's eyes drifted back to the sleeping girl, brow furrowed. Finally, she sighed.

"You won't leave her?"

"Not even for a second."

A brief silence. Another sigh.

"Okay."

She leant her forehead against his chest.

"I trust you."

(So funny.)


	86. The Closing of a Book

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Eight: A Journey's End?**

**Part Eighty-Six: The Closing of a Book**

* * *

It took a while, a few days actually, but eventually Olivia was able to stand up without falling over. She was still a little unsteady on her feet, tripping over her things that weren't even there, and they'd decided to keep the bandage around her head just so there wouldn't be any chance to risk infection. Jesse had only glimpsed the headwound itself once, but it had been enough to see the swollen, purple skin and black butterfly stitches sticking out at odd angles.

He decided that he didn't really want to see it properly.

Even though Olivia could sit up and walk around without almost falling over now, it wasn't until a few more days later that they actually returned to the watching. She still had frequent bouts of dizziness and headaches that needed painkiller potions, something Ivor assured both Magnus and Ellegaard was perfectly normal, and had a tendency for unexpected naps here and there (also normal).

"This sort of injury would be referred to as 'Closed,'" Ivor informed him as they worked on some painkiller potions together, "When the brain has been affected by a strong force, like a blow to the head, but without fracturing the skull."

"But she had an open wound."

"Yes," said Ivor, chopping a rather nasty looking ingredient Jesse struggled to remember the name of, "But the skull was more or less unaffected. She'd only cut open her flesh, but the deeper layer wasn't penetrated. So overall, it remained Closed."

"Oh," Jesse muttered, wrinkling his nose at the rather foul smell coming from the cauldron he was in the middle of stirring, "I… _guess_ that makes sense."

"Think of the head as a ball of chocolate," Ivor said, "Everything on the outside is the first layer of chocolate, while the skull is the crunchy bit and the brain is the melted chocolate on the inside. A 'Closed' injury affects the melted insides and possibly scrapes off the outer surface, but leaves the crunchy bit unaffected."

"I'd rather not think that, thanks."

Ivor chuckled, "Apologies. Could you pass the chicken's egg?"

Jesse had been surprised that Ivor had seemingly decided that this was the _perfect_ opportunity to teach him about head injuries, but it didn't take all that long for him to appreciate the teachings. It distracted him, made him feel like he was actually _doing_ something to help, even if the closest thing he'd done to help Olivia directly was by handing her one of the painkiller potions.

It wasn't just the types of head injuries that Ivor taught him, either.

"This is a _minor_ brain injury?" the boy echoed, gaping at the older man. Ivor didn't look up from where he was flipping through a potions book, but he nodded anyway, albeit absentmindedly.

"I used the Glasgow Coma Scale," he explained, "It's where you ask the patient a series of questions and conduct various tests involving reaction time and limb movement. Based on their score, you can tell how severe the injury is."

Jesse frowned down at the empty potion bottles he was cleaning, sleeves rolled up to his elbows to avoid getting them wet, "But… there was so much blood."

Ivor finally looked up from his book. His eyes softened. "Head injuries tend to bleed a lot. It doesn't necessarily mean it's a severe injury. If the score is thirteen to fifteen, then the injury's minor. If it's nine to twelve, then it's moderate. If it's eight or lower, then it's severe. Olivia scored a thirteen."

"So it's a low minor?" he faltered, "High minor?"

"The lower the number, the worse the injury," the potionologist shrugged, "I suppose you could say that. Doesn't have much to do with the blood, though. It's all based on the force of the blow and where it hits."

Jesse didn't really give a proper answer to that. He continued washing.

(He wondered if this was Ivor's way of distracting him from splinters.)

It wasn't long after this that Jesse was able to keep a proper eye on Olivia. Not that he hadn't been making sure he was okay before; it was just that this time, he actually knew what to look out for.

"Level of alertness," Ivor informed, "Whether she's awake, asleep, talking, doing something. These are good signs, but if she's sleeping all day, every day, then that's when you come get me. Then there's the size of the pupils, whether they're large or smaller than they should be. Don't shove yourself in her face to look at her eyes, but just be aware of how big they are whenever you make eye contact."

Limb movement. Breathing rate. Pulse. Blood pressure. Temperature. Oxygen level in the blood. The majority of these things were stuff Jesse couldn't simply observe, and Ivor said that he'd deal with checking things like blood pressure and the blood's oxygen level, but Jesse made sure to keep an eye out for everything he could.

"How long until I'm not getting headaches anymore?" Olivia asked on the fourth day, graciously accepting the painkiller potion Jesse offered her (pupils regular). Ivor considered the question for a moment.

"It depends," he admitted, "It can last from a few weeks to several months. Possibly sooner," he shrugged, "What you should focus on now is rest. You certainly won't be returning to any regular activities until you're feeling better."

Olivia sighed, pulling a face (level of alertness: high), "Alright. If you say so."

"What about her recovery?" Magnus asked, tossing an apple into the air and catching it, only to toss it up again; despite this, his gaze was focused on Ivor, "Y'know, symptoms and stuff."

"She'll have symptoms for the first week or so," explained Ivor, looking vaguely irritated by the constant apple flying and falling, "For example, feeling dizzy, tired, vision problems, sensitivity to light and noise, insomnia, problems with memory, concentration and thinking, irritability and anxiety."

"You just listed everything," Jesse pointed out.

"Well, it's important."

"Yeah, but you said 'for ex-"

"Is there anything she should avoid?" Ellegaard asked. Ivor hummed thoughtfully.

"Sports, most certainly," he said, "For at least three weeks. Activities that need levels of high concentration or quick decision making- this includes redstone engineering, by the way."

Olivia groaned, "Seriously?"

"We'll keep that in mind," Magnus promised; Jesse was startled at how uncharacteristically serious he looked. Then he turned to look at Ellegaard and cracked a cheeky smile. "Told you that stuff was all headaches."

"I'd rather have a headache than blown-out eardrums," Ellegaard declared. Magnus chuckled.

"They're called noise-cancelling headphones, Ellie. You know, I should start using them whenever you talk as well."

"Don't you _dare_!"

Overall, it took a little over a week before Olivia was declared fit to continue the watching. Even though he couldn't sleep in the basement since Olivia was occupying the cot (not that he ever complained about it; it wasn't her fault), and had to return to his old bedroom with the pink blankets whenever it started to get late, Jesse still spent the majority of his time- if not all, asides from sleeping- in the basement. Either helping Ivor, sitting by Olivia or playing a quiet board or card game with the others, he was always there (and if he wasn't there, he was in the passageways, talking quietly with his dead twin, and sleep was something he tried not to think of).

So when he _did_ finally leave the basement when everyone else was up and about, he was surprised for reasons he wasn't all that sure of. Some monsters had been able to break into mansion while they'd been holed up in the basement. Or rather, a spider had been able to tear its way through the trapdoor on the roof. Milo and Aiden had been quick to replace it with an iron one (Jesse was fairly certain it had mostly been Aiden, while Milo watched him intently and gawked, but that wasn't important), and the spider had been swiftly dealt with.

Then there was Hadrian.

He didn't look the greatest. Or at least, he didn't look as pristine has he had before. His purple suit was crinkled and his white hair (parts of which actually resembled LEGOs from a certain angle, as Nell had so kindly pointed out to him) a mess. He looked irritated, more so than usual, but was completely uninjured. If anything, he just looked like he was having a particularly bad day.

Then again, the shackles around both his wrists and ankles probably weren't helping all that much.

He'd been moved to the very back of the room. The couch had actually been pushed away from the others, and it wasn't only Reginald that was guarding him anymore- in fact, it was all the Gladiators as well, including Em. As for Nell, since she no longer had her teammate to sit next to and appeared a little reluctant to sit near Hadrian, the girl seemed to have decided it would be a wonderful idea to seat herself between Mevia and Otto and chat away. Otto looked rather amused, while Mevia seemed outright bewildered.

Cassie stifled a chortle at the sight.

Jesse wasn't sure when it was decided (probably beforehand, between the adults), but somehow Olivia, Ellegaard, Lukas, Soren, Cassie, Gabriel and Petra were the only ones that ended up on the Order's couch, while Jesse, Ivor, Harper, Axel and Magnus sat amongst the pillows and blankets in front of them. It didn't take the boy long to realise that the ones on the couch were the ones that were injured: Olivia with her head, Lukas with his broken arm, Cassie with her limp and Petra with her bandaged arm. He was quite happy with the circumstances after that.

(He noticed, absently, that a few of the blankets were missing; the coffee table was not the coffee table that Olivia had smacked her head against.)

Stampy was the one to snatch up the remote this time. After a few moments of muttering with Dan and figuring out how it works (it didn't take long, especially considering Stampy was used to engineering and technological devices), he jabbed it at the screen and it burst back to life.

Footsteps came first, before the blackness faded completely to reveal Jesse leading his friends, including Harper and Slab, back down the staircase and into the Portal Hallway. He seemed to be in the middle of speaking.

" _-And that's when I yanked PAMA's Redstone Heart right out!"_ he said, as they came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, " _Rgh! And the whole thing went out!"_

The real Axel blinked, then chuckled, "Awesome, looks like we're finally catching up."

Maya blew out a breath, shaking her head, "Honestly, you guys must have been so confused."

Onscreen, Axel grinned down at his shorter friend, shaking his head in amazement, " _Man, you guys_ have _had some crazy adventures. So many people trying to kill you."_

Gabriel snorted at that, shaking his head at the boys lack of tact, although he couldn't help the amused twitch of his lips, "That's quite the understatement."

Before Jesse could answer, a yell had him turning his head to find Yellow standing before one of the many portals, this one a gleaming purple; Otto was standing a little ways from her, arms tucked behind his back, as though to make sure everyone that belonged to this world got through.

" _Goodbye, Jesse!"_ she yelled, waving, " _Bye! Thank you!"_

Smiling at her, Jesse returned the wave. With that, Yellow turned and vanished through the purple swirls, officially returning home.

Nell beamed, "Oh, I know her! She said she lives, like, in this little country town. 'Parently they've got, like, purple trees or somethin'."

" _That all of 'em?"_ Harper asked glancing questionably at Otto. The man nodded.

" _Everyone that_ wants _to go home, anyhow,"_ he said. His hands dropped back to his sides as he turned to look at the group, beginning to make his way over to them. " _Except for_ you _folk, that is. Can't believe how many competitors actually want to stay and keep playing the Games."_

"Well, yeah," said Petra, absently rubbing her thumb around her bandaged forearm, "I mean, take out the fact that there was no way to actually _win_ and they weren't allowed to leave, and the Games would be _awesome_."

"No one likes not having a choice," Isa declared, "Even if it's with something they enjoy."

" _Thanks to you, my intrepid new friend,"_ Otto continued, turning to Jesse now, " _I can actually work on making them_ fun _again."_

Nell beamed, "Righteous!"

" _Very exciting,"_ Otto nodded, a little to himself, " _It'll be more challenging just by myself… but a good challenge."_

Out the corner of her eye, Mevia saw Hadrian roll his eyes, although he looked a bit too tired to form a proper scowl. She glanced down at Nell; the girl looked so excited at the prospect of a non-rigged Games.

Hm.

Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

" _It's what I do,"_ said Jesse, " _Exploring new worlds, helping people wherever I go…"_ he shrugged, smiling at him, " _I was happy to help."_

Sparklez chuckled, "Well, he's definitely not wrong."

"You got that right," muttered Aiden. The real Jesse ducked his head, cheeks dusting pink; Harper ruffled his hair.

" _Well, I'm very grateful,"_ Otto assured, " _What you did won't be forgotten anytime soon."_

"Exactly," Isa smiled, "The same goes with Sky City- ah, well, Fallin."

Milo beamed at her, "I knew that was a fitting name."

" _And I'm gonna help too,"_ Slab declared, smiling down at the boy as he stepped forward, " _You taught me a lot about fairness, Jesse, and I'd like to use that knowledge for something good."_

"Jesse has that effect on people," Aiden muttered, smiling just a little bit sadly. Cassie watched him for a moment, before biting her lip and directing her gaze to the cat curled up in her lap.

_Definitely._

" _And speaking of fairness…"_ Slab turned away from Jesse, making his way over to Lukas, the blond blinking up at him in surprise, " _I think_ this _is yours."_

He tucked his hand into his pocket and pulled out Lukas' journal, handing it over to the boy. Lukas' face lit up immediately.

" _Oh, man,"_ he breathed, almost tentatively accepting the journal.

Cassie scoffed, scowling at the wall next to the screen. The real Lukas had perked up, smiling happily at the screen as Soren ruffled his hair and pulled him into a one-armed hug. Cassie clenched her jaw.

No. No, she was _not_ happy that he'd gotten his dumb book back. She didn't even care to begin with. Why _should_ she care to begin with?

(She still struggled to hold back a smile.)

Stupid blond.

" _There was some good stuff in there,"_ Slab told him, as Lukas, now grinning, began to flip through it, " _I was really moved."_

Lukas turned his grin up to the Gladiator, almost having to crane his neck back to do so. He flipped the book shut. " _Awesome."_

With one last smile, Slab gave Lukas a single nod, before turning around and beginning to make his way back up the stairs. Both Lukas and Jesse waved after him.

" _Huh,"_ Ivor hummed from where he was leaning against the wall next to the expanse staircase, raising an eyebrow, " _Guess he wasn't so 'Immovable' after all."_

This earned him a few exasperated headshakes.

The real Slab chuckled, "I suppose not."

Deciding to ignore the potionologist, Jesse turned to look over at Em, who had yet to leave the Hallway, " _Well, Em, what about you?"_ he asked, " _You said you wanted to go home, right?"_

The real Em blinked, looking a little taken aback, "Oh."

Clutch glanced at her, brow furrowing slightly, "What is it?"

Em glanced up at her (the Gladiator's were the only ones in the room that were taller than her), cheeks abruptly dusting a light pink, "Nothing."

" _Yes…"_ said Em, although she didn't sound all that sure,. " _I just can't decide if it's what I want,"_ she turned away from him, frowning and crossing her arms, " _You get to leave and go on more adventures,"_ her eyes trailed downwards, " _Do I really want to go back to farming?"_

"Hm," Dan hummed, "I guess that _would_ be a little boring after a while."

"No kidding," Em muttered.

" _I mean, it_ has _been ages since I've seen it,"_ Em continued, " _And I miss my friends. But… what if I'm bored?"_

Jesse regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, chewing on his lip. He took a few steps closer. " _Well, if you want… you can come with us."_

The real Em's eyes widened, "Woah, wait- _seriously_?"

Jesse huffed a small laugh, smiling at her, "Of course!"

Onscreen, Em looked up from where her gaze had drifted to the floor, a wide smile lighting her face, " _Oh, whoa, really? Like, really?!"_

" _Yeah,"_ said Jesse, smiling; the girl was practically bouncing, " _We could always use another awesome person and, well, you're pretty awesome."_

" _Ah, Jesse!"_ Em exclaimed, beaming widely, " _That's wonderful! Thank you_ so _much."_

"Oh," Em muttered, although this time she was smiling. Clutch and Slab shared a small smile of their own.

"Well," Petra mumbled, lips twitching, "Looks like we've got a new friend."

Em made her way over to Otto, beginning to talk to him about something Jesse couldn't really hear. Glancing around, he spotted Ivor just a little further down the hall, looking at something the watchers couldn't see. Suddenly grinning, Jesse made his way over.

" _Hey, Ivor."_

Ivor blinked, turning to look over at him and smiling, " _Oh, hello."_

" _Whaaaat'cha doing?"_ Jesse asked, trying- and failing- to smother a smirk.

"What's he smirking at?" Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow. Lukas shrugged.

Ivor glanced at him, almost looking a tiny bit amused, before shaking his head and gesturing a little further down the hall, " _I was just observing Harper,"_ he admitted, the screen turning to reveal Harper indeed standing just down the hall, " _Standing all by herself over there. She seems… lonely."_

Harper blinked, looking a little surprised. A faint pink dusted her cheeks and she ducked her head. Although that didn't mean she didn't squeeze back when Ivor reached out and took her hand.

Jesse seemed to regard Harper for a second, before looking over at Ivor, smiling and gesturing for him to follow, almost sounding exasperated, " _Come on."_

Ellegaard hummed, an almost sad smile crossing her face, "Oh, they must be saying goodbye."

"Oh," Harper muttered, blinking, "That's… that's right."

"Well, it's not like it's the last time we'll ever see you," Jesse assured her, "I mean, I'm pretty sure we'll be visiting from time to time, and you're always welcome in our world."

"Of course," Ivor quickly guaranteed. Harper smiled at them.

"I might just take you up on that."

Onscreen, Jesse made his way up to Harper, Ivor trailing after him. He stopped a respectable distance behind her. " _Hey, Harper."_

Harper blinked, turning around to face them, and almost immediately burst into a smile, " _Oh, hey, Jesse, Ivor. I was just watching folk head on home."_

Magnus leant a little closer to Ellegaard, lowering his voice, "You think he just said she looked lonely as an excuse to go over and talk to her?"

Ellegaard snorted, "Possibly."

"I can hear you."

"Oh, don't worry, we know."

Ivor returned her smile, almost awkwardly scratching his neck. Harper glanced between them for a moment, smile becoming just a tiny bit sadder.

" _Things really worked out, huh?"_

"Thank notch," Petra sighed. Gabriel squeezed her shoulder.

" _Well,"_ Harper sighed, turning away, eyes trailing downwards, " _I guess this is goodbye. I'm gonna head on back to Crown Mesa. See how the post-PAMA construction is going…"_ she sighed again, Ivor looking rather sad now, " _Just hope they'll take me back."_

"It'd be pretty crappy of them if they don't," Stacy admitted, "I mean, they _did_ say they would and all."

" _It's not my_ real _home,"_ Harper continued, " _But it's the closest thing I've had for… well, a long time. We'll just go with that."_

"Where are you originally from?" asked Olivia, glancing at Harper curiously; she was cuddled up against Ellegaard, head on her shoulder, and looked like she was going to end up falling asleep sometime soon. Harper thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"I can hardly remember which portal it was. But it's nothing all that brilliant; was mostly made up of fishing villages, to be honest."

"That must have been annoying, what with your redstone," Ellegaard commented, "Water doesn't really work well with it."

"No kidding."

" _Don't worry,"_ Jesse said, " _I'm sure they'll come around."_

Harper glanced at the floor, crossing her arms, " _I sure hope you're right."_

" _You'll be fine, you'll be_ fine _,"_ Ivor assured her, Jesse and Harper glancing at each other, " _Getting over the 'I was a bad guy' hump can be awkward, but hopefully soon they'll invite you right back into their lives!"_ he nudged the boy next to him, " _Right, Jesse?"_

Magnus giggled into his hand, the glare Ivor sent him only making him do so harder. Soren shook his head, unable to hold back an amused smile; Gabriel looked torn between amusement and exasperation.

"Truly, Ivor," the warrior muttered, "You are one of a kind."

"Thank you!"

Harper shook her head, approaching the potionologist with an amused twitch of her lips, " _You are a strange, strange man, Ivor. But you know something? You're okay."_

The real Ivor beamed.

Onscreen, Ivor smiled at her, almost shyly. Then that smile faltered as she turned away and began to make her way down the hall, back towards the red sparking portal to Crown Mesa. " _Take care of each other, alright?"_ she paused, looking over her shoulder to give them one last smile, " _And I'll see you around."_

" _Bye, Harper,"_ said Jesse, as the inventor continued down the hall. Ivor stepped forward and faltered, as though he wanted to follow; instead, he raised his arm and waved.

" _Yes! Goodbye!"_

"He's surprisingly adorable," Maya muttered. Gill snorted, but he didn't disagree.

Jesse shot Ivor a smile and gestured for him to return to the others with him, " _Come on."_

Ivor didn't follow; he watched Jesse go, before his eyes trailed back over to Harper, growing further and further away. Gaze briefly darting around, as though to make sure no one was watching, Ivor reached into his pocket and pulled out the red poppy, his voice lowering to an almost awed whisper, " _You're amazing."_

Magnus made a rather high-pitched noise that might have been a startled laugh. Ivor's cheeks burned red, many of the audience members- particularly the youngers (and Magnus)- had dissolved into giggles. Harper was rather pink-faced as well.

" _So,"_ Lukas said, noticing Jesse was making his way towards them, " _How do_ we _get home now?"_

Cassie rolled her eyes, "Isn't it obvious?"

" _Well,"_ said Otto, making his way around Lukas to stand in front of Jesse, " _The Atlas belongs to Jesse now,"_ he smiled at the boy and, from his pocket, pulled out the golden and bright blue book, before kneeling down on one knee and holding it up to Jesse, " _Deal's a deal and all that."_

The boy smiled back at him and accepted the Atlas, " _Sweet. Um, how does it work?"_

" _Now,"_ said Otto, climbing back to his feet, " _You just say where you want to go… and the Atlas will show you away. Why don't you just go ahead and open it?"_

"Bit ominous," Stampy murmured.

Jesse blinked at him curiously, before turning his attention to the Atlas and gripping the cover, " _Okay, book,"_ he said, " _Take us home."_

He opened the Atlas- and his eyes lit up as the pages glowed, and gleaming runes floating up from them in a stream of light, " _Whoa!"_

Ivor gasped from where he'd been peering over Jesse's shoulder, " _Spectacular!"_

The stream of runes twisted and turned around down the hallway, the other kids gasping as well and skidding across the hall to get a better look at it.

" _Incredible!"_

" _Wow!"_

" _Nice!"_

The stream continued to twist and turn, runes dancing around each other, before shifting back down and, with a final twist, turning right into a deep orange portal with an oak wood arch; the runes went from bright yellow-white to the same deep red as the portal.

"Oh wow," Lizzie breathed, "That's… that's amazing."

"It is indeed," muttered Otto.

Beaming, the group ran over to the portal. Jesse gave a breathless, relieved laugh.

" _There it is!"_

They skidded to a stop in front of it, taking a moment to simply stand and stare at it. Olivia sighed almost blissfully.

" _Home."_

"There it is," muttered Lukas, shaking his head, "Wow. Wonder how long we've been wandering that stupid hallway."

"Probably for over a week, at least," Soren hummed.

Jesse smiled at the portal for a moment, before glancing around at his friends; his gaze came to Em, " _I assume Em told you she's coming with?"_

" _Yeah!"_ Petra said, her grin widening, " _She's already promised to show me that awesome spin move."_

The real Em beamed at that.

Onscreen, Em grinned almost shyly at her, shuffling her feet, although she couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face, " _It's not so great."_

Jesse smiled at her, before glancing around at the rest of his friends, " _Figure it's about time we get heading home, huh?"_

" _That sounds_ awesome _,"_ Lukas declared, an almost exhausted slump coming to his stance. He looked just about ready to collapse into his bed and not emerge for a good few weeks.

And with that, Lukas darted towards the portal, quickly followed by Olivia.

" _Yeah!"_

Petra was almost directly behind her, Axel slipping between Jesse and Ivor to follow.

" _Home, here we come!"_

With one last glance down the hall to where Harper had disappeared, Ivor ran after him, Em hot on his heels. Jesse looked over to a smiling Otto, waved, and then darted through the portal after his family. He vanished with a flash of light.

"Whooooo!" Nell cheered, throwing her hands into the air and almost smacking both Otto and Mevia in the face. Mevia scooted a little further away from her to avoid potential injury.

The light faded to reveal none other the New Order's Treasure Room, empty golden pedestals gleaming in the sunlight from the tall windows. It was completely empty, treasures floating peacefully on their little stands. The screen cut to Reuben's little memorial against the far wall, exactly as they'd left it, with his little piggy face painted on a banner, his remains framed above it and two potted flowers on either side.

The small smile that was lingering on Jesse's face immediately fell. His chest hurt, twisting, and he gripped Reuben tighter as the little pig buried his face into his chest. Ivor wrapped his arm around him and tugged him into his side, holding him close.

On the top pedestal, the Amulet twirled. And then with a burst, one, two, four, six, seven familiar people appeared out of thin air, yelling as they briefly fell before slamming into the floor. Jesse wavered upon landing, almost falling over, but was able to miraculously stay on his feet.

Slowly, he straightened, taking in the room. The others were doing the same; Lukas was already smiling widely, Em observing their treasures with sparkling eyes.

" _Jesse, look!"_ Petra breathed, turning to beam widely at her shorter friend, " _Can you believe it? We made it! We're home!"_

" _After all that time,"_ said Lukas, turning to face them, " _All those portals… we're_ home _."_

" _Yes,"_ Ivor sighed, relieved, " _It does feel pretty good, doesn't it?"_

" _Yeah, and I couldn't have done it without you guys,"_ Jesse declared, " _You're the best team anyone could ever ask for."_

" _Aw,"_ said Lukas, he and the others smiling at him.

" _That's…"_ Ivor's face softened, " _Lovely."_

" _You big sap,"_ Petra said, hooking an arm around Jesse's shoulders. Axel chuckled.

" _I'm just so glad we're all back together."_

" _That Atlas is_ so _cool,"_ said Olivia, " _I'm glad Otto let you keep it."_

" _Fabulous, yes?"_ Ivor said, nodding, " _And that's not_ all _we got."_

" _Seriously?"_ Axel gasped, eyes widening, " _What else did you get?"_

Isa shrugged lightly, "I don't believe much of it's all that special, besides, of course, the Redstone Heart. Now _that_ is one of a kind."

"Awesome," Olivia breathed, rubbing heavy eyelids.

" _Yeah,"_ Petra's grin widened and she elbowed him in the side, " _Show 'em, Jesse."_

Obediently, Jesse made his way to the closest bare pedestal. He tucked his hand into his pocket, trailing his fingers against his new treasures; after a brief moment of thought, he tugged out the Redstone Heart and sat it on the pedestal.

" _PAMA's Redstone Heart,"_ Jesse stated, taking a small step back. Olivia shuffled a little closer.

" _I know that PAMA was evil and everything,"_ she said, " _But I still kinda wished I could've seen it."_

The real Lukas shuddered. Soren tugged him into a hug.

Jesse moved his way to the next empty pedestal, hand brushing against his pocket again. This time, he pulled out Cassie's White Pumpkin mask and sat it on the pedestal.

Cassie blinked, looking a little surprised. Then she frowned, eyes darting down to Winslow. She curled her hands in his fur and clenched her jaw.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid._

" _The mask of Cassie Rose,"_ said Jesse, " _Aka, the White Pumpkin."_

" _Oh, man,"_ Axel murmured, " _That's even creepier-looking than I imagined."_

Lizzie and Sparklez shared an uncomfortable look at the reminder. Stacy reached over and gripped their shoulders.

Turning to the next pedestal, Jesse pulled out Benedict's little crown and sat it down, " _The crown of the Eversource- the magical source of all of Sky City's precious materials."_

"Well," Isa smiled, "'Magical' is one word you could use, I suppose."

"There is no hecking way that thing is science," declared Magnus, jabbing a finger at the sleeping chicken in the Founder's lap. Isa simply smiled at him.

" _Woah,"_ Axel grinned, " _Wicked."_

Onto the next pedestal, Jesse pulled out the Atlas and put it down, " _The Portal Atlas."_

Ivor came up next to him, shaking his head as he regarded the compass of a book, " _Augh, I could've lost all the rest so long we got to keep that."_

"It would be a little useless with the enchanted Flint and Steel," Ellegaard pointed out. Ivor promptly shushed her.

" _Ha, I wonder what Soren would have thought of it,"_ Ivor continued, " _So much power contained within such a tiny object-"_

" _Woah,"_ Petra cut him off, " _Easy there, Ivor."_

Ivor cleared his throat, regaining himself, " _Sorry."_

Soren hid a smile behind a hand. Cassie shook her head at him.

Shooting the potionologist an amused look, Jesse turned to the final pedestal, pulling out the final object- the blue gleam of the enchanted flint and steel, the one treasure that had started this entire mess of an adventure. He sat it on the pedestal.

" _The enchanted flint and steel,"_ he said.

" _The one that started the whole thing,"_ Olivia murmured. Jesse nodded, the glow of the treasure casting shadows on his face.

" _Yeah, none of these other adventures couldn't have happened if it weren't for this."_

"I'm glad you did find it," Harper declared. Ivor smiled and nodded.

"As am I."

The screen panned over the row of treasures, the gentle _thump thump_ of the Redstone Heart audible as it passed over it. Olivia turned to look at the friends she'd been missing, the friend's she'd been worrying over, the friend's she'd started to wonder were dead, and smiled.

" _I can't believe you got to do all those incredible things."_

"Not as incredible as defeating the Witherstorm, though," Axel pointed out. Jesse winced.

"Or as terrifying, thankfully."

"Point."

" _Makes sense, though,"_ said Axel, " _You_ were _gone a long time."_

Olivia nodded, although her smile didn't falter, " _Wait until we show you all the improvements we've been making to town."_

"So _that's_ what they've been up to," said Aiden. Maya shrugged.

"Probably all they could think to do, considering there was no way they could find their friends."

Jesse grinned at her and nodded. With that, they began to run for the exit, leading the others out into town. Jesse made to go after them, but Lukas took a step forward and stopped him.

" _Um, Jesse?"_

"Oh, don't tell me something's wrong," Olivia groaned, "Please don't tell me something's wrong."

"I'm sure it's fine," Ellegaard assured her, although she didn't seem all that certain herself.

" _What's up, Lukas?"_ Jesse asked, turning to face him.

" _So, I've been writing stuff in here, you know?"_ Lukas said, taking out his journal and flipping to the end; he looked almost nervous, " _And, well… it's kinda become like a legitimate_ book _."_

"Oh, seriously?" Gill blinked, looking surprised, "That's awesome!"

Soren beamed, "You like writing, then?"

"I- I guess," Lukas mumbled, cheeks dusting pink as he fiddled with his sling, "I've never written a proper book before, though."

"Soren loves writing," Ivor informed him, lips twitching, "Has written multiple books himself, some educational and others completely fictional."

Lukas' eyes widened, and he looked up at Soren, "Really?"

The ginger scratched his beard, nodding, "I have, yes. Mostly boring old things, though."

"You definitely seem to enjoy it," said Cassie, raising an eyebrow, "Considering how many you've written and published."

Soren waved her away, "Yes, well, I tend to enjoy things that are usually considered 'boring.'"

Magnus snorted, "True that."

"I wasn't talking to _you_ , Magnus."

"Yeah, but I'm in earshot."

"That's not-" the architect cut himself off with a sigh, "Nevermind."

" _There's just one problem,"_ Lukas continued, Jesse regarding him curiously, " _I still need to put what happened to you."_

The real Jesse blinked, "What happened to me?"

" _You've, well,"_ Lukas shrugged, fiddling with his quill, " _You've been the hero of this whole story. It wouldn't be right to end it without saying what happened to the hero."_

Jesse's cheeks burned and he buried his face into Ivor's robes. The potionologist chuckled and tangled his fingers in his hair.

" _Just say 'and he couldn't have done it without his friends,'"_ said Jesse. Lukas blinked at him, then smiled and scribbled that down.

" _You know something?"_ he said, " _I really like that."_

Petra shook her head, chuckling to herself, "Such a sap."

" _There,"_ said Lukas, flipping his book shut, " _Done. 'Till the next one, anyway."_

"Guess this is gonna be a thing," the real Lukas muttered. He looked quite happy about that, actually. Soren tugged him a little closer, lowering his voice so only he could hear.

"You've done good. I'm proud."

Lukas smiled widely, "Thanks, dad"

" _I was thinking that maybe…"_ Lukas glanced around the hall, once again almost nervous, not meeting his friend's eyes, " _We could put it in here with the other treasures? I- I know it's not as cool as, like, a Portal Atlas,"_ he hastily continued, " _Or a 'Redstone Heart.' But it did kinda become a book about our whole adventure. I thought it'd be nice to keep it here as a memento."_

"That sounds great!" Jesse said. The real Lukas grinned at him.

" _That's a great idea, Lukas!"_ Jesse declared, " _It's perfect."_

Lukas smiled widely at him, before handing over the book. Jesse made his way over to the final pedestal and sat it on top it. He paused.

" _Hang on."_

"Oh boy," Gill muttered.

Over by the door, the others paused, turning to look back at him. Axel cocked his head to the side.

" _What is it?"_

Jesse raised a hand and gestured to the newly placed book, " _Wasn't that where the Portal Atlas was a minute ago?"_

Petra blinked, "Oh, yeah."

Olivia frowned, " _Yeah, that was definitely where you put it."_

" _Guys,"_ they turned to find Lukas standing next to one of the further back pedestals, this one completely empty, " _Flint and steel are missing too."_

"Oh no," said Stampy, "Where'd they go?"

" _Aaaand where's Ivor?"_ Petra asked, glancing around. Indeed, Ivor was nowhere to be seen.

Almost as soon as she'd said that, a loud cackle came from down the hall, followed my a familiar shout of " _Adventure!"_

"We _just_ got back!" Axel exclaimed. Harper shook her head, looking as though she were trying quite hard to hold back a laugh.

" _He must be heading for the Portal Network!"_ said Lukas. Axel paused.

" _Is that bad?"_

"Uh… I believe it depends on what he plans on achieving," Gabriel admitted. Magnus grins.

"Oh, come on, _obviously_ it's 'cause he wants to see his girlfri-"

"Finish that and you shall discover the exact effects of a Splash Potion of Antigravity."

Magnus paused, "That actually sounds awesome. Do it."

"Don't tempt me."

" _What should we do?"_ Olivia asked, looking at Jesse expectantly. Petra slid a hand under her helmet to scratch her head.

" _I mean, I guess he_ mostly _knows what he's doing?"_

" _Come on, guys,"_ Jesse said, a grin lifting his lips, " _We have to catch up with him!"_

The real Petra sighed, although she smiled, "Here we go again, then."

Jesse ran past the others, darting out into the hall. With excited grins, his family quickly made their way after him until they were out of sight of the watchers. The screen drifted upwards, to the giant Amulet chandelier hanging from the high above ceiling, before slowly fading to black.

The watching room was quiet.

"So… is that it?" Harper asked, glancing uncertainly around the room, "Are we… going home now?"

No one moved, waiting expectantly for a flash of light, for their memories to be wiped, for _something_. But nothing happened.

"Okay…" Aiden muttered, brow furrowing, "Uh… maybe there's more?"

"More," Magnus echoed, face expressionless, " _More_. After all that?"

"I- I dunno, maybe there's, like, a time skip or a- or a prequel or something-"

"Why would we need to know about a _prequel?_ "

"I don't know!" Aiden exclaimed, exasperated, "I'm just- I'm just throwing out suggestions, okay?"

Jesse gripped Reuben tighter. His eyes darted briefly to the portraits lining the wall. He wasn't sure he wanted to go home just yet.

Then the screen came back on. Every head snapped towards it.

A world of bedrock. No trees, no grass, no stone. The purple sky made it look like an early sunrise- whether it was an actual early sunrise or that was just how the sky was in this world was debatable. But that wasn't the most interesting thing.

No, the most interesting thing was the fact that there were giant, zombie-sized chickens clucking about.

The audience gaped.

"Oh my god," muttered Lukas, "That's- That's from the beginning. Like, the start of the first episode!"

The screen steadily trailed along the side, revealing Mevia standing in the middle of the hoard of giant chickens, glancing around and looking completely and utterly blank. Hadrian was standing next to her, hands on his hips, taking in their new surroundings with the sort of face that said that he had no idea what they were supposed to do now.

" _Well,"_ he said, turning to Mevia, " _In a very unfortunate and unexpected twist, it appears that we are in the land of chickens that are indeed the size of zombies."_ One of said chickens seemed to be enjoying itself by running around in circles. Feathers were everywhere. Hadrian brushed some from his suit, but it didn't really make a difference.

Isa smiled wide, "They're adorable!"

Benedict clucked in her lap. Milo opened his mouth to say something, but then seemed to think better of it.

Then one of the chickens fluttered above them, giant feet scraping the top of the Old Builders head with an almost booming cluck. Hadrian pulled a face, swatting at his hair in an attempt to make sure it didn't actually touch him (it didn't work), before glancing over at it upon it's landing and giving it a rather deadly glare that said they were probably going to (attempt) to have that particular giant chicken for dinner.

"What," Mevia said, staring at the screen with an entirely blank face. Otto shrugged, just as lost as she was.

"At the start of the very first episode, before you guys were here," Petra explained, "It opened with Jesse and Olivia playing that game they mentioned. What did you call it?"

"'Which Would You Rather Fight,'" Jesse clarified, "And I chose zombie-sized chickens."

Em raised an eyebrow at him, "You two must have some very strange conversations."

"It can go there."

" _That's right, Hadrian,"_ said Mevia; for some reason, they were both _still_ using their 'announcer voices,' " _And it looks like we're just going to have to…_ wing _it."_

The audience stared at the screen. The audience stared at the real Mevia. Then they stared at the screen. Then, very slowly, the real Hadrian brought his shackled hands up and buried his face into them. Mevia glanced around the room, then shrugged and looked away.

"I'm hilarious."

Maybe it was just Jesse, but he could've sworn he heard muffled laughter coming from the walls.

Hadrian stared at Mevia with a raised eyebrow, completely and utterly unimpressed. Mevia smiled at him, gesturing weakly to the giant chickens.

" _Wings… chicken wings… you know?"_

The Old Builder stared at her for a moment longer. Then he turned away.

" _You're fired, Mevia,"_ Hadrian said, " _You're fired."_

"I thought it was awesome," Nell said, grinning. Mevia hummed, seemingly unsure how to respond to that.

The screen began to zoom out, leaving Hadrian and Mevia standing in the middle of a world of zombie-sized chickens that were currently in the process of running around and being giant nuisances. And with that, the screen faded and went off entirely.

A brief silence came over them again. Stampy glanced around.

"So… I guess that's it, then," he said. Slab nodded, raising his eyebrows.

"I suppose so."

"Okay, then, uh," Petra looked questionably up at Gabriel, "What do we do now, then?"

The warrior frowned, "Well, I-"

A loud, ear-piercing _crash_. Weapons were drawn, people leaping to their feet; both Ellegaard and Magnus were standing protectively in front of Olivia, Magnus' hand gripping a still sitting Axel's shoulder. Soren was holding his arms out, as though to block both Lukas and Cassie. Even Gabriel had a hand on Petra's shoulder, who had drawn her sword immediately and was just behind him. Ivor was still sitting next to Jesse, but his grip on his potions bag had tightened.

"What was that?" Dan asked, his voice low, as though he were afraid of being heard. Sparklez shuffled his feet.

"Did the monsters break in?"

Magnus scoffed, "Of course not. We've reinforced this place from top to bottom."

"But there _was_ that thing with the trapdoor-"

"Which we _fixed_."

"Yeah, but-"

"Everyone be quiet!" Isa hissed. Silence immediately came upon them. For a moment, nothing happened. No one blinked. No one breathed. Every pair of eyes was on the archway leading out to the hall.

Nothing. Nothing.

Then voices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you tell Em she could come with you, should go home or should help Otto with the Games? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> There we are, guys! We have officially completed season one! We'll be moving onto season two next chapter.


	87. Welcome Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Massive thank you to Raintag for writing the opening of this chapter! Brilliant writing!

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Eighty-Seven: Welcome Party**

* * *

Olivia was only really aware of two things at that moment.

One, her brain was apparently trying to burrow its way out of her head. It'd certainly explain a lot if it was.

Two, that hand was still curled around hers, maybe even squeezing ever so softly. It was a familiar hand. Comforting, even. And, according to the mental gymnastics Olivia's mind was currently trying to jump through even with the thick haze surrounding it, that could only mean one thing.

Although she didn't know what that was, exactly. So she tried to see for herself.

But as soon as her eyes fluttered open, unforgiving torchlight seared into them, forcing her to screw them shut again as the throbbing in her head shot up by a notch or two.

Olivia's return to the land of the living hadn't gone unnoticed, though. No, in addition to the warm hand covering her own, there was now another one. Brushing the curls back from her forehead with a touch almost as protective as it was gentle. Carefully avoiding coming into contact with the spot where much of the nauseating ache seemed to be centred.

Somehow, Olivia instinctively knew whose face she would be greeted with even before she pried her eyelids apart a second time.

The face was pale, drawn; shadows stood out like bruises under the eyes, as though the owner had passed a sleepless night or two. But still Ellegaard smiled down at Olivia, smiled at her like there was nothing and nobody in the world the engineer wanted to see more.

For several long moments, all Olivia did was stare from where she lay (why was she lying down?). Question after question went off in her brain like fireworks, tangling together into one big heavy jumbled mess. In the end, all she could manage to push out of her hoarse throat was one mumbled word.

"Mum?"

Ellegaard's hand stilled for the briefest of moments, eyes filling as Olivia blinked slowly up at her. The woman's smile seemed to change, soften, and suddenly she shifted as though to press her own forehead against Olivia's, but (not without a glance at that particularly painful spot) settled for dropping a light kiss onto the side of the girl's head while the tears slipped through her lashes.

"Yes," Ellegaard whispered.

* * *

There always seemed to be some form of chaos going on at the Mansion. There's the quiet chaos, made up of heated glares and clenched teeth and high tensions, and then there's _this_.

You know, the sort of chaos where everyone's shouting and a considerably insane looking woman is holding a sword to your throat.

That kinda chaos.

Of course, when they'd realised that more people had appeared, they'd expected things to be a bit chaotic- it was always chaotic, had been with all of them, so why should these particular newcomers be any different? Although Jesse definitely hadn't expected mentioned considerably insane looking woman to grab him from behind and hold a sword to his throat. Definitely didn't see that coming. Although with just how bad his luck had been since coming to this blasted place, he couldn't say he was all that surprised.

The yelling _was_ giving him a bit of a headache, though. Especially bearing in mind the fact that the considerably insane looking woman was doing so right in his ear.

There were other people there too.

Honestly, Jesse wasn't all that sure where to look first (although that could possibly be due to the fact that he was _slightly_ occupied with the sword at his throat thing). There was, however, a person whose gender was rather unidentifiable wearing a pig skin and jumping up and down on the kitchen table, waving a stone axe covered in what Jesse seriously hoped wasn't dried blood. They were grinning widely, showing off rotten teeth, and he suspected they were only yelling because they thought it was fun or something.

There was also a rather large person, about the size of Slab, that either had a _seriously_ bad sunburn or was a demon from hell. There were also horns jutting out of his skull and it almost looked like he was shielding a Mooshroom, as though afraid they'd attack it. So that was something.

Oh, and the girl in the yellow shirt that had started crying. And a llama- no, wait, there were _two_ llamas. There was also this bald guy with this pretty cool steampunk monocle or… eyepatch thing (Jesse wasn't really sure _what_ it was, but it was definitely cool). And there was a blonde woman too who was getting redder and redder in the face and looked just about ready to call in her lawyer. Oh, and was that a Villager?

The sword (iron, a coat of dust on the blade, unused; she must have grabbed it from the wall) pressed closer to his throat. Close enough for him to feel a sharp little sting and something warm trickle down his neck. Almost like tears.

"Shut up!" the considerably insane looking woman screeched, piercing his eardrums and making him grimace, " _Shut up!_ "

To his astonishment, they actually started to listen. The noise quieted down. Even the Pig Skin Person (Jesse tried not to think about how unlikely it was that it was a _fake_ pig skin) stopped jumping about and hollering to blink at her, although they still grinned with those rotten teeth.

Maybe it was just Jesse's imagination- maybe it was because his life was kind of in danger- but he could have sworn quite a few of the newcomers abruptly looked terrified. Others shocked.

Either way, he was pretty certain it was mostly directed at the considerably insane woman still holding a sword to his throat.

"That's better," the woman said; her grip on Jesse was tight and painful. He suspected he had bruises now. "All that screaming was starting to get on my nerves."

"The fact you've yet to release my friend is getting on _my_ nerves," a man declared, taking a step forward; now that Jesse looked him in the face, he realised that one of his eyes was glazed over. Dead.

"Ye- Yeah!" a scrawny kid with incredibly thick glasses, maybe around Jesse's own age, stepped forward; he looked even tinier standing next to One Eye, "Let him go!"

The woman paused. She stared at the two strangers for a moment, before her gaze drifted over to where Ivor was standing with a potion (gleaming red, pear-shaped bottle; splash potion) in hand and a glare on his face. Petra and Gabriel were standing next to him, swords at the ready; pretty much everyone with a weapon had it drawn. Ellegaard was hiding Olivia behind her back.

Then Reuben leapt up with an enraged squeal and latched his jaws around the woman's arm.

She yelled- more in surprise than pain, actually- and Jesse leapt at his chance. He sloppily rammed his elbow into her ribs and ducked underneath her sword as she grunted, a pig still dangling from her arm. Almost as soon as he was in reach, One Eye grabbed his sleeve and dragged him over.

The woman- her hair was purple, Jesse noticed- fling her arm out and Reuben hit the floor, skidding briefly before scrambling to his feet and rushing back to Jesse. Breathing a shaky breath, Jesse bent down and pet his head.

"Good boy."

Rubbing her bitten arm (she was wearing orange; only orange. Jesse's heart stuttered at the thought of being stuck in this place with yet _another_ lunatic- although to be truthful, it very much looked like that was the case for a _lot_ of these people), the woman shot Reuben a scowl, before her eyes flickered back up to Jesse and she shook her head.

"I wasn't _actually_ going to kill you, you know."

"Really," Ivor drawled, not lowering his splash potion, "Because you made that _incredibly_ obvious."

The woman shrugged; she looked like she hadn't slept in years, "Well, if you attacked, I'd rather you hit _him_ instead of _me_."

"Gee, thanks," Jesse muttered, brushing his fingers against his throat. It was only a graze, but there was a decent amount of blood, if the wet red that came away with his fingers was any indication.

"Could somebody _please_ explain what's going on?" a dark skinned woman with a compass dangling from her belt asked; the trembling girl in the yellow shirt was hiding behind her. Gabriel sighed and stepped forward.

"Apologies for the mess," he said; even though he hadn't actually done anything to add to the chaos, "We're currently residing in a mansion. My group and I have been here for over a month now."

"A mansion," echoed the blonde woman, raising her eyebrows. Gabriel nodded.

"Indeed. We're, ah… uncertain as to why or _how_ we have ended up here, but-"

"We've been watching the future on a screen thingy," Magnus cut him off. Eyebrows rose to hairlines. Gabriel turned and glared at him.

"The future," Monocle repeated. The considerably insane looking woman's tired eyes narrowed. Her grip on her dusty iron sword tightened. Gabriel sighed again and turned back to them.

"Yes, the future," he said, "As far as we can tell, everything is accurate."

One Eye's brow furrowed, "This seems sketchy. How do you know for sure?"

"Uh," Jesse scratched the back of his hair, smiling a tad awkwardly, "It showed some stuff at the start that we've already lived through, and everything was completely accurate. And whenever a new character shows up, everything that's already happened and is currently happening is… well… true onscreen."

One Eye frowned down at him for a long moment. Actually, he did so for so long that Jesse started to feel a bit uncomfortable. Then, slowly, his eye trailed down to Reuben.

The little pig stared up at him. One Eye stared back. A moment passed.

"Holy Islands of Ser'threk."

"What?" the skinny kid that had been hovering just behind Jesse piped up. One Eye finally tore his eyes from Reuben to continue staring at the boy in front of him.

"This isn't our Jesse."

Jesse blinked, "Huh?"

One Eye shook his head, taking a small step back, eye snapping from Jesse to Reuben. His mouth was partly open. Skinny looked confused.

"Wha- What are you talking about?"

"This isn't our Jesse," One Eye repeated, "He's- He's younger," he jabbed a finger at Reuben, "Still has his pig."

The silence that followed was stifling. Eyes flickered from Reuben to Jesse and back to Reuben. Some looked confused. Most were gaping. He saw his friends share wide-eyed looks. Jesse turned his attention back to One Eye.

"You… know me?"

"Of course!" Skinny exclaimed, practically jumping in front of him, "You're the biggest hero in the world!"

Jesse blinked at him, taken aback. His cheeks began to burn.

"O-Oh, uh-"

"Why don't we all sit down?" Isa suggested, stepping forward and gesturing to the table (okay, there was no way it wasn't longer this time), "We can explain everything in more detail then."

Skinny shifted, almost as though he wanted to hide behind Jesse. After a moment where no one else moved, Isa _almost_ rolled her eyes and seated herself at the table.

Slowly, everyone else shuffled over, seating themselves down. Jesse was fairly certain the only reason Skinny left his side was because One Eye gestured for him to follow. He began to make his way over to the table, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"I need you to do something," Ivor muttered to him; perhaps it was just Jesse's imagination, but he looked almost uncertain, "Olivia needs her painkiller potion, but they're all in the basement. Can you go get them?"

Jesse paused, blinking, before nodding, "Yeah, of course."

Ivor nodded, "Thank you. Be careful, okay?"

He smiled at him, "Aren't I always."

"No. No, not at all."

"Yeah, that's probably true. I will _this_ time, though."

The potionologist huffed a laugh, "You better."

Squeezing his shoulder one last time, Ivor followed the others over to the table. Watching them for a moment, Jesse slipped away and stepped into the hall, vaguely realising that Skinny, One Eye, the Villager and the Blonde with the llama were staring at him. The door closing blocked their stairs, Reuben squeezing out just in time.

With his little pig trotting after him, Jesse made his way down the twisting hallways, fingers trailing along the wall and over portraits. Then one of the portraits- it was of a puppet (it might've been Pinocchio, actually)- shifted and, after peeking through to make sure there was no one else there, his sister clambered out and into the hall.

"Jess?" the boy blinked, "You're out of the passageways."

Jessi rolled her eyes, shifting the portrait back into place, "There _are_ some rooms I go into, you know. When they're empty. Usually when everyone's sleeping. And since everyone's in the kitchen now, I figured what's the harm of taking a stroll to the basement with you?"

He grinned at her, "Sounds like a plan."

She grinned back at him. Reuben squealed in delight and bounded forward, leaping up to receive pets and cuddles from Jessi. The girl's grin widened as she happily obliged.

Once Reuben had been deemed satisfied, the twins began to make their way down the hall in a comfortable silence. Jesse could tell she knew where she was going, although she seemed more than happy to let him more or less take the lead. The silence stretched for a while, before Jessi finally broke it.

"So these new guys are _actually_ from the future, huh?"

"I guess so," Jesse muttered, glancing back at her, "I mean… we've got no reason to not believe them, right?"

Jessi hummed, "I s'pose. They certainly knew who you were, though."

"Yeah, that was… a little weird," Jesse admitted, "I feel a little guilty that I don't actually know their names."

"I'm sure you'll get around to it," she assured him, "This place is actually going to be a little _crowded_ now, and I was pretty sure that wasn't actually possi-"

For a horrifying moment, Jesse thought it was the hands. He thought it was the cold, the wisps of black smoke, the jagged smile. A short scream tore from his mouth, his whole body jerking sideways, feet tripping over each other. He heard Reuben give a startled squeal.

Then his back was against the wall. Their eyes met. The strangest pair of eyes he'd ever seen.

Eyes that gleamed red and gold.

* * *

There were many, many things that Romeo hated.

He hated the fact that everyone was so _irritating_. How _incompetent_ they were. How no one was even remotely worthy of being his _friend._ Of standing by his side.

No, there were many times where things like that had left Romeo terribly frustrated. That's why a lot of the time, it was better to simply be alone.

(But then he gets lonely, and _dammit_ that's worse than anything else.)

Then he'd seen Jesse. And he'd watched him grow stronger and stronger, taking down opponent after opponent after opponent, and Romeo would be lying if he said that he the boy hadn't captured his interest until long after he took down the Witherstorm.

No. No, that would be a lie.

But now he's here, there's something definitely wrong with him and he doesn't know what's going on.

So, of course, he turns to Jesse.

He's younger. A good few years younger, there's no doubt about it. Maybe even before the Witherstorm young. And even though he'd just been dragged to the side and pinned against a wall, he hadn't been quick enough to draw his sword, even though Romeo had given him multiple openings to do so.

So definitely from before the Witherstorm.

Especially considering the pig that was currently squealing loudly and biting at his leg.

"Hey!" the girl yelled, rounding the corner and giving him a surprisingly deadly glare (as though she could actually _do_ anything), "What do you think you're _doing_?!"

She ran over, grabbing his arm- he shoved her away forcefully, sending her tumbling to the floor. Gritting his teeth, he shook his leg to try and throw the stupid pig off, but it just grunted and bit down harder. Rage beginning to fill his chest, he smacked his hands together in a vicious clap-

And the pig continued to growl, biting down harder, and it was actually starting to _hurt_. Growling at the back of his throat, he jerked his leg one more time, but the pig was a determined stupid thing and only bit harder. Finally giving up, he ignored the dumb pig and turned to look down at the bewildered Jesse.

"What did you _do_?" he hissed. Jesse just looked even _more_ bewildered.

"Uh…"

A foot abruptly hit the back of his knee, the one that the pig was also using as a chew toy, and it buckled beneath him. Romeo yelled, muffling a swear- then there was a girl leaping onto his back and clinging on like some kind of spider monkey, which, combined by the pig _still chewing on his leg_ , put him off balance quite a bit and left him staggering about the hall as the spider monkey girl started smacking the top of his head.

"Reuben! Jess! Stop- Guys, stop!"

Romeo hit a table, sending it crashing onto its side, the flower pot that had been perched on it shattering into shards in a spray of dirt and petals. He tripped over the jutting out legs, his heart leaping into his throat as the floor abruptly vanished beneath him.

Then the floor was back, except the extra bodies that had been dangling from him were (thankfully) gone. Romeo groaned, pushing himself up, blearily realising that he'd teleported. Huh. It had been a while since he'd done it on accident.

The girl and the pig were sprawled around the tipped over table, looking dazed. Jesse was gaping, somehow appearing ever the more bewildered, gaze snapping from them to Romeo and then back to them. The Admin sighed and climbed to his feet.

" _Well_ , then," he scowled, crossing his arms, " _Now_ can you tell me what the hell's going on?"

"Oh, uh…" Jesse wrung his fingers together, glancing back to the girl and the pig as though to make sure they weren't hurt, "You- You weren't with the others?"

"You mean in that kitchen?" said Romeo, "I was. Then I left. What of it?"

"N- Nothing, just…" the boy winced, scratching the back of his neck, "Well, the others are explaining everything back there now, so-"

"I don't want to hear it from _them_ ," Romeo cut him off (he doesn't want to see _her_ ), "I want to hear it from _you_."

Jesse blinked, "Oh. Uh…"

"We're in a magic mansion," Jessi cut in, pushing herself up on the tipped over table, still a little out of breath, "No idea how we got here, no idea how to leave. All we know is that we're here to watch the future."

Her gaze hardened.

"Now please get away from my brother."

Romeo's eyebrows raised to his hairline. He took a step back from the boy.

"Never knew you had a sister, Jesse."

"Yeah, well…" Jesse shrugged, smiling awkwardly, "It's a, uh, recent development."

Romeo regarded the girl for a moment, who continued to glare at him; she was just as tiny as her brother, which made the glaring rather amusing, to be honest. The Admin finally tore his gaze from her and hummed.

"Here to watch the future, eh? Why?"

"We dunno," Jesse admitted, "We think that something really bad must have happened."

"Interesting," Romeo muttered. Then, returning to regular volume, "So how is that possible?"

Jesse winced, "We don't know that either."

(Of course. Even _they_ couldn't do anything about the future.)

(So how is this possible?)

A hand waved in front of his face, pulling him from his thoughts. He abruptly found himself blinking down at the girl. She actually looked a little timid now. Strange.

"Uh, sorry to ask this," she said, rocking on the back of her heels, "But… what's up with your… skin? And eyes?"

Romeo blinked down at her again. Then he looked up, at the convenient mirror perched on the wall, and baulked.

He was still grey-skinned, except… not. It was like he was covered in little ashy patches, from his face to his hands, up his arms and most probably under his clothes. His hair was the same (it was always the same, the familiar flaming red that had earned him his ridiculous nickname amongst his- _no_ ), but his eyes were definitely the strangest; one was the regular bloody red with a golden pupil, while the other was a more faded pinkish red and dull yellow (maybe it was almost reverting to his old eye colour; if only he could remember what it was), to the point that it looked like he'd just had an incredibly nasty poke to the eyeball. And he was in his old clothes too.

Something horrid tightened in his chest. He clenched his jaw and, in the mirror, his eyes glowed a little brighter. Jessi took a step back.

"Are you… alright?"

Romeo laughed; that familiar echoey-ting had returned to his voice, to his relief, "Of _course_ I'm alright. Why _wouldn't I be alright_?"

Jessi took another step back, so she was standing next to her brother now. The both of them looked considerably freaked out.

"O- Okay," Jesse muttered, twining his fingers with his sisters, "Uh… wh- why don't you, uh… go find the others and-"

" _No._ "

This time, they both took a step back. Reuben hid behind their legs, whining softly.

"Um, a- alright," Jessi murmured, "Why don't you, uh… head over to the watching room, then?"

"Right," Romeo frowned, the menacing glow of his eyes beginning to fade, "And where's that?"

"Just, um…" Jesse pointed down the hall, "Go down there and take a right, then a left when you reach the end of the corridor. It's the big open archway."

Romeo nodded, but he didn't move to follow the directions. They stared at each other for a long moment in an increasingly awkward silence; the twins shared a small glance. Then, when he didn't disappear and reappear in the watching room, Romeo growled, his eyes glowing just a tiny bit brighter, and turned on his heel and marched away with a deepening scowl. The twins watched him go until he was out of sight.

"Okay," Jessi mumbled, gripping her brothers hand tighter, "That was… okay."

"Uh, ye- yeah," Jesse stuttered. He glanced over his shoulder, to where the basement was, and hurriedly began to tug her along. Reuben hastily bounded after them. "Let's, uh, let's just get Olivia her painkillers."

"He teleported," Jessi breathed, stumbling after him, "Like- Like an Enderman."

"I saw."

"How did he do that?"

"I don't know."

Jessi looked over her shoulder at where the strange… _person_ had left. Her hand was still linked with Jesse's; he was almost dragging her along. "I don't think he's… you know... _human_."

"Neither do I," Jesse muttered, pulling open the basement door and beginning to guide them down the stairs, "I think he's… I dunno, half human or something?"

"Notch, what sort of parents did this guy have?"

"Let's not think about it," Jesse muttered, leading her into the little makeshift potions lab. He released her hand almost reluctantly and began to shuffle through the rows of potion bottles stationed on the shelf, having to get up on his tiptoes to do so (he could still barely reach it like that as well). Jessi glanced over at the staircase, chewing on her lip.

"We didn't even get his name."

"Yeah," Jesse muttered, grabbing the painkiller potion and gratefully falling back down to his feet. He sighed, rubbing his face with his free hand and staring down at the potion, a small frown on his brow. He glanced over at his sister.

"This is, uh… gonna be interesting, isn't it?"

Jessi grinned.

"Probably."


	88. Of Friends, Family and Frenemies

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Eighty-Eight: Of Friends, Family and Frienemies**

* * *

By the time Jesse made it back to the kitchen, the others were halfway through their detailed explanation of what was happening and everything they've already watched- all of which the newcomers confirmed to be completely accurate; every single one of them knew the story of the Witherstorm. Jesse wasn't all that sure how to feel about that.

Olivia and Ellegaard weren't apart of the conversation, however. They had seated themselves at the back of the kitchen, Olivia's bandaged head resting on the engineer's shoulder; he made his way over to them, gripping the neck of the potions bottle, Reuben trotting after him. Ellegaard looked up as he approached.

"There you are, Jesse," she greeted quietly with a small smile, "You alright? You were gone a while."

He gave her a smile that was only partly forced, "Yeah, it just… took me a while to find it."

The engineer nodded, before turning to Olivia and giving her a little shake; the protegee blinked open blearily, cloudy eyes with a confused little hum.

"Hey, sweetheart," Ellegaard murmured, "Jesse's got your painkillers."

Olivia mumbled something too low and slurred for Jesse to catch. Ellegaard turned back to Jesse and gestured for him to hand her the potion.

He did so, and watched silently as the engineer helped Olivia down it. A prick of staring eyes tingled the back of his skull, and Jesse glanced over at the considerably larger dining table just in time to meet the blonde woman's gaze. She looked a little startled at having been caught, but didn't look away.

Becoming increasingly uncomfortable, Jesse glanced away for a moment, unsure what to do. The woman continued to stare, to the point that Jesse wasn't even sure if she was paying attention to the explanation or the firing of questions coming from the other newcomers anymore; Skinny was actually starting to look excited, saying something about how he was going to have to watch every single episode before they left.

Then the blonde woman smiled and turned back to the explanation, leaving Jesse standing awkwardly and looking somewhat lost.

"Jesse?"

Blinking, he turned back to Ellegaard to find her watching him expectantly, holding out the now empty potions bottle. Olivia appeared to be fast asleep now.

"Are you okay?"

"Ye- Yeah," Jesse said, accepting the bottle, "I'm good."

"If you say so," the engineer muttered, although she didn't look all that convinced; she glanced over at the table, "I think they're almost finished with the explanation."

"There's a lot of unbelievable things to explain," Jesse pointed out, "I'll be surprised if they're almost done."

Ellegaard hummed, "Yes, that's true. It'll give Olivia more time to rest, at least."

"How's she doing?"

"Better," said Ellegaard, running her fingers through the girls' curls, "She said all the noise had begun to bother her."

"Dad mentioned that was one of the symptoms," Jesse murmured, frowning as he tried to remember what he said exactly; then, realising Ellegaard was grinning at him, he blinked and abruptly turned red.

"I- I mean-"

"No," Ellegaard cut him off, still grinning, "No, it's okay. I know what you meant."

Jesse twisted his fingers, the burn brightening on his cheeks. Ellegaard only continued to grin.

The boy swallowed, "Uh, I- I'm gonna go… find some more couches for the watching room."

"Alright," said Ellegaard, still with that somewhat irritating grin in place; she leant back against the wall in a more comfortable position, "Don't wander far."

"Noted," Jesse muttered, before quickly slipping back out the doors with Reuben right on his heels. He briefly spotted Ivor shooting him a curious look, just before the doors shut behind him.

Jesse tried not to think about it.

* * *

He did, in fact, try to look for more couches. Although he hadn't exactly considered how difficult a task that actually was, which he probably should have since he and his friends had to sit on the floor from the very beginning. To his surprise, however, he'd been able to find a few small couches and armchairs in a few of the bedrooms and the library; of course, he would never be able to get them from there all the way back to the watching room. But at least he could tell the others where they are so they can get them all down.

Who knows? Maybe he and his friends will actually get a couch of their own this time.

Unlikely, but a boy can dream.

In all honesty, Jesse wasn't sure what to make of the newcomers. Especially considering the majority of them seemed a little… _unstable_. Although he supposed that could be blamed on the fact that they were abruptly transported to a strange mansion out of nowhere and he just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. He wondered if anyone else had been physically threatened, whether by these newcomers or the last ones, or if it was just him and his _stupendous_ luck.

Because he just had _that_ much of it.

Jesse groaned, coming to a stop in the hall and scrubbing at one of his eyes. Reuben whined questionably, rubbing his head against one of the boys' legs. Jesse smiled down at him and bent to rub his head.

"I'm alright, Reuben. Just tired."

The pig made a grumbling sort of noise, looking rather unconvinced. Jesse opened his mouth to reassure him. Nothing came to mind. He closed his mouth again.

Releasing a short huff of breath, Jesse glanced around the quiet hallway, wondering if Jessi was going to pop out again and wander about with him. He _had_ tried to convince her to join them properly and stop hiding in the passageways- maybe even pretend to be a newcomer- but she declined and, when he'd pressed, climbed back through the portrait hole without another word.

Jesse wasn't sure why she didn't want to leave the passageways; she never answered him when he asked. Maybe she was afraid the monster- the _thing_ \- would come after her and hurt everyone. Maybe she was just really, _really_ shy. Maybe she was scared of something else.

He didn't know. And that only made him worry more.

Reuben snorted and then sneezed loudly, tearing Jesse from his thoughts. He glanced down at the little pig, whose nose was twitching rapidly; he must have been standing completely still in the middle of the hall for almost a full minute at this point.

"Bless you," Jesse muttered, before rubbing his eye again and beginning to continue his way down the hall, "Come on, we should get back to-"

He never got to finish his sentence. Mostly due to the fact that he ran right into a broad chest upon turning the corner.

"There you are!"

Jesse blinked, looking so far up he had to bend his neck back. He was met with Axel's beaming face.

"I've been looking all over for you," he said, "Ellegaard said you'd left to find some more couches?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Jesse confirmed, returning his smile, "I've found some in a few of the bedrooms. And there's the ones in the library too."

"Awesome," said Axel, "Think that'll be enough for everyone to have a seat?"

"I'm not sure," the smaller boy admitted, "How many people are there, anyway?"

Axel blinked, pausing to think for a moment, "Uh… I didn't count."

"Did you get an estimate?"

"Um… eleven?"

"Eleven," Jesse echoed, before giving a single nod, "Okay, I think we can squeeze them in. It's gonna be a tight fit, though."

"It's been a pretty tight fit since the first set of newcomers showed up," Axel pointed out. Then he gestured with his head for Jesse to follow him back down the hall. "Come on, let's get back. We can get some others to help us bring down the couches."

Jesse nodded and fell into step behind him, "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

"Most of them are in the library," Jesse said, "You might need to move a few of the bookshelves to get them out. You sure you guys don't want any help?"

"We've got it, Jesse," Slab assured him, "With the other Gladiators helping, we should have those couches down in no time."

"Well, if you're sure," said Jesse, smiling up at him, "Just come get one of us if you need another pair of hands."

"Will do," Slab said, returning his smile. He led the other Gladiators- including Em, to Jesse's faint surprise- out into the hall.

Jesse watched them go for a moment, before turning, wondering if any of the others might need some help- only to give a surprised yell when he came face to face with Skinny.

"Sorry!" Skinny yelped, leaping back a little, his cheeks tinting a faint pink, "I- I didn't mean to startle you, I was just, uh… com- coming to say hi."

A brief silence passed between them. Awkwardly, Skinny raised his hand a little and gave him a crooked smile.

"Hi."

Jesse blinked at him slowly, "Uh… hi."

"So, uh…" Skinny twisted his fingers together, nervously shuffling his feet. Jesse absently noticed that his glasses were almost ridiculously thick. "I- I take it you don't really know who I am?"

Still feeling a little awkward (because this was, definitely, an awkward situation), Jesse gave him an apologetic smile, "Sorry."

"Oh, no, don't be sorry!" said Skinny, eyes widening, as though the mere idea of Jesse being sorry was ridiculous, "It's not _your_ fault you don't know me yet. I've got to be about _nine_ in your time."

Jesse stared, "How… far into the future are you from?"

Skinny frowned, seeming to think for a moment, "Uh… six or seven years? No, wait, you're from just before the Witherstorm, right? It'll be seven years as of next week, then."

"Seven years," Jesse repeated, gaze drifting downwards.

_Seven years since Reuben died._

Jesse didn't really want to imagine what that must have been like.

"I'm Radar, by the way," Skinny informed him, crooked smile returning, "I'm your-"

Someone abruptly shoved into them, sending the boy stumbling to the side and almost face-planting the floor. Jesse reached out to steady him, shooting a frown towards the passerby.

"Hey, you almost-"

"Oh, sorry," the blonde woman said, not sounding sorry at all. The white llama was trailing after her. It was actually a pretty cute llama; it had a scarf and everything. The blonde woman's attention drew to Jesse and she smiled, although it wasn't much of a friendly smile.

"Ah, Jesse," she said, "I take it you don't know who I am?"

Jesse blinked, "Uh, no, sor-"

"It's Stella," the blonde woman cut him off, still smiling that odd smile, "Leader of Champion City. This here is Lluna," she gestured with her head to the white llama, "My _treasure-sniffing_ llama."

Jesse blinked again, "Oh, uh, it's nice to meet you. Your llama's adorable too."

"Of course she is!" Stella laughed- a bit of a shrill, ear-piercing laugh, if Jesse was being honest- as though he were being silly, "She's the best of the best as well. As for our relationship, Jesse, we've got a bit of a rivalry going on between us."

Again, Jesse blinked. Then again. "Uh… sorry?"

"Oh, yeah, we _hate_ each other," Stella told him, nodding as though this was perfectly reasonable, "Champion City and Beacontown have been rivals since the day they were built."

Radar, who Jesse had almost forgotten about, rolled his eyes, looking irritated, "Beacontown doesn't _hate_ Champion City! Jesse doesn't hate anyone!"

"What's going on?"

Jesse jumped, spinning around to find Harper and Soren making their over, the both of them frowning. Harper's eyes darted from Stella to Radar to Jesse. Finally, she turned to Radar.

"What's this about Jesse hating someone?"

Flushing, Radar frantically shook his head, "N-No, that- that wasn't what I was saying-"

"Oh, it's nothing major," Stella assured her, waving her away with a small, shrill chuckle, "Not like we're going to resort to bloodshed, after all."

Harper raised an eyebrow, "Riiight."

"Well, I must be off," said Stella, beginning to make her way down the hall, "See you at the- what is it you call it? The watching?"

Soren shrugged, raising an eyebrow, "It does appear to have caught- and she's gone."

Indeed, Stella and her treasure-sniffing llama had vanished around the corner. Soren shook his head, looking somewhat offended.

"Rude."

Harper hummed, mouth twisting downwards, "She's going to be a _pleasure_ to live with, isn't she?"

"No doubt about it," Radar muttered, glaring in the direction Stella had left. Something about him told Jesse he couldn't be scary even if he'd tried.

"Who's this?" Harper asked, smiling down at Radar; the bespectacled boy straightened at the sudden attention.

"His name's, uh," Jesse blinked, looking back at the other boy, "Radar, right?"

Radar nodded, lips twitching slightly. He had that nervous awkwardness about him again, something Jesse hadn't even realised had disappeared when Stella had shown up. "Uh, ye- yeah, it's… Radar."

"Nice to meet you, Radar," Harper greeted, reaching out to shake his hand, "You can call me Harper."

"I, uh, know who you are," Radar admitted shyly, smiling awkwardly, "We've met a few times."

Harper blinked, surprised, "Oh, well… nice _re_ -meeting you, then."

"I'm unsure if you know who _I_ am," Soren spoke up, "But I am Soren."

Radar's eyes widened, "Wait, as in one of the Founding members of the Order of the Stone?"

Soren's smile widened slightly, "Yes, I believe that would be more."

For a long, long moment, Radar stared at him. Then his eyes slowly trailed back to Harper, and then back to Jesse. His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.

"Wow."

Harper chuckled, "Well, I'm going to go find Ivor. You two be in the watching room within an hour or two, alright?"

"Sure, Mu- Harper," Jesse hastily corrected himself, a heat rising up his neck. Harper didn't seem to notice, because she only nodded and began to make her way down the hall again. Soren, however, sent him a wide grin that was almost shockingly similar to the one Ellegaard had given him earlier, before trailing after her.

Radar stared after them, before turning to look up at Jesse with a wide beam, "I just met _Soren_. He hasn't been seen for seven years!"

"Yeah?" Jesse mumbled, still a little uncomfortably warm. He began to make his way down the opposite end of the hall, Radar bouncing after him in a way that almost reminded him of Reuben (he wondered where that little pig had gone too).

"Yeah! He's got this weird cult following as well. They're, uh, pretty strange."

"A cult," Jesse echoed, absently wondering if this meant Soren never developed the same relationship he has with Lukas and Cassie in their original timeline; now that he thought of it, none of them probably developed the same relationships that Jesse and his friends have with the original Order. Maybe not even with him and Ivor.

The thought was startlingly terrifying.

He tried not to think about it.

* * *

"Ugh, this is _heavy_."

"Really?" Petra grunted, "I had no idea."

"Ha ha."

"Just shut up and try not to walk into that wall."

"I'm not going to walk into-" Jesse cut himself off with a pained grunt, wincing as the combination of the couch and the wall ramming into him forced the breath from his lungs. Petra poked her head over the other side of the couch to shoot him an unimpressed look. Radar shuffled his feet from where he was standing just behind her.

"You, uh, you sure I can't help with anything?"

"Why don't you try and make sure Jesse doesn't walk into any more walls?" Petra suggested, earning a half-hearted glare from Jesse, "So long as you don't drop anything on your toes again."

Radar winced, limping ever so slightly as he made his way around the couch to Jesse, "Uh… yeah, I'd rather avoid that too."

"Preferably," Jesse grunted, shifting so that he didn't run into the wall again.

With Radar guiding them, they made their way through the twisting hallways and, with their fingers aching fiercely, finally found themselves navigating the couch through the archway and into the watching room. They then proceeded to drop said couch and practically collapse against it in relief.

"Heavy," Jesse groaned, "Far, far too heavy."

There was a chuckle. Jesse cracked open his eyes to find none other than One Eye hovering over him, flanked by the Villager he'd spotted earlier. Both looked faintly amused.

"Nice job getting the couch down," said One Eye, "You could've waited for one of us to come help you."

Petra groaned, "Bit late."

The Villager hummed something in Villagerese. Jesse wished he could understand him; One Eye seemed to be able to, though, considering he chuckled.

"You two haven't met us yet, have you?" he said, "Some people call me the Stab Walker. But you, my friends, can call me Jack."

Petra blinked, pushing herself up properly and regarding him curiously, "How'd you earn a name like 'Stab Walker'?"

Jack grinned at her, "I'll tell you the tale some day. Now this," he gestured to the Villager, "Is Nurm. My other half."

Jesse waved, "Nice to meet you."

Nurm hummed, smiling kindly. Honestly, that was the only way Jesse could describe Villagerese.

"I must say, it's strange seeing you two so young," Jack admitted, looking from Jesse to Petra, "You can't be much older than Skinny over there."

"They _did_ become the new Order of the Stone when they were just teenagers," Radar pointed out. Jack nodded, a distant sort of look entering his one working eye.

"Yeah, I was just starting some proper adventures around that time too," he declared, "Experiencing what was almost the end of the world can make you a little more outgoing, turns out."

"That makes sense," Petra muttered, before pushing herself off the couch and gesturing for Jesse to get up as well, "Think you could help us move this into place?"

Jack smiled, "I'll be happy to lend a hand."

They started pushing the couch into place, which was a bit difficult considering how crowded the watching room was starting to become. Jesse was in the middle of attempting to push it into the a specific place (he was fairly certain it had caught on a bit of floorboard or something, because he was refusing to budge) when the couch abruptly shifted forward, coming to a stop perfectly at where they were trying to get it, and leaving all three of them to fall to the floor with surprised yells.

"That was a spectacular fall, now wasn't it?"

Jesse blinked slowly, before rolling onto his back to find the strange redhead from before staring down at him. He blinked again.

"Oh, uh… hi."

"Hello," the redhead said. He actually looked a bit… normal now. The pinkish-red of his eyes had dulled enough that they actually looked more white now, although his pupils were still strangely yellow; the grey patches of skin had become more peach, but they were definitely darker, almost like some sort of giant birthmark. Or maybe vitiligo. Although Jesse had never heard of vitiligo making your skin ash grey and the whites of your eyes blood red.

Jesse wasn't sure what to make of him.

He was definitely… different.

Maybe even dangerous.

"Wow, that couch moved fast," Jack muttered, climbing to his feet, "You two alright?"

"I'm good," said Petra, getting to her own feet. She shot the redhead a strange look. "Uh… Jesse?"

"Good too," Jesse assured her, before climbing up as well, careful not to bump into the redhead. Petra regarded the newcomer for a moment.

"I didn't see you come in."

"I believe you were too busy pushing a couch to notice me," the redhead declared, "You're welcome, by the way."

Jack frowned, "For what?"

"For assisting you with-"

There was a load _bang!_ Their heads snapped towards the archway, just in time to see Magnus yelp as the bottom of the armchair crushed his toes. Standing on the other side of it, having been helping him carry it, was the tired woman that had held a sword to Jesse's throat.

Her eyes were locked on the redheads.

For a moment, nothing happened. They just stared at each other, while Jesse and the others became increasingly confused. Magnus was too busy trying to figure out whether or not his toes were broken to really notice. Radar shifted slightly so that he was hiding behind Jesse.

Then the woman roared, leapt over both Magnus and the armchair, and charged.

The redhead jolted, as though torn from a trance, and smacked his hands together as though in the hopes it would make her pause. But she didn't, and within moments she'd rammed into him and they both went tumbling to the ground.

"Holy crap!" Magnus yelled, potentially broken toes forgotten. The blood was beginning to seep back into one of the redhead's eyes. Jesse wondered if that had something to do with the blows the woman was currently dealing to his head.

"Hey- Hey!" Jack shouted, already skirting around Jesse to get to the pair, "That's enough!"

He grabbed the woman around the waist and tried to jerk her off, but she hardly budged and continued to rain down blow after blow after blow; the redhead was doing a rather bad job at fending her off, and had resorted to holding his arms over his face and allowing them to take the brunt of the attack. Magnus abandoned the armchair and wrapped his hands around the woman as well, trying to help Jack pull her off, but it turned out to be a surprisingly difficult task.

"Petra!" Magnus grunted, almost getting an elbow to the mouth, "Go get your dad!"

Petra paused, but only for a moment. Then she was darting around the armchair and vanishing into the hall in search of Gabriel, and Radar was gripping Jesse's arm so tightly he was probably cutting off his blood flow.

"Stop it!" Magnus exclaimed, gritting his teeth as he and Jack continued to try and pull the woman off the redhead, to little avail, " _Stop!_ I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm a little sick of people beating each other up now!"

An elbow slammed into Jack's ribs, forcing the air from his lungs. Snapping from his shock, Jesse darted forward, Radar's grip on his arm releasing almost immediately as though he'd abruptly realised what he'd been doing. Ducking around Magnus, Jesse grabbed the woman's arm as she raised it to bring a fist back down on the redhead. This time, the woman growled, flashing eyes darting to him.

"Get _off!_ "

He went flying, a rather unexpected development, if Jesse was being honest. Then he slammed into the coffee table, heard the _snap_ of cracking wood, and then his legs continued flying and he tumbled off the side of the coffee table, although not without a particularly vicious _smack_ between the coffee table and his mouth.

Warm, sticky liquid filled his mouth. Jesse groaned, blinking blearily, a horrible, throbbing pain covering the lower half of his face. It took him a moment to realise that Radar and the Villager- Nurm, his name was Nurm- were hovering over him.

"Oh god, Jesse!" Radar exclaimed, covering his mouth, "Are you alright?"

Nurm hummed, looking concerned. Jesse blinked again, face scrunching, and wiped the warmth from his mouth. His hand came away red.

"Ow," he muttered.

Both Radar and Nurm bent down and helped him to his feet, the boy swaying unsteadily for a moment. He would have probably ended up falling over, or have at least stumbled backwards, had Radar and Nurm not still been gripping his arms.

"Thanks," Jesse mumbled, wincing at the sting that came with talking. He wiped some more blood from his face, unsure if it was coming from his nose or his lip or from the inside of his mouth or something. It reminded him of when he tried to tell the others about the hands.

_(Red, red, bubbling up his throat, filling his mouth, leaving traces of copper on his tongue.)_

"Are you alright?" Radar repeated. Still a little dazed, Jesse grit his teeth against the throbbing sting and nodded.

"Yeah, just… _ow_."

"What the _hell_ is going on here?!"

Jesse jumped, twisting around to discover that Petra had returned. She hadn't come alone, either.

Gabriel was already hurrying his way over, Aiden gaping from where he stood frozen in the archway. He was soon joined by Isa, who yelled and immediately stood in front of Aiden, swords in hand; then, as though drawn by the noise, both Ivor and Harper appeared around the corner.

"What in the world-"

The warrior grabbed the back of the woman's shirt, Jack and Magnus already latched onto her arms. And then the redhead, with blood pouring from his nose and a bright, bloody blaze to his eyes, bruising face twisted in ugly hatred, shoved out his hands, palms splayed. He didn't touch anyone.

But that didn't stop the woman, Gabriel, Jack and Magnus from being blasted into the air as though the redhead had exploded, sending them flying backwards. There was a yell- Jesse wasn't sure whether it had come from him or someone else entirely- and then Jack was hitting the couch he and Petra had brought down, the force of it knocking the whole thing onto its back; Magnus hit the coffee table, its legs snapping beneath him; Gabriel skidded across the floor, armour scraping dents into the wood; the woman slammed into the far wall, before sliding off it and landing harshly on her knees.

For a long moment, no one moved. The redhead's chest raised and fell rapidly, unsteadily, almost like he wasn't all that used to breathing; the woman glared at him through a messy curtain of purple hair.

Nurm moved first, hurriedly skirting around the fallen couch to make sure Jack was okay, speaking so fast that even if Jesse _was_ fluent in Villagerese, he doubted he'd be able to understand him. As though broken from a state of shock, Petra ducked around Ivor and Harper, running to where a groaning Gabriel was pushing himself up.

"Dad! Holy _crap_ \- what just- _crap!_ "

"I'm alright," the warrior assured her, although he didn't decline her helping him up properly, "Don't worry, I'm alright."

"Ow," Magnus groaned, pushing himself up with a grimace, "I think I've broken something. Other than the table, that is."

"How did- what just _happened_?" Aiden exclaimed.

"No idea," Jack grunted, Nurm helping him to his feet, "But it sure came out of nowhere."

The woman chuckled lowly; there was no humour in her tone, "That's 'cause _he_ did it."

She gestured with her head to the red haired man. His eye was still blazing that bloody red, his skin dotted with patches of grey; he was still doing that strange, uneven breathing.

Isa's eyes narrowed, " _He_ did that? How?"

"Because he's an Admin," the woman practically spat, "Well, I don't know _what_ the hell he is now. Having some problems with the powers, huh, Romeo?"

The redhead- Romeo, his name was Romeo- scowled at her, gritting his teeth, "Stop. _Talking_."

The woman scoffed, "What? You gonna take my _tongue_ this time too?"

"Don't _tempt_ -"

"Will you all _shut up!_ "

Everyone went silent. Heads turned to the archway, where Harper was shooting a glare across the room. Her gaze flickered from the redhead to the woman, to Gabriel and Petra to Magnus, Nurm, Jack and finally to Jesse and Radar. Her jaw tightened slightly.

"Jesse, Magnus, you two go with Ivor," she said, "Aiden, go find some of the others. Reginald, the Gladiators, ones that can stop people from murdering each other."

She shot the tired looking woman a look at that; the woman didn't seem to care all that much. Aiden faltered, looking unsure. After a moment, he gave a single nod and vanished down the hall. Magnus groaned again as he pushed himself off the coffee table, a protective arm wrapped around his chest.

"Okay, that hurts," he muttered. Ivor slid over and wrapped Magnus' arm around his shoulders, before gesturing for Jesse to follow as they began to make their way out the archway. Jesse glanced back at Harper, then to the woman and the redhead, then to Petra, before doing as he was told and following. Radar hesitated for a moment, bouncing on the balls of his feet, before taking one look at the two rather unstable looking newcomers and running after him.

At the back of his head, Jesse wondered how he knew this kid.

* * *

"What did you _do_?!"

"Hey, hey, hey, this had _nothing_ to do with me this time, a'right?" Magnus defended himself, holding back a wince as he poked at his bandaged chest, "I was actually trying to stop some lunatic woman from murdering this weird looking guy."

"And that ended with you _breaking a rib_?"

"Two ribs," Magnus corrected; it only seemed to make Ellegaard angrier, for some reason.

"That's _worse_."

"I noticed," drawled Magnus, shooting her a deadpan glance. He grimaced upon poking at his ribs again, and the engineer slapped his hand away with a huff.

"You're ridiculous."

"Why, thank you."

"Will you two shut up?" Ivor cut in, turning away from where he was dabbing blood from Jesse's face with a wet cloth to glare at them, "You're _both_ ridiculous."

Ellegaard rolled her eyes, slapping away Magnus hand a second time when he went to poke his chest again. She sat down on the bed beside him, scowling, and began to readjust his bandages. Magnus' face softened slightly, although he did wince when she gave a particularly hard tug; Olivia, who was lying on the bed half-asleep, mumbled something, voice somewhat slurred. Ellegaard glanced at her, before returning her attention to the bandages.

"What was that, 'Livia?"

Olivia didn't answer; she'd drifted off back to sleep.

"What, uh, what happened to her?" Radar asked, hesitantly. Jesse and Ivor glanced at each other.

"Hit her head against the coffee table," Ivor said, after a brief pause; he wiped some more blood from Jesse's chin, before pressing a napkin against his split lip and bringing the boys hand up for him to hold it in place. Radar's eyes widened.

"How'd _that_ happen?"

"No one saw."

"Oh," the bespectacled boy frowned, "Can't Olivia tell you?"

Ivor shrugged and didn't answer. Radar seemed to get the hint.

Magnus, the positioning of his bandages seeming to have finally satisfied Ellegaard, grabbed his shirt and began to tug it back on, "Honestly, we need a proper infirmary at this point. The basement's a nice setup, Ivor, but it's a little small."

"Injuries _are_ becoming a little too common," Ellegaard frowned, picking at her bottom lip, "And there're more people about now as well."

"Maybe you can build one?" Radar suggested. Magnus and Ellegaard glanced at each other.

"I don't see why _not_ ," Magnus said, "I mean, didn't Soren and his kids build that greenhouse?"

Radar's eyes grew a little wider, "Soren's a _dad_?"

"An infirmary _could_ come in useful," Ivor hummed, casting a considering frown across his little makeshift potions lab, "What if-"

There was a squeal. Then Rueben came tripping down the stairs, the goofiest grin Jesse had ever seen on his face; there were little flowers stick between the folds of his ears and tiny splatters of mud on his hooves. He must have been playing in the garden.

"Oh, there you are, Reuben," Jesse grinned, wincing slightly when it pulled at his split lip, "I was wondering where you'd-"

"Wait- _Wait_ ," Radar cut him off. His jaw was practically on the floor, and his eyes were so big they almost made his glasses look small (which they definitely weren't). His head snapped around to Jesse, and he gestured to Reuben, as though speechless.

"That's- That's-"

Jesse stared at him. Radar frantically gestured again.

"... A pig?"

"No- well, yes-" Radar made a strange noise, almost like he was trying not to explode out of pure excitement, "It's- It's _Reuben!_ "

Again, Jesse stared. Then his stomach went cold.

_(You couldn't even save your own goddamn pig.)_

"Oh."

"I can't believe it!" Radar exclaimed, eyes practically sparkling in awe; Reuben blinked up at him curiously, "It's- It's really him!"

"What's really who?"

Almost in perfect unison, their attention turned to the stairs, just in time to see Petra leading Jack and Nurm down them. Radar bounced on his heels, doing an interesting flapping-motion with his hands.

"Reuben! It's Reuben!"

"What?" Jack blinked. Then his eyes flickered downwards and he gasped loudly. "Holy Nether, that's right!"

Nurm hummed something, peeking around Jack. Burst lip more or less forgotten, Jesse shifted somewhat uncomfortably, before setting the bloodstained napkin down and bending, scooping his little pig into his arms. Reuben beamed up at him, nuzzling his dirty face into the boys' shirt. Radar pressed his hands against his cheeks.

"Aww."

Jesse glanced at him, hesitating, before running his tongue over his split lip; he tasted a ting of copper, "You wanna hold him?"

The other boys face lit up, "Really?!"

Lips twitching upwards, Jesse stepped closer and carefully shifted his pig into Radar's arms. The bespectacled boy gaped down at the pink pig, who regarded him with a curiously twitching nose. Then, seeming to have decided that he liked this new human, Reuben licked said humans nose with a slobbery tongue.

"Ew," Petra chuckled. Radar's face had almost split with a wide grin.

Nurm hummed, almost tentatively stepping forward and gently beginning to pat the little pig on the head. Reuben oinked up at him, enjoying the attention; Jack joined them a moment later, scratching him behind the ear; a few flower petals fluttered to the floor.

"He's a cute little guy," the adventurer declared. Jesse smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Hi, Reuben," Radar whispered, still smiling widely. He carefully untucked one of his arms to rub at the little pigs head. "Heya."

Ivor watched them for a moment, before his eyes flickered over to Jesse. His brow furrowed slightly and he pushed himself off the table he'd been leaning against, clapping his hands.

"Alright," he said, "Let's get these episodes over with. I'd like to go home sometime soon."

Somehow, Radar's amazed face lit up even more, "Yeah! I can't wait to see these things!"

"What did you do with those two… people?" Magnus asked. Petra scratched the back of her neck.

"Da- Gabriel and Isa had a talk with them. Got them to not kill each other while they're here, at least. Although I think the only reason that purple-haired woman agreed was because they told her there's respawn," she paused, "I think she wanted to do it anyway, actually."

"What a lovely lady," Magnus murmured sarcastically, absently rubbing his ribs. Ellegaard swatted his hand away again.

Ivor shook his head, "You lot get upstairs. I'll help Ellegaard with Magnus and Olivia."

Petra mock saluted, "Sure thing."

With that, she turned and began to make her way back upstairs. Jack foddled Reuben's ears one last time before following, Nurm close behind. Reluctantly, Radar set Reuben back on the floor, pat his head and then jogged after them. Jesse trailed behind him, glancing back at the potionologist as he made his way over to the three on the bed.

Ivor met his gaze. He shot him a reassuring smile. Jesse returned it.

It didn't reach his eyes.

He followed the others upstairs, his little pig trotting on his heels.

* * *

"I believe," said Nell loudly, standing on the couch in an attempt to make herself taller; she would have probably stood on the coffee table, had it still possessed legs, "Introductions are, like, totally necessary."

Mevia stared blankly up at the girl for a moment. She raised her eyebrows. "Well, she's not _wrong_."

"Introductions are a wonderful idea," Stella declared. She had claimed the armchair with the best view of the screen, legs neatly tucked in and hands clasped in her lap. Her llama, Lluna, was seated on a blanket she must have pulled from the pile in the middle of the room at her feet.

"The name's Porkchop!" the person with the pigskin abruptly exclaimed, leaping up with a rotten grin from where they'd been seated on one of the smaller couches next to two girls, "Dweller of the Underneath. Pleasure to eat 'cha!"

Lukas blinked, "Did- Did you just say _eat_?"

"I'm Val," the girl sitting not to Porkchop stated; there was something almost masculine about her, but Jesse was fairly certain it was a girl. She gestured to the other girl sitting next to her. "This here's Soup."

"Hey!" Soup greeted. Em raised an eyebrow.

"That's your real name?"

"Yup!"

Nell grinned, "That's so _rad_."

Soup grinned back, "I know, right?"

"And this," Val pointed to the brown llama currently in the process of eating a pillow, "Is Llucy. She's, you know, like our guard llama."

"And you've got a llama too!" Soup exclaimed, pointing to Lluna. Now that Jesse was looking at both of them, Lluna was actually significantly smaller than Llucy. "They can be pals!"

Stella regarded the brown, dirty llama for a moment. She pulled a face. "Uh… yeah, no. Lluna's not going anywhere _near_ that filthy thing."

Soup's smile fell, "Oh. Uh… oh- okay. I mean, it's… it's your llama."

"Indeed she is," Stella said, sticking her nose up at her. She turned to the rest of the audience and put on a dazzling smile. "I'm Stella, by the way, although I'm sure at least some of you already know that. This is Lluna, my treasure-sniffing llama."

Lluna bleeted. Radar, who had seated himself on the blankets (because there was, of course, only so many couches), looked torn between scowling at Stella and cooing at the llama.

"I'm, uh, Anthony," a dark-skinned man who Jesse was fairly certain he'd spotted raiding the cookie jar earlier spoke up, grinning somewhat shyly. He'd joined the YouTubers couch. "I… _work_ at the Sunshine Institute."

"And I'm the Warden of the Sunshine Institute," the man with the strange steampunk monocle slash eyepatch declared. They waited for him to continue. He didn't.

"And your name is… ?" Ellegaard said. The Warden stared at her for a moment.

"Just Warden."

"Warden the Warden?" suggested Axel. This earned him a glare.

" _No_."

"Okay," Axel murmured, frowning, "Jeez."

"My name's Binta," a woman spoke up; she was sharing a two person couch with a nervous looking girl in a yellow shirt, who was currently in the process of keeping an excited black puppy from getting to a chicken. She gestured to her. "This is Cam. Dog's Blocco, chicken's Waffles."

"Aw," Isa cooed. Milo rolled his eyes, lips twitching in amusement; Benedict clucked, watching the other chicken curiously.

"Oxblood's the name," the large, demonic man said. He reached out with a massive hand and rubbed the Mooshroom's head. "And this little cutie is Geoffry."

Warden's one eye narrowed, "Wait, where did-"

"I've just adopted him," Oxblood hastily cut him off, stiffening slightly. Warden continued to stare at him. Geoffry mooed.

"I swear, this place is turning into a farm," Petra muttered. Jesse shot her a small grin, rubbing Reuben's head.

"You can call me Jack," the adventurer piped up, when the Warden and Oxblood didn't appear to be breaking their staring contest anytime soon. He and Nurm had claimed a spot on the Order's couch after it became clear Lukas and Cassie would rather sit on the floor. "This is Nurm, my other half."

Nurm hummed. Lizzie glanced between them.

"When you say 'other half,' do you mean like-"

"Is that an ocelot or have I hit my head harder than I thought I had?" Olivia asked. They followed her gaze to what was indeed a wild ocelot, currently exploring the mound of blankets and pillows. Jesse blinked.

"Why bring a random ocelot to watch the future?"

"No idea," Cassie said, not taking her eyes off the little creature; Winslow was also watching it quite closely, "It's cute, though."

The ocelot continued to sniff about for a moment. Then, reaching Lukas, it promptly climbed into his lap and curled into a ball. The blond gaped down at it, holding up his hands as though afraid to disturb it, and at a complete loss as to what to do.

After a moment, Petra chortled, "You've found your brethren, Lukas."

"Oh, be quiet. Where'd it even come from?"

"He," Cassie corrected. Lukas blinked at her.

"Okay. Where'd _he_ even come from?"

"Oh!" Radar suddenly gasped, drawing quite a few eyes to him, "I think that's Dewey! You never tamed him, but he more or less lives with you."

Lukas stared, "Pardon?"

Radar grinned a little shyly, adjusting his glasses, "Uh… meet your pet ocelot?"

They continued to stare at him. Then Petra steadily dissolved into a fit of giggles. Cassie shook her head, lips twitching.

"Only _you_ would name something Dewey."

"Dewey's not a bad name," Lukas muttered, cautiously rubbing the ocelot's side. He began to purr.

"What's your name, then?" Anthony asked, looking over at Radar. The boy blinked, almost startled.

"Oh, uh- I'm Radar," he said, "I, uh… live in Beacontown."

Stella rolled her eyes, "Of course you do."

Hadrian, who had been rather quiet throughout the last few hours, turned his head and raised an expectant eyebrow at the considerably insane looking woman, "And your name?"

She watched him for a moment. It almost looked like she was glaring at him, but it was honestly a little hard to tell.

"Xara."

"Xara," Isa repeated, regarding her, "That's a nice name."

She didn't receive a proper answer. Not seeming to mind this, Isa turned to look at Romeo; the grey patches and blood eye had dimmed down again.

"And you?"

He actually _did_ glare at her. Warden swallowed, losing a few shades of colour, even though he wasn't even the one being glared at.

"He's the Admin," the Warden supplied. Jack's eyebrows rose to his hairline. Xara rolled her eyes.

"Romeo," she said, "His name's Romeo."

"What, like Romeo and Juliet?" Aiden asked. Romeo stared at him.

"I don't know anyone named Juliet."

Aiden blinked, "No, I mean- nevermind."

"Is that everyone?" Maya asked. Stacy shook her head.

"Nope, there's still-" she bent down to the floor, picked something up and raised it into the air, "- _This_ little guy!"

The puppy happily wagged his tail, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Winslow hissed. Even Dewey raised his head and looked just about ready to bolt. He must have also dug his claws into Lukas' leg, because the boy winced.

"Aw," Gill cooed, "He's so cute."

"Isn't he?" Stacy beamed, holding the happy puppy close to her chest, "His name's Wink. Always wanted a dog named Wink."

"How do you know he's yours?" Dan asked. Stacy shrugged.

"I mean, he was following me around everywhere, so until prove otherwise, he's mine."

Stampy covered a smile, "I suppose that's fair."

"Can we _please_ begin the episode now?" Mevia asked. She reached up and grabbed a still-standing-on-the-couch-Nell's wrist and tugged her back down. The girl plopped onto the seat quite happily, completely unaffected by the half-hearted glare sent her way. Gabriel nodded.

"Yes, let us begin. Where is the remote?"

"This thing?" Soup asked, holding up said remote, "I thought it was a really hard candy bar."

Gabriel looked torn between amused and confused, "It's not."

"I have realised that."

"Okay," Magnus groaned, "I'm bored. Just press the play button, would'ya?"

"Right!" said Soup. It took her a few moments, but she was eventually able to jab the remote at the screen and press play. There was a brief loading symbol.

Then the screen came to life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said that they'd start the episode this chapter, but this turned out a lot longer than I was expecting it to be. I hope you guys liked it anyway!


	89. When Time Grows Scarce

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Eighty-Nine: When Time Grows Scarce**

* * *

_Hold your head up high._

* * *

The image was almost gloomy. It was of Jesse, a look of terror on his face, gripping a diamond sword. To his right was Petra, bearing a similar expression, with a gleaming golden blade; to his left was Jack, diamond sword raised, looking ready for a fight. Upon closer inspection of the background, it almost looked as though they were surrounded by prismarine. There was a giant statue half hidden behind a wall; it was like it was watching them.

The real Jack drew in a sharp breath, "Oh, boy."

Lukas shot him a somewhat concerned look, "What is it?"

"Nothing," Jack hastily assured, "Nothing, just… well, I suppose you'll see."

Soup glanced between them for a moment. Then, when everyone seemed ready, she pointed the remote at the screen again and clicked on the episode.

For a moment, everything was dark. Then Lukas' voice drifted through.

" _I always liked stories where the hero has no idea that they're destined for greatness,"_ the blackness faded, revealing a banner of the Order's Amulet; it drifted away, further revealing it to be stationed on the wall of a familiar treehouse, " _The sort of heroes who are living their lives,"_ then it drifted over to Jesse, kneeling on the floor next to Reuben, the both of them smiling, " _And assume that nothing exciting will ever happen to them."_

"Aw, it's Reuben," said Radar. Jesse bit his lip, rubbing his little pigs head. Reuben squealed quietly.

The screen cut to the outside. Then it shot down, out and showed the whole lot of them- Jesse, Lukas, Olivia, Axel, Petra and Reuben- frozen mid-jump. " _Those are the kind of heroes in this story."_

Cassie made a strange snorting noise, "What?"

Lukas shot her a frown, "What?"

"That's what I said."

"Well, yeah, but," Lukas huffed, "What are you 'what'ing at?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, "Was that a sentence?"

"Technically?"

"I'm 'what'ing," said Cassie, doing air quotes, "As you so intelligently put it, at the fact that you all look like happy anime characters doing one of those stupid victory freeze jumps."

"We _do_ look kinda stupid," Petra admitted. Axel shrugged.

"Really? I think we look awesome."

"Is commentary strictly necessary?" asked Warden, brow furrowing irritably. Romeo rolled his discoloured eyes.

"Be quiet, Warden."

The Warden stiffened, scowl immediately vanishing. His pale cheeks tinted a faint pink. "O-Oh, uh, of- of course, sir. My apologies."

Magnus glanced between them, his own brow furrowing, "What, he like your boss or something?"

"Let's just watch the episode," Binta cut in, a tad harshly. She was glaring in Romeo's direction. He glared back, eye glowing a little brighter.

" _They started as just a bunch of friends in a treehouse,"_ Lukas continued, " _Looking up to their idols who had come before them."_

Magnus nudged Ellegaard, grinning broadly. She rolled her eyes at him.

The screen blackened; it was soon replaced by a purple Endercon sign, zipping away to reveal the Witherstorm breaking free from the glass ceiling of the Hall in the background, the friends frozen mid-run as they hastily made to get away, " _But when disaster struck, and an evil monstrosity threatened to destroy the world, those friends discovered that heroes,"_ it cut again, and this time it was just Jesse, clad in the fallen Ellegaard's armour with the enchanted sword swinging downwards, towards the Command Block inside the belly of the beast, Reuben by his side, " _Can come from the most humble of beginnings."_

Jesse's chest became uncomfortably tight. He curled his arm around Reuben a little further.

" _They travelled the world to battle that monster,"_ said Lukas, as the screen zoomed out on the pair, the sword just about to hit the Command Block; then it went black, " _Facing obstacles and sacrifices every step of the way,"_ then they were standing on the Rainbow Beacon, Jesse at the top with a massive grin and his sword raised above his head; Petra and Lukas stood on the column just below him, with Axel and Olivia on the ground, standing before a cheering crowd, " _It wasn't easy, but they had each other. And working together, they struck it down and saved everyone."_

"Well," Soren murmured quietly, mostly to himself, "Not everyone."

Ellegaard bit the inside of her cheek, gaze drifting downwards. Magnus reached out and squeezed her hand.

" _Soon, they were the most famous people in the whole world,"_ Lukas declared, as the image faded away to be replaced by Jesse, Lukas, Petra and Ivor standing in the Portal Hallway, surrounded by the dull multi-coloured glow of a million worlds.

Petra groaned, "Oh good lord, I'm going to hate that place."

"How so?" Jack asked. Petra shook her head.

"Just… pure frustration."

" _And their legend, their fame,"_ the screen panned down the hallway, revealing Isa and Milo on the left; Stacy, Stampy and the White Pumpkin on the right, " _Just continued to grow as they explored_ more _worlds,"_ then there was Mevia, Hadrian and Otto to the left, and the right stood Harper, turning to face the camera, " _Venturing into the great unknown,"_ the screen turned, and portal after portal after portal flashed by, reds and blues and greens and purples, before turning to white quartz pillars and stone brick walls.

The screen drifted, slowing down, passing the wall to reveal golden pedestals with treasures- a Wither Skull, the Redstone Heart- hovering above them and Boom Town banners in the background. Lukas continued.

" _And that's how those five friends, plus the bravest pig in the world,"_ Lukas himself walked into view now, reading from an open book; Reuben's banner and framed porkchop sat where it always had, with the two little potted flowers on either side, " _Took their place in history as some of the greatest heroes who ever lived."_

He looked up from his book- revealing Jesse, Axel and Olivia sitting on the steps before him, all of them looking significantly older. Axel, who had started snoring, found himself being rudely elbowed awake by Olivia.

The young man gurgled, looking somewhat dazed and still half asleep, " _What? What part are we at? Am I being awesome?"_

"Oh, wow," muttered Olivia, blinking the glaze from her eyes, "We're- wow."

Axel grinned, "Awesome, my shirt's got a skull on it!"

"How far into the future _is_ this?" asked Harper, turning to look at Jack. The adventurer scratched his beard thoughtfully for a moment.

"Well, if you lot are from _before_ the Witherstorm, it would have to be… about seven years, I think."

Petra's eyes widened, "That must mean we're in our twenties now."

"Yes," Ivor murmured, frowning, "I wonder what happens that we have to go _this_ far into the future."

"You don't think it's going to be bigger than the Witherstorm, do you?" Maya asked, twisting her fingers. Isa reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

"I doubt something _that_ bad's going to happen again."

Binta glanced between Romeo and Xara. Her brow furrowed thoughtfully.

Maybe.

" _We thought it was great, Lukas,"_ Olivia said, smiling; her smile faltered into a slight frown, " _Although… not always technically accurate."_

Jack and Nurm glanced at each other.

" _Yeah, I mean,"_ Lukas shrugged, scratching the back of his head; he, too, looked older, " _Well, I definitely exaggerated here and there, but… it was for the drama."_

"For the drama," Cassie echoed, "You seriously think it wasn't _dramatic_ enough?"

"Well, I- I dunno," Lukas muttered, "I mean… I guess if you're putting it into a _book_ and looking back on it, there are little bits that could be exaggerated."

"Like what?" Jesse asked. Lukas huffed.

"You know, I haven't actually _written_ anything yet."

"If you were looking for exaggeration," Milo cut in, thoughtfully tapping his chin, "I suppose you could exaggerate the fight between Petra and Jesse in the Portal Network."

Petra blinked, "I _guess_ , but that was just a dumb fight."

Milo shrugged, "Well, it certainly made things dramatic."

"I think being forced to fight my mind-controlled friends was dramatic enough," Jesse said, "The fight just made me feel bad."

"I completely forgot there was a fight," Axel admitted.

" _I mean, it made us sound cool,"_ said onscreen Axel, " _And that's a good thing."_

The real Olivia rolled her eyes.

" _Yeah,"_ Oliva drawled, " _But it might make people think we did stuff we didn't actually do."_

Jesse shrugged, smiling, " _Well, you're the writer, Lukas. I know you'll make the right call."_

Lukas returned his smile, " _Thank you, Jesse. I_ had _been hoping to have it ready to read at Founding Day, but, uh…"_ he shrugged, " _Next year."_

Magnus cocked his head, "Founding Day?"

"Anniversary of the defeat of the Witherstorm," Jack explained, "Usually centres around Beacontown, Boom Town and Redstonia, but a few other towns have smaller celebrations."

" _I can't believe it's Founding Day already,"_ said Olivia, shaking her head, " _Sneaks up on me every time."_

" _Congrats, buddy,"_ Jesse's smile became a little broader, " _I'm proud of you for finishing it. That took a lot of work."_

Lukas returned his smile, " _I'm glad you liked it. You did so much, Jesse, you're a real hero."_

"It wasn't _just_ me," the real Jesse murmured, cheeks burning. Radar blinked at him, looking a little surprised, before smiling.

Onscreen, Jesse blinked down at his friend. A hint of pink touched his cheeks and he shook his head, lips twitching. Axel frowned.

" _But… we all did, right?"_

" _Yeah,"_ Olivia raised an eyebrow, " _We were_ all _there."_

" _For, uh, most of it, anyway."_

"Well, yeah, they've probably had more adventures after the whole Portal Network thing, especially since it's been, like, seven years," Aiden pointed out, rubbing his head, "And it's not like it's Axel and Olivia's fault that they weren't there for that."

" _And_ we were there for the final act," said Axel, "So it's not like we weren't in it at _all_."

Petra's lips twitched, "You guys jealous?"

"No," Axel denied, a little too quickly, "Just… pointing out the facts."

" _That's true,"_ Lukas murmured, suddenly looking a little awkward, " _Um…"_

Jesse stood up, " _Hey, come on, guys. We all did it together. We're the Order of the Stone, after all."_

Ivor smiled proudly, reaching out and squeezing Jesse's shoulder. It was good to know the Order's name wouldn't always be tainted.

Lukas hummed thoughtfully, chewing on the inside of his cheek, " _It is a good note, though,"_ he pulled out a quill, scribbling something down, " _I'll keep that in mind when I'm editing."_

"I wonder if Aiden actually started writing too," Gill pondered, "He mentioned becoming a writer the last time we saw him."

Aiden blinked, "Oh, yeah, uh… maybe, I guess?"

Jesse's lips twitched, "Hey, who knows, you guys could be sending each other drafts or something."

Lukas seemed to consider this for a moment, then smiled, "I think I'd like that, actually."

Aiden stared, startled. Then he smiled as well.

"Yeah."

" _Well,"_ said Lukas, tapping his bottom lip with his quill, " _This has been really helpful feedback, guys. Once Ivor and Harper get back from their adventures, I can add a chapter about_ them… _and then it will_ finally _be done."_

Harper gave a considering hum, "Wonder where we've gotten off to."

Magnus grinned, "Maybe you're on your honeymoon."

Ivor shot him a glare, "Ellegaard?"

"Yes?"

"Would you kindly kick him for me?"

Ellegaard promptly did so. Magnus yelped, rubbing his new sore spot with a scowl.

"Hey, you're supposed to be on _my_ side!"

"Magnus, I shall never pass up an opportunity to kick you," she tried to hold back a smile, but it didn't really work, "Besides, Ivor told me to."

" _Man,"_ Axel said, " _They've been gone a_ long _time."_

Ellegaard paused, "It probably is a honeymoon, then."

Ivor groaned, "Oh, not you too."

"I would be unsurprised if you two actually _were_ on your honeymoon," Gabriel admitted, his grin widening when a scowling Ivor turned red; Harper, who was also looking rather red, buried her face in her hands.

"Oh dear lord…"

Ellegaard huffed a laugh, "Why don't we just- Radar, was it?"

Radar perked up, "Oh, uh, ye- yeah, that's me."

"You seem to know the most about what everyone's been up to," Ellegaard said, "Do you know if Harper and Ivor are on a honeymoon?"

"Uh…" realising that every pair of eyes was now on him, Radar's face suddenly turned sun-kissed, and he swallowed, nervously adjusting his thick glasses, "W-Well, uh… if there was a honeymoon, there would've had to have been a wedding first, and- and I'm, uh, pretty sure they would've invited Jesse, so…"

"So it's not a honeymoon?" Magnus asked, actually looking a little disappointed. Radar twisted his fingers.

"Actually, uh… I know he's… he's been meaning to pro- propose-"

Isa gasped, "So there _will_ be a honeymoon?!"

Radar cracked a tiny smile, although he was still rather red, "I- I would think so?"

"Aw, but it's ruined now," Soren pointed out, "She knows."

They glanced at Ivor and Harper. Both had apparently turned into tomatoes.

"Yeah, but she'll forget, won't she?" Sparklez said, "And he can always change the when and where."

"Can we please change the subject?" Ivor asked; his voice was slightly muffled from where he was covering his face. Magnus grinned.

"Now why would we do that?"

"Guys," said Jesse, although he couldn't help the wide grin stuck on his face, "He didn't even say he was planning on proposing while on this vacation thing."

Radar shrugged, still smiling awkwardly, "Yeah, uh… I- I dunno _when_ , it… uh, it might be on their vacation thing, I'm not sure. I only know 'cause, uh, 'cause Jesse was telling me about it."

"What's your relationship with Jesse, anyway?" asked Olivia, regarding Radar curiously, "I mean… we're the same age _now_ , but in your time, we're in our twenties."

"Oh, uh-"

"Hey, I think that's him there," Axel cut in, pointing to the screen.

At the end of the Hall, the door- which had the Amulet's insignia on it- lifted from the ground, revealing a somewhat familiar small figure making his way inside.

" _Jesse,"_ said Olivia, looking up at him, " _Your intern."_

The real Jesse's eyes widened, "I have an intern?"

Petra raised an eyebrow, "What would you need an intern for?"

RADAR made his way down the red carpet, timidly scratching the back of his head and smiling shyly, " _Jesse?"_

" _Oh, hey, Radar,"_ Jesse greeted, his smile becoming ever the more genuine. Radar's own smile became a little more nervous, twisting his fingers together, and he gave a hesitant little laugh.

" _Oh, gosh. Wow. I didn't know all of you would be in here."_

"Well, apart from Petra," Jesse muttered absently, stroking Reuben's head; he glanced over at Radar, "So you're my intern? What do I need an intern for?"

"Um, well," he shrugged slightly, "I- I guess it'll, uh… it'll show up. No point explaining, y'know?"

" _Olivia, ma'am,"_ said Radar, nodding towards her, then to the boys, " _Axel, sir. Lukas, sir,"_ they all smiled at him, Lukas tucking his book into his pocket, " _So sorry to interrupt everyone."_

Magnus and Ellegaard shared an amused look.

" _Aw,"_ Olivia murmured, " _He is just adorable."_

" _My deepest, sincerest, utmost apologies if I've caused any inconvenience."_

" _You don't need to apologise,"_ Jesse assured him, stepping off the stairs, " _We're just hanging out."_

" _Right, sorry- uh-"_ he shook his head, " _Uh, sorry- I- I mean, uh-"_

" _Aw,"_ Olivia cooed.

"I wonder where Jesse found him," Otto hummed quietly. Mevia shook her head; she didn't look all that impressed.

"When he was looking for interns, perhaps?"

Nell shook her head, kicking her legs back and forth, "Nah, brah, it was probably, like, some crazy coincidence or something."

Mevia regarded her for a moment, before returning her attention back to the screen, "In all honesty, you're probably right about that."

" _So,"_ said Jesse, " _What's up?"_

" _I got a message from Petra that she's on her way to the mines,"_ Radar explained, almost seeming relieved at the subject change, " _For that adventure you scheduled?"_

Petra's brow furrowed slightly, "We… have to schedule adventures now?"

"Don't you technically always schedule an adventure, though?" Olivia asked, "You know, plan it."

"Yeah, I guess," Petra muttered, brow still furrowed, "It's just… the way he said it."

" _If you hurry,"_ Radar continued, " _You should still have time for that_ and _your Founding Day duties."_

Jesse practically beamed, " _Oh, nice! We should get going."_

He made his way over to Radar, prepared to hurry to the mines. But the screen panned over to his friends to show them sharing uncomfortable looks.

" _Yeah, uh…"_ Lukas winced, scratching at the back of his hair, " _About that…"_

Jesse turned to face them, a slight frown on his face. Olivia and Axel pushed themselves off the stairs; the young woman bit her lip.

" _We actually got our_ own _Founding Day stuff we need to prep for,"_ she explained.

" _Yeah,"_ said Axel, " _I need to get back to Boom Town. I'm judging a TNT Rally in the morning."_

The real Axel grinned, "That sounds _awesome_."

" _And I need to finish grading some redstone assignments,"_ Olivia said. Lukas shifted his weight.

" _I was_ really _hoping to start in on these revisions."_

Jesse's frown deepened, " _Guys, we're supposed to be a team. It's our adventure night!"_

" _Sorry, Jesse,"_ said Axel, genuinely looking sad, " _It's just that… things are different now. You got your life and we've got ours."_

" _None of us can just… drop everything and go adventuring like we used to,"_ Olivia stated.

The real Jesse was fairly certain something (probably his heart) had gone very cold in his chest and sunk to his stomach. Axel and Olivia shared a frown, seeming just as happy about this new information as he was. Petra glanced about at them, as though waiting for them to say something; Lukas' gaze was locked on his hands.

The old Order shared somewhat upset frowns.

Onscreen, disappointment crept into Jesse's expression. Axel stepped forward and gripped his shoulder.

" _Tell Petra I said next time for sure, okay?"_

Romeo clenched his jaw, nails digging into his crossed arms. The tiny prick of pain surprised him enough to jolt him from his sudden flare of anger at the familiar situation, and his mismatched eyes darted down to his arms, though no mark had been left behind.

" _I can't wait to see how that sword of hers is coming along,"_ Axel continued, as the little group began to make their way to the doors. Jesse sighed, unable to completely pull the disappointment from his face.

" _Yeah, I'll tell her."_

" _I can't believe I'm walking out of the Order Hall_ with _the Order,"_ Radar squealed quietly to himself, although not quiet enough that he didn't earn himself a few grins from the others, " _Ha!"_

" _Ahh, so freaking cute!"_ Olivia exclaimed.

The screen drifted up the wall as the group made their way through the doors, and then everything went dark.

"Well," Magnus raised his eyebrows, "This has started off interesting, hasn't it?"

Hadrian rolled his eyes, looking rather bored, "Yes, yes, the champ has a kid to follow him around like a lost puppy and he and his friends are slowly drifting apart. Fascinating."

Petra shot him a scowl, "Hey, we're not 'drifting apart.' They're just busy."

"Yeah, we're still friends," Axel declared, glaring. Hadrian huffed a laugh, shaking his head.

"Friendships are always a waste of time. You'll realise that eventually."

Jesse clenched his jaw and ducked his head. Radar glanced around at them, worry clear on his face, before looking at Jesse. As though waiting for him to shoot the man down, or even just to give him a reassuring smile.

But he didn't. He didn't even raise his head.

_(You just get everyone killed.)_

An elbow, nudging into his side. Jesse looked up and met Lukas' concerned gaze.

"Hey, you alright?" the other boy asked quietly, so no one else could hear. Jesse plastered a smile onto his face. It felt wrong.

"'Course," he said, "Just because siblings don't hang out doesn't mean they're not siblings anymore, right?"

Lukas blinked, then smiled, "Yeah. Yeah, that's right."

Jesse kept that smile plastered in place. It didn't stop something heavy from sitting in his gut, though. It didn't stop that horrible, cold twist in his chest.

_(You just get everyone killed.)_

Maybe. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Maybe this was good. Maybe this was better.

Easier. Good. Better. Safer.

(He didn't want to be alone again.)

It almost felt like there were hands in his chest. Twisting his insides. Squeezing his lungs. Breaking his ribs. Bursting his heart.

Cold, cold hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you say to your friends when they told you they couldn't come on your adventure? It's okay, but we're a team or that's lame? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Short chapter, but I'm happy with it! Hope you guys are too ::D
> 
> MASSIVE THANKS to ChibotleKentucky for making some fanart of Movie Mode! I love it!


	90. Colour Me A Rainbow

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Ninety: Colour Me A Rainbow**

* * *

_Were you born too old and are afraid to die?_

* * *

The black faded to reveal the screen peeking over the side of a building, showing the Order Hall in all of its glory. There also appeared to be some rather interesting builds just out of sight; the clearest they could see was a giant cow head. There was the chatter of citizens.

Aiden blinked slowly, "What… what is _that?_ "

"It appears to be a giant cow head," Soren said, before chuckling, "Although I am, ah, unsure as to _why_ there appears to be a giant cow head in the sky."

"See, it's reasons such as _this_ ," Stella gestured to the screen, "That makes Champion City a _thousand_ times better than Beacontown."

Dan raised an eyebrow, "The fact that it has a giant floating cow head?"

"The fact," said Stella, shooting him a look, "That it's so _disorganised_ and _chaotic._ "

"It's a floating cow head," Mevia deadpanned. Jack chuckled.

"Wait until you see the _rest_."

The screen zipped down to the group making their way out of the Hall, as Radar's voice came through again.

" _So the other towns have Founding Day celebrations, huh?"_

" _Of course,"_ said Olivia, smiling over at him, " _We were_ all _part of taking down the Witherstorm. Redstonia even hosts a whole dance in Ellegaard's honour."_

A few eyes flickered over to the real Ellegaard. She'd lost a few shades of colour at the reminder, and swallowed thickly. Olivia, who abruptly looked as though someone had just punched her in the chest, shuffled backwards a little and pressed herself against the engineers legs, as though to remind herself she was there. Magnus reached over and curled his fingers around Ellegaards in a comforting squeeze.

" _Yeah,"_ Axel butted in, " _It's mostly TNT and fireworks in Boom Town. Magnus let me help design the firework finale this year."_

The real Axel gave a small grin at that. Magnus smiled as well, squeezing Ellegaad's hand.

Maybe that meant he and Axel had a similar relationship to the one they'd made here.

" _Well,"_ said Lukas, as the group came to a stop at the top of the stairs; he, Axel and Olivia skirted around to stand in front of Jesse and Radar, " _I promise I will try and stop by. It was awesome to catch up with you guys."_

Jesse chewed on the inside of his cheek. Maya and Gill shared a somewhat sad glance.

" _Totally,"_ said Axel, smiling. Olivia nodded in agreement.

" _Yeah, this has been great."_

Jesse sighed, his own smile slipping a little, " _Won't be the same without you guys."_

" _Aw, buddy,"_ Axel's brow furrowed, but he still smiled; he reached out and tugged Jesse into a little half-hug, " _You're gonna make me sad."_

Jesse smiled up at him, properly this time. But then Axel gave him a little squeeze and pulled away, and that smiled slipped again, if only for a brief moment; he hastily, almost sloppily, plastered it back into place. Neither Axel nor Olivia seemed to notice.

Ivor frowned at that.

The two began to make their way into the town. An ever so slight crease fitted Lukas' brow; he glanced over his shoulder at the other two, before returning his gaze to Jesse and giving him a reassuring smile.

" _Thanks again, guys,"_ he said, seemingly deciding not to mention Jesse's slapped on smile, " _I'll let you know as soon as I'm done with the revisions."_

" _Oh. Cool,"_ Axel said, his head poking around Lukas' as the blond turned to look at him; there was an obvious force to his 'excited' smile, " _Can't wait."_

" _Axel,"_ Olivia warned. Lukas rolled his eyes, although he couldn't help his growing smile. With that, he turned and the three left Jesse and Radar standing at the top of the stairs. The intern waved after them, still looking a bit starstruck.

The real Jesse shook his head, lips twitching; it was so strange to think that the boys excitement was directed at _him._ Almost exactly like how he and his friends had reacted to the Order of the Stone before they really got to know them.

" _I tell ya,"_ said Radar, beaming brightly and planting his hands on his hips, " _I am just the luckiest."_

Jesse shot him a genuine smile, although there was still just a tiny hint of sadness at the departure of his friends; he began to make his way down the steps, " _Yeah?"_

" _Oh, yeah!"_ Radar followed after him, beam somehow brightening further, " _Getting to work with you, hanging out with the Order. And living in the coolest town in the whole world,"_ he jumped off the last few steps, gesturing widely to the town before them, " _Beacontown!"_

Stella scoffed.

The screen turned, moving over and upwards as the duo made their way into the town; to reveal a world of colour, birght purples and blazing oranges and baby blues, and right smack damn in the middle of this splatter was the familiar slogan of _MINECRAFT: STORY MODE_ except with a brand new _SEASON TWO_ smacked into the middle.

"Oh my god," Lukas breathed, mouth slacking open, "Is that- Is that _Beacontown?_ "

"It looks _amazing!_ " Maya exclaimed, a grinning Gill nodding in agreement. Aiden's eyes were a few sizes bigger, mouth dropped wide open in shock; it twitched into a disbelieving smile.

Soren's eyes practically gleamed, "Spectacular."

Axel laughed, "This is so _cool_."

"Yeah," Olivia breathed, "Like this, it must be up right up there with Boom Town and Redstonia!"

Jack chuckled, "Of course it is. You get people of all sorts in Beacontown."

A parrot squeaked, flapping into sight; the screen cut to this parrot landing on a tree, its leaves waving in a gentle breeze. What appeared to be a whale could be spotted just over the tops of a few buildings, balls of glass acting as bubbles.

"That's a whale," Dan laughed, "Guys, that's a _whale!_ "

"Really?" Stella drawled, although there was a tint of amazement that was she hastily smothering in her eyes, "I thought it was an octopus."

Nurm hummed something. Jack chuckled.

"Well, there _is_ an octopus, so…"

Nell's head whipped around so fast her hair smacked Mevia in the face, "There's an _octopus_?!"

"Binta," Cam breathed, voice a quiet whisper; she couldn't tear her eyes from the screen, "Binta, it's _blue_."

"It is," Binta murmured; her eyes darted to the windows, almost hopefully. Black.

As though she'd expected otherwise.

Seemingly deciding it was unhappy with this particular spot, the bird took off again, the screen following it as it flew past what looked remarkably like a surfers hut; in the background appeared to be two giant cats. The screen cut, trailing the parrot from beneath, passing a twin pair of solar-powered redstone lamps. The parrot on a stall decorated with banners, two of which had the Order's Amulet stitched on them, where a blue and a green parrot were already stationed.

It twittered with the blue one for a moment, before it fluttered up to a higher spot, the screen cutting- and, yes, that was most definitely a mug with glass steam coming out of it on top of that building, and the ones behind it looked to be a bunny and a rather odd green thing that was either a squid or an alien; peeking over the top of the building the parrot had just fluttered up onto could only be the massive head of a purple octopus with bright orange eyes.

"Oh, wow," Anthony muttered, "I could really go with a hot chocolate now. And some cookies to go with it."

"Maybe we can make some after lunch," Stacy said; as cheerful as everything appeared to be, she had a horrible feeling her sweet tooth was going to be kicking in _eventually_.

"This is spectacular," Milo declared, shaking his head in astonishment, "Absoloutley _spectacular_."

"It is indeed," Isa smiled. "Perhaps Fallin will hold a similar beauty."

Milo shot her a breathless smile, "Spec _tacular_."

Almost immediately, the little parrot was leaping into the air again; it flapped down a street, over the heads of a few clucking chickens, a man seated on a table of sorts and a rather familiar man with a mullet making his way down the street; it flew passed a shop, bearing a massive sign.

Nurm exclaimed, pointing a finger at the screen. Jack blinked, squinting for a moment, but the scene had only been there for a brief second.

"You sure that was-"

"Oh, will you shut _up_?" Hadrian abruptly snapped, gaining a few taken-aback glances. Jack's mouth popped open in surprise, but it was not him who was being glared at; in fact, it was Nurm.

"No one has _any idea_ what you're saying," he continued, "So could you _perhaps_ do us all a favour and not say _anything_ at all for the remainder of the watching?"

Everyone gaped at him for a long moment. Hurt crossed Nurm's face. Mevia's jaw worked.

"Hadrian-"

Jack's shocked expression turned thunderous. Then he leapt to his feet, making to march towards the Old Builder, but Nurm was jumping after him and grabbing his arm, speaking rapidly. Jack continued to fume.

"You wanna repeat that again, _pal_?" he spat, almost as though he couldn't hear Nurm trying to calm him down. Hadrian returned his glare with a mildly irritated one.

"Get your Villager," he hissed through gritted teeth, "To _shut_ its _mouth_."

Nurm flinched; Jack roared, rage burning his face. He tore himself from Nurm's slackened grip, not even bothering to take the time to draw his sword; Magnus ripped himself from the couch and grabbed him before he could pummel the Old Builder into the carpet.

"I'll show you, you racist piece of-"

"Racist?" Hadrian barked a laugh, "It's a _Villager_ , you moron. You can get them from _spawn eggs_."

Jack gave another vicious roar, increasing his struggles to escape Magnus' grip. The king grunted.

"Come on, man, you're only gunna make things worse-"

"Worse?!" Jack exclaimed, shooting him a glare, "How am _I_ making things _worse_?!"

"He's already had the crap beaten out of him a good few times," Magnus said, returning his glare, although it held no real heat, "It's hardly done anything to help. _We'll_ deal with him. Just…" he sighed, "Just help your _other half_ , would you?"

Jack continued to glare at him for a moment. Then he turned to to Hadrian, face twisting into a vicious sneer, before he tore himself from Magnus' grip, spun around and marched back over to Nurm. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders, muttering words too low for anyone to properly catch, and led him back to the couch.

Magnus released a breath, before turning and glaring at a surprised looking Hadrian. He returned to the couch, flopping down next to Ellegaard, as though suddenly drained. She grabbed his hand and leant her head against his shoulder.

"That was shockingly mature of you," she murmured. Magnus hummed.

"Don't call me mature, Ellie."

She grinned, "Just a fact."

Rolling his eyes, he leant his cheek against the top of her head, "Shut up."

Radar blinked over at them, before leaning over to Jesse and lowering his voice, "I thought the stories always said they hated each other?" he faltered, "That- That _is_ Ellegaard the Redstone Engineer, right?"

Jesse's lips twitched, "Sure is. Let's just say watching the future is… a surprisingly good way at building relationships."

"Really?"

Jesse's eyes flickered over to Ivor.

"Really."

Onscreen, the parrot flew past a bridge connecting two treehouses, vines dangling from it, two citizens chatting as they made their way across; finally, it fluttered onto an avil at the edge of a small stage decorated with banners of the Order's colour and, right in the middle, a banner of the monstrous Witherstorm.

The screen zipped straight upwards, giving them a brief birds eye view of the parrot and the little stage, before turning and revealing Beacontown in all of its colourful glory, the Rainbow Beacon alight right in front of the Order Hall.

"It's changed so much," Olivia murmured. Axel nodded in agreement.

"It looks so _rad_. Can't wait to see it in person."

Petra snorted, "Yeah, in, like, seven years."

"Still."

The redhead laughed, "Whatever, dude."

" _I realise that somedays you'd rather be out adventuring with your friends,"_ said Radar, as the screen cut back to him and Jesse outside the Order Hall; he smiled almost shyly up at the hero, clasping his hands together, " _But I'm really glad you're our leader._ _You just… make this place awesome."_

The real Jesse blinked, looking a little bewildered, " _I_ make this place awesome? Have you _looked_ at it?"

"Wait," Cassie cut in, making Radar pause as he actually seemed to notice the strange girl sitting amongst them, "Did he call Jesse the leader?"

Petra gasped, "Jesse's the _mayor_?"

"What? No, no way," Jesse said, blinking; he glanced at Radar, "I'm not, right?"

Radar paused, before shaking his head, "Well, _no_ , you're the Leader and Hero in Residence. Although you might as well be the Mayor at times."

Jesse gaped at him, "Seriously?"

"Well," Olivia hid a grin, "Explains why you have an intern."

" _I really do love this place,"_ Jesse said, turning to smile down at his intern, " _And it just keeps getting cooler."_

Radar's grin widened, " _Right? I love it too. It's exactly the kind of home I'd always dreamt of having."_

"N'aw," murmured Stampy, leaning his cheek against Dan's shoulder, "He's adorable, isn't he?"

Dan chuckled, "He's definitely the excitable type."

" _I know Petra is waiting for you in the mines,"_ Radar continued; Jesse glanced over to where he'd indicated, the screen cutting to show the mines near the gate, distinguishable by the two giant pickaxes placed on top the entrance and the group of miners chatting outside, " _But I bet people would really appreciate you helping set up for the celebration."_

Jesse chuckled, turning and beginning to make his way towards the gates, " _I'll keep that in mind."_

"He probably does stuff like that all day, though, if he's really like the mayor," Stacy pointed out, "Especially if he actually has to _schedule_ adventures now."

"That's, uh… that's true," Radar muttered, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. Lukas fiddled absently with his cast.

Onscreen, Jesse made his way further into town, glancing about at the splatter of bright rainbow colours. He came to a stop in front of beacon, which had been converted into a sort of fountain as well over the years. Radar trailed up behind him as he regarded it.

" _The Rainbow Beacon,"_ Jesse hummed, " _It's powered by the Nether Star the Witherstorm dropped."_

" _Oh, I know!"_ Radar gushed, face lighting up, " _Even before I moved to Beacontown, I came on a trip to see the Beacon. I love this thing."_

Soren hummed, "Yes, I suppose the Beacon would become quite the tourist attraction, considering its symbolism."

"Seeing as how they actually named it after said Beacon, I would think so," said Maya. Radar's brow furrowed.

"What was it called before?"

Maya opened her mouth to answer, but then paused, "Uh… Town."

Radar blinked, "Town?"

"I don't think it actually has a name."

"How come?" Binta asked. Maya shrugged.

"I am not the person you should be asking that to."

Jesse shot Radar an agreeing smile, before making his way around the Rainbow Beacon. He passed a few stalls, one bearing a rather impressive map, and paused as he came to a rather familiar pad. Except it had been expanded; the lava had been replaced with streams of water; there were blocks of lapis dotted about it, vines clinging to the sides.

Harper blinked, "Hey, is that… ?"

"Oh, it looks so _awesome_ ," breathed Axel. Ivor grinned.

"It does indeed!"

" _Hope Ivor and Harper are having fun out there in the Portal Network,"_ Jesse said, planting his hands on his hips as he regarded the structure ( _house_ was debatable), " _Can't wait to hear about it when they get back."_

Magnus started cackling, "Proposaaaaaaal."

"I _will_ injure you," Ivor declared, shooting him a glare. Magnus only grinned at him.

"Woah, wait a minute," Ellegaard said, straightening a little in her seat. She was grinning widely. "Is he implying that Ivor and Harper _live_ together?"

Ivor and Harper paused, before looking at each other, faces turning bright red; Jesse hid a grin behind his hand and glanced questionably at Radar. The intern didn't even need him to ask; he leant closer to him, lips twitching, lowering his voice.

"They do."

Jesse left Ivor's Pad, spotting Radar admiring what was most certainly a giant octopus, its purple tentacles twisting through a pool of water. He made his way over to him, turning his attention to the impressive build.

" _You craving seafood?"_

" _Always,"_ said Radar; then, brow furrowing, he cocked his head, " _Why?"_

"Uh, 'cause it's _good_ ," Slab declared.

Jesse shrugged, shooting his intern an amused look. He left his intern to continue to admire the giant octopus, making his way around the pool- then the door to what appeared to be a large surfers hut was thrown open and none other than Nell walked out onto the porch, a massive grin on her face.

" _Jesse, dude!"_

Nell gasped, "Dude!" she turned her massive grin to Mevia, " _Dude!_ "

Mevia shot her a look that was probably intended to be strange, but was tinted with amusement, "Yes, we see it's you, Nell."

" _Nell!"_ Jesse exclaimed, a wide grin taking over his face as he made his way towards her; just like the others, she did look a bit older, although still sported an incredibly similar style to when they'd first met her, " _I thought you were out seeing the worlds?"_

" _Did that! Righteous times!"_ Nell said, returning his smile; she shifted her arms across her chest, " _Thought I'd try settling down for a while, though. Like, I_ love _danger and derring-do as much as the next person, but sometimes you just wanna have a place to store your junk, okay?"_

Anthony seemed to consider this for a moment, before nodding, "Makes sense."

" _Well, I'm so glad you're here!"_ Jesse declared, Radar leaving the octopus to trail up behind him. Nell's smile widened.

" _Man, that is_ just _the sort of warm welcome I had hoped. You rock, Jesse dude."_

Mevia regarded the onscreen Nell for a moment, humming quietly, "She's certainly older."

Otto raised an eyebrow at her, "Yes, I suppose she is. Does that… mean something to you?"

"Don't go there, Otto."

"Slightly late."

Nell glanced between them, looking rather lost but smiling anyway, "Uh… what?"

Otto's lips twitched into a smile, "Don't worry about it."

" _Between you and me,"_ Nell continued, lowering herself to sit down on the porch, " _I'm worried that I won't, like, fit in here. So many rad builds, awesome people… I really want to make, like, a good first impression, you know?"_

"Oh, I'm sure that's unnecessary," Stampy said, smiling, "But I _am_ curious as to where she's going with this."

" _Which I thought,"_ said Nell, a suggestive tone entering her voice, " _Might be helped if my front yard had a statue by the one and only Jesse?"_

She gestured to a small platform stationed in her front yard, Jesse following her gaze to it. The young man hummed, chewing on his bottom lip.

" _Not sure if I have time,"_ he admitted, " _But I'll see what I can do."_

Harper smiled, lowering her voice so only Ivor could hear, "He's such a good kid, isn't he?"

Ivor's own lips twitched into a smile, "He is, isn't he?"

Nell beamed at him, climbing back to her feet, " _Hey, hey, hey! This is gonna be so cool!"_ she pointed to a pile of multi-coloured clay stacked next to the platform, " _Scoop up that clay over there and let's get to business!"_

Jesse made his way over to the pile of clay, the screen speeding up as he knocked it all down. Pocketing the last block of clay, he turned to the platform, hands going to his hips.

" _Ah, a blank canvas,"_ he murmured.

Cassie cocked her head curiously, "What's he gunna build?"

Over on her porch, Nell started swaying to the music coming from her jukebox. Jesse built about on the platform for a few minutes, placing and mining and placing, shifting between the array of colours. Finally, he stepped back, regarding his creation with a slightly cocked it; it wasn't exactly distinguishable, made out of deep and light blue and red clay, two small half-squares at the front, a higher one of a different pattern behind it and off to the side and a red spike in the back.

Smiling, Jesse wiped his hands and back away, grinning at his creation. Radar beamed at it, Nell's eyes sparking.

" _That is some_ sweet _work,"_ she said, fist pumping, " _Noice!"_

"It's alright," Cassie shrugged. Jesse rolled his eyes good naturally.

" _Oh, Jesse, dude!"_ Nell exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a hug, " _Thanks!"_

Jesse chuckled as they pulled away, " _It was my pleasure."_

" _Well, it is an_ honour _, mi amigo,"_ said Nell, before turning and making her way back to her house, twisting slightly to look at him over her shoulder and wave, " _And don't be a stranger, okay?"_

" _Well,"_ Radar hummed, huffing a small laugh, " _She is a… fascinating woman, isn't she? Very free spirited."_

Jesse chuckled, turning to face him properly and crossing his arms, " _Yeah. Kind of reminds me of Petra back in her early days."_

Petra blinked, before raising an eyebrow at Jesse, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Uh… that you're very free spirited?"

" _Speaking of whom,"_ Jesse continued, " _You said she's waiting for me at the-"_

" _-Mineshaft,"_ Radar gave a single nod, pointing; the screen cut back to the entrance of the mines, " _Mmhm."_

Jesse nodded at him, before beginning to make his way further down the road.

Axel frowned slightly, before grinning, "Dude, is that our fireworks dispenser?"

"Oh, hey, it is," Olivia mumbled, a tad sleepily, "Didn't it burn down?"

"It's a recreation," Jack explained, although he still sounded a little bitter, "It was in Lukas' book and someone decided to build it; think they asked Jesse whether or not it was accurate and everything."

Jesse blinked, "Huh."

Just as Jesse was coming to the bottom of the fireworks dispenser, WINK leapt from the pool wall, yapping happily and beginning to run circles around him. StacyPlays and StampyCat turned to face them.

" _Woah!"_ Jesse exclaimed, startled. Stacy huffed a small laugh.

" _Oh, Wink! Get back here! Leave Jesse alone!"_

"It's us!" Stacy exclaimed; Wink's tail began to thump happily against her leg. Stampy blinked, looking pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, yeah!"

" _Hello there, Jesse!"_ greeted Stampy, sending the young man a large smile, " _I was wondering when we'd run into each other!"_

Stacy smiled as well, " _Thought we'd give this town of yours a try!"_

"Oh, that's awesome!" Stampy beamed, "That looks like a lovely town to live in!"

Stacy nodded in agreement, running her fingers through the real Wink's fur, "Yeah, totally!"

Dan frowned slightly, "Wonder where _I_ am, though. Wasn't I with you guys?"

Stampy rested his chin on the other boys shoulder, "I'm sure you're about, Dan."

Dan hummed, still not looking all that convinced. Anthony glanced around at the other YouTubers.

"How come there's only two of you, anyway?" he asked, "Dan, Lizzie and Captain Sparklez are all missing."

Many people winced at his obliviosness. Sparklez swallowed, suddenly a rather pasty colour; Lizzie turned her gaze to the ground.

A long, awkward moment passed. Looking unsure, Anthony glanced around, brow furrowing.

"Uh… did I- did I say something?"

"I thought you said you were from the future," Lizzie muttered, so quietly they almost didn't hear. Anthony blinked.

"Well, uh, I guess I've been away from home for a while, but, uh…" he chewed on the inside of his cheek, "Did- Did something happen?"

"Yes," said Stacy. She didn't clarify. Anthony got the hint and, hunching in on himself a little, returned his eyes to the screen.

"Okay. I'm sorry."

" _It's quite lovely,"_ Stampy stated, as the puppy continued to run excited circled around Jesse.

" _Yeah,"_ Stacy agreed, " _And I can't believe how many people are here!"_

"Neither can I," muttered Aiden.

" _Well, it's so great to see you!"_ Jesse said, smiling widely; Wink continued his yapping, still running around him, " _We need to hang out!"_

"That is one excitable puppy," Clutch muttered. She shook her head upon realising Facemeat, Slab and Oxblood were all cooing at the little thing.

Meanwhile, the real Wink and Blocco had finally noticed each other. Cam gripped the wiggling puppy tighter, Wink starting to yap excitedly from Stacy's lap; both their ears were raised, tails wagging, ready to play.

From Lukas' lap, Dewey blinked bleary eyes, watching the two in obvious annoyance. A slight hiss came from Winslow.

" _That sounds wonderful!"_ Stampy declared. Stacy nodded happily.

" _Yeah, totally!"_

Radar trailed up behind Jesse, the young man turning to look over at his intern; he still had a happy dog running circles around him.

" _Radar, this is StacyPlays and StampyCat,"_ Jesse introduced; Stacy and Stampy waved in greeting, Radar returning it with a shy smile. He glanced down at Wink.

" _Oh, Wink,"_ Stacy rolled her eyes good naturally and made her way over as the little puppy twirled around and stopped in front of Jesse, still yapping; she pulled a stack of bones from her pocket, " _Here, Jesse, give him a bone and he'll calm right down."_

Jesse accepted the bones and turned his attention down to the little dog. He yapped up at him and, lips twitching, Jesse reached down and patted his head.

"He's so cuuuute," murmured Soup, squishing her cheeks. Val chuckled in agreement.

" _Here, Wink,"_ said Jesse, waving one of the bones about, " _Nice tasty bone?"_

Wink bit down on the bone, tail wagging joyfully, the crunch of his teeth sinking into the marrow. He looked, somehow, even happier than before, but had thankfully ceased running in circles. Stacy chuckled, bending down to pat Wink's head.

" _Aw, see? He likes you."_

Jesse chuckled a tad awkwardly, scratching the back of his hair with his free hand, " _Heh, yeah. You want these back?"_

" _Nah, hang onto them,"_ Stacy said, waving him away, " _I've got_ tons. _You never know when you're gonna need to tame a wolf."_

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, "I suppose?"

"In which situation would taming a wolf be strictly necessary?" questioned Reginald. Stacy shrugged.

"Hey, I dunno what future me knows yet, okay?"

Ivor shook his head, "What a strange, strange sentence."

" _Well, thanks,"_ said Jesse, tucking the bones into his pocket. Stampy spoke up.

" _I imagine you're terribly busy, so we won't keep you,"_ he said, " _But you should come see what we're working on because it's pretty cool."_

"Well, now I'm curious," Otto muttered.

" _Yeah, what Stampy said,"_ Stacy nodded, before turning and pointing to the end of the street, " _Our place is by the gate."_

Jesse smiled and gave a small nod, " _Will do! See you guys later!"_

Stampy and Stacy made their way back down the street. Jesse watched them go for a moment, before turning his gaze up to the giant statue of a creeper before him. Nostalgia crossed his face.

" _Aw, those were the days,"_ he murmured, " _Simpler times."_

"Does it show you guys building the original statue in the other episodes?" Radar asked. Jesse nodded, rubbing Reuben's head.

"Yeah, was one of the first things that happened," he said, "We were actually in the middle of building it when we were transported here."

Radar's eyes bulged, "Seriously?"

"Yu _p_ ," Jesse said, popping the 'p,' "Didn't know Ivor, didn't know Harper, wasn't even friends with Lukas."

"Yeah," Lukas murmured, brow furrowing, "That… feels like years ago. How long have we even been here?"

"Well, for _us_ ," said Ellegaard, "It's been a month and a half. For the first group of newcomers, it's almost been a month."

"Wait a minute," Binta cut in, straightening in her seat, "You've been here for over a _month?_ "

"Yeah," Olivia mumbled, half asleep on Ellegaard's leg, "Kinda getting homesick."

"But a _month_?" Binta repeated, "How long are _we_ going to be here?"

"It's… hard to say," Harper admitted, "We tried to finish them before the night came, but…" she weakly gestured to the dark windows, "That didn't work out so well."

"Before… _before_ the night came?" Val asked; she turned her eyes to the window, "We could, like… see the sun?"

This earnt her a few confused looks. Xara had stiffened.

"Uh… yeah?" said Lizzie, frowning. Porkchop broke out into a massive grin, showing off their rotten teeth. It was… quite disturbing, actually.

Jesse continued down the street, glancing around at all the colours; a flock of parrots squawked and took flight as he passed. He crossed the road, and a waving fan had him pausing and making his way over to her. She immediately spotted him.

" _Oh, wow, it's really you!"_ she gasped, face lighting up; she gestured to the fireworks dispenser, Jesse twisting slightly to look at it, " _My friend told me this was a recreation of your first big build, way back before the Witherstorm, before all that."_

Axel raised his eyebrows, "Woah. Who knew our dumb statue would get so much recognition after seven years?"

"It's not _dumb_ ," Radar protested, actually looking a bit offended; Axel blinked down at him, then huffed an amused laugh.

"Whatever you say, little buddy."

" _Is it true?"_ the fan asked, turning her attention back to Jesse, " _You have_ got _to tell me more about it. I can barely even picture it! I have devoured_ everything _Lukas has written about you guys in those days. But I still have so many questions."_

Petra blinked slowly, "About _what?_ "

Jesse chuckled, shrugging lightly; Radar had trailed up behind him again, almost looking as eager as the fan, " _Heh, alright. I love talking about the good old days."_

" _Yes!"_ the fan exclaimed, her smile brightening, " _I'm just so curious… where does your inspiration come from?"_

The real Jesse blinked, "For… For the creeper?"

"Wasn't it Axel and Olivia that gave suggestions for a statue?" Aiden asked, "It was, like, a creeper or an enderman or something."

Jesse shrugged, "I mean, we could've gone for a zombie as well."

"We could've," said Axel, "But a creeper makes more sense. Because, y'know, fireworks dispenser. Explosions."

Olivia yawned, "Yeah, but an enderman. For _Endercon_."

"I still believe you should've chosen the enderman," declared Soren. Lukas rolled his eyes.

"We know, d- Soren."

" _Was there a deeper meaning? Oh, or like, a critique of the world maybe?"_

"It's… fireworks," the real Jesse said, a tad weakly. Olivia chuckled, head still rested on Ellegaard's knee.

"If we'd gone with an enderman, it could've been a pun."

Petra groaned, "Oh, please don't give him any ideas."

" _I draw my inspiration from my friends,"_ Jesse stated, shrugging, " _We were a team. It was a group effort."_

Axel grinned and shook a lazy fist in the air, "Whooo, prepare."

Petra chuckled.

" _Oh, classic Jesse,"_ the fan said, smile somehow widening, " _I love that. The build I really wish I got to see was what you built to take down the Witherstorm. Now_ that _must have been_ terrifying _!"_

"Well, I'm sure _doing_ it was terrifying, but I don't think the actual build was," Maya admitted, "What was it you built? A flying barge?"

Lukas thought for a moment, before nodding, "Yeah, like the one Ivor had at his lab, only vertical."

Petra's lips twitched into a grin, "And didn't Jesse blast himself towards it with some TNT?"

"Woah," Soup breathed, "That sounds _awesome._ "

Radar nodded in agreement, eyes sparkling, "I am _so_ watching the other episodes!"

" _The world coming apart at the seams… tentacles everywhere…"_

" _Well, it's like I said about drawing inspiration from my friends,"_ Jesse smiled, " _We all gave each other strength during that fight."_

" _Amazing,"_ the fan breathed, " _I hope I have friends like that someday."_

The mentioned group of friends smiled at each other.

" _Oh, you are just the best,"_ she declared, " _And thank you so much for taking the time to stop and talk to me."_

" _Not a problem,"_ said Jesse, " _I'll see you around, alright?"_

With that, Jesse left the fan to her business. Radar had come to a stop in front of Reuben's memorial and, glancing at him, Jesse began to make his way over.

The real Jesse bit his lip, chest suddenly heavy at the sight; he tugged Reuben a little closer.

Onscreen, Jesse came to a halt in front of the banner of Reuben, his name printed on a plaque beneath it. A sad look crossed his face.

" _Best pig that ever lived,"_ he sighed, " _I miss ya, buddy."_

Reuben whined, crawling into Jesse's lap. The boy gladly pulled him into a hug, not really noticing how Radar, Jack, Nurm and Stella had turned to watch them. Sniffling, his (future) intern wiped at his eyes, pushing his glasses up his face. Lukas looked from him to Jesse, before patting them both on the back, which was slightly awkward with one of his arms being in a cast.

" _Aw, man,"_ Radar murmured, joining Jesse; the young man turned to look at him, " _I wish I could've met Reuben. He sounded amazing."_

"And now I have!" Radar exclaimed, grinning widely, although his eyes were still a tiny bit shiny. Jesse shot him a small smile, Reuben making happy little piggy noises.

" _I read Lukas' book the other day,"_ Radar continued, " _That chapter about Reuben almost got me crying right there."_

" _I think he would've liked you."_

Radar turned to look at him, eyes widening, " _Yeah?"_

" _Oh, yeah,"_ said Jesse, lips twitching into a little smile; it was still a bit sad, but it was genuine at the same time, " _I bet you would've totally been friends."_

The real Radar beamed at that, Lukas and Jesse sharing a slightly amused look. Giving his pig one last squeeze, Jesse picked him up and dumped him into Radar's lap.

"There you go," he said, "Now you can be buddies."

Radar gaped down at the little pig, who looked up at him with big, curious eyes. Hesitantly, the intern reached out and began rubbing his head. Reuben's eyelids fluttered, leaning into his touch. Radar's lips grew into a wide smile.

" _Wow,"_ Radar muttered, glancing back at the memorial, a smile tugging at his lips. Then a man shuffled forward, face lighting up as though he'd just discovered something wonderful.

" _Oh my god, it's you!"_ he exclaimed. Jesse blinked at him, before smiling.

" _Oh, yup, it's me,"_ he said; his brow furrowed slightly, " _What are- What are you doing here?"_

Isa shook her head, looking a bit amused, "He appears to be sitting in the street."

"You know, I _don't_ think that's what I meant."

" _Oh, wow, this is actually perfect,"_ said the man, ignoring his question and glancing over at the three piggies lounged off to the side, " _For Founding Day this year, we're picking a pig to play the part of Reuben on the float!"_

"N'aw," Dan cooed, "That's cute."

Jesse reached over and rubbed his piggy's head.

" _Oh, that's really cute,"_ said Radar, smiling. The pig farmer beamed.

" _Right? Would you be interested in maybe… help me pick?"_

The screen panned over the three little pigs; one was flopped, legs spread, on the ground.

" _I mean,"_ the pig farmer continued, " _Who knows Reuben better than Jesse, right?"_

" _Yeah,"_ said Radar, " _Talk about knowledgeable casting."_

"Will you look at that," Magnus murmured, so only Ellegaard could hear him, "He really was remembered."

"Of course," Ellegaard muttered back, smiling softly, sadly, "Who could forget that little guy?"

Magnus hummed quietly, giving her a little squeeze. Ellegaard rested her head against his shoulder, wondering at the back of her mind whether or not _she_ was actually being remembered properly. There was, of course, that dance Olivia had mentioned.

But she wondered if Magnus remembered her.

If he cared enough to.

" _It would be an honour,"_ said the pig farmer, " _To say that the pig was hand-chosen by Jesse for the part."_

" _I would love to!"_ Jesse said, smiling at the pig farmer, " _Seems like the least I could do."_

A sad smile crossed the real Jesse's face. Petra reached over and gripped his shoulder, almost at the same time Ivor reached out and gently tangled his fingers into the boy's hair. Jesse leant his head back a little so it rested on the edge of the potionologist's knee, absently leaning into his touch; the smile that he shot Petra was a little less sad.

" _Oh, that's fantastic!"_ the pig farmer exclaimed, literally jumping for joy, " _Thank you so much!"_

" _Alright,"_ said Jesse, approaching the little row of pigs, " _Let's see 'em."_

" _Okay, piggies!"_ the pig farmer said, rubbing one of the pigs head as they obediently lined up, " _Show Jesse your good side!"_

"This man is rather excited about pigs," murmured Milo. Isa's lips twitched.

"Personally," she murmured back, "I prefer chickens."

Milo glanced down at the happy little chicken currently nestled in the Founders lap. He shook his head, although couldn't keep all of the amusement off his face. "We're well aware of that, Isa."

The pig farmer circled around so that he was behind the three piggies; the screen followed him as he walked along, pointing to each pig as he spoke, " _That's Estaban, Smushy Cutecheeks and Lord Von Thunderpork VI!"_

He trailed off with a small laugh.

"There's been _six_ Lord Von Thunderpork's?" questioned Cassie, raising an eyebrow. Magnus cackled.

"Oh, what a great name. No _wonder_."

" _Tried my best to bring the pigs that felt the most… Reuben-esque. Hm?"_

" _They're all adorable,"_ cooed Radar.

Hadrian stared at the screen in disbelief for a moment, before shaking his head and meeting Otto's gaze from across the room, pulling a face as though to say 'they all look the _same_.'

Otto simply shot him an amused look and shrugged. Rolling his eyes, Hadrian turned his attention back to the screen.

" _Raised all of 'em myself."_

Jesse regarded the row of pigs for a moment, tucking one arm across his middle and resting his elbow on it, tapping his bottom lip.

The familiar gesture earned a few amused looks from some audience members; it was good to see that not _everything_ had dramatically changed.

" _My vote is for Lord Von Thunderpork VI,"_ Jesse finally declared, stepping forward to rub the piggie's head, " _No question. Look at that regal little guy."_

"Nothing like the real thing, though," Radar murmured, rubbing Reuben's back. The pig oinked happily.

Onscreen, Radar cocked his head, slightly raising an eyebrow, " _Really?"_

" _Ah, I_ knew _that's who you'd choose! Fantastic!"_ exclaimed the pig farmer; he bent down, hugging the chosen pig, kissing him and putting on a baby voice, " _Congratulations!"_

Porkchop chortled; it made them sound remarkably like an actual pig, "Guy sure likes his piggies!"

Jesse shot them a somewhat uncomfortable look; Reuben buried a little deeper into Radar's hug, whining quietly. The intern reassuringly scratched him behind the ear.

Straightening, the pig farmer cleared his throat, putting on a more professional posture, " _Thank you, Jesse. I'm going to go get him ready and I'll see you at the celebration."_

With that, the pig farmer turned and began to lead his pigs down the street. Radar waved after the man, smiling; Jesse looked slightly awkward.

" _Bye!"_

Petra snickered, "Sure he and Jesse get along."

"Shut up, Petra."

Jesse and Radar continued making their way to the mines, passing what appeared to be a rather lovely looking cafe. Just past it was a row of sugar cane.

Eyes captured, Jesse veered off to it; he tugged it out of the ground, " _Sugar, nice!"_

Slab raised a thick eyebrow, "Did he… Did he just steal someone's sugar?"

Clutch shrugged, "Well, I mean, they left it out in the open, so…"

Jesse pocketed the sugar and continued down the street, Radar having disappeared somewhere. Passing someone's front garden, Jesse cocked his head upon spotting what appeared to be a pressure plate stationed in front of a piston and made his way over to it.

" _What is_ this _for?"_

Ellegaard frowned, regarding the simple contraption curiously. Then her eyes widened.

"Uh, I wouldn't-"

Jesse stood on the pressure plate. The piston popped up to eye-level, revealing the previously unseen piston beneath it, and promptly smacked him in the face, sending him flying onto his back.

A few stifled giggles broke out amongst the audience. Ellegaard covered her mouth, although couldn't help her own smile; Magnus wasn't even _attempting_ to stifle his laughter.

"Oh dear," murmured Harper, covering her twitching lips. Petra was laughing so hard there wasn't even any noise. Lukas sympathetically patted Jesse's shoulder, although he was quite obviously fighting his own laughter.

"It's quite-" the blond made a strange, suppressed snorting noise, "Quite _in the face_ , isn't it?"

"You're all jerks," Jesse declared. He was fairly certain he could hear muffled giggles coming from the wall as well.

Traitor.

Jesse sat up, staring wide-eyed at the completely unnecessary contraption. Rubbing his now slightly sore face, he climbed to his feet and, mumbling something about hoping that no one saw that, hastily continued down the street.

A group of people were huddled around a slime trampoline, one bouncing on top of it and the other two standing around it; one of the two on the ground, a guy with ginger hair, spotted him and burst out into a wide grin.

" _Jesse!"_

The real Jesse cocked his head a little, before looking over at Radar, "Do I know him?"

"Uh, no," Radar said, "He just, uh, likes to call on you a lot and ask for suggestions-like all the other Beacontowners, but he just tends to do it a lot more. Never introduced himself; we know his younger brother's called Bob and they look almost identical, so we started calling him Ginger Bob."

Jesse huffed a tiny laugh, "Fair."

" _Well, hey, hey, hey, look who it is!"_ grinned Ginger Bob, his gaze flickering over to his friend; the third member of their little party continued to happily bounce on the slime blocks.

" _Jesse!"_ his friend exclaimed, her face lighting up as she waved, " _Hey!"_

Smiling, Jesse returned the wave, " _Hey, guys! What are you doing?"_

" _Glad you asked,"_ said Ginger Bob, " _We're working on a new game for Founding Day that I_ guarantee _you is going to all the range this year!"_

With that, he struck a pose, knees bent, one arm held out and the other folded at the elbow, his friend striking the same pose on the other side of the slime blocks, while the third friend continued his bouncing.

" _Slime Diving!"_ declared Ginger Bob, before making a considerably hard to describe 'cawwww' sort of noise.

"Sounds… interesting?" Binta said, shrugging weakly. Cam was still invested in all the colours to comment.

" _Wanna give us a hand finishing it up?"_ Ginger Bob asked, straightening, " _I'll letcha take the first dive."_

"This is fun and all," Lukas said, brow furrowing, "But… isn't Petra waiting for you?"

Jesse blinked, then frowned as well, "Yeah, it's… kinda like I'm trying to make my way around a load of obstacles."

" _Bod designed the schematics,"_ said Ginger Bob, gesturing to the third friend still happily hopping on the slime blocks; he looked almost identical to Ginger Bob, just with blond hair, " _Didncha, Bob?"_

" _Yup!"_ said Bob.

The second friend nodded, " _It's really cool!"_

" _100% totally mostly safe we think,"_ said Ginger Bob.

Ivor's eyebrows raised to his hairline. Harper chewed on her lip.

"Maybe, ah… leave them to it."

" _That sounds awesome!"_ Jesse exclaimed, " _Let's do it!"_

"Or not," Harper muttered. Ivor frowned, not looking all that happy about this.

" _We're going to be diving off this_ excellent _pagoda Bob designed,"_ said Ginger Bob, gesturing up to Blond Bob, who waved, " _But we can't decide what material to use."_

Blond Bob jumped down from the slime blocks, pulling out a block of wood; Ginger Bob pulled out some pink wool, while their Brunette friend pulled out a block of cobblestone.

" _Thoughts?"_ asked Brunette, hopping in place.

"I think they like jumping," Soup whispered loudly. Nell seemed to consider this for a moment, before nodding as though she'd just been told an amazing truth.

"Dude, you are, like, _totally_ right."

" _I'm just conflicted,"_ said Blond Bob, as Jesse did that thing where he crossed one arm and placed his elbow on top of it to tap his lip, " _Because I like all of them."_

"Go with the pink wool!" shouted Gill.

" _Aw, we know you do, Bob,"_ Ginger Bob said, " _But don't worry! Jesse's gonna help us settle this."_

Jesse glanced between the materials for a moment. Then he shrugged. " _Nothing prettier than pink wool. Let's get to it!"_

"Yes!" Gill exclaimed, throwing a fist into the air. Reuben gave a happy little squeal.

The screen cut to the four of them on a large platform, speeding up as the started to build; it grew taller and taller, until it looked as though it were some sort of bright pink temple. Beacontowners looked up at it, chattering excitedly; the screen panned up to show Jesse at the tippy top of the pink temple-like structure.

" _Nice!"_ he exclaimed, " _That turned out great!"_

"It's very pink," Jack chuckled, although he still sat a little tense; Reuben squealed again, beaming at the structure. Stella nodded in agreement.

"It's absolutely darling," she declared, "Nicest thing in Beacontown. Although that's not really saying something."

Jesse shot her a strange look.

" _And just like I promised,"_ Ginger Bob called up to him, " _You can take the first dive!"_

"Don't," said Ivor, earning a few surprised looks from the newcomers. Harper squeezed his shoulder; Jesse winced.

" _Just aim for the slime!"_ shouted Ginger Bob, " _It'll be great!"_

"Make it bigger first!" Ivor demanded. A slight heat crept up Jesse's neck.

"Ivor."

"What? It's _tiny_ ," Ivor declared, gesturing to the screen, "You're not even directly in front of it!"

" _Ivor_."

"If you just inch a little to the side-"

"Ivor!"

" _What?_ You could break your leg!"

Jesse groaned. Radar glanced between them, looking a little perplexed.

" _Go, Jesse!"_ shouted Radar, " _Woohoohoo!"_

" _Oh,"_ Brunette murmured, looking excited, " _I'm nervous."_

" _Don't worry, Jesse'll love it."_

Jesse leapt from the edge of the temple, twirling head first; he twisted upwards at the last minute so that he hit the slime blocks with his back, sending him up into the air, before he landed on his feet on the ground. The crowd cheered.

Ivor actually released a relieved breath. Harper gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Jesse laughed, throwing a fist in the air, " _Woo! Ta da! Thanks, everyone!"_

" _Jesse,"_ said Radar, face alight with awe, " _That was_ incredible _!"_

" _Seriously,"_ Ginger Bob agreed, " _Amazing dive. Thank you for that, thank you for the help before…"_

" _No problem,"_ Jesse said, " _Look, my friend's waiting, so I gotta run, but nice work!"_

"Wonder how long _that_ took," Axel frowned, "I mean, even with four people, that wasn't a small build."

Petra frowned as well, biting her lip, "Yeah…"

With the bouncing trio now lounging in front of their bright pink Slime Diving temple, Jesse began to make his way around a few stalls blocking a direct path to the mines, only to pause when he saw someone frowning up at the sky. He followed his gaze, frowned curiously, and turned back to him.

" _What'cha looking at, citizen?"_

Olivia chuckled tiredly, "You sound like a helpful police officer."

"Well, maybe I _am_ a helpful police officer," Jesse said, grinning at her. Olivia snorted.

"You'd make a good one, actually."

"Thank you."

The citizen blinked, then his eyes widened, " _Oh! Jesse, wow. Hi. Just checking out my latest build from the ground,"_ he pointed to the sky; the screen panned out and upwards to show the burger air balloon build in the sky, " _I'm worried it doesn't, y'know, 'fit.'"_

Dan blinked slowly, "Um, _how_ , exactly?"

" _Is it putting the right energy into the universe?"_ the citizen asked, as Jesse cocked his head and regarded him, " _Is it the appropriate aesthetic addition to the tableau that is Beacontown?"_

Axel stared, "I… have literally no idea what that guy just said."

"Right there with you," Petra muttered.

"' _Doesn't fit'?"_ Jesse glanced at the burger balloon, before shaking his head and smiling, " _I think it's perfect!"_

" _Oh, wow!"_ the citizen exclaimed, looking pleasantly surprised, " _Maybe I'm overthinking this."_

"Maybe just a little," Maya said, although she did look a bit amused.

Jesse smiled at him and nodded, " _Yeah, I love it."_

" _This just gives me more to think about!"_ the citizen exclaimed. Jesse chuckled, Radar appearing behind him again.

" _Uhh, okay, then,"_ said Jesse, " _We'll just leave you to it."_

The citizen nodded, turning to frown up at his build again. Jesse leant a little closer to Radar, lowering his voice.

" _Is he okay?"_

Radar regarded the citizen for a moment, before wincing and slowly shaking his head, " _No, I don't think so."_

"Oh, okay, I wasn't the only one that was thinking that," murmured Magnus. Ellegaard nodded, looking slightly worried.

Jesse left the citizen to his… _musings_ , only to spot Stacy and Stampy standing outside what could only be their houses. Wink was seated a little ways away from them, and there was what appeared to be a small group of chickens in front of Stampy's house.

"Oh, it's us again!" Stampy beamed.

" _I am telling you, Stampy,"_ said Stacy, looking mildly irritated, " _It needs to be pumpkin pie."_

" _But cake is the best!"_ Stampy protested, " _And I would know, I have it every morning for breakfast."_

"That… sounds disgusting," Gabriel declared. Magnus rolled his eyes.

"No, it sounds _amazing_."

Ellegaad sighed, "Magnus, if you had cake for breakfast _every_ morning, you'd end up getting sick of cake or literally getting sick- whichever comes first."

"Don't be such a buzzkill, Ellie," Magnus said, "You know what? I'm having cake for breakfast every morning from now on."

Stampy cheered. Ellegaard shook her head.

"Magnus-"

"Ellie-"

"Can _I_ have cake for breakfast?" Axel asked. Magnus and Ellegaard spoke at the exact same time.

"No!"

"Yes!"

The redstone engineer shot the self-proclaimed king a glare, "You are _not_ giving my- Axel cake for breakfast every morning."

"Why not?"

"You'll make him sick! You'll _both_ get sick!"

"But _cake_ , Ellie. _Cake_."

"Not for _breakfast_ , Magnus!"

"But I'm injured!"

"That doesn't mean you need to have _cake_ for _breakfast_."

"But why not?" Axel asked, "Having cake for breakfast _does_ sound awesome."

Magnus jabbed a finger at him, "Smart boy."

"No, _not_ smart," Ellegaard groaned. Axel frowned, looking slightly hurt.

"You don't think I'm smart?"

Ellegaard started, eyes widening, "Wha- no, no, no, that's- that's not what I-" she rounded on Magnus again, teeth gritting, " _Magnus!_ "

"What? You're the one that called him dumb!"

"I _never_ -"

"Guys," Olivia groaned, face twisted in a grimace; her head was still rested on Ellegaard's knee and her eyes were closed, but it was clear she was awake, "Please stop. My head's hurting again."

Ellegaard and Magnus immediately looked guilty. The Boom Master winced.

"Sorry, 'Livia," he murmured, making sure to keep his voice low. Ellegaard gently combed her fingers through her curls.

" _There some sort of problem here, guys?"_ Jesse asked, as he and Radar made their way over. The two YouTubers turned to them, plastering on smiles.

" _Hello, there, Jesse!"_ Stampy cheerfully greeted, " _We heard about this Founding Day celebration of yours and we'd thought we'd make some sweets!"_

"Oh, that's pretty cool, guys," Sparklez grinned.

" _Yeah,"_ said Stacy, that mild irritation returning to her face; she planted her hands on her hips, " _And now I'm_ trying _to convince Mr Stampy here to make the right decision and pick pumpkin pie."_

The real Stampy pulled a face, "But _cake_."

"Oh, don't start that again," groaned Lizzie.

Onscreen, Stampy rolled his eyes, " _There you go with those leading presentations again."_

" _Just…"_ Stacy sighed, " _Not everyone likes_ cake _, Stampy."_

" _Oh, and pumpkin pie is the universally loved food? I think not."_

" _I, uh,"_ Radar piped up, grinning nervously, " _I'm a cookies man myself."_

Very, very slowly, the two YouTubers turn their heads and give the boy a withering, deadly glare. Radar lost a little colour in his cheeks. He gave a tiny, weak little laugh.

" _Sorry."_

"What's wrong with cookies?" the real Radar mumbled quietly. Lukas covered his twitching lips and patted the intern on the back.

"At least you got 'em to agree on something."

Anthony actually looked incredibly offended; he gave Stacy and Stampy looks of betrayal.

Stacy sighed and turned to Jesse, " _Here,"_ she proceeded to throw a massive amount of ingredients at him, which he barely managed to catch and almost resulted in him tripping over his own feet and dropping it all anyway, " _You should just take the ingredients and decide_ for _us."_

Mevia raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you… _literally_ just say that he was probably _terribly busy_ and that you _wouldn't keep him_?"

Stampy opened his mouth; paused and then closed it. He winced. "Whoops."

"Yeah, uh," Stacy shot Jesse an apologetic look, "Sorry, Jess."

Jesse shrugged, "It's alright."

Onscreen, Stampy sighed, " _Yes, I fear we're gonna be debating in circles all day otherwise."_

The young hero blew out a breath but nodded, turning back around. Radar chewed on his lip, tapping his chin.

" _You know,"_ he hummed, " _There might be some extra eggs and stuff around town. I bet you could find enough to do cake_ and _pie."_

Slab raised his eyebrows, "Huh. He can use that sugar he found."

"Oh, there we go," Clutch said, "Plot device. Nice."

Jesse hummed thoughtfully, brow furrowing, " _I don't have a_ ton _of time, but… I bet you'd be super surprised by that."_

Milo shook his head, "That child is too nice at times."

Jesse glanced around the street, before making his way around Stacy and Stampy, over to the little group of chickens. Grinning down at them, he made a few chicken noises, flapping his arms and laughing. Radar shot him a rather strange look.

Honestly, Jesse probably deserved the chuckles that earned him. Although he drew the line at Axel ruffling his hair like that.

Onscreen, the young heroes gaze fell upon the single egg the chickens were grouped around. He grinned and picked it up. " _Hey, an egg! Maybe that'll help me settle Stampy and Stacy's little disagreement."_

"Oh, yeah, he might have enough for both now," said Aiden.

Jesse looked over at one of the chickens, " _Excuse me, um, ma'am? Thank you."_

Isa chuckled, running her hand across Benedict's silky feathers, "You're right, Milo. He's far too nice for his own good."

The young hero straightened, before making his way passed the group of clucking chickens. They were right in front of the gate now, the stage with the colourful Order and Witherstorm banners on it directly in front of it. Nestled between Stampy's house and the gate was a little garden with birch trees and a pond, a pink wool love heart jutting out of it and flowers dotted about. A group of parrots glanced up at Jesse as he regarded it.

" _Huh,"_ he murmured, " _What a lovely garden."_

"Ooooh, I think that's mines!" Stampy squealed. Dan grinned and gave him a little squeeze.

"It's very nice, Stampy. Love the love heart."

Turning away from the little garden, Jesse went back up the street, passing Stampy and Stacy and coming to a stop before a crafting table just outside what could only be Stacy's blue house. The screen zoomed in on the top of the table, a bar showing everything in his inventory appearing off to the side.

"Alright, let's do some baking," Clutch grinned.

Jesse sat down the pumpkin, one of the eggs and one wad of sugar. The ingredients shifted into the middle, trembled for a moment, before merging together and turning into some pumpkin pie.

Grinning, the young man pocketed the pie. Now, he sat down the sugar cane he'd found earlier, which trembled before becoming actual sugar. He sat an egg in the middle of the table, the two sugars on either side of it, a row of milk buckets on the top and a row of wheat on the bottom. The ingredients shifted into the middle, merging together and forming a cake.

"Awesome!" cheered Axel. Harper, however, frowned.

"You know, they could've _easily_ done that themselves," she pointed out. Jack frowned as well, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well… they're new, aren't they? Maybe they didn't feel as though they could just _take_ any spare ingredients they find lying about."

Harper hummed, but continued to frown, "Maybe."

Finished, Jesse left the crafting table, making his way back over to Stampy and Stacy. He suppressed a massive grin as they turned to look at him.

" _He said cake, she said pie and I said,"_ Jesse pulled out the sweets and dramatically held them out, massive grin breaking free, " _Why don't we just have both!"_

" _Oh!"_ Stampy laughed, beaming as he accepted the cake, " _Well, this is very surprising!"_

" _Yeah, that's awesome!"_ Stacy exclaimed, accepting the pie, " _How did you do that?"_

Jesse shrugged, planting his hands on his hips, " _Found some extra ingredients around town. No big deal."_

Ivor rolled his eyes, muttering to himself. Harper shot him a slightly amused look.

" _Well, that's fantastic, Jesse,"_ said Stampy, face fixed into a permanent smile, " _Thank you so much!"_

" _Yeah, thanks!"_ said Stacy, " _This is perfect."_

The screen cut to a wool wall covered in blue and orange posters with Stampy and Stacy's faces opposite corners, alongside some cake and pumpkin pie, reading _CAKE AND PIE_. The screen panned down to excited yells, revealing a beaming Stampy and Stacy behind the counter, Jesse munching on some pumpkin pie and Radar munching on some cake, Wink happily wagging his tail in front of the booth.

Jesse turned to Stacy upon finishing his pie, reaching up and giving her a high five. He turned to Stampy and did the same with him. Them Stampy and Stacy turned to each other and also high fived.

Gabriel shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips, "Well… he certainly hasn't lost his knack for bringing people together."

"No," Ivor hummed quietly, running his fingers through Jesse's hair, "He hasn't."

" _Look, I gotta run, Petra's waiting,"_ said Jesse, glancing over at the mineshaft entrance, " _I'll talk to you guys later, okay?"_

The two friends nodded, waving as he left them; Wink joyfully leapt into the air, tail wagging furiously.

" _Byeeeeee!"_

Jesse hurriedly made his way over to the mines, probably realising just how long walking down the straight had actually taken him. A rather familiar looking fangirl screeched upon noticing him, leaping from where she'd been leaning against the mineshaft entrance and jumping in place.

" _Jesse! Jesse! Gimme five!"_

Soren squinted, before his eyes widened, "Oh, it's her! From the beginning of episode five, remember?"

Lukas blinked, "Oh, yeah!"

Jesse groaned at the reminder, shrinking a little against Ivor's leg. His cheeks burned. Axel cackled.

The young hero, who had jumped at her sudden screeching, released a short breath before approaching, obediently giving her a high five. She screeched again, making the hero wince, jumping in place.

" _Day. Made. You're my hero!"_

With that, she darted away, Jesse watching her go with startled eyes.

"She's as excitable as ever," muttered Reginald. Hadrian hummed quietly.

Shaking his head, Jesse made his way over to where Radar was waiting outside the mineshaft entrance. His intern smiled at him and gestured to it.

" _And here we are at the mines!"_ he declared.

"Yeah," murmured Cassie, "Only took you half an hour."

Petra frowned.

Jesse looked down the steep, looming and dark staircase. He grinned and turned to look at Radar. " _Nice. Thanks for walking with me."_

" _Oh no, thank_ you _, Jesse,"_ said Radar, as Jesse made his way over to a chest next to the entrance; he began to ruffle through it, " _It was a pleasure watching you work. It truly was. Stopping to help all those people, helping them prepare for Founding Day…"_ Jesse straightened with an iron chestplate in hand, turning around to face him, " _Very inspiring."_

Ivor frowned, "Wait a moment, what's happened to his proper armour? Why must he use an iron chestplate?"

Radar blinked, before he bit his lip, cheeks colouring, "Uh… I- I'm not sure. Sorry."

Jesse shook his head, shooting him a reassuring look, "Nah, it's fine. I'm sure the episode'll tell us."

The screen cut to the stairs, showing Jesse, now with his chestplate in place and his sleeves rolled up, appearing at the top. Radar followed, nervously shuffling his feet.

" _I'll, uh… keep watch on things here while you're gone. Off doing your… adventure-y things. Risking your life. Spitting in fate's eye."_

Looking amused, Jesse shot him a smile, " _Got all the faith in the world, buddy. You got this."_

Radar beamed at him, " _Thanks, Jesse. I won't let you down."_

"D'aw," muttered Ellegaard. Magnus rolled his eyes, although he too was smiling.

Jesse, still smiling, turned and began to make his way down the stairs. Radar waved from the top.

" _Bye! Have a good time!"_

" _Don't I always?"_

With that, the screen faded into darkness.

"Well," said Aiden, glancing around at the other audience members, "The town sure has changed."

"Yeah, and it's actually got a _name_ now," Petra chuckled, "Pretty nice one too."

"Holy crap, though, that was a _lot_ of stuff to walk through just to get from one end of town to the other," said Lukas, frowning slightly in Radar's direction, "Is it always like that?"

Radar seemed to think for a moment, before shaking his head, "It's not usually _that_ bad. It's just 'cause everyone's preparing for Founding Day."

Axel shrugged his large shoulders, "I guess that makes sense."

Ellegaard looked down at Olivia, still running her fingers through her dark curls, "You alright there, honey?"

Olivia hummed tiredly, bobbing her head in a tiny nod, "Yeah, just… just tired."

"Tell us if you need a lie down, alright?" the engineer said. Olivia nodded again. Ellegaard gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Hadrian regarded the group quietly. His fingers curled around the chains encircling his wrists. He turned his gaze back to the screen.

_A deal's a deal, bucko._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you hurry to meet with Petra or take your time? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Forgot to say this last chapter, but massive thanks to my wonderful girlfriend Ariza Luca for recording a playthrough of season two with my preferred major choices! Give her love!


	91. Monster in the Mines

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Ninety-One: Monster in the Mines**

* * *

' _Cause the light is fading out of your eyes._

* * *

Darkness lightened, but didn't disappear entirely. Jesse absently brushed at his iron armour, squinting in the gloom, lights fighting to keep the black at bay. Miners, armed with pickaxes, shovels and swords and covered head to toe in dirt, made their way up and down the tunnel, digging and mining away. A slight frown creased Jesse's brow as he glanced around.

" _Petra?"_ he called. He received no answer.

"Hey, look at that, we're meeting in the mines," said Petra, lips twitching, "And to think you were scared back in episode one."

"I wasn't _scared._ "

"Sure, Jesse. Sure."

" _Huh,"_ the young hero hummed, hands going to his hips as he continued to glance around, " _I swear she said to meet right here."_

The screen switched to his own gaze, shifting around the dark corners of the mineshaft, over the walls, to the little cobblestone-wood hut, but Petra was nowhere in sight. Brow furrowing deeper, Jesse began to back up, eyes still darting around.

" _Petra!"_ he called; still no answer, " _Where are you?"_

"I hope she's alright," Olivia mumbled, looking a little more aware then she had been a little while ago. Gabriel's brow furrowed; Petra waved her away.

"Eh, I'm sure I'm fine. Probably gonna jump out and scare him."

Jesse rolled his eyes, "Jee, thanks."

The redhead beamed at him, "You're welcome."

Onscreen, Jesse came to a stop, still glancing around for Petra. Then the echoing sound of pickaxes and shovels was broken by the groans of zombies.

"Googlies!" Stampy squeaked, gripping Dan's arm. The other boy patted his head.

" _Ah!"_ Jesse exclaimed, startled; he released a huff of breath and drew an iron sword, " _Stupid zombies."_

The two zombies stumbled closer, dragging tattered shoes in an unsteady limp. Jesse circled them, held in a battle stance that appeared perfectly natural; he held his sword as though he'd held one all his life. A grin stretched across his lips.

" _I've missed this,"_ he muttered to himself; then he pulled a face and coughed into his fist, " _Ugh. Smell not so much."_

Jack chuckled, "You know, I met a guy-"

Nurm hummed something, cutting him off. Jack shot him a frown.

"What are you talking about, Nurmie? It's _always_ the time for a tale."

Jesse moved forwards, before swiping his sword, left, right, left; the zombie gurgled on a choked cry, flashing red and stumbling backwards. Jesse didn't give it time to recover; he was already shoving his blade into its side.

The sound when he pulled it out was a disgusting squelch that made more than one audience member shudder. The monster stumbled backwards, struggling to keep its body upright with a gaping hole in its side; the second zombie staggered forward, the first only a little behind it.

Jesse clenched his jaw and sprung forward, sword slashing through both monsters in one swing. The first zombie burst into dust, the second tumbling backwards and coming dangerously close to falling over. It staggered and stumbled back towards him, teeth gnashing hungrily, but Jesse swung his blade again and sent it face planting the gravel. He shoved his blade into its back in a burst of dust.

"Awesome," Axel laughed, "Dude, you get so _good_ at this!"

The real Jesse grinned up at him.

" _Well,"_ a familiar voice spoke up from behind him. Jesse blinked, surprised, and turned around. " _You're late, but at least you still remember how to fight."_

Petra, who, like her friends, had also grown older, pushed herself off the wall, a slight smile playing on her lips as she made her way over to Jesse. The young man blinked at her, before smiling and sheathing his sword.

" _Oh, hey."_

" _Hey,"_ Petra greeted, coming to a stop in front of him, " _I was worried you'd gotten rusty."_

"Oh, cool, look at my armour," the real Petra grinned, "Where did I even _get_ that?"

"Look at that, Gabriel," Soren murmured to the warrior, nudging him with his elbow, "Your girls all grown up."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, although there _was_ something hard to place glinting in his eyes, "Yes, I… suppose she is."

" _I can't even imagine that life,"_ Petra continued, a hand going to her hip, " _Managing people. Signing papers. Bleh."_

Maya considered this for a moment. She chuckled. "Wow, he really _is_ the mayor."

"I'd _totally_ vote Jesse for mayor," declared Nell, actually looking serious. Jesse groaned, cheeks tinted pink.

" _I really do miss this,"_ Jesse admitted, his smile turning a little sadder; he placed his hands on his hips, " _You know. Us. Adventuring together. Facing the unknown…"_ he sighed, crossing his arms, " _Wish we could do this more often."_

Aiden frowned, "Woah. So you _seriously_ don't have a lot of time for adventuring anymore."

"Looks like it," Jesse murmured, frowning. Petra chewed on the inside of her cheek.

" _Except,"_ said Petra, eyebrows raising, " _I'm gonna have a hard time being seen with someone wearing such dingy armour."_

Ivor pointed a finger at the screen, "See? Even Petra agrees with me!"

Petra considered this for a moment, before shrugging, "Well, I mean, he definitely looks dorky in _that_."

Jesse blew out a breath, "You're acting as though I would actually be able to _get_ iron armour right now."

Radar blinked at him, "Wouldn't you?"

The boy bit the inside of his cheek and shrugged, "Well, I mean… probably not."

"Oh," Radar blinked again; he actually looked a little shock, "Seriously?"

Jesse released a small huff of breath, "Seriously."

Radar continued to stare. His lips twitched, as though he suspected this was a joke. "No."

He shot him a deadpan look. Radar's eyes widened.

"Oh. You're being serious."

"Yeah," Jesse murmured, turning his attention back to the screen. Radar bit his lip, ducking his head. Reuben nuzzled into his chest a little.

" _What_ is _that?"_ Petra asked, tapping his shoulder pad with a quiet _clang_ , " _Iron?"_

"What else would it be?" asked Magnus.

" _I didn't want to dent the good stuff!"_ Jesse defended, " _So what?"_

Ivor rolled his eyes, "It's _armour_ , Jesse. You dent it, you get it repaired."

Jesse shrugged at him. Ivor huffed in response.

Onscreen, Jesse's gaze trailed down to the sword Petra was gripping in her hand; he raised an eyebrow, " _And look who's talking with an iron sword. Where's your fancy gold one with all the enchantments? Can't remember the last time I saw you without it."_

Petra's eyes darted away, a strange look crossing her face, " _I, uh…"_

Groaning. She looked up, eyes widening. A herd of zombies was stumbling towards them over Jesse's shoulder.

"Of course," muttered Isa.

His own eyes widening, Jesse spun around, moving so that the two friends were standing side to side. A grin crossed Petra's face as she raised her iron sword; she glanced at him as he drew his own.

" _Ready for more?"_

A zombie swiped at Jesse with clawed, grabbing fingers, but the young man jumped back and avoided it. Petra circled around a zombie, before rolling out of its way as it swiped at her and leaping back to her feet with a victorious laugh. " _Too slow, zombies! Typical."_

Jesse glanced at her, before turning his attention back to the incoming hoard of four. He stepped forward and swiped at the closest, left and right and left, almost sending it onto its back. That one out of reach, he stabbed at the second, just as the first staggered back towards him; he rolled out of the way of its grabby hands, before rolling again and again as the whole hoard stumbled over each other to get to him.

"Woah, you really _have_ gotten a lot better," said Lukas, actually sounding impressed, "Both of you."

Beaming proudly, Ivor ruffled Jesse's hair.

The young hero slashed his sword as the hoard struggled to run over each other, sending them all flashing red. He slashed again, the force sending one zombie onto its back; he didn't give them even a second to recover before he slashed a third time, sending all except one to the floor to puff into dust. Jesse swiped his blade at the final monster; it fell onto its side and poofed into nothing.

" _Ha,"_ Jesse grinned, straightening and sheathing his sword, " _Haven't lost my step yet!"_

"Good thing, too," Em said, leaning back and crossing her arms, "If it's been deemed necessary for us to watch this, then… you're probably gonna need it."

Petra slashed, chopping through the neck of a zombie and sending its head rolling; it fell in a burst of dust.

" _Well,"_ she said, shooting him a small grin, " _You sure showed me."_

"Righteous," Nell whispered loudly, grinning. Mevia rolled her eyes, but looked a little amused. She ignored the knowing look Otto shot her.

" _Glad you finally made it,"_ Petra continued, as Jesse brushed zombie dust off himself; something strange entered her voice, " _Sometimes I worry you don't even have time for me-"_ she stiffened, catching herself; her gaze briefly darted away, " _Your_ friends _anymore."_

The real Jesse frowned deeply. Petra's eyes widened a little, startled. Axel and Lukas shared a surprised look. Olivia opened bleary eyes.

"Oh," Radar murmured quietly. Stella's own brow furrowed slightly, before she shook her head.

There was no way the _Order of the Stone_ was drifting apart. Let alone Jesse and Petra. They were all probably just having a busy month or something.

Hadrian gave an amused huff, "What did I tell ya, sport? No one sticks around forever."

Jesse kept his gaze forward, nails digging into his arm. A few glares were shot the Old Builders way. Reginald elbowed him in the ribs.

"No talking."

" _I mean,"_ Petra sighed; Jesse frowned, " _I get that you like your job and everything, but geez."_

" _Hey, I'm here_ now _, aren't I?"_ said Jesse, stepping closer to her, " _I'll always make time for you."_

The real Petra seemed to relax a little at that. She shot Jesse a small smile. He returned it.

Axel, Olivia and Lukas shared a tiny frown, wondering just how often they cancel adventures. Enough to make one of their own feel _abandoned_ , it seems.

Onscreen, Petra regarded him almost suspiciously for a moment, as though trying to see through a lie. But then her tense shoulders relaxed and she gave him a smile.

" _Yeah, I guess,"_ her smile faltered, and she walked around him, glancing about much like Jesse had not long before, searching, " _But now that you mention it… can't help but notice that we're missing one, two, three… ?"_

" _Axel has Boom Town duties,"_ said Jesse, turning to look at her, " _Olivia's grading something or another in Redstonia and Lukas-"_

" _-Is writing,"_ Petra finished, sighing; she sheathed her sword and crossed her arms, " _I figured. Man, our friends have gotten lame."_

"But I'm making _explosions_ in _Boom Town_ with _Magnus the Rogue_ ," Axel protested; Magnus shot him a grin, "How is that _lame?_ "

"Okay, okay, I guess that's _less_ lame," Petra said, holding up her hands, "But come on. _Adventure_."

" _I swear, if our old fans saw what we're doing now…"_ she blew out a breath, " _Just sayin'. I don't care how good Lukas' next book is. It's not exactly slaying a Witherstorm, y'know?"_

"I mean, there's nothing wrong with settling down," Maya said, softly, "After everything you've all been through… I'm surprised you're only just starting to."

Petra hummed quietly. She didn't seem to have a real answer to that.

" _Hey, don't get bummed,"_ said Jesse, plastering on a smile, " _Even without them we're having fun, right?"_

Petra's lips twitched, " _Yeah, that's a good point,"_ she punched him in his armoured shoulder, earning a quiet _clank_ , " _At least we've got the cool people here."_

"Heeey," said Lukas, although he didn't actually seem all that offended; Petra grinned and gave him a light shove.

" _We'll worry about them later, I guess,"_ the girl declared, before turning and beginning to head towards the tunnel full of miners, " _We gotta hurry."_

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, "What for?"

" _What exactly are we looking for down here?"_ Jesse asked, trailing after her. Petra glanced away, that strange look crossing her face again.

" _I'll… tell you when we find it,"_ she turned to face him, " _Just trust me- this is important."_

"Bit cryptic," muttered Binta. Stella's lips twitched; she covered her mouth to hide it.

A strange, echoing gurgle sounded down the tunnel. A few miners turned to look, startled; a shadow darted away.

"Woaaah, what the heck was that?" asked Val. Soup covered her mouth, looking excited and practically bouncing in her seat.

"Ooooh, this is gonna be cool. I can feel it."

The two friends stared after the shadow. Petra's eyes narrowed. Jesse looked slightly freaked out.

" _Whaaaat was that?"_

" _Come on!"_ Petra abruptly said, grinning; she darted away, " _Let's race!"_

Olivia blinked, then rolled her eyes, "Of course."

"But- But what was thaaaaaat?" Sparklez whined, "I want to know."

Anthony patted his shoulder, "I'm sure we'll find out in no time."

" _Wait, what?"_ said Jesse, confused more than anything else now; up ahead, Petra looked over her shoulder to grin at him, not slowing down.

" _It's monster huntin' time!"_

"What kind of monster is _that_?" Cassie asked, slightly bewildered. Petra shrugged at her.

"Don't look at _me_ , I've got no idea what I'm up to."

Radar giggled, "That's such a strange sentence."

"You find yourself saying a lot of strange sentences in this situation, Jesse's future intern guy."

"It's… It's Radar."

"Right. Sorry."

Jesse watched as the redhead dashed further away, blinking. Then he smiled, shaking his head, and started running after her.

"Here we go," murmured Slab, grinning.

A miner blinked, shooting the two a surprised look as Jesse darted past, although his mining didn't falter. Jesse and Petra dashed down the long tunnel, the young man only just behind her; coming to a small hole, Jesse leapt over it, earning himself a mildly irritated glare from the miner sitting in it.

" _Hey, it's Jesse!"_

" _What's up? Good to see you!"_

Not answering, Jesse leapt over another hole, the miner inside grinning and waving. He skidded to the side to avoid a minecart turning onto a side along track; the miner sitting in it was enjoying a lovely slice of cake.

"Oooh, cake!" Stampy grinned.

Jesse ran past them, the miner pausing just before biting into the tasty treat to shoot him a look of surprise- apparently it's not often they see people, let alone two members of the Order of the Stone, racing through their workplace. The young hero glanced back at him. A minecart pulled to a stop directly in front of him.

"Look out!" Ellegaard gasped.

Almost as though he'd heard her, Jesse's gaze snapped forward. He made to skid to a stop, but only succeeded in tripping over his own feet and smacking right into the minecart anyway. He tumbled head over heels, landed harshly on his back and continued rolling, scrambling back to his feet. He kept running.

The audience winced.

"Yikes," Radar murmured, "That looked sore."

"This is why you should've worn the armour I made," Ivor said. Jesse released a huff of breath, rolling his eyes. His own eyes narrowing, the potionologist flicked the top of his head.

"Hey- !"

"Don't roll your eyes at me."

Grimacing, the young man shook his head; then his eyes widened.

" _Everyone, get down!"_ a miner yelled, the screen wiping around to show a flash block of TNT directly ahead, " _It's gonna blow!"_

"Stop running," said Harper; then, when the young hero didn't even falter, "Stop running!"

Jesse leapt up, the explosion sending him flying a little higher and a little further. He slammed back into the ground, unharmed, and kept going.

Harper released a breath, slumping against the couch slightly, "I can't believe he just did that."

"But it's a race," said Jesse. Harper shot him a look.

"Exactly."

They'd reached the end of the tunnel; it was much dimmer here, opening up into a massive cavern. Up ahead, Petra turned to the side to avoid a deep hole, Jesse right behind her. Spiders crawled along the way, and the sound of pickaxes and shovels grew slightly quieter.

Petra skidded to a stop at the edge of the side cliff, frowning down into the crevice. Jesse skidded to a stop next to her, chest heaving. He laughed, huffing a breath; he rubbed where he'd smacked his hip into the minecart.

" _Alright,"_ Petra murmured, more to herself than Jesse, " _Where'd you go?"_

Facemeat blinked, "Mystery monster?"

" _Where'd_ what _go?"_ Jesse asked, pushing himself up properly. Petra didn't answer, eyes still drawn to the crevice; then she jabbed a finger down, face lighting up.

" _Ha!"_ she exclaimed, " _Look down there!"_

Cast in shadows, the Mystery Monster darted out of sight with another strange, warped echo. Jesse frowned, glancing over at the grinning redhead.

" _So you're really not gonna tell me what we're chasing?"_

" _Nope,"_ Petra laughed, already leaping down onto an overhanging ledge, " _The mystery's what makes it fun!"_ she leapt to the next ledge, " _C'mon!_

"Really?" Gill blinked, "But… But I want to know _now_."

"Hey, uh, I can't be the only person that feels like she's hiding something, right?" asked Binta, glancing around. Cassie shook her head.

"Oh, no, she's definitely hiding something."

Lukas shot her a surprised look, "How can you tell?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, "How can you _not_? Did you see the way she avoided talking about her sword? The way she won't answer any of Jesse's questions? Pretty suspicious."

Axel frowned, "That _is_ a little weird."

Onscreen, Jesse rolled his eyes. He leapt down after her, landing on the first overhanging ledge; he turned, leaping to the next, and then soaring over the last gap onto the final one. Close enough to the bottom now, the young hero turned and jumped down, landing on the ground. Up ahead, Petra turned around from where she'd been peering down the tunnel the monster had gone down, eyes widening. She pointed behind him.

Groaning. Jesse turned, his own eyes widening, to find a hoard of zombies stumbling towards them. The two turned, racing down the tunnel- to find lava trickling down its walls, cobwebs stretching across the ceiling and spiders skittering across them, hissing and spitting.

" _Look out!"_ Petra called, " _Wall spiders!"_

" _I see 'em!"_

"Everything's spinning," Olivia said, losing a few shades of colour, "Ooooh, boy, am I the only one that sees everything spinning?"

Lukas squinted at the screen, "Uh… no, everything's actually spinning."

"You're not going to throw up are you?" asked Petra, looking concerned. Although her concern didn't stop her from leaning away a little. "Please tell me you're not going to throw up."

"I- I think I'm just gunna…" Olivia slumped against Ellegaard's leg, face twisted into a rather sickly grimace, "Look… Look away…"

Ellegaard rubbed the girl's arm, sharing a worried frown with Magnus.

A spider, crawling along the ceiling, came to a halt, spitting as its beady red eyes locked on Jesse. Spitting, it pushed itself from the ceiling, spiralling towards the young hero; gasping, Jesse pulled out his sword, still running; the screen slowed down for a brief moment, the spider flying closer, Jesse's blade raising higher; then it sped back up again and the blade sliced through the spider's hide in a burst of dust and disgusting green goop.

Otto released a breath, "That was a close one."

Jesse continued running, keeping his sword in hand. Up ahead, Petra narrowly skirted around a spider, it's pincers snapping at her heels. Behind Jesse, another spider crawled up over the edge, others skittering past it after him. He glanced over his shoulder. His eyes widened.

He was being chased by a whole mob.

"A spider nest," said Dan, shaking his head, "They ran right into a _spider nest._ "

"They're either very brave," Anthony said, slowly, "Or very stupid."

Ivor snorted, although he didn't look all that amused, "I'm leaning more towards the latter, at this point."

"But I'm just following Petra!" Jesse protested. Ivor shot him a look.

"Yes, but you also decided to forgo your _perfectly fine enchanted armour_ for an _iron chestplate_."

"You're _still_ going on about that?"

"Yes!"

Jesse started running a little faster, holding out his sword and twisting his head at an awkward angle to see where they were coming. He skidded to the side, narrowly avoiding a leaping spider; he slashed his sword, cutting into its back; another spider leapt up to his other side, and he swiped his blade, almost getting it stuck when it clunked into its face. They were on the walls, the ceiling, right behind him, hissing and spitting and snapping.

"Run, run, run, run, _run_ ," chanted Stacy, shrinking into the couch and holding Wink close to her chest. The excitable puppy licked her nose.

His eyes darted forward. Directly ahead, the path cut off into a gap; lava flowed through it. Eyes narrowing and face setting, Jesse ran quicker, arms pumping at his sides; his foot hit the ledge, heat nipping at the top half of his shoe. The screen slowed down. Then Jesse leapt into the air

He slammed into the ground, stumbled slightly, then continued running. On the other side of the gap, a spider skidded, kicking dirt and gravel, before flipping over its head, smacking into the small wall of the other side and then falling into the sizzling lava. The rest of the spiders skidded to an abrupt stop, coming dangerously close to following their comrade; they looked up, over to their escaping lunch, and angrily hissed after them.

Magnus blew out a breath, "Those kids can _run_."

The real Petra grinned and nudged Jesse, "You know, we should have an actual race."

Jesse blinked, "What, here? In the mansion?"

"Yup!"

The boy paused, considering this. He huffed a laugh. "Well, it would definitely be… interesting, I guess."

Harper shrugged, lips twitching, "So long you two don't break anything."

" _There!"_ Petra yelled, not pausing in her running as the two left the tunnel and came to another large cavern, lava falling from the ceiling; she pointed to the other side, where the shadow of the monster could be seen running out of sight, " _It went into that cave!"_

Clutch groaned, "What _is_ it already?!"

Stella stroked Lluna's fluffy head, smiling, "No idea."

Jack raised an eyebrow at her, "Uh… okay."

" _On it!"_ Jesse said, sheathing his sword. Petra glanced off to the side and grinned. She veered away, leapt off the ledge and landed further below, before continuing her dash to the cave.

" _Aaaannd Petra's in the home stretch!"_

"Hey, whoever wins should, like, totally get a prize!" Nell suddenly exclaimed, "Like, I dunno, a, uh… a high-five!"

She waved a hand suggestively. Jesse and Petra glanced at each other.

"I mean…" the boy shrugged, "I wouldn't say no to a high-five."

Petra chuckled, "You're on."

Nell grinned and fist pumped, "Radical!"

Above her, skittering across the ceiling, were more spiders.

Gabriel blinked, then blew out a breath, "Well. I forgot they did that."

Magnus snorted, "As though they'd be lucky enough for spiders to forget that they can climb walls."

Up on the ledge, Jesse continued running, shielding his face and squinting as he passed the lava fall. Petra looked up at him, grinning victoriously, before turning her gaze forward. But just as she was about to come to a more open part of the cavern, a spider jumped down from the ceiling, spitting, red eyes blazing; more jumped down behind it.

"Oh boy," murmured Radar.

" _Ack!"_ Petra yelled, skidding to a stop; she drew her sword, " _Geez, more of these guys!"_

Jesse, who was still running up on higher ground, glanced over at her. He bit his lip, gaze snapping from her to the cave; then, coming to a decision, Jesse veered to the side and leapt off the ledge, landing in a roll on the other side of the spiders. He drew his sword.

" _My turn to save_ you _, Petra!"_

Em blinked, then shook her head, "What is he _doing?_ He could've won the race there!"

Jesse shrugged at her, "It's just a race."

"But, dude," said Nell, "A _high five_."

"I'm pretty sure that future me has no knowledge of your high five prize, Nell."

Romeo's eyes narrowed on him. He hummed quietly. Considering.

Two spiders turned, spitting, towards Jesse. The hero circled them. One leapt forward, but he rolled out of the way and narrowly avoided it; over to the side, Petra ducked as the thrid spider leapt and flew over her head. Jesse darted to the side, avoiding the second spider; he spun around to find them both stuck on their back, legs stabbing wildly at thin air; he swung, slashing with his blade, just as the first one struggled to its feet. It flew backwards and burst into dust.

"Whoo, go, Jesse!" cheered Sparklez. Stampy peeked out from Dan's shoulder.

"Are all the googlies gone?"

Dan reassuringly squeezed his shoulder, "Just one more."

Jesse hacked at the last spider, before leaping to the side to avoid it as it flew towards him. It tripped over its many legs and landed harshly on its back, but was quick to flip back onto its feet. But Jesse was already darting forward and running his blade through its skull.

"Yes!" Axel exclaimed, grinning widely.

Onscreen, the young hero turned. Only for his eyes to widen as three more spiders landed right in front of him.

"Nevermind!" Axel yelled with the same enthusiasm as before. Stampy, who had begun to emerge from Dan's shoulder, squeaked and hastily buried himself back into it.

Jesse rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a flying spider. He stumbled over the top of another one, its pincers angrily snapping at him and grazing his arm, and slashed at the first spider- once, twice, three times- and finished it off with a stab. There was green goop all over his blade, his trousers, his armour. There was even some splattered on his face.

"That's going to be hard to get out," murmured Oxblood, rubbing Geoffrey's head. Anthony nodded in agreement, pulling a face.

Turning to the other two, Jesse slashed with his blade at the closest creepy crawly, sending it skidding backwards a few times before it finally burst. He rolled around the last one, its pincers snapping, and slashed through its hide.

Petra appeared at his side, wiping green goop from her face. She glanced around, the two friends bearing their blades in a familiar, perfect sync. More spiders jumped down from above.

"Good thing you decided to help her, Jesse," Olivia muttered, wincing, "That's a lot of spiders."

Jesse frowned, humming quietly, "Yeah."

Onscreen, Petra gave a frustrated groan, " _It's going to take forever to get through these stupid webheads!"_

" _Maybe we can seal them off somehow?"_ Jesse suggested. Petra's gaze darted to the side. She grinned.

" _Like maybe a little lava?"_

The end of the lava fall was just off to the side. A single block of gravel held it back. The spiders spat, inching closer, butts wiggling in preparation of a pounce. Jaw setting, Jesse darted forward before they could do so, leaping up and bringing his blade down on the single block with a yell. The spider's eyes snapped towards it.

Then the lava spilt out like milk from a carton, spreading across the path; Petra grabbed Jesse, jerking him away from the sizzling liquid fire. The spiders paused, looking from the spilt lava to its (once more) escaping lunch, almost as though they were baffled. Jesse released a huff of breath, sheathing his sword.

" _That totally did the trick."_

"Yeah, I mean, you're covered in spider goop, but yeah," said Magnus, lips twitching in a grin. Petra snorted, while Jesse pulled a face.

"Gross."

" _Ha!"_ Petra suddenly exclaimed, spinning around and dashing away; Jesse's head snapped around to her, " _See ya!"_

"Hey, no fair!" the real Jesse protested. Petra proceeded to cackle evilly.

" _Hey!"_ Jesse yelled, darting after her, " _No fair!"_

"And that," Lukas murmured to Radar, lips twitching, "Is how we know these episodes are legit."

Petra jumped, falling down a pit, into the deep cave and out of sight. Jesse leapt in right behind her. The screen darkened.

Facemeat groaned, "But mystery monster!"

Petra snickered, "We're covered in spider guts."

"Why are you finding that so funny?" Jesse asked, although he couldn't stop his own lips from twitching, "It's _disgusting."_

"I _know_ , that's what makes it so _hilarious_."

Lukas shook his head, looking amused, "You're both so weird."

Jesse shot him a grin, " _You_ hang out with us."

"Doesn't stop you from being weird."

Petra laughed, giving the blond a light shove, "Shut up, dude."

Jack's smile faltered. He glanced away. Humming gently, Nurm squeezed his shoulder.

"We'll watch one more part and then take a break," Soren declared, glancing around the room; his eyes lingered on Olivia, Magnus, Petra, Lukas and Cassie, "Both for lunch and for injury check-ups. Are we in agreement?"

Ellegaard nodded, "Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea."

There were a few more murmurs of agreement. Soren nodded and leant back in his seat. Lukas and Cassie glanced at each other, the redhead pulling a face. Smiling, Lukas shrugged at her.

Gabriel leant forward a little, lowering his voice so only Petra could hear him, "Are you alright?"

"What?" she blinked at him, then put on a smile; it only seemed a tiny bit forced, "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Gabriel regarded her silently for a long moment, "Just wondering."

With that, he leant back in his seat. Petra blinked at him again, biting down on the inside of her cheek. She turned her attention back to the screen. Harper, brow slightly furrowed, glanced between them. She turned her gaze to Ivor. The potionologist shook his head.

"Hey, on the bright side, Ivor," Jesse abruptly spoke up, "I haven't got spider guts all over your enchanted armour."

"It's _meant_ to get spider guts all over it, Jesse!"

He blinked, "Really?"

"Well, no," Ivor admitted, "But you could've at the _very least_ gotten a full set of iron armour instead of just a _chestplate_."

Jesse sighed, muttering to himself, "Why'd I even bring it up?"

"You _do_ look considerably squishy," Jack declared. The boy shot him an unimpressed look.

"Not helping."

Grinning, Nell jumped up from her seat and manoeuvred around the people, blankets and blankets on the floor to get to Petra. She held up her hand. Rolling her eyes, but lips twitching upwards, Petra high fived her. Nell threw her hands in the hair.

"Ooouuuuuuur champion!"

Lluna bleated happily. Romeo raised his eyebrows. He looked amused.

Xara's eyes hardened into a suspicious glare. She followed his gaze.

It was on Jesse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you choose to Win the Race or Help Petra? Let me know in the reviews!


	92. In the Candle's Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! Well, to my readers that are still in October. I wasn't able to get the chapter done as fast as I wanted to.
> 
> Massive thanks to Ariza Luca for helping with a lot of this chapter!

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Ninety-Two: In the Candle's Light**

* * *

_I'll give it all,_

_I'll give it all._

* * *

Blackness melted away, revealing a hole in a cavern ceiling; Petra appeared from this hole, landing solidly on her feet; Jesse landed next to her a second later and the redhead burst into a victorious grin.

" _Awwww, yeah!"_ she cheered, " _In your face!"_

Jesse grunted, straightening up and lightly shoving her shoulder. Petra remained undeterred by this, fist pumping the hair and looking slightly unhinged, what with being covered in spider guts and all.

" _Petra! Petra! You're number one! You're number one!"_

"Only because you cheated," Jesse grumbled good-naturedly. The real Petra laughed, nudging him.

"Don't be such a sore loser. I'm just faster than you, is all."

Jesse rolled his eyes, "Sure."

Petra's lips twitched into a wide grin, "Oh-ho, is that a challenge I hear?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

" _Okay,"_ Jesse huffed, clutching a stitch in his side, lips twitching, " _Maybe I didn't win, but it still felt_ awesome _getting back out there."_

" _Yeah!"_ Petra chuckled, grinning so widely that her cheeks were starting to ache, " _Couldn't agree more."_

" _Okay,"_ said Jesse, straightening and turning to a narrow tunnel up ahead, the only way out of the cavern, " _This mystery better live up to all the hype."_

That strange, echoing, spitting-growl sounded. Jesse drew his iron blade.

" _Here I come, mystery monster."_

Facemeat grinned, showing off his missing teeth, "Finally! Facemeat wants answers!"

Jesse began to creep down the narrow passage, that strange growling noise continuing. It sounded like a beast with a rather snotty nose. He turned, slipping between a particularly narrow part, and slowly tip-toed out of the passage, raising his blade higher and he positioning his body into a battle stance; the screen shifted, moving downwards with his gaze- to reveal LLUNA snuffling about in the gravel.

The real Petra blinked slowly, "What."

"Is that- that's-" Radar turned his gaze to Lluna. Everyone else did too.

The llama blinked, snorted and laid her head down. Petra blinked again.

"What."

" _A llama?"_ Jesse said, almost deadpan; then, disbelief entering his voice, " _A_ llama _?!"_

"Llama!" Facemeat exclaimed, in a much more excited tone than onscreen Jesse, "Facemeat sees llama! Mystery monster is cut llama!"

" _Awesome!"_ Petra exclaimed, coming up next to him with a wide grin; she leapt down into the cavern, " _We found it!"_

"Wait, you guys were actually _hunting_ a _llama?_ " questioned Magnus, looking rather bewildered. Ellegaard frowned, scratching at the back of her neck.

"Perhaps it… stole her enchanted sword?"

"What would a llama want with an enchanted sword?" Soren asked. Stella shrugged, lips twitching.

"Well, she _does_ adore shiny things."

Lukas raised an eyebrow, "Okay, but it doesn't look like it has it _now_."

"Maybe it ate it," said Axel. Jesse shot him a strange look.

"Why would it eat a _sword_?" then, " _How_ would it eat a sword?"

"They're not that bad, actually," stated Petra. This earned her a few rather confused stares.

Onscreen, Petra landed in front of the llama, still grinning broadly, " _Ohhh, your owner is going to be so happy to see you!"_

"And now I'm more confused," Magnus muttered. He glanced at Ellegaard. "So much for it stealing her sword."

"I think I'm more concerned with the fact that apparently Petra has _eaten_ swords, to be honest."

" _Wait,"_ Jesse jumped down after her, eyes darting from his friend to the llama in utter bewilderment, " _Let me get this straight. This quest was just to track down a stupid_ llama?" he made his way over to said llama, who glanced from him to his still drawn sword. She gave an unhappy bleat and smacked the blade away with her nose, before proceeding to turn around and ignore them.

"I feel like I've missed something," Axel said, glancing around the room, "Have I missed something?"

"I'm pretty sure we're _all_ missing something," Harper admitted. Cassie was frowning thoughtfully over at the real Lluna. Her gaze trailed up to Stella.

"Hm."

" _It's not just a 'stupid llama'!"_ Petra protested, although she seemed to be having difficulty looking at her friend; she crossed her arms, " _It's, uh, it's important, okay? It's apparently, like, a- a 'treasure-sniffing llama' or… ugh,"_ she groaned, turning her back to him, " _It's important, okay?"_

"She's acting rather strange," Ivor murmured. Gabriel frowned.

They lapsed into a brief silence, Jesse frowning at her back. Petra turned back to face him, looking slightly desperate.

" _Please, just trust me,"_ she said, " _We just need to bring her back to her owner. It doesn't need to be, like, a thing."_

Jesse sighed and sheathed his sword, " _Okay, okay, I'm sorry. If you say it's important… then I trust you."_

Petra blinked, something like surprise flickering across her face, " _Yeah?"_

Jesse gave her a small, hesitant smile, " _Yeah."_

After a short moment, Petra returned his smile, looking relieved. Then she turned to Lluna. " _Now. How 'bout we get you outta here, huh?"_

"Wait," Radar frowned, gaze drifting over to Stella, "Did you hire Petra to get Lluna back?"

Stella shrugged, "I suppose you could say that."

"But then why's she acting so weird about it?" Lukas asked, brow furrowing. The real Petra shrugged one shoulder, rubbing her neck a tad awkwardly.

"I've got no idea. I don't even know how I _know_ her."

Jesse and Petra began to carefully creep towards the llama, who seemed quite happy to ignore them.

" _Come here, llama,"_ Jesse said, making smoochie noises, " _Tt, tt, tt, come on, come on."_

Lluna continued to ignore him.

"I don't think she's a fan, Jesse," Axel whispered to his friend, sniggering. Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Oh, shut up."

He was coming up behind the llama. Lluna glanced over at him and, eyes hardening, bucked up her back legs and slammed her harsh hooves into his chest.

The audience winced.

"That looked like it hurt," Radar murmured. The real Jesse absently rubbed his chest.

Onscreen, Jesse yelled, flashing red and flying onto his back. His chest plate cracked, almost completely in half, before puffing into dust. Petra cackled as she made her way over to him.

" _That's what you get for wearing that dork armour."_

Ivor stared. He then proceeded to bury his face in his hands. Jesse shot him an apologetic smile.

"Uh… at least- at least it stopped a llama from breaking my ribs?"

"Yes," said Ivor, voice slightly muffled, "And now you don't have _anything_ to stop _anything_ from breaking _every bone in your body_."

"That's- That's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?"

Ivor raised his head just enough to show his eyes and glared at him, "No. No, Jesse, I don't think so."

Jesse slowly shrunk against Axel's side.

" _Yeah, yeah, yeah,"_ Jesse said, a slight irritation on his face as Petra helped him to his feet; he began creeping towards the llama again, " _I'll just have to craft a new set. Dang."_

"Or, I don't know, _use the armour I made you!_ "

"Ivor, poppy," said Harper, slightly exasperated, "You're yelling at a screen."

" _Let's get this thing,"_ Petra whispered, creeping up next to him, " _Don't let it get away."_

They crept closer, Jesse skirting a little to the side- then he leapt forward and wrapped his arms around Lluna's neck, Petra jumping onto her back.

" _Just grab the-"_

Lluna immediately began to bleat and buckle angrily, flaying from side to side like an enraged bull. Petra went flying from her back with a yell, and Jesse almost immediately flew after her. He hit the ground harshly, forcing the air from his lungs, covered in half dried spider insides and dirt. He opened his eyes, still having a little trouble breathing- only to find Lluna hovering above him with a glare.

"That is one unhappy llama," muttered Jack.

Said unhappy llama proceeded to spit right in Jesse's eye.

Radar winced, "Ew."

Jesse pulled a face, "Uh… not looking forward to that."

Ivor nudged him with his foot, "This is why you should've worn your real armour."

"That wouldn't stop a llama from spitting in my face, Ivor!"

"It would've been too intimidated to."

"You two are talking as though he's not already covered in spider guts," Harper pointed out.

Jesse yelled, wiping at his face as Lluna turned away, " _Ugh, gross!"_

Jack chuckled, "Spider guts, Jesse."

"Yeah, but at least the spider guts aren't in my _eye_."

Onscreen, Jesse scowled, scrubbing at his eye. He watched through his other one as Lluna trotted deeper into the cavern and down a tunnel.

Stella made a cooing noise, patting Lluna's head, "Aw, you just want to go exploring, don't you?"

"She _spat_ in Jesse's eye!" Petra said. Stella shrugged.

"Well, you _did_ jump on her."

"Yeah, she definitely didn't like that," Jesse muttered.

" _C'mon,"_ said Jesse, as he and Petra pushed themselves to their feet, " _Let's get after that armour-wrecking thing."_

" _Hang on, it's super dark down there,"_ Petra pointed out; indeed, it was near impossible to see into the tunnel, " _We should make a torch."_

Jesse hummed, before nodding and turning to the rather conveniently placed crafting table next to the mouth of the tunnel. Pulling out a stick and a slab of coal, Petra handed the ingredients to Jesse, who proceeded to place one above the other. They merged together, trembled, and morphed into a torch.

"They're going into a pitch black cave with flimsy weapons, no armour and one torch," Ivor slowly listed. Jesse winced, scratching his ear.

"Uh… at least it's better than what I have _now?_ "

Radar shot him a curious look, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, well," Jesse reached over his shoulder and pulled out his wooden sword, "I'd say iron was better than this thing."

Jack blinked, then chuckled, "I can hardly see anyone fighting with that thing, let alone you."

"Thanks? I think?"

Jesse lifted the torch, its glow casting his and Petra's faces in shadows. The two friends grinned and turned to the mouth of the cave.

" _Here, llama, llama, llama,"_ Jesse called. Petra followed him.

" _Where'd you go?"_

This earned a few amused chuckles from the audience. Harper reached forward and ruffled Jesse's hair, who playfully swatted her hand away, unable to stop his smile.

"It's a cute llama," he declared, "I mean, I don't appreciate being spat in the face, but I doubt she appreciated me jumping on her."

They began to make their way down the tunnel, Petra going ahead a little. She paused just up ahead as Jesse followed; it was so dark that you could hardly see anything outside the torch's three-foot radius.

" _After you, Ma-"_

The lights went out.

A silence came upon the room. Jesse could hear his heartbeat picking up. It was clogging his throat. Pounding in his ears. A chill went up his spine, sending goosebumps popping up over his skin. He swallowed thickly, forcing himself to take deep breaths. He swore the air had grown frigid with ice.

A hand grabbed his shoulder.

Jesse screamed, tearing away from the hand and smacking right into someone else. They gasped and together they tumbled, blankets tangling into his legs. His abrupt burst of noise must have shattered something, like a large rock being thrown into a still pond, because then there was noise everywhere. Yells and questions and gasps and the sound of startled animals; he could hardly pick anything out in the jumble of noise.

He tried to push himself up, but an elbow jammed into the back of his head. Jesse grunted, collapsing awkwardly on top of his arm as a knot formed on the back of his skull. Someone tripped over his legs; a gasp and thud as they fell.

"S- Sorry!" Jesse said, although he doubted they could hear him properly; he pushed himself up again, this time actually making it to his knees. He felt a body against his side and jumped, almost clonking his head with someone.

"Jess?" Lukas' voice, right next to his ear, "That you?"

"Lukas?" Jesse said, perhaps a bit more relieved than he admittedly should have been (it was only a power cut, after all). He heard his friend release a relieved breath.

"Hey. You alright?"

"I'm more worried about the person that tripped over my legs, to be honest."

"Oh," Lukas paused, "I think it was Magnus."

From the rather colourful swears currently coming from the direction the person had fallen in, Jesse was fairly certain he was correct.

Light abruptly pierced Jesse's eyes, forcing him to clench them shut to avoid the sting. He squinted, hesitantly blinking as they slowly adjusted, and glanced around.

Lukas was on his knees beside him, rubbing at his eyes. About half the room was on their feet, faces scrunched with the sudden burst of light. Magnus was sprawled, face first, just in front of them. Cassie was one of the people on her feet, holding Winslow close to her chest with one arm and bearing a fluffy pillow as a weapon in the other. She glanced around, squinting in the new light, and, upon realising there was no real danger, smacked the pillow into Lukas' face.

The blond gave a muffled grunt and fell onto his back.

A redstone lamp had been stationed on the floor. Harper was leaning on top of it, and it took Jesse a moment to realise she was doing that to keep the pressure plate activated. Binta glanced around, still squinting.

"What- What in the world happened?"

"Lights went out again," Soren murmured; he blinked and looked down at Magnus, "Old friend, what are you doing down there?"

"Admiring the floor," Magnus declared, voice muffled. Ellegaard pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Magnus," she stressed, "Your _ribs._ "

"Are on fire."

The hand appeared on Jesse's shoulder again. The boy jumped, twisting around, only to find Ivor blinking down at him. The potionologist frowned.

"Are you alright?" he asked, quietly, "It hadn't been my intention to startle you."

Jesse shot him a smile and nodded, "Ye- Yeah, I'm alright."

Ivor hummed quietly, looking almost as though he were debating whether or not to believe him. After a moment, he settled back on the couch again, although it was unclear whether or not he'd chosen to believe him. Either way, he'd apparently decided not to press further, to Jesse's relief.

The boy glanced away, before blinking and plucking a pair of glasses out of the mound of blankets. He stared at them for a moment, before glancing around in search of a certain future intern.

"Radar?"

A quiet groan. A hand weakly popped into the air, the body it belonged to half buried beneath blankets and pillows.

"Here."

Wincing, Jesse helped him back up, the intern looking rather dazed. Ellegaard, after making sure Olivia was alright, climbed to her feet to help Magnus. Jesse cleaned the lenses with the hem of his sleeve, before setting the glasses back on Radar's nose.

"Better?"

Radar released a short breath, before shooting Jesse a thankful smile, "Very."

Lukas sat him, rubbing his nose and shooting Cassie a look.

"Why did you do _that?_ "

"Because I wanted to hit something," Cassie declared, dropping the pillow she'd decided to smack him with, "And you looked rather hittable."

"Wow," Lukas drawled, "Thanks."

"That aside," Harper said, "Could someone perhaps consider lighting a few candles so I don't have to lean on this thing forever?"

"Oh, uh, of course, ma'am," Oxblood said, already glancing around, "Are there any in the room?"

"Check the drawers," said Isa, getting to her own feet, "There might be some in there."

A few people shuffled over to the tables and cupboards along the walls, beginning to ruffle through them. Jesse glanced down at lump of moving blankets. He tore them off to find Reuben underneath, the little pig squealing quietly at the sudden exposure to light. Jesse smiled at him and rubbed his head.

"Hey, buddy," he said, "You okay?"

Reuben snuffled, licking his hand. Jesse chuckled.

"Love you too, bud."

Radar's lips twitched into a smile, "N'aw."

They were, to Jesse's mild surprise, able to find some candles. They sat them on the new coffee table and around on the other tables and counters, anywhere that didn't have a risk of someone stepping on it. Jesse offered his flint and steel for them to light them, and soon Harper was able to release the redstone lamp and put it away.

"So, uh…" Em raised an eyebrow, glancing around the dimly light room, "Now what?"

"I guess we… just have to wait for the power to come back on," Jesse murmured, his lip slipping between his teeth as his gaze wandered over to the archway leading out into the hall. It was pitch black down there.

He hoped she was safe.

A silence stretched across the room again. No one seemed all that sure what to say to that. With a slight start, Jesse realised that Romeo's pupils were glowing yellow, one significantly brighter than the other. It made him look a little demonic.

"You know," Aiden abruptly spoke up, breaking the somewhat awkward silence, "This kinda reminds me of the time Lukas and I tried to summon Bloody Mary."

Lukas blinked, then chuckled, "Oh, yeah, that was… definitely something. And we actually thought we succeeded too."

Petra snorted at that, "You dorks. You should know stuff like that doesn't work."

"We did know that," Aiden protested, a little defensively, "We just… ended up freaking ourselves out anyway."

"When did you guys do _that_?" Maya asked, raising an eyebrow. Aiden seemed to think for a moment, before shrugging.

"Halloween. About… three years ago?"

"I think it was two," Lukas corrected. Gill blinked.

"What bathroom did you do it in?"

"Lukas'," said Aiden, "Why?"

Gill stared, "I… think I found blood on his bathroom floor the morning after Halloween," his brow furrowed, "I thought it was, like, fake blood from a costume or something."

Aiden and Lukas gaped at him. Maya snorted.

"Come on, Gill, don't pull their leg like that."

"I'm honestly not pulling their leg," Gill admitted, holding up his hands, "I _did_ find blood on the bathroom floor. I cleaned up it up 'cause I'd gone as a zombie that year and thought it was some of the fake blood I used."

The colour had drained from both Lukas and Aiden's faces. Isa glanced between them, looking slightly bewildered.

"Why in the _worlds_ would you want to summon Bloody Mary?"

"It was just… just a joke," Aiden explained, rather weakly. Cassie suddenly grabbed Lukas' arm, making a loud noise in his ear; the boy yelped, jumping away from her and bumping right into Petra.

"Don't _do_ that!" Lukas yelled. Cassie was too busy cackling to pay him much heed.

"I'm surprised she hasn't caught you already," she said, baring her teeth in a grin, "Since you summoned her, she's likely been hunting you down, waiting for the perfect moment to slice your face off your skull. It's only a matter of time, I suppose."

If possible, Lukas went even paler. He shrunk into Petra.

"Bloody- Bloody Mary doesn't do that, though!"

"Does she not?" Cassie blinked almost innocently, cocking her head to the side. She wasn't able to stop her face stretching into another grin. In the light of the candles, she looked even more demonic than Romeo's glowing eyes. "If I were you, Lukas, I'd be _really_ careful about going into bathrooms."

"Cassie," Soren cut in, shooting her a look, "Stop scaring him."

"What? I'm just saying!"

Aiden shrunk in his seat slightly, groaning, "I feel sick."

Magnus chuckled, "You think Bloody Mary's scary?"

"Well," Olivia said, looking a little more awake now, "It _does_ rhyme."

"Rhyme all it wants," Magnus said, waving her away, "But it'll never be as scary as," he leant forward a little, so that the candlelight cast his face in shadows (although he did very obviously hold back a wince due to his aching ribs), "The _Daruma-san_."

They stared at him. Milo frowned.

"The _what?_ "

"The Daruma-san," Magnus repeated, this time with a lot less flare; he settled back against the couch, absently rubbing his sore chest, "Although some people call it the Bath Game, but that's a horrible name."

"I've never heard of it," said Axel. Magnus huffed, rolling his eyes.

"I suppose you could say that it's like a seriously deadly version of Red Light, Green Light," he said, "After the initial summoning ritual has been performed, it follows the basic rules of this Japanese children's game," he cocked his head slightly, brow furrowing, "I think it was called… _Daruma-san ga Karanda_ or something."

"Koronda," Ellegaard corrected. Magnus rolled her eyes.

"I honestly can't believe you know that."

"What is it?" Olivia asked, nudging his leg, "Come on, keep going."

Magnus grinned down at her and happily continued, "I may be crap at saying it in Japanese, but I _do_ know it literally translates to 'the Daruma doll fell down.' What happens in the game is that the player is 'it' and Daruma-san has to try to catch 'it.' But if Daruma-san catches you…" Magnus shrugged, "Let's just say you should never, _ever_ let that happen."

Pretty much all the kids were watching him now, including at least the majority of adults. A few looked faintly amused. Mevia rolled her eyes, but took one glance at the entranced look on Nell's face and decided against interrupting.

"What's weird is that Daruma dolls are usually symbols of good luck," the king continued, "Traditionally, anyway. But the Daruma-san of this game definitely doesn't seem to carry good luck as her namesake- and neither, should she catch you, will you.

"To play _The Bath Game_ ," Magnus said this name with some distaste, earning an exasperated look from Ellegaard, "You only need one player and, of course, a bathtub. Don't even think 'bout using a shower or anything, it _has_ to be a bath."

"What about a really big basin?" asked Jesse. Magnus rolled his eyes.

"Let's just go with a bath in a bathroom, okay?"

"But _could_ you use a really big basin?"

"As I was saying," Magnus continued, ignoring the boy now; Jesse sulked slightly, "You begin at night. Right before you go to bed. You need to go into the bathroom, fill up the _bathtub_ -" he shot Jesse a look, "-before taking off your clothes and switching off the lights."

"Why do you always have to switch off the lights?" Lukas murmured. Petra shushed him.

"You get into the tub, sitting so that you're facing the faucet. Then you close your eyes and begin washing your hair."

Radar stuck his hand into the air as though he were a schoolboy, "But what if you don't have hair?"

Magnus, with his rather obvious lack of hair, gave him a deadpan look. Very slowly, Radar lowered his hand again. After a moment, the self-proclaimed Boom Master continued.

"As you wash your hair," he said, "You have to repeat the words ' _Daruma-san fell down. Daruma-san fell down_.' Don't stop repeating the words until you've finished washing your hair. And, at no point whatsoever, do you open your eyes."

"What happens if you open your eyes?" asked Jesse. Magnus rubbed his forehead, beginning to look vaguely annoyed.

"Do you _want_ me to duct-tape your mouth shut? Because I will gladly duct-tape your mouth shut."

"I'm just asking!"

Harper chuckled, "Just listen to the story, Jesse."

"If you have performed this action correctly," said Magnus, "You will gain a mental image of a Japanese woman standing in a bathtub. She will slip and fall, landing face first on a rusty tap and gouging out her eye," he raised a finger, curled like a claw, to his own eye and jerked it, as though to tear it out. He made a disgusting wet noise.

Grimacing, Radar leant a little closer to Jesse.

"You might hear something then," Magnus continued, truly beginning to get into the story himself, "Behind you, even if you're back is pressed against the wall. I can't say exactly what you might hear. It could be her pained screams. It could be her hands clawing helplessly at the sides of the tub. It could be her muffled, choked gurgles as she lay there, unable to move. It could be the horrendous _squelch_ of her eye being ripped from its socket."

Lukas grimaced, looking a little sickly. Stampy groaned quietly and buried himself into Dan's side. The purple-haired boy squeezed his hand, putting on a brave face.

Magnus glanced around at his audience for a moment, either to take in their reactions or to pause for dramatic effect. After this moment, he smiled and settled back in his seat again.

"Or," he said, "You might not. You might not hear anything besides your own breathing. Your own heartbeat," his smile widened, "But you might feel something."

Radar squeaked, not seeming to realise he'd, at some point, grabbed Jesse's arm, "Feel what?"

"Oh, you know," Magnus said casually, shrugging one shoulder and hiding a wince as it tugged at his ribs, "Movement in the tub. Maybe like someone had got in with you. Sitting across from you. Perhaps reaching for you.

"But whatever you do," the king's face became unnaturally serious, "You can _not_ open your eyes."

Silence hung heavy. No one asked why this time.

"Once you see the image of the woman falling," Magnus continued, quietly, "Ask aloud, ' _Why did you fall in the tub?'_ She won't answer. Not now, anyway. Let the question hang in the air. Get out the tub- eyes still closed- and carefully leave the bathroom. Don't trip or fall yourself. Don't drain the tub. Make sure you shut the door behind you before you open your eyes again."

Everyone was paying attention now. Gill glanced, paranoid, over his shoulder.

"Leave the bathroom like that until morning," said Magnus, picking absently at his fingernails, "You know, tub full of water, door shut. Don't turn on any lights. Go to sleep."

Nurm hummed quietly, shaking slightly. Jack wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

"The game begins the moment you wake up," Magnus said, "Or, to be more specific, the moment you open your eyes. You should go about your day as normal. You'll feel a constant presence behind you. But if you turn and look, you'll likely find nothing. But," he held up a finger, "If you glance over your right shoulder, you may occasionally catch a glimpse of _her_. One eye, torn from her skull. Long hair black and tangled. Almost as though she's just got out the bath."

Facemeat groaned, "Facemeat doesn't like this."

" _She_ ," the king said, "Will try to get closer and closer to you as the day goes on. Should you spot her and find that she's too close for comfort, shout ' _Tomare!'_ \- which means _stop_ \- and run away. This is to put some distance between you and her. Do _not_ let her catch you.

"However, you need to use the _Tomare_ command sparingly. Every time you use it, the less effective it becomes; the less time it stalls her. Only use it when absolutely necessary."

"Naturally," Soren murmured, wincing. Gabriel patted his shoulder.

"It's also worth noting," Magnus continued, "That _she_ is fond of water and dark places. So it's recommended that you avoid immersing your in or crossing running water, as well as going through dark spaces, until the game's over."

"So, uh… that- that means you're fine at the end of the game, right?" Axel asked. Magnus grinned at him.

"Well, that depends on whether or not you're able to stop her from catching you," he said, "To end the game, you need to catch a glimpse of her by looking over your right shoulder and then you need to shout ' _Kitta!'_ -"

"'I cut you loose,'" Ellegaard translated, almost automatically. Magnus nodded.

"-While swinging your arm down in a chopping motion," he did so with his own arm, as though to demonstrate, "If you do this right, a winning condition will be achieved and the game is over. But if you do it wrong…" he paused, looking away, as though he were thinking. The kids on the floor leant closer. Magnus eyes flickered back to them.

"Run."

Silence followed his words. Radar gulped and shrunk against Jesse's side.

Magnus held their eyes for a long moment. Then he grinned, chuckled and leant back properly in his seat again.

"You gotta complete the game before midnight," he declared, "If you don't, _she_ will be able to get access to your dreams. Which, trust me, is _bad_."

"Creepy," Nell breathed.

"But actually ending the game is harder than it sounds," Magnus said, "If _she_ suspects you're about to try and end it, she'll hide. And you _need_ to have her in your sights when you do the _Kitta_ command."

"But what happens if she _does_ capture you?" Jack asked, "Or get into your dreams?"

Magnus regarded him for a moment, before shrugging, "Can't really say. When asked, the people that do know usually say that it's too horrific to describe. Too terrifying to share. Well… if you're actually able to ask them before they kill themselves."

"Why do they do that?" Lukas asked, eyes wide. Magnus scratched the back of his head, humming.

"Maybe 'cause of what they know," he said, "Maybe 'cause _she_ is after them. No one can know for sure."

Cam shuddered, "That's- That's terrible."

"Sure is, kid," Magnus grinned, "If you're somehow able to win the game, it's recommended that you don't play it again. Otherwise, _she_ will begin in the same position she was in at the end of the previous game. You won't be able to get away fast enough."

Gill glanced over his shoulder again, shrinking in his seat a little. Maya squeezed his knee.

"That's definitely creepier than Bloody Mary," Aiden admitted, glancing over at Lukas, "Glad we didn't do that one."

"Considering we would've had to take a bath in the dark and it's only one player, I don't think we would've bothered even if you _had_ suggested it," Lukas pointed out. Magnus chuckled, before glancing over at Ellegaard.

"I didn't scare ya too bad, did I?"

Ellegaard rolled her eyes, "That was creepy, but hardly enough to be considered scary, Magnus."

"Oh, come on, Ellie," Magnus whined, "You saying you gotta better one?"

"Maybe."

"Well, come on, then," Magnus pushed himself up right from where he'd been slumping in his seat, gesturing to her, "Tell it."

Ellegaard huffed, "I doubt they want to hear another one, Magnus."

"No, come on, we want to hear it!" Petra protested. Cassie nodded.

"Yeah, come on, give us a good one!"

Ellegaard glanced around. When no one objected (although Stampy and the kid clinging to Jesse's arm still looked a little sickly), she sighed. "Fine."

Axel cheered. Ellegaard suppressed a smile.

"This game has been practically scrubbed from the English language," she began, "And there's quite a good reason as to why. The ritual itself is rather interesting- it shares a lot in common with _Daruma-san_."

"You better not be copying me, Ellie," Magnus cut in. Ellegaard shot him a glare.

"Be quiet and listen, would you?" she shook her head and returned her attention to the kids on the floor, apparently the silently dubbed 'main audience,' "The 'evil eye' is something that looms large in Russian folklore- this game being of Russian origin itself. It's essentially a curse, befalling a terrible fate, suffering anything from physical injury or death to severe mental or emotional anguish.

It's unknown whether or not the figure of Mr Eyes is meant to play off on the superstition surrounding the evil eye. But it's good to know that there are ways of warding off the evil eye, as according to Russian superstition; couldn't hurt to have a few failsafes if you choose to summon him."

"Come on, Ellie, get to the scary part already."

Gabriel whacked Magnus over the top of the head, "Be quiet and we'll actually _get_ there."

Ellegaard smiled at the warrior and continued, "I feel obligated to tell you now that depriving yourself of sleep is not recommended and can cause great harm to your health, your safety and the safety of others."

Cassie raised an eyebrow, looking mildly interested, "Okay."

The engineer cleared her throat, "The game requires only one player. You will need a mirror, a timekeeping device with a timer function, a bathroom equipped with a bathtub and a pin or sharp object capable of drawing blood."

Radar groaned quietly, "Of course there's blood."

"Begin shortly before two am," she said, "Bring your supplies to the chosen bathroom. At _precisely_ two am, set the timer for two minutes and then stare into the mirror, keeping your eyes open as widely as possible. Don't blink."

"This is, like, the total opposite of da- Magnus'," Axel declared. Olivia hummed.

"What is it with horror stories and bathrooms anyway?"

"When the timer goes off," Ellegaard continued, "Set the mirror aside. You can blink now. Then you must fill the bathtub with as much water as possible and, using the pin or sharp object, prick your finger until you begin to bleed. Hold your hand over the tub and let your blood drip into the water; do _not_ , under any circumstances, touch the surface of the water."

"What happens if-"

"Jesse," Ivor said, cutting the boy off, "Shush."

"Set the timer to another two minutes and stare into the tub," said Ellegaard, "Like before, keep your eyes open as widely as possible for the entire two minutes. Do not blink. When the timer goes off, either two things will happen:

The water remains still. This means the summoning has failed. Do not proceed. Leave the premises immediately and don't return until daylight. When the sun has risen, you may drain the tub."

"Why do you need to leave?"

" _Jesse_."

"But, if the water begins to bubble," the engineer said, ignoring them, " _Immediately_ look away. The summoning has succeeded and you may proceed. Do _not_ look at the water while it's bubbling. You can blink, but _don't look._ "

"But what-"

"You know, I'm still willing to get that duct tape," Magnus declared. Jesse promptly shut his mouth. Lukas patted his back sympathetically.

"When the water has ceased to bubble," continued Ellegaard, "You can look at it again. If you see nothing, Mr Eyes had decided not to play with you. Leave the premises immediately and wait until sunrise, where you can then drain the tub. However, if you see the image of a man, Mr Eyes had accepted your invitation to play. You may proceed."

"Play _what?_ " Romeo asked, a tad hesitantly. A few people seemed to notice his glowing eyes for the first time, or at least had forgotten they apparently did that and thought it was Mr Eyes, because there were a few startled squeaks and yelps. Ellegaard blinked at him, before smiling.

"Drain the tub and break the mirror," she said, not answering his question, "Make certain you dispose of the pieces."

Radar shifted next to Jesse, grumbling quietly, "Not the mirror's fault it was used in a ritual."

"Afterwards, go about your daily life. Much like Daruma-san, you'll notice a constant… _presence_ as you do so. You might even spot him directly in your field of vision. Or you might just sense him hovering nearby, just out of sight; you might catch a glimpse of him out the corner of your eye or lurking somewhere in the shadows," Ellegaard leant forward a little, eyes flickering about the room, "And do you know how you'll be sure it's him?"

Sparklez gulped, "Uh… because he looks super duper friendly?"

"Nope. Because of his eyes. Or, perhaps more accurately, his _lack_ of them."

"How'd he lose his eyes?" Stella asked, reluctantly curious. Ellegaard grinned and shook her head.

"Oh, he never _lost_ his eyes," she said, earning a few confused looks, "He keeps them nice and safe, don't worry."

Stella frowned for a moment. Then, realising what she meant, pulled a rather disturbed face. "Oh."

"You _can_ see Mr Eyes," Ellegaard continued, "For _never_ allow your gaze to linger too long. He'll follow you wherever you go. Let him. That's his goal in the game."

Jesse frowned, "To follow you around?"

"Precisely," grinned Ellegaard, "Meanwhile, _your_ goal in the game is to outlast him. To survive until he's given up and gone home."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Binta.

"What I mean," said Ellegaard, "Is that you _can't_ fall asleep. That's how you survive. You need to stay awake for as long as possible and may do so by any means necessary."

Olivia blinked, "Ohh, okay. That explains the warning you gave."

Ellegaard smiled down at her, "Yes, indeed. The game is over when one of two things occur: either Mr Eyes _decides_ it's over or you fall asleep."

"This is one messed up game," Aiden murmured. Maya rolled her eyes a little.

"I think that's the point, Aiden."

"If Mr Eyes decides to end the game, you've won," the engineer declared, "He'll fade from view and you will no longer sense his presence. You've survived."

She paused. Glanced around.

"However."

Gill groaned, "Of course there's a however."

"If you fall asleep," Ellegaard said, "You will wake up and see… darkness. Nothing. I say 'see' but really what I mean is that you _won't_ see. You fell asleep. You allowed him to take his prize."

Stampy squeaked, covering his eyes, "But I like my eyes!"

"Oh, don't worry," Ellegaard assured him, "He'll take good care of them for you. It would be unthinkable for him not to. After all, he finds them so very, very beautiful."

"Okay!" Gill exclaimed, covering his face as though someone was, in fact, about to pluck out his eyes, "Okay, that's enough, please!"

"But you must heed these warnings," the engineer insisted, "Just in case anyone here may decide to chance the risk. For the duration of the game, avoid going near water entirely. No boats, no swimming, no baths, don't even get caught outside in the rain. And do _not_ , under _any_ circumstances, stare at Mr Eyes."

Jesse piped up, "What happens if-"

"And a note for the Winners," Ellegaard cut him off, "Be careful in the dark from here on out. Those who have won have described hearing footsteps echoing from the blackness, even when no one is there. They've also reported seeing the outline of a man in the shadows from time to time. He never approaches. But try not to fall asleep until he leaves again."

"You mean he comes _back?!_ " Radar squeaked.

"Mr Eyes doesn't like losing," Ellegaard informed him, "And if he loses, he might find a way to take his prize from you anyhow."

A suffocating silence followed this declaration. Radar was clinging to Jesse's arm so tight that it was starting to hurt a little. At some point, Ivor and Harper had started holding hands. Lukas had pressed himself against Soren's legs.

"Alright," Magnus sighed, reluctantly, "That was good."

Ellegaard grinned at him, "I didn't _scare_ you, did I?"

"Ha ha ha," Magnus deadpanned, "No, you didn't."

"If you say so."

"I _do_ say so."

"I have a tale, if you're willing to listen," Jack declared, face cast in shadow; Otto raised his eyebrows at him, looking faintly amused in the dull candlelight.

"Well, it doesn't appear as though the power will be returning anytime soon," he hummed, "Might as well."

Jack grinned. The shadows made him look rather creepy.

Talk about dramatic.

"La Cegua," Jack began, deep voice rumbling, "Is a Central Armeikana figure. The many iterations of her story are told most commonly in Nycagura or Sista Roca, although she may also be encountered under other names in a various of lands."

"This guy's certainly been places," Maya murmured. Gill seemed to still be struggling to get over the previous horror of Mr Eyes.

"As for her story, however? Well, it can vary. In some versions, she's simply a monster disguised as a beautiful woman, who lures and then kills lecherous men that offer her a ride home on their horses with less than pure intentions in mind."

Radar frowned deeply, "Does he mean-"

"Best not to ask," Jesse murmured, cutting him off. Radar bit his lip, but nodded, rubbing a hand down Reuben's back.

"It's sort of a riff on the old Vanishing Hitchhiker legend," Jack continued, "Albeit with a much more gruesome conclusion. In others, she's a woman scorned. A beautiful girl who was seduced by a roguish soldier and then not only cast aside, but betrayed; the soldier is said to have revealed her participation in witchcraft, resulting in her either escaping and becoming a monster, or in being arrested, tortured, and killed before becoming a monster.

"Usually, she is described as being dressed in leaves, her clothing having rotted away, with her long, dark hair covering her face and a mask over her mouth and nose. The mask, as it is told, hides the teeth she'd lost when the soldiers beat her."

"Why would they do that?" asked Olivia, quietly. Jack glanced at her, but didn't pull his face from the shadows.

"Because to them, she was already a monster."

Olivia shrunk against Ellegaard's leg a little.

"But while her stories typically centre around unwitting victims encountering her in the wild, I have discovered a way to _summon_ her as well," said Jack, "If you are successful, she'll grant you three magic objects- but these objects are not for protection. Oh, no. This isn't a ritual you undertake unless your mind is plagued with wicked ideas."

"Go on," Cassie said. Lukas rolled his eyes at her.

"For this, you only need one participant," Jack stated, "However, you can, if you so please, have one other. You will require a large bowl made of glass, ceramic or another easily shattered material; water; at least four palm fronds; several strands of dark coloured, human hair. Black is recommended, but dark brown is acceptable; a candle; flint and steel; a container of mustard seeds. The container should be completely opaque. A lidded wooden box or a dark coloured cloth bag is recommended, but any container which is easily opened and not see-through is acceptable. The container should _not_ have a person's name or initials written anywhere on it."

"Mustard seeds?" Magnus murmured, more to himself than anyone else. Whether Jack heard him or otherwise, he continued.

"Three squares of black cloth measuring at least eight inches by eight inches- twenty centimetres by twenty centimetres- each; an offering. Choose something small and beautiful. Don't expect to get it back."

"Woo-boy," Stacy murmured, holding Wink a little closer.

"As you may expect," Jack said, "You are to begin at night. Open every door and window in the room you will be performing the ritual. Fill the bowl with water and position the palm fronds so that they form an enclosed box or circle on the floor. The enclosure must be big enough to fit yourself and all other required items.

"Place the bowl of water, the candle and the flint and steel inside the enclosure. Place the container of mustard seeds, the strands of hair and the squares of cloth inside the enclosure. Place the offering inside the enclosure. Then turn off the lights."

The adventurer lapsed into a brief silence, as though he were gathering his bearings. The candles flickered.

"Sit on the floor inside the enclosure," he continued, after a moment, "If a partner is present, they are to remain outside it, but inside the room. Light the candle and position the bowl directly in front of you; position the container of mustard seeds to the right of the bowl and the strands of hair to the left. Place the squares of cloth in a horizontal line in front of the bowl, being certain they remain inside the enclosure.

"Extinguish the candle. From this moment forth, _do not utter a noise unless otherwise instructed to_."

Lukas gulped.

"Look into the bowl of water," said Jack, "If you see the bottom of the bowl or the reflection of the ceiling above you, do not proceed. I will explain later in detail what you should do if anything goes wrong. However, if you see a jungle-like habitat, you may proceed.

"Continue looking into the bowl of water. At this point, a woman with a mask on the lower half of her face should become visible in the distance. Continue watching. She should be moving towards you."

Soup shuddered, "Ugh, okay, that's, uh… why would you _do_ that?"

Val hushed her.

"The woman will reach the edge of the water," Jack stated, "She will then begin to emerge from the bowl. Allow her to do so, but do not make eye contact with her, do not tell her your name and _do not_ permit her to remove her mask."

"What happens if she removes her mask?" Jesse asked. Jack gave his head a slow shake.

"You don't want to know."

Jesse blinked, "Oh."

"Once she has emerged from the bowl as far as her shoulders, speak the following phrase: ' _Quiero tres objetos mágicos.'_ Do not say anything else or make any other additional noise. Most importantly, do _not_ permit her to emerge further from the bowl than her shoulders."

"What happens if she-"

Petra promptly elbowed Jesse in the ribs, gutting the boy off with a grunt.

"Now that the words have been spoken," said Jack, "Place the offering in the bowl of water. If she continues to rise, _do not proceed_. Only proceed if she begins to retreat into the bowl once more."

Harper pulled a face, "That's… certainly something."

"Upon fully retreating back into the bowl, the offering should be gone. Empty the container of mustard seeds into the bowl and leave the enclosure. Take the bowl with you. Leave everything else."

Stampy groaned, still clinging to Dan, "Of course it's the bowl you have to take. Of course it is."

"You must completely dispose of the bowl's contents. It is recommended that you pour it down the drain or flush it down the toilet. However you do so, _do not_ allow any mustard seeds to remain in the bowl, in the sink or clinging to the sides of the toilet."

Jesse opened his mouth. A look from Ivor made him pause, before he slowly closed it again.

"Once made certain that no mustard seeds remain, take the bowl outside of the building and _break_ it," Jack instructed, spitting the word _break_ ; Nurm jumped slightly, "Dispose of the shards and do not allow even a piece to re-enter the building."

Porkchop cackled quietly, giving a rotten grin, "Spooky."

"Return to the room in which you performed the ritual and close all the windows and doors," said Jack, "Go to sleep. Do not get up or leave the room until the sun has risen. If a partner is present, they should do the same.

"After the sun has risen, you may rise as well. Go to the enclosure- which should remain untouched until this moment- and look under the squares of cloth. Take what you find and use them wisely."

"Quieros tres objetos mágicos," Isa murmured to herself; then, blinking, "I want three magic objects?"

Jack nodded, "Yes. For the purpose of the ritual, the phrase should only be spoken in Spanish. And do not use animal hair instead of human hair; she'll think you're calling her an animal. And believe when I tell you that she won't take kindly to that."

Binta swallowed, "Alright. Creepy. Quite creepy."

"Now, if anything should go wrong," Jack said, "You are to immediately empty the container of mustard seeds into the bowl of water, remove the water from the enclosure and _completely dispose_ of the contents of the bowl. Do not allow _any_ mustard seeds to remain. Then take the bowl outside and break it. Dispose of the pieces, never allowing any to re-enter the building. If she has not taken the offering, dispose of that also. Leave the premises and do not return until sunrise."

"Wait, so," Jesse cut in, "If she's rising past her shoulders, what happens when you remove the water from the bowl? Does she just fall out with it?"

"I think a more important question," Magnus said, raising his eyebrows, "Is what on earth is a _mustard seed_?"

Ellegaard rolled her eyes, "Seeds from a mustard plant. Is that really important?"

Magnus stared at her, "A _mustard plant?_ "

Jack chuckled, "You _could_ perhaps use a quantity of rice, salt or sand. Should an entity encounter them, it will feel compelled to count each individual grain, thereby slowing them down and allowing the potential target to escape. However, these alternatives have _not_ been tested against La Cegua, so it is _not_ recommended you use them in place of mustard seeds.

"As for the items underneath the cloth," Jack looked around, his dead eye strangely eerie in the dim lighting of the candles, "They are unlikely to be pleasant, but they will be immensely powerful. Know, however, that they are not meant for benevolent purposes; the magic one might perform with them will only cause harm.

"Do not use them unless you really, _truly_ mean it."

The adventurer's words hung heavy in the air. Slab swallowed, almost protectively gripping Em's shoulder. Cam hugged Blocco to her chest, shrinking against Binta's side.

Finally, Soren cleared his throat, "Well, uh… that was- that was quite good."

Jack smiled, "Thank you kindly."

"The lights are still out," Gabriel frowned. He glanced around the room. "How about another?"

No one spoke for a moment. Radar shifted and, realising he was still clinging to Jesse, released him as though he'd been burned. Jesse blinked at him, startled; the intern winced and looked away.

"What- What is it with scary stories and mirrors?" he muttered, a little absently, perhaps to draw attention away from what he'd been doing, "Or reflections, I guess."

"Reflections can be rather dangerous in dark rituals and things," Mevia muttered, a bit reluctantly from where she was leaning against a cushion. "Especially with mirrors."

Jesse blinked and twisted to face her; she was further than some of the others, and he was barely able to make anything out in the darkness of the room, even with the candles flickering and sending an occasional quivering shadow across the wall. "Yeah?"

She blinked as well, noticing the way Jesse was now looking at her, "Well… yes. They can be used as windows."

"Windows?" Radar's voice went up into a squeak.

Mevia nodded slowly, as if realizing how everyone was now looking almost expectantly at her, "Yes. I've seen a ritual or two to use mirrors as windows into other worlds."

Hadrian scoffed, "Mevia, we make portals into other worlds. Really, it's not that—"

She rolled her eyes at him, making the shadows flash across her face in a very odd way for a moment, "Not _that_ kind of other world. Other dimensions. Ghosts and ghouls and whatnot."

Radar was now effectively clinging to Jesse like a baby octopus. Again.

"That sounds so _rad_ ," Nell beamed from where she was bouncing a bit on the couch, "How d'you do _that?_ "

Mevia frowned, brow furrowing as she tried to sort out what she was saying, "Well… you need a mirror. A mirror that'll stand up on its own without you having to hold it. Possibly a table. A chair if you'd like it. Two candles, something to light the candles with, a clock with an alarm if possible, salt—"

She paused, "Well, salt might be optional, actually. A dark, quiet room. And you might also want to have some sort of large sheet or cloth, although that's also optional. But it is recommended."

"Why do you need a sheet for using a mirror as a window?"

"I am getting to that. Don't interrupt." Mevia said that without much bite in her voice in Isa's general direction, before lacing her fingers together and furrowing her brow.

There was a moment of quiet as she collected her thoughts, before she began to speak again.

"You need to begin at night, but preferably not too close to 3 AM, when you go to your dark, quiet room. Bring all of your supplies," Mevia added, almost as an afterthought. "If there are windows, shut the curtains. Then position the mirror on the table so that it's standing upright on or near the center of the table. This depends on the mirror; if it's got a stand just put it in the middle of the table, if it's hung on the wall put the table so it's directly below the mirror, and if it's a vanity mirror and part of a vanity table then you're already set up, so you're fine."

Mevia paused, before humming, "The mirror just has to be able to stand. If it's hanging on the wall, or if it's got a stand, or even if it's a vanity, it's fine. You _can_ use a bathroom mirror but that's not recommended. The table has just got to be some surface where you can put two candles down without worrying about it being a fire hazard."

"Why?"

Mevia shot Axel a deadpan look. "... Remind me never to stand in any rooms with you alone with any open sources of flame and flammable objects."

Then she continued, "Regarding the dark, quiet room… it's not recommended that you use a bedroom."

"Why?"

Mevia gave a half-irritated, half-amused look at Isa again, "If everyone would stop _interrupting_ me…" She waited until nobody looked like they were about to ask anything, before resuming her instructions.

"If you're using a chair, place it down in front of the table and the mirror so you can sit and face the mirror. Place the candles _unlit_ on either side of the mirror, and place what you plan to use to light them in easy reach. If you decided to use the salt or the sheet, also put them in easy reach but where it won't be a fire hazard. If the lights are on, turn them on."

"A lot of 'ifs' going on," Aiden mumbled.

Mevia rolled her eyes, "Well I don't know where you're planning to do it or what you plan to do. For all I know it's a room with lots of lights on and you've decided to not use salt or a sheet. Anyhow, after you've finished that, leave the room, and set the alarm for 3:30 AM. Feel free to waste as much time and do whatever you want outside of the room until then, but don't miss the alarm."

"Now assume it's 3:30 AM. Return to your dark, quiet room as quickly as possible. You have three minutes to prepare. If you decided to use the salt, take up a handful of it, and do NOT let go of the handful until it's necessary to do so."

Mevia paused, perhaps for dramatic effort. "You now have two minutes."

"Set the alarm for 3:53 AM. Not one minute or second off. You now have _one_ minute."

Another pause. Jesse was starting to wish she'd speed up. His heart kept hopping into his throat with every creaking floorboard.

"It's time. At 3:33 AM _exactly_ light the candles with whatever you've chosen to light them with. If you don't complete those steps by 3:34 AM, just… abort the ritual and try again some other day."

"What happens if—"

Ivor jokingly (or… well, at least Jesse hoped it was a joke) smothered Jesse with a pillow for a moment.

Mevia's moving her hands a bit as she speaks now, almost imitating movements, "If you're using a chair, you can sit, but otherwise remain standing. Close your eyes, and do _not_ open them again."

"Then lean in. As close as you can. Lean until your face is almost— _almost_ — touching the surface of your 'window'. _Do not let your face touch the mirror._ "

"How can you—"

Ellegaard hushed Magnus, eyes fixated on Mevia from the story and the intensity in Mevia's voice.

"Keep your eyes shut. Then let your mind go. Look around." Mevia paused, before lifting a finger and arching her eyebrow.

"But don't open your eyes. Your eyes should be closed the entire time. What do you see? Enjoy the sights… or don't. It's up to you. Whatever you decide, do it carefully."

A few moments of pause.

"When the alarm that you set for 3:53 AM goes off, it is time to close the window."

"There are three methods of doing this, all of them work. Just pick the one that works the best for you. Keep your eyes shut, and back away as far from the table and the mirror as you can. Then, and _only_ then, open your eyes."

Mevia paused again, a shadow of a smile quirking across her face and sending the candlelights' shadows dancing across her face for a moment, "Or then again, maybe you'd prefer to have the lights on. In that case, keep your eyes shut, back away from the mirror and table, and turn on the lights. Then… and _only_ then… open your eyes."

"Or. Maybe you're still holding onto that handful of salt. Keep your eyes shut and back away from the mirror and table. The _moment_ ," Mevia's voice sharpened in intensity and volume for a moment, making several people start, "You open your eyes, throw your handful of salt at the mirror."

A long pause, before Mevia straightened back up, voice going back to its low and calm tone. "When the window has been closed, extinguish the candles. And be careful using that mirror in the future."

Mevia was silent for a long moment, before her brow furrowed. "But perhaps… you made a mistake. Perhaps you accidentally touched the mirror. Perhaps you opened your eyes before the alarm went off. Perhaps you ignored the alarm that you set for 3:53 AM and you kept looking. Or maybe you opened your eyes at the correct moment… and saw something that shouldn't be there in the mirror."

"Any of those events happening constitutes an emergency."

The room was deathly quiet for a moment. Jesse could only hear breathing and his own heartbeat.

Mevia picked back up a moment later, her voice soft and quiet and low and dangerous. "If an emergency occurs, use your sheet and cover the mirror _immediately_. Remove it from the premises of that room, and destroy it. As thoroughly and completely as possible. Under no circumstances are you to allow _any_ piece of that mirror to return to your home."

"Why do you need to destroy the mirror like that?" Cassie found herself asking, both curiously and rather reluctantly.

Mevia turned to look at Cassie, a slow, almost frightening smile crossing her face at that. She seemed to be having a bit too much fun with this story.

"Why, indeed."

A long heartbeat, where the candles flickered gently and the air began to grow thicker with tension and expectation.

And then Mevia spoke again.

"Windows can very easily become doors, you know."

A tense silence followed her words. And then a deafening _SMACK_ burst the air and sent startled screams ringing. Radar literally leapt into Jesse's lap, very nearly sending the other boy onto his back; Reuben squealed in fright, starting to run in circles; Lukas clung to Cassie's arm; Romeo jumped, eyes flashing, and a flower pot exploded somewhere in the shadows.

Magnus howled with laughter. Ellegaard stared at him, hand over her heart.

"What-" she spluttered, "What did you _do?!_ "

"I just- I-" Magnus laughed louder, struggling to speak, "I just clap- clapped my hand-"

He continued to howl. Ivor's startled face turned into a scowl and he reached around Soren and Gabriel to punch his friends shoulder.

"You absolute _prat!_ "

Magus didn't really seem to care; he was too busy laughing.

Jesse released a shaky breath, before looking down at Radar, who was still clinging to him. He chuckled weakly. "You're- You're a lot like a baby squid, you know that?"

Radar swallowed, heart still pounding. Then, realising he was in his hero's lap, he turned red and pulled away. "So- Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Jesse murmured; he plucked a still running-in-circles Reuben from the floor, rubbing his head in an attempt to calm him down, "Scared me too."

The intern blinked, surprised, "It- It did?"

Jesse huffed a tiny, breathless laugh, "Well, yeah. That's the whole point of a scary story, isn't it?"

Radar stared for a moment. Then smiled.

"Ye- Yeah. I guess so."

"You're a child," Ellegaard declared, glaring at Magnus, whose laughter had finally died down to chuckling, "A stupid, giant child."

Magnus continued to chuckle, looking quite pleased with himself. Xara watched him for a moment, before her eyes trailed over to the shadows, where the flower pot had shattered. No one had seemed to really notice in the chaos. She glanced over at Romeo; perhaps to anyone else, he'd look bored. But she could clearly tell he that the way he was tapping his fingers against the arm of his seat meant he was nervous rather than impatient.

Her lips twitched.

"I've got a story."

"Yeah?" Jesse said, turning to look at her curiously. Xara grinned; the shadows across her face made her look even more terrifying than usual. Romeo had stopped tapping his fingers to stare at her.

"Yup."

Sparklez regarded her wearily for a moment, "Uh, well… why don't- why don't you tell it?"

Xara regarded him for a moment. Everyone had turned to look at her, a specific few slightly more terrified than others. She grinned again.

"Alright."

She went quiet for a moment, as though gathering her thoughts. Then she started to speak.

"This is a game of Hide and Seek," she said, "Except, there are no friends that play with you. It's also slightly different from more traditional games of Hide and Seek, where a person hides until they are found or until the Seeker gives in; in this version, you must hide from the Seeker while also making it back to Home Base."

"That's a pretty cool version of Hide and Seek," said Clutch, arms crossed, "But who's supposed to be the Seeker when you don't have anyone playing with you?"

"Oh, no, you misunderstand," Xara said, voice low and husky, "I said there are no _friends_ playing with you. A friend wouldn't do to you what this Seeker would if it finds you."

They stared at her. Silently, Jesse offered his arm to Radar. The intern immediately clung to it again.

Xara's gaze flickered, briefly, to Romeo. Stiffening, he swallowed and looked away.

"For this particular game," Xara continued, breaking the moment of silence, "You can use a scapegoat. It acts as a decoy. It may be optional, but it would be very, very foolish to play without it."

"Who would fall for a decoy like that, though?" Axel asked. Xara simply smiled at him.

"Two mirrors, able to stand on their own. One doll, resembling a human as closely as possible and made out of hard material- wood, plastic, porcelain. One candle. A pair of flint and steel. A supply of salt, wrapped in paper- at least five spoonfuls is recommended. A timekeeping device. One scapegoat doll- optional, but highly recommended. One strand of your own hair. Optional, but highly recommended and necessary if using the scapegoat doll."

Axel blinked slowly, "That… did not answer my question but okay."

"You must begin shortly before midnight," Xara declared, and wow, okay. Jesse wasn't sure if she was just really good at putting on a creepy voice or if the atmosphere of the room was somehow making it more obvious. "Clear your home of all other people and pets, and be sure of when you know what time the sun is due to rise."

"Well, definitely can't play that game here," Lukas murmured, jokingly. Soren rolled his eyes.

"As though I'd let you play any of these games to begin with."

"As though I'd actually _consider_ playing any of these games to begin with."

Cassie raised an eyebrow, "You did Bloody Mary."

"Which apparently worked and now I'm not going into my bathroom ever again."

Xara cleared her throat, cutting into the conversation. Satisfied that they were finished interrupting her, Xara continued. "If you're using the scapegoat doll, begin by firmly affixing the strand of hair to it; you can do this by tying it to the doll, taping it or opening the doll up, placing the air inside and then stitching it back up. However way you do it, you must be certain that it will not fall off the doll at any point during the game."

"What happens if it falls off?" asked Jesse. Ivor sighed, although he looked torn between amused and exasperated.

"Jesse," he said, "Honestly."

"What? I'm genuinely curious."

Xara's lips twitched, "Just be sure it doesn't fall off. Next, you have to pick a room in the house to act as a Home Base. Choose a different room to be your hiding place. Turn off all the lights except for the ones in your Home Base."

Radar made a noise that was something between a whine and a sigh, "Because _everything_ needs to be done in the dark, right?"

"Jack's didn't," Jesse pointed out. Radar groaned.

"You're right. And it was _still_ creepy."

"If you're using the scapegoat," said Xara, "Hide is somewhere in your home. Whatever you do, _don't_ hide it in the Home Base or in the room you're hiding in. Scapegoat hidden, bring the rest of your supplies into your Home Base and position the mirrors so that they're facing each other."

She paused, as though to remember what happens next. After a moment, she continued.

"Put the doll and the candle in the space between the two mirrors. When your timekeeping device reads midnight, light the candle and say this five times," again, she paused. Her eyes darted over her audience. The shadows flickered.

" _Let's play,_ " she whispered; then, slightly louder, " _Let's play. Let's play. LET'S PLAY. LET'S PLAY!_ "

She was practically shouting by the end, but wasn't quite; nevertheless, it might as well have been a screech in the silence of the room, and multiple people found themselves jumping and shrinking away. Jesse didn't even realise he was pressing himself against Ivor's legs until a comforting hand tangled in his hair.

Xara grinned at them, "At this point, you may hear something. Noises. Somewhere in your house. This means that _it_ wants to play as well."

"It?" Radar squeaked. And then a creak. Somewhere in the mansion. The groan of heavy steps down a creaky staircase. The audience stiffened, glancing around, abruptly paranoid.

"What- What was that?" Lukas asked; he didn't seem to realise he'd shifted closer to Cassie. The redhead's brow furrowed, before she scoffed.

"Probably just the monsters."

"Yeah," Petra murmured, almost like she were trying to convince herself; she leant a little closer to Gabriel, "Just monsters."

Xara's grin widened, before it fell and her face became deadly serious.

"However," she whispered, in that strange, husky voice of hers, "If you feel any physical sensations on your body- tugging, pressure, light touches- _stop immediately._ Scatter salt on the mirrors and both the dolls. Destroy and dispose of them."

Nell pressed herself closer to Mevia, eyes wide. She didn't even seem to realise she was doing so. Mevia didn't push her away.

"Take the salt," Xara said, quietly, "Keep it on you at all times. Then say aloud, ' _Please come and find me. If you do, I will give you my life.'_ "

"Why would you do _that?_ " Milo asked, bewildered, "That's complete foolishness!"

"Isn't _all_ of this complete foolishness?" asked Aiden. Isa huffed a small laugh.

"Says the boy that tried to summon Bloody Mary."

"And it _worked_ ," Aiden breathed, going pale, "Dear god, it _worked_."

Isa rolled her eyes, before shifting and reaching over to squeeze his hand, "I'm sure it was just a coincidence."

"Or _was_ it?" Gill asked. Maya shushed him.

"Turn off the lights in the Home Base," Xara said, eyes fixated on the flickering flame of the nearest candle; if you looked close enough, it almost made her eyes glow in a way eerily similar to Romeo's, "And make your way as quickly and as quietly as possible to your hiding place, only bringing the salt. Whatever you do, _do not speak. Do not make a sound. Do not leave a trail to your hiding place_."

Romeo pressed his lips together. This was stupid. He wasn't scared. He was the _Admin_ for heck's sake, he wasn't scared of a stupid _story_. And he wasn't scared of _her_ either.

Her eyes flickered over to him again. Grinning. He scowled at her. That only made her grin widen.

"Once you reach your hiding place," Xara continued, almost painfully slowly, "Sit, cross-legged, with your back to the door. Scatter some salt onto yourself but do _not_ use all of it- you will need some more later.

"Wait. Don't make a noise. Don't make a sound. Don't even _breathe_. Don't let the doll find you."

Facemeat made a distressed noise, hiding behind Slab slightly. The other Gladiator patted his back reassuringly.

"Some good news," said Xara, raising her voice to a normal volume, almost sounded cheerful, "Even if the doll finds the room you're in, it might not notice you…" her pleasant smile became a bit more sadistic, "Unless you make too much noise."

Soup groaned, hiding her face in Val's shoulder, "This is _creepy_."

"If, during the Hunt," Xara continued, low but casual, flickers of shadow dancing across her face, "You feel as though you are in immediate danger, quietly rise from your sitting position and hide somewhere in the room. Inside a closet or under or behind a large piece of furniture is ideal. Do _not_ make any noise and do _not_ leave a trail leading to your hiding place."

"Naturally," Cassie murmured.

Xara was quiet for a moment, humming softly. She bared her teeth in a grin. She kept her voice to a hushed whisper. "I suppose we best be quiet then."

The crunch of glass. Romeo jolted slightly, glowing eyes snapping around to look in the direction of the shattered pot. Perhaps it was simply his imagination, but he could've _sworn_ the shards had been shifted. He swallowed.

"When you're ready to end the game," Xara continued, slow and husky and horribly quiet, "Return to your Home Base. Move swiftly. Quietly. Don't do anything that will allow the doll to find you.

"When you reach the Home Base, stand before the candle and say ' _You lose. The game is over now'_ five times. Then extinguish the candle and cover yourself in salt."

"Why do you have to cover yourself in salt?" Jesse asked, almost automatically keeping his own voice to a whisper. Xara shrugged one shoulder and smiled at him. Jesse blinked at her.

"Find the doll," Xara said, "It won't be where you left it."

Radar whined quietly, clinging closer to Jesse.

"When you find it, scatter salt on it. If you used the scapegoat, find that as well and scatter salt on it too. Turn on all the lights and create a bright, cheerful atmosphere by whatever means you most prefer. Play upbeat music, read a book you enjoy, engage in your favourite hobby, that sort of thing. Maintain this atmosphere for at least an hour or until the sun rises."

Dan released a small breath, "Well, that's nice."

Stampy appeared to be too busy hiding in his shoulder to really comment.

Xara leant back in her seat, stretching out her legs and crossing her ankles, "Within the next three days," she said, still as quiet as ever, "You must destroy and dispose of both mirrors, as far away from each other as possible. Remove the hair from the scapegoat, burn it and then destroy and dispose of the scapegoat. Bring the doll to a shrine. If you can't do that, destroy and dispose of the doll instead.

"Be careful in the dark from here on out."

Val swallowed, giving a slightly forced smile, "That- That wasn't _too_ bad."

"Really?" Xara asked, still quiet, still husky, eyes trained on the flicker of a candle, "Well, that's good to hear. Although it's probably worth mentioning that the game becomes more dangerous the longer it goes on. It would be in your best interest to end it, without getting caught, as soon as possible. It _must_ be ended before sunrise. Do _not_ leave your house during the game. Do _not_ neglect to destroy and dispose of the mirrors or dolls. Do _not_ neglect to end the game."

"What happens-"

Harper shushed him. Xara continued as though he hadn't spoken.

"If you find the doll to be smiling when the game is ended," she said, eyes glowing in the light of the candles, "It found you. You may not have noticed… but it did. I'm sorry. There's nothing to be done now."

A brief, bone-chilling silence. Val swallowed. She was no longer smiling.

"Nevermind," she rasped, "That was very bad."

"Quite," Jack murmured, clinging to Nurm almost as tightly as Nurm was clinging to him. Warden released a shaky breath.

"U-Uh," he murmured, attempting- and failing- to hide the shake of his hands, "That was… well. That was something."

Xara hummed, eyes fixed on Romeo. Realising she was staring at him, Romeo scowled at her. Xara smirked back. Crossing his arms, the redhead promptly looked away and ignored her. Mevia glanced between, raising her eyebrows.

The power was still off. Hadrian huffed.

"I don't suppose anyone else has one of these stupid stories?" he asked, earning an eye roll from Reginald; he's seen him jump.

Binta twisted her hair around her finger automatically, seeming to be considering, "Well… I… read a lot. I like reading. And, ah… there was always one ritual that seemed both heartwarming and… well, heart _breaking_ , if you performed it wrong."

Upon realizing everyone's attention was on her now, she balked for a moment, before clearing her throat rather awkward, "Ah… well, you need two participants in a long-term romantic relationship. It's recommended that they share a home, and that they not have been together for less than a year, recently experienced severe difficulties in their relationship—"

Magnus and Ellegaard automatically glanced at each other, before just as quickly looking away.

"... Own a business together, have one or more pets together, or participants that have children."

Harper and Ivor instantly glanced at one another.

"To do so might have catastrophic consequences… and not just for the people playing. But, um, I'm not saying you can't. It's just not recommended."

Binta cleared her throat before continuing, "So, you then need a public restroom of some sort, a sharp object— like a pocketknife— two timekeeping devices for each participant, and a strong and unshakeable love and trust between both participants. The last two are _absolutely necessary_.

"Before beginning the ritual, decide which participant is Participant One and which one is Participant Two. Do not let there be any confusion about who is which participant, and that you are in agreement of the actions that you are taking, and it gets a _bit_ more involved here, because based on which participant you are, you've got to follow a different set of instructions.

"Participant One is… arguably easier than Participant Two. Begin shortly before midnight and take the sharp object and your own timekeeping device, bringing them with you to the public restroom with which you are prepared to perform the ritual."

Binta paused upon noticing the way everyone's eyes were fixated on her, before smoothly continuing, "Before entering the restroom, say goodbye to your partner, just in case. Make it meaningful, but be honest. Communicate how much you love them. Communicate well, and communicate wisely."

A long, long pause as Binta's eyes scanned the room again, making sure she had everyone's attention. Even Hadrian's.

"It might be the last time you get to do so."

She then resumed the ritual, ignoring the way several wide eyes had flickered to one another, "Enter the restroom alone. Enter a stall and lock the door. At 11:59 PM, use your sharp object to carve the phrase on the inside of the stall door, and insert names as appropriate— 'Your partner's name' loves 'your name'. Once done, rotate in place counter-clockwise, speaking the words 'my lover has another' a total of 66 times, revolving in place the entire time."

She paused again, before giving a sheepish smile. "I hope you don't get dizzy easily."

"You are to complete that step before the clock hits 12:01. If nothing around you changes, the ritual failed. Don't proceed and just go home."

Binta regarded everyone, voice becoming a little slower, "However, if a long red corridor appears behind you, the ritual has succeeded. Follow the corridor for as far as you can. You don't have any other choice— the lock is no longer on the inside of the stall. It's on the outside.

"You can't leave now. Even if you wanted to." Binta's voice was a little husky, but there was this quality to it that was almost hypnotic. When she spoke, Jesse found himself _wanting_ to listen, to hear more of this story or ritual or whatever the heck you wanted to call it.

"When you can't go any farther, stop and wait. Once 24 hours have passed, and it's midnight on the following night, travel back through the corridor and get back to the stall. And wait."

Binta clapped her hands, making Romeo flinch back, his lamp-like eyes disappearing at the sudden sound. (He wasn't the only one. Several other people jumped or swore in surprise.) "Participant Two, you start much the same as Participant One. Begin shortly before midnight, and take your own timekeeping device with you while you go with your partner to the restroom which you chose to perform the ritual at. You partner will say goodbye to you. Listen closely, take in their message wholly and completely. Know that what they are saying is true.

"Say goodbye to them as they enter the bathroom."

Binta's voice was taking on a sort of mysterious tone. Jesse found himself leaning even closer the softer her voice got. "Now, at midnight, start keeping track of the time, and go home. You will notice that a person that looks like your partner is following you there."

A long pause.

"That is _not_ your partner. That is the Other."

The way she said 'other' made chills crawl up Jesse's skin, his hands momentarily reaching up and scrubbing at his chest to make his heart stop fluttering in the cavity it resided in.

"The Other is the best version of your partner. They look the way you wished they looked, they share and support your every interest, they cater to your every desire, and they have no flaws _whatsoever_. Live your life normally for the next twenty-four hours. The Other will follow you wherever you go, and they will use _any_ means possible to convince you to leave your real partner— who is travelling down that red corridor— and leave them locked up."

Binta's voice was nearly a whisper now, which was both almost hypnotic… and also utterly terrifying, because Jesse was terrified she was going to randomly shout and scare the heck out of him.

"Aren't you much better off with the Other as your partner, instead?"

Her soft, hypnotic whisper hardened, almost in determination, "Participant Two's job is to resist the Other. Be vigilant. They will not physically harm you, but they can be _very_ persuasive. All bets are off, and every strategy and tool at their disposal may be used. Be prepared for anything and everything.

" _Do not underestimate them._ " Her voice became the hardest it had been so far, before she slowly leaned back, voice rising in volume but still remaining soft, almost gentle.

"Once your twenty-four hours are up, Participant Two, you have a choice. Return to the public restroom, enter it, find the stall with the lock on the outside, unlock it, and open it."

"Or," and she was deliberately pausing, taking in expectant eyes and thoughtful expressions, "Leave your true partner where they are, and stay with the Other."

Ivor automatically let out a sound of protest, Harper almost letting out an exclamation of her own while Magnus grunted and Ellegaard frowned. Isa also straightened up, brow furrowing in protest, while Milo opened his mouth to say something.

Nothing came out.

"And now… the moment of truth. Participant One, you will hear the lock on the outside of the stall slide open. Open the door. What do you see?"

Binta's eyes grew sad. It was almost as if she was watching somebody die in front of her.

"If you open the stall door, and you see nothing but an empty room, with no way out and nowhere to go except back down that long, empty, red corridor… I'm sorry."

Jesse doesn't realise his teeth was clinching his lip until he felt the sharp prick of pain. He bit down, pinching it between his teeth.

"I'm so sorry."

A moment of pause, before Binta hummed, a happier expression and a small smile crossing her lips, "If you see your partner, however, you have successfully completed the ritual. Your life together will be long and happy, and through thick and through thin, your love will hold together. It is a once in a lifetime occurrence to find someone who will stick with you even through the Other, and I commend that relationship. Congratulations."

Her smile grew a little sharper, more careful, and even though her tone was almost crafted to stay calm and mild and placid, Jesse could feel the sharpness of her next words through his bones.

"But don't return to that public restroom in which you performed the ritual ever again."

Her smile faded away to a deadly serious look, which… honestly, Binta seemed like a lovely person, but even _that_ look sent chills up everybody's spines.

"The Other will not be happy to see you."

"... Yikes," Jack murmured, after a long moment. Cam hugged Blocco a little closer, flicking the puppy's ear when he looked as though he were about to try and 'play' with Waffles again.

"That- That was really good, Binta," she said. Binta smiled at her.

"Thank you, Cam," she glanced around the room, "Does anyone else have a story?"

"Are the lights even coming back on?" Magnus muttered, frowning at the ceiling as though it were to blame, "It must have been more than an hour by now."

Harper shrugged, a little helplessly, "It's hard to tell here. I suppose if it doesn't come on soon, we could go check out the mansion's main power source."

Petra frowned, "And… where is _that_ , exactly?"

Harper paused, then sighed, "I… don't know," she glanced hopefully around the room, "Does anyone know?"

No one answered her. After a moment, Ivor squeezed her hand.

"We'll worry about that later," he said, "If the power doesn't come back on in the next hour, we'll try and figure out what's wrong with it."

Harper hummed, brow furrowing, but she nodded, "Alright."

"I… might have a story," Cassie piped up, a little hesitantly. A few people turned to blink at her. The YouTubers frowned. Some even scowled.

Soren smiled, "Alright, Cassie. Show us what you've got."

"Oh, this is going to be terrifying, isn't it?" Mevia murmured, more to herself than anyone else; despite her words, she actually looked a little excited. Nell grinned.

"Radical."

"This is actually slightly similar to Bloody Mary," Cassie started, glancing at Lukas; the blond blinked curiously at her, "In that the ritual involves summoning a woman- or, rather, something that _looks_ like a woman- in a mirror. Unlike Bloody Mary, however, the successful summoning of Lady Spades grants you the chance to make a wish… for a price, of course."

Olivia hummed quietly, leaning against Ellegaard's leg, "That's usually how it works, I s'pose."

"To summon her," said Cassie, slowly, purposefully, taking a moment to remember how exactly the story goes, "You begin at midnight. You need a dark, quiet room. All lights must be off. You'll also need… a candle and a mirror- the mirror needs to be fixture of the room, like a bathroom mirror. Place the candle in front of the mirror and light it."

In the darkness of the watching room, the candles wavered. Flickered. In that moment, the screen looked very much like a mirror.

"With some lipstick," Cassie continued, "Preferably red, although any colour is acceptable, write _Lady Spades_ on the mirror. Then take the Queen of Spades from a deck of cards and hold it in your hand such that she is facing the mirror.

Close your eyes. Empty your mind. Relax, as much as you are able. Then repeat ' _Lady Spades, appear'_ seven times."

Cassie leant forwards a little, so that the candles cast shadows across her face; her voice was a whisper, " _Lady Spades, Lady Spades, Lady Spades, Lady Spades, Lady Spades, Lady Spades, Lady Spades."_

Her words almost seemed to echo across the quiet room. No one spoke. Finally, finally, Cassie continued.

"Keep your eyes closed," She whispered, "Call up the image of Lady Spades in your mind. She will be dressed as black as the blackest nights, with eyes to match, and although her smile can melt the coldest of hearts, her face will be mangled and scarred," she curled her fingers into claws and made a slicing motion across her face, "Don't panic if you hear a woman's voice or laughter, or the echo of footsteps nearby. This means you've successfully summoned her."

Footsteps. Clear, light, close by. Jesse's head snapped to the back of the room so fast his neck cracked, sending a slight spike up the back of his skull. He stared at the portrait of a sheep.

Radar squeaked and clung to him tighter, "What- What was- was that?"

"What was what?" asked Aiden, brow furrowing.

"Footsteps!" Radar exclaimed, voice rather high-pitched in his fright, "I- I could've sworn I just heard footsteps."

Cassie chuckled lowly, "Maybe she knows we're talking about her."

Radar jolted, the little remains of colour draining from his face. Jesse could feel him starting to tremble. He wrapped his arm around him best he could and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"I'm sure it was nothing," he promised, "She's just trying to creep you out."

"She's succeeding," Lukas muttered. Olivia nodded in silent agreement.

Cassie's grin widened, "You can open your eyes now. If either the candle is out, the card is facing you, the card is missing or if you see a woman in the mirror with her hands pressed against the glass, _do not proceed_."

She declared this with such harshness that the kids on the floor actually leant back a little. Nell was properly buried against Mevia now. Said Old Builder was very carefully ignoring the suppressed smiles Otto was shooting them.

"If the candle is out," Cassie continued, quickly, with an urgency that had their hearts picking up speed, "Relight it as quickly as possible, say ' _Lady Spades, disappear,'_ wipe her name from the mirror, blow out the candle and turn off the lights. Burn the Queen of Spades card immediately.

"If you open your eyes and the card is facing you instead of the mirror, rip the card in half, say ' _Lady Spades, disappear,'_ wipe her name from the mirror and turn on the lights. Burn the Queen of Spades card immediately.

"If you open your eyes and the card is missing, break the mirror, turn on the lights and attempt to locate the card in the room. If you find it, burn it. If you don't, leave it and vacate the premises immediately.

"If the woman's hands are pressed up against the mirror, break it immediately. Vacate the premises and burn the card."

"I'm surprised you remember all that," Xara said. Cassie shrugged, lips twitching.

"Oh, I have read this ritual many, many times."

Lukas stared, "Uh… why?"

Cassie shrugged, still smiling. Soren actually looked slightly concerned.

"If, however," the White Pumpkin continued, absently running her fingers through Winslow's fur, "You open your eyes and see a woman in the mirror with her hands by her sides, you may proceed."

"This must be the riskiest game so far," Reginald murmured, quietly. Oxblood was clinging to Geoff. Porkchop looked like they were quite enjoying the apprehension going about the room.

"State your wish to the woman," said Cassie, voice becoming much less urgent, almost but not quite returning to its previous whisper, "Not matter what happens next, do _not_ break eye contact with her. If you're unable to do so, immediately break the mirror, vacate the premises and burn the card."

"What happens if you don't-"

Harper bent down and jabbed a finger into the boy's side, making him yelp, "Hush."

"If Lady Spades decides to grant you your wish, she will smile and say 'yes,'" Cassie declared, "However, if she declines to grant you your wish, break the mirror. Blow out the candle. Burn the card. Hope for the best.

"Do not attempt the ritual again. Ever."

The redhead lapsed into silence, glancing around the dark room. Winslow purred in her lap. When she spoke again, her voice was a low whisper.

"Do not attempt to end the game between the statement of your wish and the woman's response. She doesn't like being interrupted. Besides," shadows flicked and warped across Cassie's pale face, blank, blank, blank as a sheet of paper, "Lady Spades has a habit of sticking around. Even if the ritual is a success, it comes with a price."

Radar whined, hiding his face into Jesse's chest. Reuben, who had been quiet for the majority of the stories, huddled a little closer.

"If you're polite," Cassie continued, "She will make your fondest wish come true…" her face darkened, "But you don't want to know what happens if you're impolite. And whatever you do…

" _Don't let her out of the mirror._ "

Silence. Suffocating stillness. Very slowly, Stella swallowed.

"Well, uh… I know what I'm _not_ doing anytime soon."

"Great," Lukas said, a tad weakly, "Now I'm not going into _any_ bathroom ever again."

Petra raised an eyebrow at him, although she had noticeably shifted quite a bit closer to Gabriel, "How are you supposed to use the toilet, then?"

"I'll go outside."

"The monsters are outside."

"Then I'll go in a _bucket_."

"Nobody's peeing in a bucket," Soren declared, as Cassie snickered. Olivia looked up at him curiously.

"Do you have a story?"

Soren blinked at her, "Well, uh… you know, I might, actually."

Everyone turned to look at him curiously, expectantly. Soren dug his hand into his pocket, struggled with whatever was inside for a moment, and then pulled out a small book (as well as few crumpled bits of paper that fell out of sight and then out of mind). He flicked through the book for a moment, before eventually coming to a stop and placing a finger upon the page.

"The instructions for _Tomino's Hell_ ," he read, "Are pretty simple- deceptively so. In fact, they're so simple that it's possible to play this game accidentally. The game was apparently once quite popular in this little village to the west of Nile Isles, and although some who tried it reported that nothing happened, others who mentioned that they were going to give it a shot never reported back.

" _Why_ they were never heard from again remains to be seen."

"Spoopy," Nell murmured. Rolling her eyes, Mevia ruffled her beaded hair.

"In any event," Soren continued, skipping over a few historical facts, "I would actually argue that _Tomino's Hell_ is less of a game and more of a curse; the object is really _not_ to play it. If you'd like to read the poem, do it in your head, rather than aloud. But if you absolutely _must_ read it aloud… play at your own risk."

Aiden blinked, "Wait, so it's literally just reading a poem?"

Soren shrugged, squinting as he struggled to read in the dim lighting, "Uh, let's see… recite the poem aloud," his eyes travelled to the next page.

" _His older sister vomited blood, his younger sister vomited fire,_

_And cute Tomino vomited-"_

Ivor's arm flew upwards and the book was abruptly smacked out of Soren's hands, landing atop a pillow. The architect blinked at his empty hands for a moment, before turning to stare questionably at his friend.

"Soren," Ivor said, slowly, "You might be on of the greatest builders ever, but I swear you are stupid sometimes. No. We are not going to tempt fate right now."

Soren blinked again, "How do you mean, _tempt fate?_ "

"Apparently, tragedies tend to dog in the footsteps of those who read the poem. Until there are no steps left to dog. It's idiotic to tempt it."

Hadrian rolled his eyes, "Oh, don't tell me _you_ believe in that."

"Alright," Ivor raised an eyebrow, "You read it then."

Hadrian stared at him. Looked at the fallen book. Back up to Ivor. Then he scoffed and turned away.

"As though I would participate in such idiocy."

Harper rolled her eyes at him, "Of course, Hadrian."

Jesse chewed on his lip for a moment, before tilting his head back and looking up at Ivor, "Have you got a story?"

Ivor hesitated in a way that instantly made everyone in the room certain that he actually knew a spooky story or ritual. "Well… there's one that I suppose wouldn't have any harm in sharing it. It's not like you can actually perform it."

"You say that as though you'd actually expect us to try," Jesse murmured. He glanced over at Axel and Petra. "Uh… actually, nevermind."

Ivor cleared his throat and shifted, "The ritual is called 'Lights Out'. Or… well, it's more of a game. You need one 'Arena' that doesn't connect to any other buildings, has at least eight rooms, and each room must have electricity and a light source.

"The rooms can be defined as any enclosed space within the arena that has at least four walls, a floor, a ceiling, a means of entering or exiting, and a light source. It has to satisfy all those conditions, but regardless of size or function, it can be considered a room."

Ivor paused a moment later, pursing his lips, "Now that I think about it, your Arena probably shouldn't have more than twelve rooms."

"What even counts as a light source? A candle?" Hadrian muttered quietly.

"A light source may be defined as any electrically-operating device which can be turned on or off and which illuminates a room in the Arena," Ivor rattled off immediately, sending Hadrian a glare.

Ignoring the way Hadrian proceeded to mumble something along the lines of 'nice hearing,' he continued, "If one of your rooms has multiple light sources, only one has to be on for the room to be considered lit."

A moment later, he hummed and returned to his list, "Anyway, then you have to have an object of personal value to the player, a piece of paper and something to write with, and a wish or desire. The wish has to be an ATTAINABLE goal that you desire above anything else. No superpowers or nonsense."

"Awwww."

Ivor shot Petra a warning look, although he did seem to be smirking a little bit at the comment, "Anyhow, a quick recommendation before we begin."

"This game has a lot of recommendations."

"I didn't make the game, Aiden. It is _not_ recommended that you play during severe weather events. Electrical failure or power outage will automatically result in a losing condition, as will using any additional devices or items to help you win the game."

Ivor paused, maybe for dramatic effect, before his voice came out much more seriously than it had been before, "Don't cheat. You won't like the outcome."

Jesse swallowed a bit. Perhaps noticing the action, Ivor reached down and gave Jesse's shoulder a squeeze that grounded Jesse back in reality, and that did much to make the fluttering of his heart calm down.

Another pause as the candles flickered, before he took in a deep breath and resumed detailing the instructions for the ritual… game. Whatever it was. "Before you get ready to start the Prelude, the Main Event, and the Conclusion, _prepare your Arena._ Check all the light switches, replace burnt-out bulbs or lights, rearrange or remove any items or furnishings that might impede your progress to a light switch, prop doors open if you wish, et cetera. Then prepare _yourself_. From now on, we will be calling whoever is playing the game Player One."

Ivor's voice had gone from mild and perhaps trying to remember to utterly serious and almost dark in some places. Sinister.

Jesse hadn't heard his voice like that since the first few episodes.

"It is _highly_ recommended that you familiarize yourself with the Arena and the location of all light switches. You can even have an assistant to perform trial runs if you so desire. Just, for your sake, _be very familiar with what you are doing._ "

Ivor paused, before his expression almost darkened. "Do _not_ skip this step. _Empty your Arena of all other living creatures._ Otherwise, you're including them in a game that they _have not_ consented to play, which is… well, to say the least, not nice."

Romeo snorted at that, glowing yellow eyes disappearing briefly as he blinked.

"At best, those living creatures will be a nuisance or get in your way, or even cause the game to not even start," Ivor mused.

"At worst… well, let me put it this way, you don't want to be a bystander in this."

"Of course," Mevia muttered.

"Then, you have to find and learn the incantation ritual, and that's why I say none of us can play it or test it. _I_ don't know what the incantation ritual is," Ivor pressed his hand to his collarbone for a moment, "You have to search for, find, and learn the incantation ritual in order to play the game. Think of it as a test, if you'd like. Having the patience and the drive to track down the incantation ritual will grant you access to the game."

Binta rubbed her head, "I must say… this is probably a test I wouldn't mind failing, from the prelude and all the instructions that went into it so far. Goodness me, we haven't reached the main _event_ yet," she murmured almost casually, although her hand seemed to be resting on her heart a bit.

A slight shrug from the potionologist, "Can't blame you. Anyhow, onto the Prelude. Begin anywhere from between midnight and four AM, but it's recommended that the game start as close to midnight as possible, simply because the difficulty of the game is directly related to the hour at which it's started and starting closer to midnight is more likely to get the player a winning condition."

"What happens if—"

Harper rolled her eyes at Jesse and poked her kid. Jesse just seemed to be doing this on purpose at this point, if the grin on his face was any indication.

Ivor also rolled his own eyes before continuing. "It is also recommended to complete the game as _quickly_ as possible. It becomes more difficult as the game goes on and is less likely for you to achieve a winning condition the longer it goes on. Anyway, onto the actual instructions again.

"Shut _and lock_ the doors that lead to the outside from the Arena. You shouldn't be using these doors to enter any of the rooms IN the Arena. Also shut _and lock_ any _windows_ that are in the Arena."

Ivor glanced at Mevia, "Like Mevia said earlier… windows can become doors. And you don't want any doors that would potentially widen the Arena or render it unplayable… or even simply cause _other_ things to be able to enter the game."

"Keep in mind- whoever is playing the game is Player One. Player Two is someone else." Ivor paused. "Or _something_ else. I'm not sure."

That was probably too nonchalant, the way he'd just said that.

"Anyhow, pick one of the rooms in the Arena to be Player Two's starting room. Place your object of personal value in Player Two's starting room. Also keep in mind you're probably not getting this item _back_ , so pick your item wisely."

Reuben snuffled a bit in Jesse's lap, making the boy very nearly jump out of his skin for a moment.

"Now assign the status of Player Two's room by turning the light on or off. If you turn the light on, the room is assigned to the 'lights on' status, and if you turn it off, the room is in the 'lights off' status. It's _recommended_ that you put their room in the 'lights off' status, but of course, it's up to you. Player Two's goal is set by whatever status their room is in."

Ivor took a momentary breath, before resuming, "Exit the room. Now, assign all of the remaining rooms in the Arena to either the lights on or lights off position. There _must_ be an equal number of lights on and off rooms. If you've got an odd number of rooms, determine the status of the last room with a coin toss.

"Choose a room to be Player One's starting room. Player One's has to be of a different status than Player Two's. Player One's goal is set by the status of _their_ starting room. Use the paper and the writing implement to write down Player One's desire, and then place the paper in the starting room. Leave the starting room… and perform the incantation."

Ivor's eyes were almost black in the flickering candlelight as a slow smile tugged at his mouth. "You have sixty seconds. Return to Player One's starting room."

He gave a shrug a moment later, "If you've performed the Prelude correctly, every light in the Arena will flicker once. If they don't, the Prelude failed. Do not proceed. You may perform the Prelude again, although it's really just recommended to wait until the next evening and try it again then.

"But if the lights flicker… the game has begun.

"Travel around the Arena as quickly as you can, turning the lights in each room in the Arena on or off based on the status of your starting room— that is, if Player One's room is set so that the lights are on, your goal is to turn all of the lights in the Arena _on_."

He glanced around the room, "Sounds like an easy task? You'd think so. Except..."

A long, long pause, everyone automatically leaning forward when Ivor started speaking again, his voice so low and sinister and quiet that a good part of Jesse was glad that Radar was currently clinging to him like a spooked squid, "Except that Player Two, who or whatever it is, is _also_ travelling around the Arena, turning the lights on or off based on the status of their starting room.

"You may notice that one of your rooms changes status after you have turned that light on or off. That's… a fairly good indication that Player Two is there. If they change the status of the room, you have to change it back to what _your_ status is in order to win the game."

Ivor paused again, briefly, "Continue in this manner until all rooms in the Arena are either lit or dark. It is a race."

Petra grinned at Jesse upon hearing that, the grin looking rather ghastly in the darkness with flickering candlelight flashing over her features. Jesse had to swallow a nervous little yelp before he returned the grin, a bit more weakly than she was giving it to him.

"Move quickly. But don't injure yourself. The game won't stop for injuries. Player Two is not interested in your health or safety. Only in winning."

A long pause, long enough for Jesse's heartbeat to flood his eardrums with the sound of roaring blood with each pulse of his heart.

"When the lights flicker again, the game is over. Return to your starting room. If upon returning to the starting room, you find that your paper with your wish on it has disappeared…"

Ivor said nothing for a moment, before abruptly returning to total nonchalance, "Congratulations. You won the game. In the coming days, weeks, even years, you will find… opportunities that are presenting themselves to you. If you take them, your wish or desire will become yours. Enjoy your success."

Another long pause, and his voice was back to the low, unsettling quiet it had been originally, "But, if you return to the room, and it is still there… I'm sorry. You have lost."

Ivor hesitated, before remarking so slowly that part of Jesse wanted to just beg his dad to hurry up, "Of course, being able to find the piece of paper with your wish or desire on it still present in the room is assuming that you are in any state to _return_ to Player One's starting room.

"And if you've lost… well, you might not be able to."

This pause seemed more thoughtful as Ivor gazed around the room, taking in the faces of everyone leaning in to catch every word, before humming thoughtfully, "It's actually uncertain what happens if Player One- you- achieves a losing condition. Some have reportedly been found deceased after a severe accident… although, for all I know, that has nothing to do with the game. Most, however, have simply vanished. Some theorize that these former Player Ones… become Player Twos."

A slow, almost spooky smile that made shivers crawl up Jesse's spine, "Of course, anybody who would know is probably not in any condition to tell us."

Another long pause, long enough that someone would've perhaps told Ivor that it was certainly a nice ritual, except the air was still thick and Jesse could see the words tilting on Ivor's tongue, Ivor's hand resting on Jesse's shoulder almost protectively as everyone stared, reading those words as clearly as if they were staring at a book.

And a moment later, they came out.

"One final recommendation. I would not recommend you play this game. The reward for your success is… literally your deepest desire, but the cost of failure is steep."

He tilted his head, "How much do you _really_ want that thing that you wish or desire for? Be honest with yourself. You're the only one who can convince yourself to play the game."

The hand that was resting on Jesse's shoulder tightened, perhaps subconsciously.

"Is it really worth the possibility of losing everything?"

A breathless silence followed the question. Jesse was fairly certain even his heart had stopped beating. Then Jack breathed a slightly shaky breath.

"Woah."

Ivor's lips twitched into a wide grin. Harper huffed a slightly breathless laugh, glancing, paranoid, over her shoulder, into the shadows.

"If only _our_ light status was on instead of off," she murmured. Ivor chuckled, wrapping his fingers around her hand.

"I'm sure they'll turn on again soon."

"Yes," Ellegaard frowned, attempting- and not really succeeding- to brush off the story; she was quite happy to huddle up against Magnus in that moment, thank you, "I just hope no monsters end up spawning inside."

Radar squeaked, "Monsters?"

Stella rolled her eyes at him, but took one look at the darkness of the archway and faltered, "Um… how about one more story? Then we'll figure out what to do about the power."

"Alright," Gabriel muttered, brow furrowed slightly, "Does anyone have a story?"

No one offered. A few people shrugged. After a moment, Jack looked over at Jesse.

"What about you, Jesse?" he asked, "You got a story?"

"Oh, uh…" Jesse blinked. Radar's eyes trailed up to him.

"Hey, yeah," he muttered, giving a crooked, nervous sort of smile, "You've, uh, you've got one right?"

Jesse began to say literally the _first_ thing that came to mind for spooky stories, which wasn't much since he'd never really been a big fan of them… ever, but still, he racked his brain carefully, rifling through his mental storage for whatever even halfway spooky idea popped into mind.

_Black hands._

_Cold hands._

_Shoving away the pasta with a murmur of 'I'm not hungry'._

_Monster in the walls._

_Tap, tap, tap._

"So, you can play this game with a partner," he began to ad-lib, "But- But that makes the game kind of dangerous and more challenging, and you're less likely to win, so for simplicity's sake I'll just stick to the single-player version, although you do still need a partner for the prelude."

Radar squeaked.

"He hasn't even started!" Petra exclaimed, slightly teasing. She jabbed her finger into Radar's side. "Don't be so scared."

Radar squeaked again in reply.

Jesse continued his completely new creation of a story, although he didn't really seem to mind Radar hugging him like a baby squid, "So, what you need is- is one wooden, plastic, or metal stool. Doesn't- Doesn't really matter what it's made of specifically. Just has to be a stool. You have to have one small bowl or dish, and enough water to fill the bowl or dish. You- You also need a- a sharp object. Like a knife. A knife's ideal."

Ivor raised his eyes to the ceiling, "Of course."

"You should be playing this game in a large, quiet room with at least one wall that has no pictures hanging on it, any doors connecting it to another room, or objects or fixtures connected to it, and ideally the room should be completely empty."

Jesse noticed that even Hadrian was watching him.

This, of course, just made him feel nervous. So he started to make stuff up faster. ( _Wow, he wasn't half bad at this._ )

"So then, you need at least five small pieces of food, like pieces of bread or apple or something edible. For an easier game, use more, and for a harder game, use fewer. Don't use an even number of pieces, since then that basically renders the possibility of a draw and… yeah, you don't want that," he invented on the top of his head, having no idea of what the heck this 'game' was even consisting of except that there was a wall, food, a knife, and an empty room, "Don't have the food be soggy; it has to be something you can pick up and it'll stay together really well for the most part.

"You also want opaque cups, twice as many as there are bit of food, a timekeeping device, and you should know a language that's not the one you speak the most often."

Why a weird language? Why not. Throw in as much stuff that makes sense. It's a spooky made-up ritual. They don't have to have logic. They just have to be spooky.

"Start whenever you'd like, and position the stool about two to three feet away from your blank stretch of wall. Put the bowl or the dish on the stool, and then put the sharp object within easy reach _of_ that bowl or dish. Leave the room."

Okay, he had a good start. This was going somewhere. Ivor was looking at Jesse with a strange look, as if he hadn't realized Jesse knew spooky rituals.

Which he didn't, at all. This was either going to turn out well… or flop really badly.

"So after you leave the room, your partner should bring the food, the water, and the cups into the room. They will then fill the bowl or the dish with water, put the cups upside down on the floor all over the room, and hide the food under the cups. Only one piece of food per cup, and half of the cups will remain empty.

"Once they're done, they should leave the room. The entire building should be then cleared of any people or pets, including yourself and your partner."

Okay, now for the actual game. What should Jesse do for the spooky bit? There's gotta be, like, an entity that the player plays with.

_In the walls._

_Cold, cold, cold hands._

"Don't come back to the building for six hours," _Why six hours? Why not? Six was a spooky number,_ "Now- _Now_ we reach the actual game. After six hours have passed, go back to your quiet room by yourself and take a look at the bowl."

Time to come up with some conditions to start the game, and Jesse said the first thing that he could think of, which was "If the bowl is still full of water, the game has failed to begin. Just pick up your supplies and leave. You can try again some other time."

Now an idea was actually forming in Jesse's head. It was a bit vague, but he could pick something out as he went.

So, of course, he grabbed it and ran with it.

"But, if the bowl is full of something _other_ than water- _do not proceed,_ " The intensity of his voice made Radar squeal as he faltered, "The ritual has failed. Pick up your sharp object, cut your hand with it, and allow your blood to flow into the dish. Then, break the dish. Vacate the premises, taking the bowl's pieces with you, and don't come back for twenty-four hours. You can try again another time.

"Now, if the bowl is _empty_ when you return… the ritual has begun. Proceed. Go to the blank wall and stand with your back against it. You should be facing the stool with the dish on it. In the language that is not your primary one, say these words: ' _The Wall runs to me, and I feed it_.'"

Petra glanced at the walls, perhaps against her will. Lukas, upon noticing the look, casually shifted closer to Cassie and also glanced at the wall cautiously, ignoring the way Cassie's lips twitched a little bit.

"Step away from the wall. From this point onward, _do not look at the wall,_ " Jesse was starting to have fun as he balled his idea together, "Begin travelling around the room, lifting up the cups and looking to see if there's a food piece underneath it. If there isn't, return it to the floor, upside down, and keep searching. Don't check the cup again."

"If, however, you _do_ find a piece of food, pick it up and put it in the dish, _still not looking at the wall._ Return the cup to the floor, upside down, and continue searching. And don't check the cup again. It's a waste of time.

"But be aware," Jesse looked around the room, realizing that everyone was staring at him intently, taking in the pause.

"You're not the only one looking for the food."

An overly dramatic gasp from Petra (which he highly suspected was quite purposeful on her part) ruined the moment, but he didn't let that stop him as he continued, "If you notice a cup beginning to move, you will see that a black, dark, shadowy hand is gripping it and dragging it closer to the wall."

Ivor's eyebrow went up a little bit at that.

"If you're not the one moving the cup, quickly go to the cup and physically keep it trapped there to prevent it from getting tipped over or moved closer to the wall. Be ready to put some muscle into it, the other player wants to take a look at the cup. Hold steady until they lose interest. Once they have moved on, you can release it and move on as well."

And then Jesse leaned forward, voice intensifying a little bit, and he noticed with a little pleased thrill that several people started back in surprise at the sudden sharp edge in his voice, " _But._ If you see the cup tip over, and there is food under the cup, or you see a hand reaching for the food, _do not approach_. Allow the food to be eaten. And don't try to stop them from eating it. Your opponent won't like that."

A moment of pause as Jesse both collected his thoughts and let that sink in, before he decided that that was as complicated as he wanted the main event of the game to get, "Okay, so just continue going like that until all of the food has either been found and put in the bowl, or eaten. When you have finished, check the bowl and count how many are inside.

"If _more_ than half of them are in the bowl, you have won!" Jesse halfheartedly clapped, before he tried to force himself to sound serious and almost business-like.

By the way several eyebrows went up, he either succeeded or failed miserably. He couldn't tell.

"Clear the room of your supplies, get rid of the food, and rinse the bowl with your water and five to six drops of your own blood. You can use your sharp object to help. Then wash the bowl more thoroughly later. It's… just common sense. You don't want to use a dish that got washed with blood."

Axel did actually make a little face at the idea as Jesse continued, "But if less than half are in the bowl, you lost. Move fast, because you've only got ten seconds to grab your sharp object, cut your hand, bleed into your bowl, and break it. If you have completed this action in under ten seconds, you are free to gather the pieces and get out of there as fast as possible. Dispose of the pieces as _fast_ as you can.

"If you _haven't_ completed the action in under ten seconds, well…" Jesse gave a rather nonchalant shrug, "Let's just say you won't be _able_ to do that."

Radar squeaked again.

"There _is_ a way to stop the game. If, at any point, for any reason, you decide you don't want to play anymore, pick up your sharp object, cut your hand, bleed into the bowl, and break it. If you decide to halt the game and do this, gather up the pieces of the bowl the moment you have broken it and get the heck out of the building," Jesse added, flailing a little bit to make his point, "Dispose of the bowl's pieces as quickly as possible- and, if possible, as far away as possible."

To further hide the fact that… well, Jesse had been making up and compiling together whatever nonsense he could think of, he decided to throw in some detail for why you had to bleed into the bowl, "But, no matter if you succeed or even if you complete the game, _do not neglect to let your blood drip into the bowl_ before you wash it or dispose of its pieces."

He could tell he had everyone's attention. Radar was squeezing him so tightly that he could feel himself losing circulation.

"If you don't perform this action, the game will begin again in six hours. Regardless of if you're prepared for it or not," Another pause, where Jesse could see a few people unconsciously leaning towards him as they sensed an ultimatum coming.

"Human food isn't the only thing your opponent likes to eat."

Jesse was pleased to see that most of the occupants of the room looked sufficiently creeped out at that punchline, with Lukas turning a shade paler at that and scooting even closer to Cassie and with Radar cutting off more of his circulation.

"Oh, and don't touch the black hands at any point. They'll be positioned in a way that you would have to actively stick your hands on them to actually touch them, so, as a reminder. _Do not_ touch them. That's just common sense, they could grab you." Jesse shrugged almost nonchalantly, almost enjoying this now that he was almost done.

"And besides…" He let the pause, his final one for the story that he'd just completely made up, linger in the air, knowing all eyes were on him but feeling bolstered by the dark and not being able to see about fifty sets of eyes fixed on him.

"The hands are so, so cold."

And then the Warden screamed.

Ivor's hand immediately grabbed him, holding him in a protective grip; surprised yells burst out amongst the audience as the Warden leapt from his seat, spinning around to face it and coming dangerously close to tripping over Lukas and Cassie. Perhaps it was because the candles were their only light source, glinting off his strange monocle, but he looked much paler than he usually did.

"Something grabbed me!" he screamed, pointing a trembling finger to his seat, "Something grabbed me!"

Ivor blinked, then scowled, "Nothing grabbed you, you idiot!"

"No- No, it was a hand! A freezing hand!"

Jesse's blood froze in his veins. Petra rolled her eyes.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny."

The Warden shook his head, his one visible eye wide and wild, "I'm not joking! Something grabbed me!"

"Oh, great, he's finally lost his marbles," Anthony murmured. Otto shook his head and pushed himself to his feet.

"Sir, I assure you, we have been here for-"

 _BANG!_ The wall trembled, a small portrait falling from its perch and shattering on the floor. The Warden wasn't the only person that screamed this time. Multiple people leapt to their feet, drawing weapons, eyes wide; a few candles were accidentally knocked over, but thankfully went out before anything could be set on fire. Romeo was in his seat one moment and then on the other side of the room the next, as far away from the wall as possible without leaving the candles light. Jesse was fairly certain he'd teleported.

"It's the black hands!" Stella screeched, using her body to shield Lluna, "It's here to eat us! It's here to eat us!"

Then the lights came back on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you tell Petra you trust her or otherwise? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Massive thanks to Ariza Luca for helping me write some of the scary story scenes in this chapter so I could get it out in time for Halloween- well, at least in America. It's 2:38 am over here in England, despite me writing this since ten this morning. Every scary story from this chapter was found on The Ghost in My Machine, a wonderful site crawling with all sorts of creepy stories; be sure to check them out, especially this Halloween!
> 
> Ariza wrote Mevia, Binta, Ivor and Jesse's stories.
> 
> I'm sorry this chapter is, once again, late. I really wanted to get it up in time for Halloween, but despite my efforts, that didn't happen. On the bright side, it's 21,115 words long, so I hope you guys don't mind too much.
> 
> Hip-hip hurray to the longest Movie Mode chapter so far! I hope you guys had a great Halloween, stuffed yourselves on loads of candy, and enjoyed the chapter!


	93. Calling of a Champion

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Ninety-Three: Calling of a Champion**

* * *

_Come on, feet, don't fail me now._

* * *

Jesse's eyes burned. He clenched them shut automatically, white spots flashing in his vision. There was a rush of noise in his ears- shouts of surprise, mostly. He blinked rapidly, eyes adjusting with a painful slowness, and glanced around the brightly lit room.

Everyone was more or less in the same place they had been a moment before (although he did absently note that the Gladiator's couch had been tipped backwards and said Gladiators were currently groaning on the floor). Radar's rather good imitation of a baby squid continued to be acted out, squeezing his rib cage; Harper was on her feet, gripping a bow and arrow, although she didn't draw; Ivor was holding his arm to a painfully tight extent, almost as though he were afraid something unseen was about to shove into his back and send him flying to crack his head open on the edge of the coffee table.

A lot of the others seemed to have the same idea. Ellegaard might as well have pulled Olivia up onto the couch and onto her lap; Magnus was grasping Axel's shoulder; Soren had bent down and wrapped an arm around both Cassie and Lukas from where they'd been sitting pressed against his legs; Gabriel was gripping Petra's shoulder with one hand and her wrist with the other; Isa and Milo were on their feet, hovering above the three Blaze Rods; Mevia had her axe drawn, an arm thrust out to shield Nell.

Jesse's gaze darted over to the wall. The portrait lay crumpled on the floor. But the wall itself remained perfectly still.

"Will- Will you look at that?" Jack said, huffing a slightly breathless laugh, "Lights are back on."

"The wall," Gill rasped, clinging to Milo's arm, "What- What the heck happened with the wall?"

No one answered him. Hesitantly, Reginald crept over to it and poked the wall with his sword.

It continued to remain still.

"Don't eat him," Nell whispered, shrinking behind Mevia a little, "Don't eat him, don't eat him, don't eat him."

Thankfully, the wall seemed to decide not to eat him.

Reginald stepped back, glancing hesitantly over to Isa. The Founder pressed her lips together, gripping her twin blades tightly. Her eyes darted over the lit up screen.

"Let's clean up the mess," she said, finally, "And… finish these episodes as fast as possible."

Petra's brow furrowed, eyes darting from the wall to the Founder, "But the wall-"

"Is a wall," Isa stated firmly, "And will remain to be a wall. The only thing we can do is keep watching and then go home."

Uncertain silence followed her declaration. After a moment, Reginald sheathed his sword and carefully placed the fallen portrait back on the wall.

Ellegaard bit her lip, suspicious eyes scanning the room. She blinked upon noticing the shattered pot a little further back. "How did that happen?"

"Maybe the vibrations of the wall travelled through the floor and knocked it off the table," Magnus murmured through gritted teeth. Ellegaard raised an eyebrow at him.

"I… don't think that's how things work."

"Ah, well," Magnus winced, lifting one shoulder in a tiny shrug, "I tried."

"Are your ribs hurting again?"

"Nah, it's not- it's not too bad," Magnus grimaced, "My chests just, ya know, it's just been covered in lava, is all."

Ivor glanced over at him and rolled his eyes, "You should've told me they were starting to hurt again."

"No, no, you totally wouldn't expect them to start hurting after tripping and face-planting the floor."

Huffing, the potionologist reluctantly released Jesse to ruffle through his bag, tugging out a potion. He passed it to Gabriel, who passed it to Soren, who shoved it into Magnus' hands. The king blinked down at the potion for a moment, before rolling his eyes and clenching his teeth against the pain as he pulled out the cork.

Ivor tangled his fingers into Jesse's hair as Magnus downed the potion, Harper hesitantly putting away her bow and returning to her seat beside him. She leant forward to look at Jesse and Radar properly, smiling softly.

"You boys alright?"

"Yeah," Jesse murmured, returning her smile, although it was a tiny bit forced, "We're good."

Gabriel sighed, his grip on Petra relaxing, if only a little, "Let's just finish this episode."

Slowly, everyone got back to their own seats, although a few shifted a little further from the wall. Isa and Milo were much closer to Aiden, Maya and Gill than they had been before. Otto had the remote; he pointed it at the screen and pressed play.

The screen loaded for a moment. Then Jesse was lifting the newly crafted torch off the crafting table, the glow casting shadows on his and Petra's faces. The two friends grinned and turned to the tunnel's dark maw.

" _Here, llama, llama, llama,"_ Jesse called. Petra trailed in after him.

" _Where'd you go?"_

Ivor and Harper shared an amused look. Gabriel squeezed Petra's hand.

They began to make their way down the tunnel, Petra going ahead a little. She paused just up ahead as Jesse followed; it was so dark that you could hardly see anything outside the torch's three-foot radius.

" _After you, Mayor Jesse."_

"Ha!" Nell exclaimed, "He's _totally_ the mayor!"

" _I told you,"_ Jesse sighed, exasperated, voice echoing in the dark tunnel, " _I'm not the mayor, I'm the-"_

"' _Leader and Hero in Residence,'"_ Petra cut him off, " _I know, I know. It's just that… you do a lot of paperwork and, like, 'town running' things. Call a shovel a shovel, am I right?"_

Jesse rolled his eyes, "That's not-"

"Oh, don't fight it," Petra cut him off, grinning. Jesse huffed, but didn't protest.

Onscreen, Jesse briefly paused in front of Petra, who grinned at him. He rolled his eyes at her and continued down the tunnel, raising his torch higher as he looked for the fluffy white llama. He and Petra drew nearer to the end of the tunnel, squinting, looking around. Jesse's eyes went higher, higher- until the light of the torch illuminated the glowering face of Lluna, high up on a one-block tower of gravel with no obvious way of _how_ she got up there. Jesse and Petra gaped up at her.

" _How the heck did you get up there?"_ the redhead asked, looking both amused and bewildered. Lluna bleated.

"That llama must be quite good at parkour," Ivor murmured. Harper snorted.

" _Who knows,"_ said Jesse, making his way to the bottom of the gravel tower, " _But it's coming down now."_

He seated the torch on a neighbouring block of stone, before he began punching out the bottom block of gravel. The tower trembled and fell a block, Lluna giving a startled bleat as she fell with it. Daylight burst through the shadows.

"Oh, hey, a way out," Sparklez murmured, looking slightly relieved. He was a little done with the dark for now.

Jesse squinted, blinking in the sudden light. He grinned over at Petra and punched out the next block of gravel, then the next, until Lluna was on the ground. Petra grabbed her scarf before she could run off again. Jesse looked through the newly revealed opening, brow furrowing.

" _What the… ?"_

Petra blinked, looking up from where she was holding Lluna in place. The two leant over to the opening, peering through; Petra grinned.

It opened up into a wide, wide cavern, trails of lava falling from above further back. Straight ahead was a hill of white and red sand, standing strange and erect; at the top of the hill, casting the top few blocks in an eerie ocean-green glow, was small, too small to make out from their distance.

Jack's breath caught in his throat; his face became terribly pale. He shook his head, voice a choked murmur. "No. N- No. It can't be…"

Nurm murmured something, looking concerned. Ellegaard glanced over at him, frowning.

"Can't be what? What is it?"

Jesse and Petra slipped into the cavern, cautiously making their way closer. The strange hill was surrounded by what could only be all sorts of prismarine, from blocked to regular to dark, as well as a strange sort that was completely unrecognisable. Just in front of the hill was a small hole, glowing that same dim, ocean-coloured glow, as though it were meant for something to be placed inside it.

"What _is_ that?" Radar asked, mesmerized. Lukas shook his head slowly, eyes wide.

"I dunno," he admitted, "But I think it's probably why we're all still here."

Ivor groaned, "I knew he should've worn his armour."

"Oh, boy," Anthony murmured, eyes darting from the Warden- who was covering his wide open mouth and looked vaguely jealous- to a smirking Romeo; he shrunk a little in his seat, "Oh, boy."

Jesse and Petra passed the little hole in the floor, not really seeming to notice it; they came to a stop near the bottom of the hill, looking up at it with wide eyes and small grins. Lluna abruptly appeared in front of them with a little bleat, face right up in the screen. Jesse jumped slightly, then groaned.

" _Ugh, get out of the way, I was looking at that,"_ he pushed her aside with his leg, being careful not to hurt her; Lluna bleated again, before disappearing from the screen.

This gained a few stifled chuckles.

" _What's that?"_ Petra asked, eyes still on the mysterious object. Jesse's eyes narrowed on it for a moment, before he stepped forward.

" _Only one way to find out."_

"He's not," Olivia said, eyes darting from onscreen Jesse to the real one, "He's not going to- is he going to- ?"

Magnus huffed, fiddling with the empty potion bottle, "What did you expect?"

"Great to see his common sense hasn't changed," Harper muttered, sarcastically. Jesse blinked, then shock her a hurt look.

"Hey, my common sense isn't _that_ bad!"

"It is," Ivor said, running his fingers through Jesse's hair, "Believe me, it is."

Jesse huffed, "You're all mean."

Radar covered a smile. He didn't notice the way Jack was starting to have difficulty breathing.

Jesse made to climb up onto the first part of the hill- only to jump as a husky whisper echoed through the cavern.

" _Jessseeeeeeeeeee…"_

"It's Daruma-san!" Olivia squeaked, clinging to Ellegaard's leg. Axel frantically shook his head, hands coming up to protectively shield his eyes.

"No, it's- it's Mr Eyes! Don't look at him!"

"Oops," Magnus murmured. Ellegaard scratched her neck, wincing.

Onscreen, the hero pulled away from the hill, narrowed eyes darting around; Petra, holding onto Lluna's scarf, led the llama over to him.

" _What was that creepy whisper?"_ Jesse asked. Petra raised an eyebrow, looking confused.

" _Uh, I didn't hear anything."_

Nell eeped, clinging to Mevia, "It's gotta be them!"

Mevia rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Don't worry, Daruma-san doesn't talk. Or Mr Eyes."

Nell peeked up at her, hopefully, "Really?"

"Yeah, they just stalk you."

Otto shot her an exasperated look, "Mevia."

"What? They do."

They glanced down at Lluna, who blinked blankly up at them. Brow furrowing, Jesse turned to look up at the glowing treasure at the top of the hill. Another eerie, husky whisper.

" _Slayer of the Witherstorm…"_

"Don't touch it," Jack rasped; then, louder, "Don't touch it!"

Petra blinked at him, startled, "What? Why?"

Jesse began to climb the hill, the incoherent whispers growing slightly louder. He reached the top and came to a halt in front of the strange treasure, squinting in its ocean-coloured glow. It was a gauntlet.

"So weird…" Stampy muttered. Jack shook his head, chest heaving, as though he'd just taken about fifty laps around the mansion.

"Leave it," he choked, "Get- Get out of there!"

"Jack?" Jesse said, eyes wide, "Jack, are you alright?"

Lluna spitting and bleating tore Jesse's attention away from the gauntlet. Petra tightened her grip on the slightly agitated llama.

" _Whoa, girl,"_ she muttered. She looked back up at Jesse. " _What is it?"_

" _Some sort of glove?"_ Jesse said, shrugging one shoulder as he returned his frown to the mysterious treasure, " _Or… gauntlet?"_ his brow furrowed deeper and he leant a little closer, although he didn't touch it, " _Looks like it's made out of Prismarine."_

"Prismarine?" Ivor echoed, eyebrows raising to his hairline. Jack pressed himself against the couch, trembling, his chest aching and his head spinning and his lungs just wouldn't _work_. Nurm said something, but his brain was too fogged for him to hear him properly.

" _Prismarine?!"_ Petra exclaimed, eyes widening, " _But- But you only find that at the bottom of the ocean."_

"What's it doing down in the mines?" Lukas asked, frowning, "And I've never heard of _prismarine_ armour before."

"That's because it doesn't exist," Ivor declared, his grip on Jesse unconsciously tightening, "Prismarine doesn't make the greatest of armour."

"Something tells me this thing isn't for protection," Cassie murmured.

" _The Old Builders' Downfall…"_ the husky whisper- which could only be coming from the glowing gauntlet- returned, drawing Jesse's attention back to it, " _This world's champion…"_

Hadrian scowled. His _downfall_ , huh?

We'll see how that goes.

" _This world's mightiest hero…"_ Jesse bit his lip, regarding the Gauntlet wearily. It whispered again. " _The most worthy…"_

"Slayer of the Witherstorm," Radar muttered, eyes trailing up to Jesse, "That's- It's definitely talking about you."

"It could be talking about Petra," Jesse protested. Ivor shook his head, clenching his jaw; he kinda wished it _was_ talking about Petra.

"Petra didn't slay the Witherstorm," he pointed out, reluctantly, "She was too sick."

Jesse licked his lips, eyes darting back over to Jack; his concern grew when he realised he still hadn't calmed down, "Uh, Ja- Jack? Jack, are you- are you alright?"

Ivor's eyes skirted over to the adventurer. Nurm was talking, shifting so that he was in front of Jack but wasn't touching him. With a horrible sinking sensation in his chest, Jesse realised he was having an anxiety attack.

Nurm was still talking. Whatever he was saying seemed to be helping, because Jack's glazed eyes were focusing on him and he was forcing himself to breathe deeply. Jesse gnawed on his lip and looked up at Ivor, keeping his voice low.

"Da- Ivor?"

"It's alright," Ivor quietly reassured him, giving his shoulder a small squeeze, "He's calming down."

Jack was, thankfully, beginning to calm down. Ellegaard and Magnus shifted to give him some more room. Finally, finally, Jack took in a deep, trembling breath, the ache in his chest diminishing, if only a little.

"I'm- I'm alright, Nurmie," he rasped. Nurm hummed something rapidly, still looking worried; Jack reached out with trembling fingers and squeezed his hand reassuringly, breathing still rather ragged. "I'm alright."

" _Worthiest in all the land…"_

Hesitantly, Jesse reached out, as though to touch it- but then a strange, ear-throbbing buzz sounded and his arm stiffened, as though abruptly trapped in the air; the whole cavern shook and trembled. That husky whisper sounded again, loud, echoing, possessive.

" _Jesssseeeeeeeeeeee-"_

Gravel fell from the ceiling, landing in a massive heap directly in front of the narrow hole they'd come. Petra jumped, gripping a strangely calm Lluna tighter.

" _Woah!"_

Jesse's arm was still frozen in the air, as though held in place in an iron grip. Then the Gauntlet turned, without anyone touching it, and forced itself onto his hand. Jesse yelled.

" _How did- Where-"_

Startled exclamations burst through the audience. Hadrian's mouth popped open. Nell shouted something that, frankly, no one knew the exact meaning of. Every animal- even the less attentive Geoff- stiffened.

"Not alright," Jack choked, stiffening again and pressing a hand against his chest, "Definitely- Definitely not alright."

Romeo's smirk widened, strange eyes glinting.

Oh, this was going to be _fun_.

" _What,"_ Jesse gasped, holding out his arm, the Gauntlet firmly stick in place, " _Is. This. Thing?"_

It began to glow again, illuminating his face; Petra clambered up onto the hill.

" _Jessssseeeeeeeee…"_

" _I- I dunno,"_ Petra said, eyes darting from Jesse's pale face to the glowing Gauntlet, " _I dunno. It- It seems like it's not hurting you, and that's good…"_

"A glowing glove," said Jesse, slowly, "Whispering my name, just attached itself to my arm," he glanced around the room, "What- What the _hell?_ "

"This is bad," Jack declared, voice stronger than it was before, but still too weak to be good, "This is very, _very_ bad."

"Why?" Harper asked, worry clear on her face, "What's happening?"

" _It looks kinda… okay, actually, it looks really cool."_

Romeo grinned at that.

" _Which- Which I know might not be what you want to hear right now."_

" _Petra,"_ said Jesse, breathing becoming a little more frantic, " _Gotta tell ya, I am_ freaking out here!"

" _It's gonna be okay!"_ Petra hastily assured him, hands hovering unsurely, " _It'll be okay! We'll figure it out."_

"Oh my god," Olivia said, covering her eyes, "Oh my god, okay, okay. This is- This is horrible. This is horrible."

" _Jeeeeesss-"_ Jesse yelped and shook his head, turning the husky whisper into a warped, gurgled sort of noise, " _S-s-s-s-e-e-e-e-e-e-e…"_

" _Well, here,"_ Petra grabbed the Gauntlet, fingers finding grip in the grooves of the designs, and braced her boot against Jesse's thigh, " _I'll help you take it off."_

She started tugging, Jesse grunting as he pulled back against her, but the Gauntlet held tight; it started to glow again, and that possessive, husky whisper sounded.

" _Jeessssssssseeeeeeeee…"_

"Won't work," Romeo murmured to himself, unable to keep the smirk off his face even if he'd been trying to. Jesse looked up at Ivor, looking a little scared.

"It's not coming off," he said, "Why- Why isn't it coming off?"

"It'll be fine," Harper reassured him, giving his shoulder a squeeze, "I'm sure there's a way to get it off."

Petra continued tugging for a long moment, gritting her teeth. Jesse squeezed his eyes shut, taking deep breaths.

" _Okay, ow,"_ he said, jerking his hand away, " _Wow. Stop."_

Petra winced apologetically, " _That thing is really stuck."_

"Oh, wonderful," Cassie sighed, "Looks like we're gonna have to cut off his hand."

Jesse's head snapped towards her, a few shades of colour draining from his cheeks, "Wh- What?"

Cassie nodded, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "Yup. Looks like it'll be just below the elbow. A nice clean swipe of an axe should suffice."

Jesse protectively held his arm to his chest, "You- You can't cut off my hand!"

"Well, how else are we going to get it out of that gauntlet?"

"No one is cutting off anyone's hand," Ivor cut in, shooting Cassie a look. The redhead just shrugged and grinned at him. Jesse blew a relieved breath and slumped against Ivor's legs. Reuben helpfully nuzzled his cheek.

" _I- I just can't shake this feeling that…"_ Petra bit her lip, brow furrowing slightly as she raised her gaze from the gauntlet to meet Jesse's rather pale face, " _Maybe you were_ meant _to find that gauntlet."_

Jesse groaned, "But I don't _want_ to."

Radar suppressed a small giggle from where he was sitting next to him. Harper squeezed the boys shoulder.

" _Like, maybe it was your destiny or something."_

Jesse huffed a breath, tangling his non-gauntlet-bearing hand through his hair, " _Man, what are the odds? Command blocks, portal keys…"_ he sighed, " _Why is it always_ me _?"_

" _I dunno,"_ Petra shrugged, looking a tiny bit amused, " _But there's definitely a pattern."_

Jesse rubbed the arm that the Gauntlet was stuck, wincing, "A creepy mansion that wants us to watch stuff, a monster that wants to eat the world, a city in the sky, a murder mansion with a weird pumpkin theme, a mind-controlling robot that's weirdly child-like, a load of rigged death games and now a cursed glove."

Cassie shot him a small scowl, "What do you mean ' _weird pumpkin theme'_?"

"Let's just say I didn't know pumpkins could be scary."

Hadrian rolled his eyes, "Did you say ' _rigged death games'_? No one _actually_ died, bucko."

"Yeah," Jesse muttered, not looking at him, "But it was basically a prison."

A protective hand on his shoulder.

Abruptly, the whole of the sandhill began to tremble. Petra and Jesse stiffened, eyes snapped downwards.

" _Uh oh,"_ Jesse said; the pyramid began to collapse inwards on itself, the top disappearing, forcing the two friends down, " _Get off the pyramid, quick!"_

Petra jumped, making it to the other side and almost slamming into Lluna. Jesse leapt at the last moment, the screen slowing down as the sand fell away- to reveal a glowing, ominous pit of prismarine.

"Oh my god!" Lukas yelped.

For a moment, Jesse was airborne. Then he slammed into the side of the pit, clawing at the ground and slipping until he was dangling by one hand. A swirling vortex, the colour of the ocean, was directly beneath him like an open maw. Jesse screamed.

"Jesse!" Axel gasped. Radar squeaked, gripping the hero's arm; Reuben buried his face into Jesse's chest.

" _C'mon!"_ Petra yelled, on her stomach, reaching down to grab his hand; beneath them, the pit shot lightning and boomed thunder, " _Let's get you on up out of there!"_

"What is that?" Lukas asked, rather pale. When no one answered, he glanced around the room. "What the _heck_ is that?!"

Jack groaned, slumping against the couch. He looked rather sickly.

"Pull him up," Harper croaked, voice slightly muffled due to her hands being over her mouth, "Pull him up, pull him up, pull him up."

Petra grit her teeth, pulling him up high enough for him to get a proper grip on the ground. Jesse wiggled out of the hole on his stomach, Petra dragging him along a little so that he wasn't too close to the edge. The young hero climbed to his feet and turned to look down at the pit.

" _Okay,"_ he breathed, " _What the heck is_ that _thing?!"_

Ivor blew out a small, relieved sigh and gave Jesse's shoulder a squeeze.

" _It's like a huge… mouth? In the ground?"_

Petra cocked her head, brow furrowed, " _Some sort of… Heckmouth?"_

Romeo blinked, then hummed thoughtfully, "Ooh, I like that."

" _Sure,"_ Jesse muttered, " _Yeah. Heckmouth."_

" _I- I don't think I can see the bottom,"_ Petra gave a small shudder, " _Ugh. Gives me the willies. And what's that sound coming from down there?"_

" _I don't care whether we can see the bottom or not,"_ said Jesse, tearing his eyes from the 'Heckmouth,' " _We need to cover it up_ now _!"_

"Would that even do anything?" Cassie asked, raising her eyebrows, "Considering it literally devoured a pyramid?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Jesse asked, "Because if you do, please share. Seriously."

Cassie seemed to think for a moment. Then she shrugged.

"Nah, I just think you're doomed."

"Wonderful."

Petra nodded, " _Right!"_

The two ran over to a hill of dirt a little ways away, the screen speeding up as they rapidly started to dig. The hill was gone in no time, and they were running back over to the pit. The screen sped up again as they built over it, Lluna watching from the side. Soon, it was completely covered, although its ocean glow was only dulled.

Jesse and Petra looked around, making sure they hadn't missed anything. Blinking, Petra began to make her way to the little hole they'd originally ignored in the floor. " _What is that?"_

"Important," Jack rasped, pressing his hand against his chest again. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes and reminding himself how to breathe. "Very important."

"How do you know that?" Ellegaard asked, brow furrowing, "Are you _sure_ you're okay?"

"Yup, perfect- perfectly fine."

Nurm murmured something, gripping Jack's shoulder. He looked as though he were close to vomiting.

" _Not sure,"_ Jesse murmured, trailing after her; they came to a stop in front of it, it's' dull glow casting shadows on their faces, " _But I'm getting a bad feeling that's the actual way we're going to fix this."_

Mevia blinked, raising an eyebrow, "I didn't even notice that."

Nell grinned, "Jesse dude, you've got, like, a _sixth sense_."

Jesse huffed a small laugh, "Uh, thanks, Nell."

Another rumble caused the cavern to tremble. Jesse and Petra looked around, eyes widening, before they turned to each other.

" _On second thought,"_ Jesse said, quite rapidly, " _Let's talk about it anywhere but here."_

"Please do," mumbled Olivia.

" _Not getting out the way we came, though,"_ Petra pointed out, jabbing a finger in the direction of their blocked entrance; the cavern continued to rumble like a beast with a stomach ache.

Em blinked, then sighed, "Naturally."

They looked around hurriedly, desperately searching for an exit. Jesse's eyes trailed upwards. He pointed the gauntlet to a large hole in the ceiling, sunlight streaming through. " _There! Come on!"_

Ellegaard frowned, "How are they supposed to get up there?"

Jesse and Petra turned and ran to a pillar of a wall, raising right up to the ceiling. They began to clamber up it, Lluna bleating softly. She trotted after them.

"Oh."

The screen trailed over to the hole in the ceiling. Trembling. Like the belly of a beast.

It went black.

"I think," said Petra, slowly, "I know why we're bothering to watch something that takes place seven years in the future."

"What gave you that idea?" Jesse muttered, although not unkindly, "The _mouth_ in the ground or me getting my hand stuck in a glove?"

"Well, the glove was my _first_ hint."

Olivia groaned quietly, resting her bandaged head against Ellegaard's knee, "M'head hurts."

Ellegaard squeezed her shoulder, brow furrowing, "Maybe you should lie down for a little bit."

"We should stop for the night anyway," Isa said, pulling out a pocket watch and fiddling with it, "I didn't even realise we missed lunch."

"We _were_ telling those stories for a while," Magnus murmured, wincing slightly as he shifted his weight. Gabriel frowned, mouth twisting for a moment. He got to his feet and placed his hands on his hips.

"Well, then," he said, "I suppose we best get started on dinner."

"I'll take a look at Olivia and Magnus' injuries," Ivor declared. Ellegaard shot him a grateful look; Magnus groaned and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't be such a baby."

"But I don't _want_ to."

"Who wants to help me cook?" Soren asked, cutting through their impending argument and looking around the room. There were a few shrugs, a few more people tentatively raising their hands. Ivor squeezed Jesse's shoulder and got to his feet.

"Let's go, then."

Reuben gave a happy squeal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you tell Petra you were freaking out or try to stay calm? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> I'm not really happy with how I ended this chapter, to be honest, but I guess it'll do. It's been a long day


	94. Lurking in the Shadows

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Ninety-Four: Lurking in the Shadows**

* * *

"You need to eat _something."_

His sister hummed quietly, picking absently at the corners of the sandwich he'd given her. He might as well have handed her a dusty old cloth with a moderate pattern design stitched into the fabric, from the way she was looking at it. Not in distaste, but more of disinterest.

"Not hungry."

Jesse huffed, "You said that _last_ time."

"And it still stands."

"Why?"

Jessi shrugged nonchalantly, "Just because."

Her brother clenched his jaw, eyes narrowing, "That's not a real answer."

"Sure it is. I used it as one."

"Jessi-"

"Jesse-"

They both cut off. Jessi quirked an eyebrow. After a moment, her brother huffed again and leant against the dusty wall.

"You're impossible."

"I'm just-" Jessi cut herself off, breathing a small sigh, "I'm not… _hungry_ , okay?"

"How are you not hungry?" Jesse blinked, bewildered, "When was the last time you ate?"

Jessi groaned, burying her face into her scarred hands, "I don't _know_ , alright? Months? Years? _Centuries?_ " she shook her head, but didn't pull up from her hands, "Time doesn't work right in this place, Jas- Jesse."

Her brother watched her for a long moment, unsure what to do. Finally, he settled back against the wall properly and ran a hand down his face.

"That was… pretty cool, you know," he murmured, "What you did with my scary story."

She finally looked up at him, lips twitching into a tiny smile, "Think I made anyone pee themselves?"

Jesse laughed, "Maybe. That Warden guy sure looked like he did after you grabbed him."

His sister blinked, smile fading into a confused frown, "Sorry?"

He blinked at her, "Uh, you know, a little near the end? When you grabbed that guy and he freaked out?"

Jessi's frown deepened, "I… never grabbed anybody. I only banged on the wall."

The twins stared at each other for a long, frozen moment. It took Jesse's brain quite a bit to process this sudden declaration.

"You… didn't grab the Warden?"

Jessi shook her head, "Nope."

"Oh," he blinked once at her, " _Oh_."

His sister winced, rubbing the back of her neck, "Uh… someone- someone else must've done it."

"I… I don't think anyone was sitting close enough," her brother admitted. Jessi stared at him for a moment, before her eyes flickered over to the shadowed wall. As though paranoid. Her grip unconsciously tightened both around the sandwich and on the back of her own neck.

"I… I see," she muttered. Her eyes flicked back to Jesse. "So… you think… ?"

Jesse swallowed, but his mouth was startlingly dry, "It's… It's rather- rather grabby, isn't it?"

For a moment, his sister merely stared. The sandwich was forgotten next to her. Finally, she swallowed as well- even though there was nothing to swallow- and looked away.

"Yeah," she murmured, "Yeah, it is."

Oh, the cold silence of a dreadful realisation.

* * *

With the combined efforts of Clutch, Soren, Stacy, Anthony, Ivor and Binta, they were able to put together a considerably decent dinner of stew with a side of vegetables. A few people quietly grumbled about the lack of meat, which made Jesse and a few of the other 'I'd rather not eat meat' people feel a little guilty, but then Porkchop started shouting about how this was the best meal they'd ever had and how they'd been living off of zombie flesh for the past three months, so no one really felt they had the right to complain.

Considering Romeo stuck out like a sore thumb, what with his glowing eyes, patches of grey and bright red hair, Jesse was a little surprised that he didn't notice his absence until halfway through dinner. Abruptly afraid he was being murdered, his eyes darted around in search of Xara; he was relieved to discover that she was actually there, quietly eating her stew. She met his gaze, gave him a smile that might or might not have been menacing, and then returned to her stew.

A soft groan drew his attention to Olivia, who had pushed her half-finished bowl of stew aside to rest her head on the table. Jesse's brow furrowed, worried.

"'Liv?" he said, "You okay?"

"Mmhm," Olivia mumbled, not raising her head. Ellegaard's own brow creased.

"Have you had enough to eat?" she asked, resting a hand on the girls back. Olivia hummed tiredly, eyes slipping shut. Ellegaard turned to look at Ivor, who waved her away with his fork.

"She's just tired," he assured her, "Take her to bed and she can have something to eat in the morning."

Ellegaard pressed her lips together, before glancing at Magnus; the king was a bit busy slurping down the last of his stew, having completely abandoned his cutlery. After a moment, he pulled away, smacking his lips. He blinked upon realising they were watching him.

"What's happened?"

Rolling her eyes, Ellegaard pushed herself out of her chair, "I'm taking Olivia to bed. You should rest too."

"What times it?" Magnus asked. Ivor scratched his beard.

"Ah… around ten at night," he said; then, faltering, "I think."

Magnus raised an eyebrow, "Bit early, don't ya think?"

"What time do you usually go to bed?" Harper asked. Magnus seemed to think for a moment, before shrugging (although this led to him smothering a wince as well).

"'Bout two or three in the morning."

This earned him a few unimpressed looks. Ellegaard rolled her eyes for the second time in under two minutes and bent down to help Olivia out her seat.

"Come on, 'Livia," she murmured, bearing some of the girl's weight as she swayed, "Let's get you to bed."

Magnus' lips twitched into a small grin, "If I come, will you tuck me in?"

"No."

"Aw, why not?"

"Because I said no, Magnus."

Magnus huffed, but reluctantly, and carefully, got to his feet, "Fine."

Ellegaard hummed, lips twitching. She began to lead an almost dead-weight Olivia around the table, before pausing and glancing over at Axel.

"Do you mind bringing down some more pillows and blankets when you're done, Axel?"

The boy blinked, pausing mid-chew. He swallowed and wiped his face. "Uh, yeah, totally."

"No pink ones," Magnus demanded, unconsciously resting a hand on his spiking chest. Now it was Ivor's turn to roll his eyes.

"It's just a colour, Magnus."

"It's a girly colour."

Jesse blinked, "I like pink."

Reuben poked his head over the side of the table, giving an agreeing squeal. Magnus opened his mouth. Closed it. Then huffed.

"Okay, fine. It doesn't matter."

Axel beamed at him. Magnus' own lips twitched, before he hurriedly turned away and followed Ellegaard and Olivia out of the kitchen. Jesse watched them go for a moment, before reaching down and rubbing Reuben's head.

A few people trickled away after dinner was finished, but Jesse, his friends and a few adults stayed sitting at the kitchen table for a while longer, simply chatting about nothing and everything. Axel left to get Olivia, Ellegaard and Magnus those blankets, and must have decided to stay with them, for he didn't come back. Then, when Lukas almost looked like he was about to pass out and smack his head against the table, Soren nudged him out of him out of his seat and began to lead him out the kitchen, shooting a goodnight over his shoulder.

Jesse absently noted that Cassie had already left at some point. He wondered when.

Eventually, Petra and Aiden went to bed, soon followed by Gabriel, Milo and Maya. Ivor and Harper were currently descending into a pun battle, which was close to having Jesse in stitches. It was while he was attempting to recover from a rather hard laughing fit that he noticed Xara- the only other person that had been in the room besides him, Ivor, Harper and Reuben at this point- slipping out the door.

He wasn't sure why it made him uneasy; he was sure she was just going to bed, after all. But then he thought of the cold hands in the walls, the jagged smile, the wisps of black, and to be honest, there was rarely a point where he _didn't_ feel uneasy. Whether for himself or for his family or, hell, for the people whose names he barely remembers. The idea of _anyone_ going with a hundred miles of this place made him feel uneasy, and they'd been _living_ here for almost two months.

Everyone else had left with someone. Xara hadn't.

 _She'll be fine_ , he told himself, turning back to Harper and Ivor; the poionologist had stumbled on a particularly bad pun, which led to the both of them laughing their throats sore. Jesse plastered on a smile that didn't really feel all that right. _She'll be fine._

They'll all be fine.

They will be. They _are._

(Are they?)

They had to be.

* * *

Honestly. Lukas should've expected this.

He really, _really_ should've.

It had been silently decided at some point amongst the audience that there would be no switching off the lights in the mansion's hallways, even when everyone had gone to bed. Lukas wasn't entirely certain why, but he had to admit that he felt better with them on. But of course, the lights being on wasn't enough to make him open that damn bathroom door and relieve the persistent pressure just below his navel.

So, yeah. He should've expected this.

He hadn't, considering the fact that the stories weren't even _that_ scary, but he should've.

Lukas sighed, rubbing at his forehead and glancing, paranoid, over his shoulder. Every shadow was the lurking figure of Mr Eyes, every tiny, insignificant groan of the mansion was the Daruma-san, inching ever closer. It was considerably frustrating, to say the least, and wasn't exactly helping him keep his bladder in check. He turned his attention back to the closed bathroom door, huffing a breath between clenched teeth. Yeah. Definitely frustrating.

It was stupid, as well. More stupid than it was frustrating, actually. Just a bunch of stupid, stupid stories that weren't even real or even _plausibly_ real by a scientific point of view, just a bunch of stupid rituals with stupid rules and _sure_ , he'd said more than once that he was never stepping foot in a bathroom again, but he hadn't actually _meant_ it.

Another spark of paranoia jolted up the back of his neck and, gritting his teeth, Lukas looked over his shoulder again. His chest abruptly went cold when he spotted a dark, wispy hand vanishing into the wall.

He stood still. As stiff as a rod. He couldn't hear anything besides his own heart pounding in his ears. Lukas blinked hard, shaking his head as though to clear it; there was nothing on the wall. Not anymore, at least.

The blond took a step back, swallowing thickly. Abruptly deciding that he'd rather hold it in until morning, he turned to rush back to his room- and ran right into a body.

A startled squeak tore from Lukas' mouth and he stumbled backwards, almost tripping over his own feet. He wasn't sure what he'd expected- Bloody Mary, Mr Eyes, Daruma-san, that creepy jungle one Jack told, the black hands- but in all honesty, he wasn't sure whether or not the one standing in front of him was better or worse.

Cassie blinked down at him, raising an eyebrow. Winslow curled around her legs.

"What are you doing?"

"Uh…" suddenly embarrassed, Lukas rubbed the back of his head, eyes darting over to the wall; shadows. It was just a shadow. "Noth- Nothing."

"Nothing," Cassie echoed, rather unimpressed. Lukas chewed awkwardly on the corner of his mouth and nodded.

"Nothing."

Cassie fell quiet, regarding him for a moment. One of the worst things Lukas didn't like about her was how he couldn't read her. Her face was always so perfectly blank; no smudges, no ink, not even printed lines. It almost reminded him of Jesse at times.

Just as the silence began to grow awkward and Lukas was debating whether or not he should skirt around her and make his way back to his room, Cassie's eyes flickered over to the bathroom door and her lips twitched into a small smirk.

"Do you need to pee?"

Lukas stiffened, awkwardly shuffling his feet; he became horribly aware of the pressure beneath his navel again, "Uh… no."

"Really," said Cassie, planting her hands on her hips and cocking her head slightly, "Then how come you look as though you're about to pee yourself?"

The blond paused. His eyes darted to the side. "I'm… not."

Cassie stared at him for a moment, "Are you… scared?"

"Of course not!" Lukas protested, perhaps a bit _too_ quickly. Cassie's lips lifted into a rather evil grin.

"Oh my god, you _are._ "

"Am not!" exclaimed Lukas, a heat rising up his neck. Winslow meowed, ears twitching; Cassie cackled.

"I can't believe you're _scared_ of some stupid stories!" she said, "What? Are you afraid Mr Eyes are gonna come and pluck out your eyeballs when you go to sleep? Or maybe you're afraid Bloody Mary's behind the door, ready to splatter your insides across the bathroom tiles?"

Lukas scowled at her, "I'm not-"

"Oh, oh, or maybe it's those cold, wispy hands," Cassie raised her own hands and curled her fingers into claws, grinning widely, "Getting ready to jump out of the wall and-"

She abruptly yelled and leapt forward, grabbing Lukas' arm. The blond screeched, jumping backwards and actually tripping over his own feet this time. He landed hard on the ground. Cassie began to laugh loudly.

"Holy crap, you _are!_ " she chortled, "You're actually _scared!_ "

Heat tinted Lukas' cheeks red and his eyes abruptly began to blur and sting; he curled his fingers into fists in a useless attempt to stop their trembling. He blinked rapidly, trying and failing to swallow the lump forming in his throat, and glared at her.

"Shut up!"

Cassie continued to laugh, clutching at her ribs. After a moment, she straightened, pushing her glasses up to wipe at her eyes as her hollering died down to chuckles. She turned her attention back to Lukas- eyes wet, fingers trembling, that jolt of paranoia still shooting up his neck- and, slowly, her grin faded.

"You're… actually scared."

Lukas ducked his head, unable to look at her. The silence quickly became awkward.

Cassie shuffled her feet. Then, huffing, she stalked around him and threw open the bathroom door, flicking on the lights. She turned to face the startled blond, crossing her arms and glaring harshly at him.

"There's nothing in there," she assured him, "Now hurry up so I can go back to bed."

Lukas blinked, shocked by the sudden change of attitude. When he didn't move, Cassie rolled her eyes and hoisted him up by the arm. She gave him a shove in the direction of the bathroom.

"Hurry up," she said, leaning against the wall next to the door, "I'll be right here."

For a moment, Lukas could only stare at her. Then his eyes darted over to the toilet, the pressure against his navel increased, and he hurried towards it, although not before hesitantly sliding the bathroom door so it was only open a tiny crack. Cassie didn't move from her spot outside it.

"So, uh…" Cassie blew out a somewhat awkward breath, "I've started reading this really good book lately."

"Ye- Yeah?" Lukas said, carefully avoiding looking at the mirror above the sink. Cassie hummed; she still sounded a bit awkward.

"Well, it's more a _script_ than a book," she said, "It's still really good though. It's called _Fata Morgana_."

" _Fata Morgana,_ " Lukas echoed; he gave a hesitant chuckle, "Kinda- Kinda sounds like _Fat Morgan_."

Cassie snorted, "That's just mean. But, uh, yeah, it's really good. You almost done in there?"

"Yeah," Lukas swallowed. He flushed the toilet and faltered as he turned towards the sink. He glanced over at the door, spotting Cassie's bright red hair through the crack; taking a deep breath, he ducked his head and twisted the tap. He stuck his hands under the spray of water. "So, what's- what's it about?"

"A girl that can see ghosts," said Cassie, "And she and her class go on a field trip to this freaky hotel- don't know _why_ the heck someone thought going to an old hotel was a good field trip, I don't think they're even learning anything."

Lukas switched off the tap and hurriedly made his way back to the door, wiping his hands on his shirt. Cassie looked up as he clicked off the lights and shut the door behind him. For a moment, they simply stood there awkwardly, neither all that sure what to say. Finally, Cassie drew her arm back and lightly punched him in the shoulder.

"Go back to bed, blondie," she said, ignoring the way he rubbed his arm and scowled at her; she crossed her arms, "No monsters are getting you."

_Not while I'm around._

Lukas glanced away, rubbing his sore arm. Then his eyes flickered up to the redhead and he gave her a tiny, grateful smile. "Thanks, Cassie."

Cassie blinked at him, before her gaze hastily darted away. She shrugged. "Whatever."

With that, she turned and made her way down the hall. Winslow meowed and trailed after her. Lukas watched the redhead leave.

Then, shaking his head, Lukas released a breath and began to make his way back to his room.

The monsters left him alone this time.

* * *

Maya was somewhat regretting deciding to leave her room.

The most major reason being because she'd taken a wrong turn at some point and was now dreadfully lost. And scared. Because what better time for your brain to remind you of a bunch of horrifying bedtime stories consisting of playing harrowing 'games' with monstrous entities that want to pluck out your eyeballs or do some other form of unspeakable thing to you if you lose other than when you're lost in a giant, creepy mansion with a hallway system that doesn't make any _blinking sense_?

So, yeah, Maya was regretting leaving her room. But Gill had left his book in there, and why wait to give it back to him tomorrow when she can just walk across the hall and return it right then and there? And maybe he was having as much trouble sleeping as she was and would invite her in, and they'd just hang out for a few hours until either it was time to navigate their way to the kitchen for breakfast or until they passed out.

Of course, that would've been perfectly wonderful had she not gotten _lost_ walking down a stupid hall? At this point, she could be standing right outside Gill's door and not even realise it. Or she could be in a completely different section of the mansion. Wouldn't be the first time.

Maya groaned as she turned another corner and still couldn't recognise where she was, running a hand down her face as a headache prodded at the spot just above her eyebrow. This was becoming increasingly frustrating. At this rate, she wasn't going to find anything or anyone anytime soon and they were probably going to have to send a search party out looking for her when they realise that the episodes won't play because someone's missing from the audience. Only if the monsters don't find her first, anyway.

A shiver wracked her spine and she glanced over her shoulder, just to make sure that there wasn't anything behind her. The fact that there wasn't didn't really do much to reassure her.

Then she ran into someone. Quite literally.

Maya stifled a startled scream, half expecting to be murdered on the spot. Then Aiden was screaming at her, and she was screaming back because Aiden was screaming at her, and then there was a scream beside her and she twisted around to find Gill screaming at her, and so she was screaming at Gill and Gill was screaming at Aiden and Aiden was screaming at her and it was all quite startling if she was being completely honest with herself.

The door next to them was thrown open and Reginald burst out in his pajamas, wielding a golden blade and he started screaming, and so they were all screaming at him, and he was screaming at them, and a bat that had made its home in the corner of the hallway jerked awake with a screech and flapped startled wings in their faces, which only led to even _more_ screaming and Reginald wildly swinging his blade in the air like a hooligan.

The bat swooped, forcing Aiden to duck and cover his head in fear of it grabbing his hair, before narrowly avoiding the flat end of Reginald's blade and flapping off to find another corner to settle down in. The considerably startled group watched it go. They descended into a long silence.

Finally, Reginald awkwardly cleared his throat, "Erm… what's going on here?"

"We were just… uh…" Aiden faltered, glancing over at them. Gill avoided his eyes. Maya sheepishly scratched the back of her head.

"I was looking for Gill," she admitted, "But, um… I got a little… lost."

Reginald raised an eyebrow, "So you… began screaming?"

A heat rose up Maya's neck, "Uh-"

"Do you- Do you know where Isa's room is?" Gill abruptly piped up, twisting his sleeves in his hands; he tucked them behind his back, "Aiden and I, er… wanted to… tell her something."

Reginald proceeded to raise his other eyebrow alongside the first one, "Can't it wait until everyone is awake?"

"Um…" Gill winced, "No?"

The Captain of the Guard stared at the three of them for a long moment. Then his lips twitched and he shook his head, moving to return his sword to his room. "I'll escort you three in a moment. The Founder and Milo's bedrooms aren't that far from my own."

Aiden blinked, "We didn't say anything about Mi-"

"Oh, don't worry," Reginald called back from his room, "It was unnecessary to."

The former bully blinked again. Then, realising what he most likely meant, ducked his head to hide the sudden pink tint to his cheeks. Maya covered her eyes. Gill bounced on the balls of his feet, apparently just happy that they were going to go see them.

Reginald returned a moment later, closing the door behind him. He gestured with his head for them to follow and began to lead them down the hall.

Isa and Milo's separate bedrooms weren't exactly _next_ to each other, since there was a pretty decent gap between their two doors and Isa's was almost around a bend of sorts. Reginald took them to Isa's door first, lightly tapping the wood with his knuckles. There was a muffled 'one moment,' a little bit of shuffling, and then the Founder of Sky City was standing in the open doorway and blinking slowly at them.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. Her eyes trailed to Reginald's attire. "Where did you get pajamas?"

"As though I would sleep in my Captain's uniform," scoffed Reginald. He smiled at her and gestured to the Blaze Rods. "They wanted to see you."

Maya _really_ wished he'd phrased that differently. Like, _completely_ differently. To the point that it wasn't even in the same context.

Isa turned to look at them, brow creasing slightly, "Are you three alright?"

"Uh, ye- yeah," Aiden stammered, steadily becoming redder and redder, "We were just… er…"

"They were screaming outside my bedroom door," Reginald informed her. Aiden went ever redder. Maya shuffled her feet.

Isa blinked again, "Why?"

"I believe they scared each other."

"Not on _purpose_!" Maya protested. Tomato Aiden shot Reginald a slight scowl.

" _You_ were screaming too."

"Only because _you_ three were screaming," Reginald declared defensively, "And there was also a bat."

"There was a bat?" Isa questioned. Reginald gave a nod.

"Yes, there was a bat."

"I think it was just annoyed that we woke it up with our screaming," Maya quietly admitted. Isa regarded the small group before her for a moment, before sighing and stepping back, holding the door open for them.

"Come on."

Gill beamed and led Maya and Aiden inside the room. No one said anything when Reginald briefly disappeared and returned with Milo. And no one said anything as they made a big pile of pillows and blankets on the bed and sprawled across it, Benedict happily seating herself on Maya's stomach. No one said anything as Isa began reading the book Maya had been trying to return to Gill, _Hybrid._

No one said anything. But Maya couldn't deny that this was far better than just hanging out in Gill's room.

* * *

Romeo wasn't sure if it was just because he wasn't as powerful as he was supposed to be, or if it was because there simply wasn't _anything_ outside the mansion's grounds, but no matter what he did or how hard he tried, he couldn't teleport onto the other side of the wall.

His attempts to do so had almost landed him in a hoard of monsters more than once, and he was able to witness first hand one of the more explosive traps that had been set up in the hopes of dealing with said monsters before his arrival. The red, waxy skin of the burnt patch on his arm was painful, more painful than he could have even hoped to remember, but he grit his teeth and pushed through it because he was _the_ Admin, and _the_ Admin scoffed at pesky burns and burst blisters. He didn't succumb to something as weak as _pain._

(But notch it _hurt_ , it hurt _so bad_.)

He gritted his teeth hard, wincing at the horrible squeak they made, and glared at the hoard from where he was safely positioned behind the library's window. He'd already tried vanishing the monsters, but it hadn't worked; whether that was due to this place or because of whatever was wrong with him, he couldn't say.

Romeo huffed, scrubbing at his aching forehead, "For hell's _sake_."

"Don't get moody. You're even more of an a-hole when you are."

The Admin stiffened. He could hear his heart thudding in his chest. The long gone bruises that had been splattered across his face tingled.

He stood there for a long moment; it was almost as though his spine had been replaced by a rod. He curled his fingers into fists.

"... What do you want?"

Xara lifted a single shoulder in a half-shrug from where she was leaning a bookshelf near the door, "You weren't at dinner."

"So?" Romeo snapped, still not turning to look at her. He couldn't. _He couldn't._ "I don't eat."

"You so sure about that?"

Romeo frowned. Reluctantly, he finally turned to look at her. "What?"

Xara shrugged properly this time, "Just saying. You're looking a little human there."

He scowled at her, "Shut up."

"I could've killed you," Xara stated, as though he hadn't spoken, "I can kill you. Does that scare you?"

"Shut. Up."

"Good to see your conversations skills haven't gotten any better," Xara drawled; she shook her head, "Even if I _did_ kill you, it's not like you'd be dead for long."

Romeo's eyes flared, red literally seeping into the white. He was clenching his teeth so hard they were almost in danger of breaking.

"I said," he growled, "Shut. _UP!_ "

Books flew from the shelf, smacking against one of the tables, the floor, the wall in a flutter of pages. Xara ducked, narrowly avoiding being bashed on the head by a particularly large book. She rose slowly, staring at the mess with wide eyes. Then she shot Romeo a glare.

"Talk about a goddamn temper tantrum," she snapped; a throb was beginning to pulse in Romeo's forehead. Hatred burned in Xara's eyes. "Although I suppose you've always been just _great_ at those, haven't you? Seeing as how you went as far as to kill our best friend."

"Shut up," Romeo said again, but it was a lot weaker now, a lot more choked; he pressed his hands against his forehead, a frustrated growl roaring in his throat, " _Shut up!_ "

"No!" Xara yelled back, "You-"

She cut off, eyes widening in surprise. Romeo shook his head, not looking up from his hands.

"You don't get to talk," he said, trembling, "You don't- _You don't get to_ -"

He was abruptly yanked forward, almost sending him tripping over the mess of books scattered across the floor. He yelped, startled, and almost expected to have a blade shoved into his stomach when he realised it was Xara; but she wasn't looking at him, although she had drawn a sword; she was staring at the spot he'd been standing just a moment before.

Romeo turned his own gaze. The colour drained from his face.

Black wisps covered the floor. A hand forced itself upwards, long fingers that didn't look solid and yet somehow were, stretching; another hand, smacking against the ground, followed by the first, and then pushing, pushing, like someone pulling themselves up from a swimming pool full of sticky tar. And there was a head, shoulders, a horribly thin chest with ribs stark against wisps of black, black, is there even any skin? The mouth, a jagged grin, how could something that was hardly solid even have _teeth?_

Long, wispy fingers, a black hand, reaching, reaching towards them.

That's when Xara finally screamed a swear.

She grabbed Romeo's arm- which 'caused _him_ to scream, because _holy crap_ _burns are painful_ \- and he was being dragged out the door. The monster- black, wispy, reaching, reaching, reaching- made a strange, hoarse noise. For a brief, brief moment, he thought it was trying to talk.

Then the monster gave an ungodly, ear-piercing screech.

The door slammed behind them.

It didn't even muffle it.

* * *

"Goodnight, you two," Harper said, giving Ivor and Jesse a small squeeze, "I'll see you…" she faltered a little, seeming to realise the time thing again, "In a few hours."

Ivor smiled, "Goodnight, Harper."

"G'night," Jesse said. Harper raised her hand in a small wave, before turning and vanishing down the hall to her bedroom. Jesse watched her go for a moment, before grabbing his empty juice box and tossing it in the trash.

Ivor waited for him at the door, and with Reuben trotting behind them, they began to make their way down the hall in a comfortable silence. Since Ivor's bedroom was one of the few that was downstairs, he came to a stop and ruffled Jesse's hair once they reached the staircase.

"Get some sleep, Jesse," the potionologist said, "Good night."

"Night," Jesse murmured. Ivor gave his shoulder a squeeze, before pulling away and beginning to make his way down the hallway. Jesse watched him go for a moment, before glancing up at the staircase. A rather heavy feeling settled in his chest.

Biting his lip, Jesse glanced back at Ivor. He briefly hesitated, before quietly trailing after him. Reuben blinked, making a confused little squeaky noise. He followed him.

They turned a good few corners before Ivor slowly came to a stop; Jesse stopped too. For a moment, he stood there. Then he turned and looked back at Jesse. He raised an eyebrow.

"... Jesse?"

Jesse briefly glanced away, "Uh… yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm… walking?"

Ivor shot him an incredibly unimpressed look, "Go to bed, Jesse."

"What about- What about the basement?" Jesse asked, twisting his fingers. Ivor shook his head.

"Olivia and Magnus are staying down there," he pointed out, "Just use your own room."

Jesse shuffled his feet, still not looking at him, "And what if I… _don't_ do that?"

"Jesse," his voice was a bit firmer now, "Go to bed."

He turned, continuing down the hallway. A spike of paranoia shot up the back of Jesse's neck and he glanced over his shoulder, noting that he seriously, _seriously_ didn't want to be alone right now. His nerves were clear in his voice.

"Dad?"

Ivor came to a complete stop. He stood stiffly for a moment, before slowly turning to look back at him. They stared at each other.

The silence stretched. A slight heat rose up Jesse's neck and he broke eye contact, a horrible jumble of awkwardness and embarrassment swirling in his gut. He took a small step back.

"I- I mean-"

"Are you okay?" Ivor asked, looking a little worried now. Jesse winced.

"No- I mean yes- I mean-"

Ivor, looking even _more_ worried now, frowned deeply and closed the distance between them. Jesse fell quiet, but continued to be red-faced and awkwardly avoiding eye contact. Ivor gripped his shoulder and ducked slightly to meet his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Noth- Nothing," Jesse stammered, "I'll- I'll just… go to bed…"

"Hey," Ivor lightly tapped his cheek, "Come on. What's the matter?"

Jesse shifted his weight, twisting his fingers again, "I, uh…" he looked away, eyes briefly darting over his shoulder again, "Can… Can I stay with you?"

Ivor blinked at him, surprised. Then understanding dawned in his eyes (which only made Jesse redden further) and his face softened. He sighed quietly and wrapped an arm around him, tugging him close to his side.

"Alright. Come on."

Jesse immediately relaxed, relieved. He slumped against his side. Ivor gave him a small squeeze and began to lead them down the hall. Reuben glanced at a portrait, hesitating, before trotting after them.

She pulled away from the portraits eyeholes, shoulders slumping. So much for popping out to talk to her brother. But it was okay.

Jessi wrapped her arms around herself in a tiny little hug. Paranoia spiked up the back of her neck; she swallowed and clenched her eyes shut. It was okay. It was okay.

The monsters lurked behind her.


	95. Sugar Sweet

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Ninety-Five: Sugar Sweet**

* * *

' _Cause I'll fall too hard if I hit the ground._

* * *

Xara had coughed up blood.

Jesse wasn't there when it happened. He was pretty sure he'd been asleep at the time. But when he woke and trailed into the kitchen for breakfast, it was to find her seated at the table with a roll of blood-stained tissue paper. A rather pale Jack was cleaning what could only be more blood off the kitchen table; Romeo was seated across from Xara. Watching her with wide eyes.

"What happened here?" Ivor asked, although when Jesse glanced at him, it was clear that he already knew just as much as he did. Nurm said something, brow creased in concern, but Xara shook her head.

"M'fine," she declared, voice muffled around the tissue paper, "Just… I've got a cut at the back of my throat. Must've reopened when I started coughing."

Jack raised an eyebrow at her, "How did you cut the back of your throat?"

"Was eating some noodles with a fork a few days ago," said Xara, with a casualness that was startling, "Fell and it scraped the back of my throat."

Nurm pulled a face, probably mumbling something about that being unnerving. Jack winced, absently rubbing his own throat.

"Ouch," he muttered, "Must be sore."

Xara gave a small shrug, "I'm alright."

Jesse watched her for a moment, before looking back at Ivor. The potionologist met his gaze and slowly shook his head.

_Later._

He frowned at him, but Ivor was already skirting around the table and asking if anyone would like tea, and how it might make Xara's throat feel better. Jesse wasn't sure if she accepted to keep up the act or because she actually wanted tea.

Releasing a small puff of breath, Jesse seated himself at the table, Reuben almost automatically curling around his legs. He glanced over at Romeo, who was still watching Xara; upon realising _he_ was being watched the redhead's gaze snapped over to him, before hastily turning away. If Xara noticed any of this, she paid it no heed.

"What do you want for breakfast, Jesse?" Ivor asked, already boiling the kettle. Jesse blinked at him.

"Oh, uh, you don't have to-"

"I know," Ivor cut him off, not even bothering to glance over, "Is toast alright?"

Jesse opened his mouth, faltering. After a moment, he sighed. "Toast is good."

Jack glances at him, lips twitching. He balled up the bloodied towel and tossed it into the washing; Xara's eyes trailed over to him.

"Thanks for cleaning it help," she said. Jack blinked, before smiling and waving her away as he seated himself next to Nurm.

"Don't worry about it," Jack said, "No stain is too tough for me."

Jesse snorted, "You sound like a cleaning add."

"I would make a wonderful cleaning add."

Nurm rolled his eyes.

The others trailed in slowly, rubbing crust from their eyes and yawning. Jesse didn't fail to notice how Isa, Milo, Reginald and the Blaze Rods all came in together, nor how Lukas and Cassie were carefully avoiding looking at each other (well, at least, more so than usual). He also didn't fail to notice how both Xara and Romeo were even quieter than usual. Neither ate.

Soon, they were trailing back into the watching room, seating themselves in the blankets and on the couches. Olivia's head was still bandaged, but she looked much better than she had yesterday. Jesse heard Ivor mentioning something about taking off Lukas' arm cast sometime soon to Soren.

Radar plopped down next to him, rubbing tired eyes. Jesse's brow creased slightly.

"You sleep okay?"

"Uh, ye- yeah," Radar yawned, "Just… never really liked sleeping in a bed that wasn't mine, y'know?"

Jesse blinked at him, "Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

Someone jabbed the remote at the screen- he didn't see who- and it flickered to life.

The black faded, revealing Beacontown- distinguishable by its giant sky whale build and the other colourful builds around it- in the distance over a few treetops. It panned over to the side, as what could only be Jesse grunting broke the peaceful silence,and then down, down to the hole in the ground; Jesse grunted again as he finally pulled his upper half to the surface, both flesh and gauntlet fingers clawing at the ground. He threw his leg up and rolled onto the grass, blowing out an exhausted breath.

"Oh, wow," Ellegaard blinked, surprised, "They didn't go as far as I thought they did."

Jack winced, "This is… ohh, this is bad."

Jesse climbed to his feet, glancing around; they were almost directly next to the road leading away from Beacontown's gates. There was more grunting, and he turned to find Petra dragging Lluna the last of the way up by the scarf.

The young man swallowed, turning to face her. He gestured with his non-gauntleted hand to the gates of his town. " _It's so close to Beacontown!"_

Petra turned to look and winced. She glanced down at the hole they'd come from, then back up at Beacontown. She bit down on her lip, before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a sign.

" _Here,"_ she said, holding it out to Jesse, " _Maybe you could… leave a warning or something?"_

Magnus raised an eyebrow, "What would _that_ do?"

"At least it's _something_ ," Petra muttered, a tad defensively. Lukas squeezed her shoulder.

Jesse accepted the sign silently, frowning at it thoughtfully for a moment. He tugged a piece of charcoal out his pocket and scribbled something across it. Then, seemingly satisfied, he stuck it in the ground, right in the face of the screen: _WARNING: HECKMOUTH._

Axel snorted at that, "Nice."

" _Straight to the point,"_ smiled Petra, nodding, as she, Jesse and the llama observed the sign, " _I like it."_

" _Okay, then,"_ Jesse cleared his throat, before throwing out his gauntleted hand and raising his voice to a shout, " _What do we do about all this?!"_

A few members of the audience winced. Ivor and Harper shared a slightly worried look.

Petra regarded the Gauntlet for a moment, brow furrowing. She raised a hand to tap the corner of her mouth. " _Well, it's all made of prismarine, right?"_ she turned away, walking onto the path; she glanced back at Jesse, " _And you only find that in, like, monuments and stuff at the bottom of the ocean."_

Olivia quirked an eyebrow, "Where's she going with this?"

The redhead paused for a moment, before she grinned. She turned to look back at Jesse. " _There's a treasure hunter in town named Jack. Kind of a legend. He knows everything about Prismarine, exploring the ocean…"_

Colour drained from Jack's face, "Uh…"

"Oh, do you and Petra know each other?" asked Maya, blinking at Jack. The adventurer took a few steadying breaths, tapping a finger against his knee.

"Well, er… no," he said, "I know _of_ her, considering she's a part of the Order of the Stone. I, er, suppose she's heard of me as well."

Petra blinked at him, "Huh. So we've never met?"

Jack shook his head, "Not unless you want to count me spotting you and Jesse around town."

" _Because we definitely can't have_ that _-"_ Petra pointed to the hole, " _-Happening again. That was… that was really bad."_

" _That sounds perfect!"_ said Jesse, " _I can't wait to meet this guy."_

Jack winced, "Or perhaps you could… _not_ do that?"

Jesse frowned at him, "Why? Can't you help us?"

"Well, er…"

" _Knew you'd be excited!"_ Petra beamed, " _Yes! And I'll take you to Jack's shop as soon as I'm back. But first…"_ she took Lluna by the scarf and began to lead her down the road, away from Beacontown, " _I really need to deal with this llama."_

Binta blinked, before raising an eyebrow, "Really?"

"What makes that llama so important?" asked Val, "I mean, it's a cutie, but you'd think the 'Heckmouth' would be, like, a lot more important."

Petra shrugged at them, "Don't look at _me_. I dunno what's going on."

Lluna came to a stop, digging her hooves into the cobblestone. Petra blinked, before huffing and tugging at her scarf; the llama remained stubbornly in place. " _Okay. C'mon, you!"_ she tugged again, moving to wrap both hands around the scarf. Lluna still didn't move. " _Gotta get you home."_

" _You can't just_ leave _,"_ Jesse protested, taking a step forward, " _We gotta do something about that… that Heckmouth!"_

" _We- We already did!"_ Petra winced, still tugging at the stubborn llama, " _It's_ totally _sealed up. You did the sign…"_ she sighed, " _Can't we talk about this after I bring her back?"_

Gabriel frowned, "Is it truly that important?"

Petra shrugged at him, "Apparently?"

Jesse shook his head, brow creasing, " _Why is that llama so important to you?"_

Petra gave one last tug at Lluna's scarf, before sighing and reluctantly releasing her. She brushed her head out of her face, not meeting his eyes.

" _You know my sword?"_ she asked, " _Gold one? With all the enchantments?"_

Jesse frowned, " _Miss Butter?"_

Cassie blinked, before snorting, "You named your sword _Miss Butter_?"

Petra grinned, "I did, huh? _Awesome._ "

Gabriel chuckled, shaking his head, "It's creative, I'll give you that."

" _Yeah,"_ Petra slumped, still not meeting his eyes, " _I- I kinda… got tricked. By this person named Stella. Said she 'just wanted to put it on display for a little while.'"_

Immediately, almost every pair of eyes flickered over to the real Stella. She blinked at them.

"What?"

"You _stole_ my _sword?_ " Petra asked, a growing rage entering her voice. Stella blinked again, before giving a horrible, condescending laugh.

"Oh, sweetie, no," she said, shaking her head as though she were talking to a toddler that had just asked something ridiculous, "You misunderstand. That's just part of our deal, is all."

"It doesn't _look_ like it's part of some deal!" Petra snapped, an angry red flush creeping up her face. Gabriel reached out and gripped her shoulder. He didn't look very happy.

"This does not appear to be a fair deal," he declared. Stella laughed again, waving him away.

"Sweeties, I assure you, my deals are _always_ fair."

Petra scowled, "Then how come-"

"Oh, you don't know the full story," Stella cut her off, still smiling in a sickly sweet sort of way, "Trust me, sweetie, _you_ came to _me._ You _wanted_ to take my deal. There was no tricking anybody."

Petra frowned now. Jesse glanced down at Radar, surprised to find the intern was glaring at Stella. The blonde merely continued to give them that sickly sweet smile. Gabriel pressed his lips into a thin line.

" _And now,"_ Petra continued, glancing over at Lluna, " _She won't give it back until I do dumb quests like this for her."_

Lluna bleated at her. Petra sighed, scrubbing at her forehead. " _It's… uh… it's been not great. Hoping this is the end of it."_

" _I can't believe this person tricked you- that's terrible!"_ Jesse exclaimed, face twisting into a rather angry look, " _And so unfair."_

Petra sighed, " _I couldn't agree with you more."_

Olivia frowned for a moment, before shaking her head (carefully), "It's pretty clear that Petra hadn't been completely aware of the implications of this… arrangement."

"Well, it's not _my_ fault she didn't take the time to understand," Stella said. Petra scowled at her again. Lukas frowned deeply.

"That's… That's messed up."

Romeo rolled his strange eyes, growing bored. He glanced, briefly, over at Xara. She didn't even seem to be paying attention anymore.

" _So, yeah,"_ said Petra, rubbing the back of her neck and looking away again, " _Her name's Stella and she's kinda obsessed with treasure…"_ she glanced at Lluna, " _She says this is her 'treasure sniffing llama' or…"_

Lukas blinked, "A… treasure sniffing… llama."

Lluna bleated at him.

Onscreen, Petra trailed off, before turning and pointing in the opposite direction of Beacontown, " _She runs a place called Champion City."_

The screen changed, showing the white and blue and rather fancy looking city just up ahead. Jesse blinked, surprised.

" _Wait, like Champion City right over there?"_ he asked, " _I had no idea their leader was like_ that _."_

Stella shook her head, looking amused, "It's rather rude to tell lies, sweetie."

Petra gritted her teeth together, eyes narrowing, "As though-"

Gabriel gave her shoulder a warning squeeze. His gaze stayed on Stella. "Perhaps you should not come off as such, then."

Stella regarded him cooly for a moment. She gave a small shrug, smile returning properly. "Perhaps you should not make assumptions."

"I'm not liking her," Magnus muttered. Ellegaard gave a quiet hum in response.

" _Yeah,"_ said Petra, coming up next to him, " _She's… ambitious. And she's willing to do anything to get her way. Bullying, lying, cheating…"_

"A poor character study on your part," declared Stella. Radar rolled his eyes, grumbling to himself. Jesse glanced at him again and lowered his voice.

"Do you know her?" he asked. The intern stiffened slightly and glanced away.

"Er… kinda."

" _Without my sword…"_ Petra turned to face Jesse properly and sighed again, rubbing her forehead, " _I just really need to get it back. Just hopes Stella actually gives it back this time."_

" _We're the Order of the Stone, Petra,"_ Jesse declared, planting his hands on his hips, " _Looking out for each other is what we do."_

A sad smile twitched on Soren's lips, "That's… nice to hear."

The rest of the old Order silently agreed.

Petra smiled thankfully at her friend, " _That's fair. Thanks, Jesse."_

" _C'mon,"_ said Jesse, turning and beginning to make his way towards Champion City, " _I can't wait to meet this 'Stella' myself."_

"Ohhh boy," Axel grinned, "Jesse's mad."

"I'm not _mad,_ " Jesse protested, "Just… mildly… infuriated."

"That's being mad, sweetie," Stella piped up. Olivia rolled her eyes, looking amused.

"It's _worse_ than being mad."

Gabriel glanced over at Stella and frowned when he realised she was smiling. He nudged Ivor and gestured with his head towards her. Ivor frowned too.

Petra watched Jesse go for a moment, chewing on her lip. She almost looked worried. After a moment, she released a small breath and nodded. " _Yeah. Okay. Let's do it."_

She took a hold of Lluna's scarf again and together the small group began to make their way to Champion City. Jesse continued.

" _Then, freshly re-armed,"_ he said, " _We'll come back, sort out the 'Heckmouth' and-"_ his voice went up a few notches, almost to a squeak, and he tugged uselessy at the Gauntlet, " _Get this thing off my hand!"_

The scene faded to black.

Romeo leaned back in his seat, absently tugging at his grey t-shirt. It was so strange, wearing… well, _proper_ clothes again, he guessed. Ones he didn't make. But that aside, he supposed Jesse would just have to get used to wearing the Gauntlet; everyone was always a little freaked out when they first get it. Like putting a collar on a dog for the first time. But the dog always got used to the collar, always began to see it as _theirs_ eventually. The same will be said for Jesse, he was sure.

Jesse wouldn't disappoint him.

The black faded to show Jesse and Petra- the redhead still holding Lluna's scarf- walking down the road and coming to the fancy archway with open, double dark oak doors at the bottom. They make their way inside, revealing an almost _unnaturally_ neat courtyard. A shiny white llama statue was directly in front of the doors, with towering glass skyscrapers and delicately organised flowers. Everything was white and pristine, and even the people scattered about seemed to be wearing proper, similar clothing.

Aiden raised his eyebrows, "Uh… wow."

The screen panned over the Llama Statue Courtyard, before switching to look over a different, circular courtyard with two little mootes going around it. It was just as neat as the previous one.

It cut back to the place with the llama statue again, as the little trio entered the city.

" _This is it,"_ Petra said, releasing a heavy breath, " _Champion City."_

"It's very…" Maya paused, as though to think up the right word, "Clean."

"It almost reminds me of Sky City," Aiden admitted, "Only bigger."

Reginald shook his head, "You're thinking more of the palace rather than the entire city. This is… certainly something else."

" _Every one of those apartments up there,"_ said Petra, gesturing to one of the tall glass buildings, " _Is_ exactly _the same. Stella is… strict about how things look here. She claims the top levels are the 'Diamond Class Apartments,' but they're just one block wider."_

Lukas raised his eyebrows, "That's… uh…"

Cassie frowned, "How do you know all this stuff?"

Petra huffed, "I don't _know_."

" _Hmm,"_ Jesse hummed, glancing around, " _I dunno if this is_ quite _my taste. If prefer what we're doing in Beacontown."_

"Of course you do," Stella said, "Chaos seems to be your lifestyle."

Jesse blinked slowly at her, "Well, you're… not wrong."

" _Yeah,"_ said Petra, smiling, " _Stella always wants everything_ exactly _her way. Doesn't matter how other people want to build,"_ she glanced away, almost hesitating, before looking back at him and smiling, " _That why I like Beacontown better too."_

Stella hummed, "Well, it _is_ my city."

They began to make their way further into the shiny city, before Lluna gave an unhappy bleat and dug her hooves into the ground, jerking Petra to a stop. The redhead blinked, tugging at her scarf.

" _Wha- Come on,"_ she tugged again, " _We're almost there."_

Lluna bleated again, before pulling away and seating herself on the ground. Petra blinked again at her, before shaking her head. " _It's like_ she _doesn't want to go see Stella. I kinda know how she feels."_

"Oh, please," Stella said, waving her away, "My darling Lluna _adores_ me. Don't you, darling?"

Lluna bleated at her, before turning and setting her head down. Stella smiled.

"See?"

" _I just…"_ Petra sighed, crossing her arms, " _Really need this to go well. And with Stella… well, it doesn't, most times."_

Olivia frowned, "How long have you been hiding this?"

"Can you guys _please_ stop asking me stuff I obviously don't know the answers to?" Petra asked. Lukas shot her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry."

" _Hey, that's why you've got me, remember?"_ Jesse assured her, " _We're a team and we will take care of this no problem."_

"Good to see he doesn't change too much," Harper muttered quietly. Ivor huffed a small laugh of agreement.

" _Sure hope you're right,"_ Petra muttered. She uncrossed her arms and gestured to another pair of double doors up ahead, a few people walking through them; the doors closed behind them. " _Anyway, Stella usually has her 'office hours' in the centre of the courtyard."_

" _Well,"_ Jesse planted his hands on his hips, " _I hope she's ready for an 'appointment' with Jesse and Petra."_

Radar blinked, "You didn't schedule a- oh, wait. No, I- I get it now. Pretend I didn't say anything."

They made their way a little further into the gardens, Jesse glancing up the observe the llama statue. He tapped his chin thoughtfully- very nearly smacking himself in the mouth with the Gauntlet- and glanced down at Lluna. The little llama bleated and hopped happily.

" _This Stella person sure likes her llamas."_

"Well, of course," said Stella, "Llamas are the most elegant creatures in the world."

At that, their gazes flickered to Llucy, who was currently rubbing her dirty- and possibly flea infested- fur against one of the blankets. Stella hummed.

"Well. Most of them."

" _You might say she likes them better than people,"_ said Petra.

Ivor regarded this for a moment, "Well. People _can_ be annoying."

"You're not wrong," Soren muttered.

Glancing away from the statue, Jesse cocked his head upon spotting what could only be an impossibly clean and incredibly classy mineshaft entrance. He trailed over to it, as though to make sure, and raised an eyebrow.

" _Wow,"_ he said, " _That is a classy mineshaft entrance. Didn't know they could look that nice."_

"I can make _anything_ look nice, sweetie," declared Stella, "Although, then again, it might just be because you're so used to living in… well. _Beacontown_."

Jesse frowned, "Uh…"

"Beacontown's a great place to live!" Radar exclaimed, going rather red-faced, "Not like _you'd_ know that, seeing as how you've never set foot in it."

"I wouldn't even _consider_ setting a _toe_ in Beacontown," Stella declared, "Otherwise I'd never get it clean again."

Cassie stared at the blonde for a moment. Then she looked up at Soren. "I like her."

"Of course you do."

Jesse looked from Cassie to Stella, before shifting and leaning against Ivor's leg. His voice was a grumble. "I'd happily walk into Champion City just to look at the llama statue."

"Why?" Stella asked, lips twitching in a smirk, "The rest of it too impressive to look at?"

"No," Jesse drawled, "Because I'd never be able to get all the straight lines and edges out of my head. I'd be a walking box."

Mevia rolled her eyes, "Don't _contain_ your excitement, Jesse."

" _Ha, yeah,"_ said Petra, coming up next to him, " _Nothing's allowed in Champion City that doesn't look_ nice _. Stella makes sure of it."_

Jesse hummed quietly, before trailing off into the garden. He blinked, pausing, and raised his eyebrows. He had a rather impressive view of all the sky-high, shiny buildings. " _Can't believe Stella built this whole city."_

" _Yeah,"_ Petra said, huffing a humourless laugh, " _But it's all fake. Made by people she's tricked into doing it."_

Stella shot her a rather unimpressed look, "That's a rather-"

"Ohhh, wait," the Warden cut her off, "Oh my god. I hate you."

Jesse's lips twitched, "Just picked up the pun?"

"Unfortunately."

Onscreen, Petra shook her head, " _I'm not even sure she remembers how to build anymore."_

Aiden blinked, "How do you… _forget_ how to build? You just… put a block down. Then another block. Ta da. You're building."

Maya snorted, "Thank you for the tutorial, Aiden."

Jesse began to make his way over to the doors leading to the courtyard, before pausing as he came to a small group of gardeners attending to the flowers. He raised his eyebrows. " _Wow. Even the_ flowers _are organised."_

Lukas glanced at Aiden, "You should teach a class. You know, on building."

"I really could not."

Petra nodded, " _Yeah, and see the gardeners working on them? They all owe her stuff too. Everyone in_ town _owes Stella something. I think that's where she got most of the materials to build Champion City in the first place. Lots of little trades all add up after a while."_

"Ah, yes," said Stella, nodding all-knowingly, "Little trades. My evil plan has been foiled. I'm holding everyone as slaves."

Jesse blinked slowly at her, "I'm… I- I don't really know you well enough to tell-"

"Jesse, dear god, of course I'm being sarcastic."

"Oh. Okay, that's- that's good."

" _Wait,"_ Jesse's eyes widened, " _The whole town? How?"_

" _Yep,"_ said Petra, " _She's always finding little reasons that people's trades aren't enough, making up new rules…"_

" _Well, your sword is one trade Stella isn't getting out of. I'm gonna make sure of it."_

Petra smiled at him and gave a little nod.

Jesse glanced over at the gardener, and bent down, resting his hands on his knees, " _Nice day?"_

The gardener glanced at him, but apparently deemed him unimportant and kept his attention to the flowers he was tending to. Jesse blinked when he didn't answer, before awkwardly glancing away and straightening. After a moment, he hesitantly trailed away.

"Rude," Olivia muttered.

Jesse made his way back over to Petra, glancing over at Lluna, " _Hey, llama doing okay?"_

" _Hard to tell,"_ Petra admitted, " _She seems really nervous. We should probably get her to Stella as soon as you're done looking around."_

"That's probably why she's nervous," muttered Gill, "Poor llama."

Jesse nodded, glancing around again. Nothing else catching his interest, he began to make his way towards the gates leading into the courtyard.

"Here we go," Radar murmured.

The doors opened, emitting Jesse, Petra and a reluctant llama. They closed behind them as Jesse glanced around, raising an eyebrow. Just up ahead, a large crowd cheered, whooped and clapped in excited joy. The trio came to a stop. Petra groaned and pointed towards the crowd.

" _There's Stella."_

" _Yes, that's right!"_ STELLA said from where she was stationed on a quartz platform in the centre of the courtyard, the crowd directly in front of her; she handed a yapping puppy into a miner's arms, " _Puppies for everyone! No shoving now! We're not Beacontowners."_

She laughed, a rather high-pitched sound. Jesse frowned.

Radar grumbled something under his breath. Jesse patted his shoulder.

" _You've probably put this together by now,"_ said Petra, " _But Stella's pretty fond of herself. I would play to her ego."_

Cassie shrugged, "If you wanna get your way, probably. If you wanna shove it in her face, definitely not."

"Tough one," Magnus said. Ellegaard shot him a look.

Jesse gave her a small nod, before beginning to make his way into the crowd. Stella's voice was loud over the cheering.

" _Oh! Well, that is a cute one,"_ Jesse skirted around a cheering girl, " _And he could be all yours! Provided you have the right payment, of course."_

Jesse faltered in front of a particularly bouncy man. He tried to skirt around him, but almost got smacked in the face by a waving hand.

" _Oh, that one matches your outfit wonderfully!"_

Huffing a small breath, Jesse ducked and slid around him; the man jumped in surprise.

" _I know you think you like that one, but actually, I think_ this _one is more for you, don't you think?"_

Slab blinked, "Does it… matter?"

Clutch shrugged, "Apparently, I guess."

" _That's right, go ahead, yeah, uh huh…"_

Jesse squeezed between two people, mumbling a quiet 'excuse me,' and reached a small opening in the crowd. Petra and the llama were just behind him, before Lluna bleated unhappily and dug her hooves into the ground again. The redhead huffed and tugged at her scarf again.

" _Come on, you."_

On the platform, Stella turned at the sound of Lluna bleating, her smile turning into a somewhat dark look. She marched forward, stepping off the platform.

" _Oh, Lluna, my darling!"_ she exclaimed, " _You came home! You came_ back!" she almost got into the llama's face at that last part, causing her to lean away; almost as quickly as she'd greeted her, Stella straightened and gestured to one of the bodyguards in sunglasses and a blue hat, " _Uh, Rodrigo, could you take Lluna home, please?"_

RODRIGO gave a single nod, before stepping forward. Lluna looked almost desperately over at Jesse and Petra, but they did nothing; Rodrigo took the llama by the scarf and began to guide her away, but she stopped one last time to look back at them. A gentle tug, and she obediently left.

"Aw," Radar murmured, "Poor llama."

"Not even her pet wants anything to do with her," Jack whispered. Nurm hummed something back.

Jesse and Petra watched her go. Then Jesse turned and began to make his way towards Stella; she was watching Lluna go with a small smirk, hands on her hips.

" _That's a good girl."_

The young hero appeared behind her, " _Stella?"_

Stella blinked, before she turned to look at him and laughed, " _Oh, look who it is! Jesse! Leader of Beacontown! And my sworn rival."_

The real Jesse blinked, before groaning, "Oh, not this again."

Ivor frowned, "What do you mean?"

Onscreen, Jesse frowned, before leaning a bit closer to Petra- who was currently hiding her face- and lowering his voice to a mumble, " _I've never met her before, right?"_

Petra shook her head, still hiding her face, " _No."_

"What's… What's happening?" asked Gill; he glanced around the room, "What's going on?"

"I have no idea," Lukas admitted.

" _Our rivalry?"_ said Stella, as though he were reminding him of something obvious, " _Beacontown vs Champion City?"_

The crowd glanced at each other; a man raised his hands to his mouth. Petra was still hiding her face.

" _Surely you think of it as much as I do,"_ said Stella. Petra grimaced behind her hand.

" _Oh boy."_

Jesse huffed a bewildered sort of laugh, raising his eyebrows, " _Sorry, but you? Are not my rival. Even my B-List villains are way scarier than you."_

Axel blinked, "You have B-List villains?"

Jesse shrugged at him, "Looks like it."

Stella slowly shook her head, crossing her arms, " _I don't know what kind of mind games you are trying to bring into our rivalry, but I'll tell your right now that they are not going to work on me."_

"What," Jesse said. He looked at Petra, then Ivor, Radar and then Stella. He blinked. "What."

"Yup," said Jack. Jesse turned to look at him.

"What."

There was a faint, strange noise, almost like muffled giggling. The Warden stiffened, the little colour he had draining from his face.

"Did you hear that?" he squeaked. Stacy frowned.

"Hear what?"

Jesse and Petra look at each other, then back at Stella; Jesse looked rather confused now.

Jack gave a small shrug, "I've been to Champion City- once, anyhow- and… let's just say it's a big rumour, this… 'rivalry.' I doubted it, especially since I've hardly heard a hint of it in Beacontown, but… yup."

Onscreen, the young hero shook his head, moving to tap his bottom lip- and quite promptly smacking himself in the teeth with the Gauntlet, if the quiet _clunk_ and pained look on his face was any indication. Then the Gauntlet began to glow.

" _Jeeeeesssssssseeeeeeeee…"_

"Ugh," Harper pulled a face, "Creepy."

Jack shuddered, shrinking in his seat, "No kidding…"

The glow drew Stella's attention, " _I_ love _the glove, by the way. Absolutely darling,"_ she looked up at another one of the bodyguards and nodded to him; he grinned and nodded back. Stella looked back at Jesse, brushing her hair away. " _You wouldn't be interested in trading, would you? Got some fine puppies here."_

As though on cue, the bodyguard thrust a yapping puppy into Jesse's face.

Isa raised her eyebrows, "This is a joke, right?"

"He can't even take it off," said Milo, blinking. Aiden shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, it's not like she _knows_ that."

"True."

" _All free range, of course,"_ Stella continued, as Jesse blinked slowly at the puppy. His face hardened slightly and he shot Stella an _almost_ glare.

" _Oh, I really, really wish I could,"_ he said, " _Really. But I can't."_

"And I don't really think he's interested in getting a new pet anytime soon," muttered Maya. Aiden gave a quiet, agreeing hum.

" _Oh, too bad,"_ said Stella, as the bodyguard thankfully pulled the puppy away from Jesse's face, " _They're very cute puppies."_

She gestured to the bodyguard. He nodded at her, before promptly tossing the puppy over his shoulder, into the air, where it (thankfully) landed in the arms of a citizen. Said citizen's face lit up and they ran away with it.

"She threw a puppy," Dan gaped, "Who _throws_ a _puppy_? What if that guy couldn't catch?!"

" _And, you know,"_ Stella shrugged, turning back to Jesse, " _I heard you needed a new pet, so…"_

The audience's eyes widened. Jesse's heart turned to stone and dropped to the cold pit of his stomach. His grip tightened around his little pig.

"She didn't," said Soren, jaw slacked, "She- She _didn't_."

"How _dare_ you say something like that," Harper snapped, glaring at the blonde, "That is just _horrible!_ "

"Well, it's what you do, isn't it?" Stella asked, although she did look slightly uncomfortable, "Lose a pet, get a new one."

"The utter lack of _tact_ in that sentence-"

Ivor leant forward, reaching out to grip Jesse's shoulder. His voice was soft, even as Harper ranted on.

"Are you alright?"

Stiffly, Jesse nodded, clinging to Reuben; the little pig whined quietly and buried his face into his shirt. Ivor gave the boy's shoulder a little squeeze.

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes widened, shock flickering across his face. Then it hardened into a teeth-grinding glare, fingers curling into fists. The Gauntlet almost looked as though it were beginning to buzz.

Then Petra's voice cut through.

" _Okay, hold it."_

The two blinked, turning to look at her; the buzzing quickly died. Stella breathed an almost mocking, surprised laugh.

" _Oh, Petra! You're here too. I almost thought Lluna just came back on her own,"_ behind her, Rodrigo grinned, " _What do I owe you? A puppy?"_

Petra frowned, shoulders stiffening, " _No, that wasn't-"_

" _A diamond maybe?"_

" _No, I-"_

" _An emerald?"_ Stella chuckled, " _Don't push_ too _hard now."_

" _That's- urgh!"_

Gabriel growled lowly, "I do not appreciate this woman."

Magnus blinked at him, looking a bit surprised, "Uh… Gabriel's getting mad."

Ellegaard blinked as well, " _Gabriel's_ getting mad? Gabriel doesn't get mad."

"Yeah, well, he's getting mad _now_."

" _Stop changing the deal around, Stella!"_ Jesse finally cut in, shooting the business-like woman a glare, " _It's wrong."_

"Darn tooting," Radar murmured, huffing. Despite himself, Jesse shot him a faintly amused look.

" _Well, I never,"_ Stella huffed, brushing her hair away, " _The deal hasn't, y'know,_ changed."

"Sword _,"_ Petra stressed, clenching her jaw, " _I want sword._ My _sword."_

"Can't twist _that,_ " grumbled the real Petra. Gabriel was still glaring.

" _I was_ very _clear,"_ stated Stella, " _I make trades for treasures,"_ then, that sickly sweet voice dropping into a more bored tone, she looked over at her bodyguards, " _I think I'm all done here."_

Radar bristled, "You can't just brush them off!"

Stella turned, beginning to make her way to the other end of the courtyard. Petra stepped forward, but was halted by her bodyguards.

" _You said you just wanted to_ display _it!"_ she exclaimed, " _I thought I could still_ use _it!"_

Stelled paused, before turning back to them. She laughed, pressing her hand to her head, like she was talking to a silly little child. " _Ohh, no. Honey, no,"_ she straightened, that sickly sweet smile back in place, and shook her head, " _You_ wanted _to become my Champion. You came to_ me _remember?"_

Axel blinked, "Wait- what?"

" _In exchange, you got to live_ here _instead of Beacontown,"_ Stella continued; Jesse's eyes widened, " _Isn't that nice?"_

"I- I what?" Petra asked, jaw slacking, "Why would- Why would I… ?"

Onscreen, Jesse turned to look at the redhead, as though to waiting for her to say she was spouting lies. Stella covered a grin upon noticing.

" _Oh no, was that supposed to be a secret? Oh, dear, Petra. Sweetie."_

" _I... uh…"_ Petra winced, not meeting her friend's eyes. Jesse looked as though he'd just been punched in the gut.

The real Jesse slowly turned to look at the real Petra, "You… But... "

"I- I dunno," Petra said, tangling a hand in her hair, "I- Why would I- why would- why would I-"

"I think," Lukas cut in, gently and yet firmly, "There might be something else going on here."

Petra stared at him for a moment, before she looked up at Gabriel; he'd stopped glaring, and was instead frowning down at her. He looked worried.

She winced and turned away.

" _Well,"_ Stella continued, turning her back to them, " _I think it's about time I go back to my treasure hall, Jesse. By the way?_ Way _nicer than yours."_

Radar rolled his eyes.

With a final flick of her hair, Stella began to leave.

Jesse and Petra watched her go for a moment. They glanced at each other. Then Stella's voice cut through the quiet chatter of the crowd again.

" _Do you two know the way out?"_ Stella asked over her shoulder, before huffing a laugh, " _Oh, what am I saying, of course Petra does!"_ her bodyguards began to trail after her, " _If you ever want a place in Champion City, just ask."_

A final laugh. Jesse frowned deeply. Petra made a noise that was something between a sigh and a groan.

" _Like I said, she's the worst."_

Jesse stared at her for a moment, then at the ground. Something strange flickered across his face, and for a brief moment, it almost looked as though he were about to cry. But then he shook his head and a wall slammed into place. He turned to look at her.

" _I'm not letting her get away with this,"_ he said, " _We're getting even."_

Petra paused, almost as though she wanted to ask something else. But instead, her shoulders slumped and she blew out a small sigh. " _Hey, I'll just settle for getting my sword back."_

Binta blinked slowly, "Are they… not going to talk about it?"

Ivor, Harper and Gabriel shared a look, before their gazes flickered to their kids. Both Jesse and Petra were avoiding eye contact.

The three parents shared another, more worried look.

" _I just don't know_ how _we're going to do that,"_ Petra admitted, leading Jesse a little deeper into the courtyard. They came to a stop, her friend glancing around. Petra pointed to something offscreen.

" _Stella's treasure room is right there,"_ she said, the screen flickering to show the golden archway flanked by bodyguards. Stella's blonde head disappeared inside. " _But I've got a bad feeling about those bodyguards of hers."_

Jack waved her away, "You can take 'em."

Onscreen, Petra scratched her cheek. Her gaze flickered to the other side of the courtyard. " _We could probably sneak in through the puppy kennel, but…"_ the screen flickered to a different golden archway, where a bodyguard was guiding a little hoard of puppies inside, " _That's a_ lot _of barking puppies."_

"Go for the puppies!" Stacy exclaimed, hugging a yapping Wink closer, "Puppies are your friends!"

" _There's got to be a way,"_ Jesse muttered, tapping his bottom lip. The screen darted over to the treasure rooms main entrance, which seemed to almost be frozen, with the bodyguards making to follow after Stella. A caption just above declared _We fight our way in._ Then the screen darted back to Jesse and Petra, then over to the puppy kennels entrance, which was also a frozen picture, the bodyguard guiding the jumping puppies. A similar caption to the one before declared _We sneak in._

Ivor hummed quietly, "Sneaking seems like the better option."

Harper nodded, "Agreed."

"But if they fight," said Magnus, "They can make 'em go _boom_."

Ellegaard rolled her eyes, "I doubt they want to kill her, Magnus."

"Let me do it then."

"Maybe later."

" _I think we can handle sneaking through some puppies,"_ Jesse declared, as the yapping little puppies bounded inside; the bodyguard trailed in after them, " _Let's stealth it up."_

Petra grinned and nodded, " _Sounds good to me."_

The screen blackened.

A brief silence came upon the audience. They glanced at each other. Jesse and Petra were still avoiding eye contact.

"Well," Aiden said, finally, "That was… something."

"Indeed," murmured Gabriel. He watched his daughter with a frown. Her eyes were locked on her lap.

He'd have to talk to her later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you play to Stella's ego or correct her? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Hey, look, I was actually able to update in time this week! Go me.
> 
> So a lot is going on (or, well, some small big stuff is going on), but I should be getting back into the swing of things properly. College is going alright, I'm no longer sick and it turns out my parents are having another baby. That makes... six. Six siblings. I'll have six siblings as of sometime next year.
> 
> So yeah.
> 
> In other news, if you haven't read them already, I highly recommend you check out October Children by Ariza Luca (on both FFN and AO3) and The Captives by Raintag (As far as I know, only on FFN). Both are brilliantly written MCSM fics that have recently taken off and, honestly, they really helped draw me back into the fandom properly. It's a little hard to write for a fandom when it feels like you're the only one still making content for it.
> 
> In that case, if you guys have got any good mcsm fics, please feel free to recommend them! It'll be good to actually have some more things to read it.
> 
> Happy Holidays!


	96. The Epic Rescue of Miss Butter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short and horrible and I am terribly sorry.
> 
> But I love the title. And early update.

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Ninety-Six: The Epic Rescue of Miss Butter**

* * *

_And these worn out souls are all broken now._

* * *

The black faded. The screen panned away from the entrance archway and into the puppy kennels, past a fence full of yapping puppies, between two laughing bodyguards, before whipping around to reveal Jesse and Petra kneeling just down the hall.

" _We're going to need a distraction for those guards,"_ Jesse declared.

" _Aw,"_ the young man blinked, before turning to find Petra wasn't actually listening to him, much preferring to kneel in front of a happy little puppy that had wandered over to them, " _That thing is so cu- ohhh no."_

The puppy had turned, running back into the kennels and leaping onto a slab and over the fence where the other many other, very _loud_ puppies were playing, yapping at each other, chasing each other around a skull head and overall just being incredibly happy and incredibly loud.

"Puppiiieeeees," Facemeat squealed, squishing his own cheeks between his massive hands, "Facemeat sees puppies!"

"They're so cute," Stacy cooed, rubbing Wink's head. His tail thumped against Lizzie's arm.

" _How are we going to get through here with none of them barking?"_ Petra asked, lowering her voice even more than she already had. Jesse shot her a small smile and pulled out one of the bones Stacy had given him earlier.

" _I've got it covered."_

Stacy blinked, then beamed, "I'm a plot device!"

Dan snorted, shooting her an amused look, "Looks like it."

He tucked the bone away, before pushing himself to his feet. He began to carefully tip-toe into the puppy kennels, glancing over the little fence where the yapping puppies were playing. They didn't notice him, and he turned away, making his way towards the opening into the next room- only for a pair of puppies to run out a smaller pen, growling at him, tails wagging. Jesse jumped.

" _Easy, puppies!"_ he whisper-yelled; he pulled out one of the bones, waving it in the air; the puppies little ears perked up, " _See? You like bones, right?"_

"So cute," muttered Olivia. Axel nodded.

"And, like, super inconvenient, but still cute."

Jesse threw the bone over their heads, and it clattered inside the little pen. The puppies turned, galloping towards it, attention captured. Petra crept up behind Jesse, glancing down the other corridor; the two bodyguards trailed away.

Stella pressed her lips together, torn between excitement at the prospect of her rival breaking into her treasure room and annoyance that her bodyguards were so incompetent. She should probably up her security at some point.

The two friends glanced at each other, before Jesse continued tip-toeing towards the treasure room's door. But then there was excited panting and he paused, before turning around to find a small army of puppies leaping over the fence of the larger pen to stand in front of him, a few growling, happy tails wagging. Jesse hastily fumbled with the other bone.

" _Oh, not again-"_ he threw, the bone clattering inside the large pen, and almost immediately the puppies were leaping after it. Jesse backed into the archway leading to the treasure room, Petra coming up next to him; he glanced around, then nodded at her.

" _Coast is clear."_

"That was the cutest, most intense break in ever," Radar declared. Jesse chuckled, sharing an amused look with Petra.

"Well, you're not wrong."

The two friends left the puppy kennels, entering the large room beyond. They came to a stop and Jesse quirked an eyebrow.

" _This is Stella's 'treasure room'?"_ he asked. Petra nodded, pulling a face.

" _Yeah."_

The screen panned behind them, revealing the expanse, clean and incredibly fancy room. There were three platforms, a smaller one further down, one right next to them and a slightly bigger one just off to the side. There must've been about five pedestals on each platform, each bearing a rather… _mundane_ 'treasure.'

Magnus gave a small laugh, "So, what, she's a fake?"

Ivor shot him a look, "Be as that may be, _you_ are in no position to judge."

The king blinked, before huffing and rubbing the back of his neck, "Okay, fine. But still."

Jesse turned, trailing alongside the bottom of a platform, brow creasing as he observed the treasures, " _Trophy heads… gold pants… sponge blocks… a diamond hoe?"_

Petra nodded, " _Yup. All bought from other people,"_ she turned to look at the 'treasures' herself, shaking her head, " _Half of them still have the name tags of other people on them."_

"They do not!" Stella protested, "I'll have you know that all of my treasures were acquired by _myself_. And- And these aren't even my _proper_ treasures! It's a… a decoy for my _actual_ treasure room."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "Okay… well, why would you tell us that, then?"

Stella sent him a small smirk, "As though you could find it."

The adventurer blinked, "Hm."

Onscreen, Jesse frowned, " _Wow, that… actually makes me kinda sad. She thinks that all it takes is having a room full of treasure,"_ he glanced around at the stolen items, shaking his head, " _Even if you've got it from other people."_

Now it was Stella's turn to blink. She glanced away. "Well, I… I don't need your _pity_! I know for a fact that it doesn't just take a room full of treasure, and I'll have you know that those are- are _rewards_ from all of my hard work tending to my city, my people and society as a whole!"

They stared at her. Radar looked up at Jesse. The boy blinked slowly.

"I… suppose that makes sense?" Ellegaard said, raising an eyebrow. Magnus shook his head, coughing into his fist. Stella huffed, turning her attention back to the screen.

"Of course it does."

" _Not letting her keep_ mine _, though_ ," Petra declared, glancing around the treasure room with a slight frown, " _It must be in here somewhere…"_

"Considering how tiny it is, I'm sure you'll find it in no time," Cassie drawled. Stella scoffed.

"I told you, I-"

"Have a secret treasure room," the redhead cut her off, running her fingers through Winslow's fur, "Yeah. You said."

Petra trailed off with a small pause. She turned to look back at him and, after a brief hesitation, stepped closer. " _Listen… about what Stella said before- about being Champion City's 'Hero in Residence'? It's really no big deal."_

"Oh, we're talking about this, then," Dan muttered, covering his mouth. The real Jesse and Petra shared a tiny glance. Lukas thumbed the corner of his mouth.

"Well, uh… I didn't really _think_ it was that big a deal," he admitted, "Especially since _none_ of us seem to be living together, but…"

"But Petra kept it secret," Olivia continued, slowly, "And it looked as though Jesse was hurt by that."

"I think anyone would be hurt if you're friend moved to a different town and didn't tell you," Axel admitted. Petra winced, rubbing her neck awkwardly. She didn't meet Jesse's eyes.

" _It's, y'know, nothing,"_ said Petra, looking even more awkward than her real-life counterpart. Jesse opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. After a moment, he slowly closed it. A silence passed between them; Petra sighed.

" _Man, I wish you didn't have to find out about it this way."_

"Yes, this is… a rather bad way to find out something important," Gabriel quietly admitted. Petra kept her eyes to her lap, wincing; she absently wondered why his opinion mattered so much.

Onscreen, Jesse glanced away, rubbing his arm. Petra watched him for a moment, before her face hardened and she looked away. " _Argh!"_

Jesse- and a few members of the audience- jumped.

" _No matter what happens,"_ said Petra, storming past him, towards the large, blue-tinted windows, " _No matter how much I do,_ you're _the big hero! You probably don't even remember what it's like adventuring out there, scrounging for resources!"_

"Woah, okay," said Stampy, leaning back in surprise, "What's happened?"

"I think she's annoyed that she's the only one actually going on adventures properly now and no one cares," Lizzie murmured. Sparklez frowned, adjusting his glasses with a small wince.

"That's… yeah…"

She stormed further away. Jesse stared, eyes wide; he glanced to the side, before hesitantly trailing after her.

" _Just look at today!"_ Petra continued; the corner of the courtyard where Stella had her 'office hours' was tinted blue behind the glass, " _We were supposed to go on_ one _adventure, and you were late. I can't even get my 'friends' to spend time with me!"_

"... Oh," Jesse's voice was startlingly small. Axel and Olivia looked at each other, downcast; Lukas winced, covering his mouth. Petra's chest had abruptly grown heavy.

"Oh my god, we've abandoned her," Lukas said, voice muffled behind his hands, "We've abandoned our friend."

"A- _Abandoned_ is a strong word," Petra muttered. Lukas shook his head, dropping his hands back into his lap; he looked like he'd just accidentally kicked a puppy. Olivia shifted closer and leant into Petra, wrapping her arms around her in a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Petra," she murmured. Petra gave her a slightly strained smile and returned the hug.

"Hey, uh… don't- don't worry about it. It's, uh…" she trailed off, not really seeming sure what to say. After a rather awkward pause, she gave a small shrug. "It's fine. I guess."

Jesse kept his eyes averted. Something was squeezing his chest.

Why would he do that? Why would he do that to Petra? To any of his friends?

She must hate him. Of course she hates him.

_She hated him._

" _Do you know how it feels,"_ said Petra, " _To show up for quest after quest and just hearing- 'aw, man, I'm sorry, next time! Next time!'"_ she slumped, the anger draining from her face into a much more _vulnerable_ look, a more hurt one, " _It gets embarrassing."_

Romeo's gut churned. He clenched his jaw.

Don't think about that. _Don't_.

Jesse sighed, " _Yeah. You're right. Of course you're right. I know I haven't exactly been the best friend lately."_

Harper and the Order glanced at each other.

Petra turned to look at him, not seeming all that sure what to say. Jesse glanced away briefly, before looking back at her. An awkward silence came across them.

"... Well," Magnus said, slowly, "They're very… social."

"I think it has more to do with Petra's inability to properly express herself outside of anger," Ellegaard whispered. Gabriel shot her a look.

"That is not a necessary discussion at the moment," he declared. Petra blinked from where she was still entangled in Olivia's hug, twisting a little to look at him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Onscreen, Petra shrugged, gaze darting away. Then her eyes widened. " _No- where'd it go?!"_ she darted past him, towards one of the platforms; there was a single, empty diamond pedestal, " _Where'd she put it?"_

Jesse trailed up next to her, brow creasing, " _You're… sure it was here?"_

Petra nodded, opening her mouth- but before she could speak, there was swishing and exaggerated grunts, almost like a child play-fighting. In perfect unison, they turned, looking towards the furthest archway to find Stella backing into the room. They looked back at each other.

" _Shh,"_ Jesse hushed, lips twitching, " _Check it out."_

They tiptoed off to the side, out of sight. The screen cut back to Stella.

" _That's right!"_ she said, still backing into the treasure room, " _It's Petra, armed with her mighty sword, Miss Butter! Hee-yeah!"_ she spun around, striking a 'battle pose.' An enchanted, golden blade was held in her hand.

Soren blinked slowly, "What… What's happening?"

"Oh my god," Axel grinned, "Oh my god."

The real Stella was beginning to go a little pink around the cheeks.

Inside the treasure room, Jesse and Petra ducked behind one of the platforms. Stella strutted inside, slashing Petra's sword as though to fend off an invisible enemy. Jesse covered his twitching lips, shoulders shaking slightly.

" _This is the greatest thing I've ever seen,"_ he whispered. Petra's eyebrows raised to her hairline.

" _And by her side,"_ Stella continued, swinging the sword around; she raised it above her head, the light gleaming off its blade, " _Is her best friend, the greatest hero in the world, Jesse!"_

Radar covered his mouth, beginning to giggle. Jack and Nurm shared an amused look. Magnus was laughing so hard, nothing was coming out. Jesse was growing rather red-faced.

" _Together, they can take on-"_ she spotted Jesse and Petra; her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, " _-Nuuuuh, hi!"_ the sword clattered to the floor, " _Hello."_

"Wow," muttered Maya; Gill was giggling uncontrollably, "Just… _wow._ "

Petra and Jesse glanced at each other, before trailing out of their hiding spot. Stella scowled at them, but it was ruined by the fact that she was rather pink in the face.

" _Uh, you!"_ she exclaimed, jabbing a finger at them, " _You should not be here!"_

They came to a stop in front of her. Shared a look. Stella glanced at the sword, then back at them.

" _This… this is, um…"_ she rubbed her forehead, " _This is incredibly awkward."_

"Just a little," said Aiden.

"Yeah," said Cassie, "Just an itty bitty bit."

"Minuscule."

"Hardly noticeable, really."

A long silence came between them; Petra's gaze was on her sword, and it almost looked as though she were debating whether or not she should leap forward and grab it. Jesse rubbed the back of his head, giving Stella an awkward smile.

" _I gotta say, Stella,"_ he said, " _I'm actually a little flattered here. Didn't know you thought so highly of me."_

" _Uhh, no! No!"_ Stella hastily protested, " _I was being sarcastic, because I hate you!"_

"See?" said the real Stella, as though this explained everything. Lukas shook his head, covering a smile. Petra rolled her eyes.

Jesse and Petra shared a look. Stella huffed, planting her hands on her hips.

" _You can have your dumb sword back."_

Petra stepped forward, bending down and scooping up Miss Butter. Stella continued.

" _Let's just pretend this whole thing never happened,"_ she said, " _And I will let you go."_

Magnus coughed something that sounded suspiciously like 'weak.' Ellegaard rolled her eyes at him.

Again, Petra and Jesse looked at each other; the redhead shrugged. Jesse rolled his eyes and began to lead her towards the archway Stella had come from. The blonde turned to watch them go.

" _I won't forget this, Jesse!"_ she declared, rather dramatically, " _History will remember this as an important day in our rivalry!"_

Isa hummed, "Okay."

Jesse was fairly certain that the walls were trying not to laugh.

Traitor.

The young hero rolled his eyes for the second time in a minute. Stella took a step forward, jabbing a finger at his back.

" _A day you will rue 'til-"_

" _Still not my rival!"_ Jesse exclaimed over his shoulder. Stella's shoulders slumped and she moaned, actually looking rather disappointed.

" _Aw, man…"_

The screen blackened.

"Well," said Lukas, holding back a smile; he ran his fingers through a purring Dewey's spotted fur, "That was… something."

"Certainly," hummed Soren, raising his eyebrows, "Shall we continue or shall we pause for lunch?"

Aiden frowned, "But this part was so short."

"Yeah, but, like," Nell gestured at nothing, " _Food_."

Gill nodded, as though she'd just told them something very logical, "Indeed."

Mevia rolled her eyes, "How about we make lunch, have a fifteen minute break and just eat and watch at the same time?"

Otto chuckled, "That sounds like a good idea."

"Alright, well then," Milo got to his feet and gestured to Aiden, Maya and Gill, "You three come help me with lunch."

Gill groaned, "Aw, why us?"

Maya dug an elbow into his side, "Don't whine, you want food, right?"

The boy sighed, slumping, "Yes."

Petra huffed, rolling her eyes, as Olivia finally untangled herself from her hug. There was a gentle nudge to her back. She stiffened. Twisted to look up at Gabriel.

He gave her a small smile, "I need your help with something."

"Uh…" she glanced away, unsure why a nervous knot was forming in her stomach, "Sure."

"Come on, then," said Milo, beginning to make his way towards the hallway. The Blaze Rods got up to follow him.

"We'll meet up back here in twenty minutes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you fight your way through or sneak in through the puppy kennels? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> I hate, hate, hate how short this chapter is, but I seriously love the chapter title. Soooo... yup.
> 
> My 17th birthday is literally this Sunday (23rd) and... just... what? When? How? Don't give me responsibilities. That is a horrible, horrible idea. I write about cube people watching TV in my spare time how the heck am I almost seventeen.
> 
> That's not right.
> 
> Sorry that I didn't update last week, I was busy with Christmas junk. So have an early update! Even if it's... an incredibly short update. And crappy update.
> 
> Yeah.
> 
> I did want to continue it, but then I realised that it wouldn't stop until after they've met Jack and decided to head out to the Sea Temple (possibly not even until Jesse's got his armour), so... short chapter. Yup.
> 
> Also, can I just say that I love how MCSM airs on Netflix and now the fandom is just slightly more revived? It's great XXD
> 
> I'll try to update soon again (if not before my birthday, then before Christmas and definitely before New Years), but if I don't, I hope you guys have some Happy Holidays! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
> 
> (Despite how crap and short and just bleh it is.)


	97. Oh, the Ground's Exploded

* * *

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Ninety-Seven: Oh, the Ground's Exploded**

* * *

_I'll give it all,_

_I'll give it all._

* * *

"You are _not_ spying on them."

Jessi paused, before turning to look over her shoulder at her brother, half hidden in the shadows. She shrugged a shoulder.

"I'm not," she assured, "Just noticed 'em."

Jesse frowned at her and made his way over, peering through the eye holes of the portrait. He could see Petra and Gabriel sitting on the steps of one of the Armouries platforms, talking quietly with one another. He quickly pulled away and looked back at his sister.

"Spying."

Jessi rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. He playfully swatted her away.

"C'mon," he murmured, still smiling, leading her away from the portrait, "Let's let them be."

They walked in relative silence for a little while, aimlessly, the passageways growing and shrinking dramatically in size every few steps. They were dark and dusty, constantly tickling Jesse's nose and the back of his throat like he was about to start sneezing at any moment; the only light flickered through the small gaps between the portraits and the eyes holes.

He tried not to let the shadows get to him.

It was fine. It was fine. If she could practically live in these passageways, then he could walk through them without panicking.

Jessi glanced at him out the corner of her eye, "Drama happening with your friends, huh?"

He blinked and tore his attention from his thoughts, "Sorry?"

"In the episode," she clarified, "Have you noticed Petra's gotten a lot angrier as the episodes go on? She was pretty, you know, 'chill' in the first episode."

Jesse paused, scrambling through his muddled memories to the beginning, so long ago, when there was only thirteen of them (fourteen if you counted Reuben, who was quietly trotting on their heels, little nose twitching in the dusty air). It was with a small start that he realised she was right; Petra had been laidback and cool-headed throughout almost _all_ of the Witherstorm, although part of that may have possibly been due to her Wither Sickness. Regardless, she hadn't gotten angry until they'd been utterly lost in the Portal Network for who knows _how_ long, barely scraping by, probably coming far too close to dying far too often to be comfortable, unsure when or how or even if they'll make it home.

He came to a stop. Jessi kept walking for a second, before realising and coming to a halt as well. Reuben bumped into Jesse's legs and squealed questioningly.

Jessi cocked her head, regarding him silently. There were cuts on her face. They hadn't been there before.

After a moment, Jesse sighed and scrubbed tiredly at his eyes, "Why… Why can't people just be… happy?"

She blinked at him, "That's not how it works."

"I know."

They fell into a silence. Jessi shifted her weight.

"Well, uh…" she said, slowly, "Are you going to leave them?"

Jesse's eyes snapped back to her, "What? No. No, of course not. I don't want to leave them."

"We didn't want to leave each other either," Jessi quietly pointed out. Something cold prickled across Jesse's skin and he shot her a hard look.

" _We_ didn't have a _choice._ "

"Do you think you have one now?"

"Why are we talking about this?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's important."

"Well, it's none of your business."

She said nothing. Glanced at the floor.

The silence grew thick and awkward. Jesse looked away as well, pressing his lips together. He opened his mouth to say something- maybe to apologise, maybe to tell her things would be fine, maybe to tell her that he wasn't leaving _anybody_ , not his friends and certainly not her- but he doesn't get the chance, because she's right in front of them and covering his mouth with a skeletal, dirty hand.

Jesse jumped back in surprise, but she just pressed closer, hastily shushing him.

"Quiet," she whispered; he could feel tremors through her hand, "It's here."

He went still. His heart pounded in his ears. Neither of them made a sound. Reuben pressed himself closer to Jesse's legs.

For a long moment, they just stood there, stiffly, not breathing, not daring to move, straining their ears, listening for something they're not even sure makes a sound. Jesse didn't dare look over his shoulder for it. Doesn't dare move.

For a long moment, they just stood there.

Finally, Jessi slowly, slowly pulled her hand away from his mouth. He swallowed.

"Is…Is it gone?" he asked, so quietly he's not even sure she heard him. But she must have, because after another moment, she gave a tiny nod.

"Yeah," she said, just as quietly as he had, "Yeah, I think so."

Jesse allowed himself to release a trembling breath. A cold sweat beaded his forehead, and it took him a moment to work up the nerve, but he forced himself to look over his shoulder, down the narrow passageway.

It was dark. Dusty. Light crept from the corners of the portraits.

Empty.

"Okay," Jesse muttered, taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm his thundering heart (it didn't really work), "Okay. Let's… Let's get out of here."

Silently, Jessi nodded in agreement, gripping his sleeve. They began to make their way down the passageway, away from where it had been (cold, cold, cold). Just grab the closest portrait and jump out and run to somewhere that isn't _here_.

But they didn't get to do that.

Of course they didn't get to do that.

_Of course they didn't._

Because of course the shadows withered and Reuben let out a terrified squeal. Of course Jessi stepped back, onto his foot, horror struck across her face. The light peeking through the portraits almost seemed to dim; then there were jagged teeth grinning at them, and hands, wispy, dark, cold, cold, _cold_ reaching, reaching towards them-

Jessi darted back the way they came, jerking him after her by his hand. Jesse stumbled, tripping over his own feet, but quickly fell into pace just behind her; he stooped down and picked up a squealing Reuben with his free hand, throwing him over his shoulder.

The world had dropped around fifty degrees. Chills raced along his skin, burrowing deep into his bones, his breath a thin mist in the air. Frost crept along the walls.

Cold.

Cold.

_Cold._

Jessi turned around the corner, jerking him after her. Reuben was squealing sharply in his ear, panicked, and at the back of his mind, Jesse wondered just what he could see, just what it was doing behind them. Jessi's grip on his hand was bruising, and she was quick, dodging and ducking and slipping between narrow passageways like a fish expertly navigating a familiar river.

Jesse's heart thundered in his ears; the ice in the air nipped at his lungs with every breath. He didn't have time to slow, didn't have time to think, didn't have time for _anything_ -

His sister skidded to a stop and he slammed into her, almost sending them both tumbling to the ground. Jessi hastily started to backtrack, the both of them shuffling backwards in a confused mess, and it took Jesse a moment to spot the narrow shoulders and long, crooked head pushing itself out the side of the wall up ahead.

He gave a small yell- or at least, he thought he gave a small yell- and they stumbled over each other with a quickened haste, before finally twisting around and darting back the way they'd come.

Then Jessi jerked him in a different direction and they were somewhere else, the floor had an obvious slant, the walls too close together and stretching too high. Reuben gave another loud squeal in his ear and Jesse tripped on something sticking out the floor.

He slammed into his sister and they went flying head over heels, everything twisting and turning and tumbling like twin dice shaking in a bottle- then one dice fell into the other and something changed, fire blazing agony across every limb, every bone, every nerve and muscle and vein, and they stopped.

Their chest heaved, lungs straining against the frigid air, the dull tingle of lingering pain spreading through their toes and head and brain and arms. The dark ceiling swirled above them.

Reuben abruptly appeared, squealing; it caused their ears to throb. They clenched their eyes shut and brought their hands automatically to their ears, but paused; their hair brushed against their fingers. It was shorter- no, longer- no- what?

Another loud, ear-piercing squeal and Reuben stumbled back; something else appeared in front of their face, inches from their nose. Frost crept along the floor, clinging to their legs and arms and shirt; a wispy black shadow of a crooked head, long fingered hands planted on the frosty ground, right in front of their face.

Everything stilled. The monster didn't move; they didn't breathe.

They're not sure how long they sat like that. Staring into that wispy, eyeless face. Almost absently, in the stillness of everything, in the terror freezing their chest, they thought it looked rather like Mr Eyes from the horror stories.

Maybe an hour passed. Maybe two. Maybe it was less than a minute. But eventually, the stillness ceased, and the monster slowly pulled away.

They didn't move. It stared at them for a moment longer, before turning and slipping back into the shadows. The only sign it had ever been was the frost on the floor, in their clothes, clinging to their too-short-too-long hair.

The dice fell apart.

* * *

"There you are."

Jesse jolted out of his slightly dazed state, blinking rapidly. Ivor stood in front of him, smiling slightly.

"I've been looking for you," he said, "We're just about to start the watching again."

_The watching._ He wondered when they'd started calling it the watching.

Ivor took a small step closer and gently nudged his arm, "Hey, are you-"

He paused. Pressed his hand against his cheek. He raised his eyebrows. "You're freezing."

"Oh," Jesse murmured, absently realising he was shivering a little, "Guess so."

Ivor frowned at him for a moment, before tugging him closer and rubbing his arms in an attempt to get his blood circulation flowing properly again, "Where did you go?"

"Was just…" Jesse leant into him, because wow he was _warm_ , "Just wandering around."

The potionologist shook his head, glancing down at Reuben as the little piggy huddled up against his legs for warmth. He gave Jesse a tiny squeeze.

"Come on," he said, beginning to lead him down the hall, "Let's get you warmed up."

It wasn't long before Jesse was seated back in the watching room, a blue blanket wrapped tightly around him and a plate of food sat in front of him, Reuben cuddled into his lap. Harper fiddled with the blanket for a good four minutes, murmuring to herself about the more vacant parts of the mansion getting colder with the night and some strange schematics of what _might_ have been either a heating system or a water balloon cannon.

Petra asked him what he'd been doing wandering about anyway. Jesse just shrugged and told her he'd just been passing the time.

He could feel Ivor's eyes on the back of his head.

Absently, Jesse noticed Lukas had finally had his cast removed; he was flexing his arm, grimacing only slightly. He shot Jesse a smile.

Someone pointed the remote at the screen; it came back to life.

They were greeted with Champion City, the sky steadily darkening as the sun set behind it. It panned out, and a golden enchanted blade was suddenly thrust into view; it panned down further to reveal Petra's face-splitting grin.

_"Rah!"_ she exclaimed, _"Feels so good to have you back!"_

Gabriel's lips twitched into a small smile. The real Petra grinned and gave Jesse a nudge; he shot her a smile of his own.

Onscreen, Petra dropped her arm back to her side and turned to Jesse, her face softening into a more grateful look, _"Thank you so much for your help. I know it got a little weird back there. I still appreciate you helping me anyway."_

"Aww," Olivia cooed. Petra's cheeks tinted pink and she shot her a glare that didn't really have any heat behind it.

"Quiet," she grumbled. Olivia just gave her a small grin.

_"Hey, it's all in the past, Petra,"_ said Jesse, shooting her a smile and shrugging, _"Just happy to reunite you with your favourite deadly weapon."_

_"Ohhhh, and it feels_ so _good."_

They passed the sign with _WARNING: HECKMOUTH_ scrawled across it, plucked into the grass. Almost as soon as they crossed it, the Gauntlet began to glow, vibrating against Jesse's hand-

_"Jeeesssseeeeeeee…"_

"Uh oh," muttered Lukas. Jack went a little bit pale in the face.

Jesse turned around, holding up the glowing Gauntlet with wide eyes and a slightly worried look. Petra paused, startled. She sheathed Miss Butter.

_"What is that?"_ she asked.

He wasn't given the time to answer. The ground beneath their feet rumbled; the two friends looked at each other, before their eyes trailed over to the sign, seated innocently in front of the grass.

"Uh…" Axel chuckled a tad nervously, "What was that?"

"Probably nothing good," Ellegaard muttered. Magnus tapped his knee, brow creasing.

"They should, ah… probably get out of there," he said, "Unless getting blown up is a part of their schedule."

"Is, uh, is that a part of _anyone's_ schedule?" asked Lukas. Magnus blinked at him.

"Yes."

Lukas stared at him, "... Um."

Then the ground rumbled again and they stumbled back a bit; another bang, a bang, a bang, like a massive fist was smashing into the ground from beneath; a small section blew off, creating a small hole.

Then Jesse leapt to the side at the last second, slamming into Petra and sending them both smashing to the ground; the grass _exploded._

"Holy-"

The screen panned upwards, revealing the blue-green glow of the Heckmouth, the small spurts of lava surrounding it way down- and the creepers, spitting and hissing with electricity, flying from its gaping maw like bullets.

"- _crap._ "

"Are those creepers?" asked Lukas, looking from Soren to Cassie to Jesse to the screen, jaw-slacked and eyes big, "Those are _creepers_."

Jack groaned a bit weakly, sinking in his seat and pressing a trembling hand to his mouth, as though in an attempt to ward off a wave of sickness. Nurm shot him a concerned look.

Jesse and Petra sat up from where they'd been sprawled on the ground, eyes wide and faces pale in the dim green-blue ocean glow of the pit. The young man swallowed.

_"Sign didn't stop that."_

_"Or those,"_ said Petra, and she pointed- the screen zipped around; creepers, sparking, spitting, hissing with an electric charge, were leaping out of the pit and steadily marching towards them.

"I want one!" Magnus declared. This earned him a few glares, particularly from Gabriel, Ivor and Harper, but he didn't seem to care all that much.

_"Woah,"_ Jesse said, a bit weakly, _"That's a lot of creepers."_

"No kidding," Radar squeaked.

Onscreen, Jesse and Petra hastily scrambled to their feet, drawing their swords, shoulder to shoulder. Petra's eyebrows went to her hairline.

_"And they're_ charged?! _"_ she exclaimed, as Jesse widened his stance, one arm forward, the other back with his sword next to his chest, a familiar battle pose, _"That should be impossible!"_

_"Tell_ them _that!"_ he exclaimed, and then darted forward to meet the creepers halfway.

"Uh," Stampy said, eyes wide, "I don't think that's-"

Jesse yelled and swung his sword in a wide, sideways arc. He must have hit at least three, and the ones he didn't were slammed into by the ones he had; they all flashed white, flying backwards, back into the pit and the Heckmouth; they exploded.

"Oh," Stampy blinked, "Oh, nevermind."

A hiss, and Jesse turned, just in time to find a sparking creeper charging at him. He swung his stone blade again and it flashed, fell back, but didn't explode. Jesse's sword, meanwhile, snapped in half and puffed to dust in his hands.

"Of course," Lukas murmured. Radar covered his face, only to peak out between his fingers.

The charged creeper hissed at him, marching forward on twisted legs, still flashing. Defenceless, Jesse took a step back.

_"I've got you covered, Jesse!"_

Petra jumped in front of him, Miss Butter glinting enchanted gold in her grip. She wound her blade around and then uncoiled, slashing through rough, leathery green skin and sending the monster into the air. It exploded.

The real Petra grinned widely. Ivor hummed, tapping his fingers absently against his knee.

"Alright," he said, "I believe the best course of action here would be to flee."

Jesse blinked at him, "What? Why?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because _you just broke your sword._ "

Onscreen, Petra cackled joyfully and kissed the flat side of her blade, before thrusting it over her head, _"So good to have you back!"_

Gabriel smiled.

Petra ran off, presumably to tear down a few of the other charged creepers. Jesse's eyes narrowed and he looked around, before there was the hiss and spit of electricity; he turned to find one heading right for him.

Olivia groaned, "This is getting tiresome…"

Jesse leapt to the side in a roll and the monster charged right past him. He turned again to find another and leapt out of the way once more, his roll bringing him back to his feet expertly. Then he turned again to find two, three, four darting right for him.

Olivia groaned again and slumped against Axel's side. Radar looked torn between the urge to cover his eyes and the pressing desire to see his hero in action.

"He's dead," Cassie flatly declared. Lukas shushed her.

_"Oh no you_ don't _-"_ Jesse darted forward, either forgetting or ignoring or uncaring of the fact that he had no blade or axe or hoe, meeting the group of charged creepers head on-

"What is he _doing?!_ " Harper yelled. A grin tugged at Romeo's lips.

-Jesse brought back his arm, encased in the Prismarine Gauntlet, the screen showing down; there was a distant whir, like a wound up toy car let loose, and the Gauntlet gleamed that ocean blue-green.

He punched the electrically charged creeper in its green chest and all of them- two, three, four- were sent soaring backwards in a powerful blast, into the pit, into the Heckmouth, where they exploded into ash and gunpowder.

The majority of the audience gaped at the screen.

"Wha- How did- What?" Stacy stuttered. Jack had gone so pale, he almost looked identical to a bowl of porridge. He was also trembling, although he was doing a rather good job at hiding it, and he was clenching his jaw so tightly you could almost see a vein throbbing in his neck.

"Jesse," Ivor said, slowly. The boy tore his wide eyes from the screen to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"What did you just do?"

"I…" he blinked, "I dunno."

"What did you _think_ you were going to do?"

"I dunno."

"You didn't even have a sword," Harper groaned, scrubbing her eyes, "Why would you even _consider_ doing _anything_ like that without a sword?"

"I dunno," Jesse was starting to feel a bit like a broken record.

"What if that _didn't work?_ " Ivor asked, shooting him something that wasn't _quite_ a glare, but had more than enough potential to turn into one. Jesse made to hold up his hands defensively, only to realise he was still wrapped in a blanket and had a pig in his lap; he shrugged a shoulder instead.

"But it did."

"Yes, but what if it _didn't_?"

"But it did!"

"But what-"

"Then he'd be dead," Hadrian cut the potionologist off; heads snapped around to him. The Old Builder shrugged. "Either that, or greatly injured. But most likely dead."

They fell quiet. Jesse looked back at Ivor.

"But I _didn't._ "

"But you _could have!_ "

"I feel like this is gonna go on a while," Magnus murmured. Ellegaard nodded in agreement.

Onscreen, Jesse gaped down at the pit, before he gave a disbelieving laugh and held up the Prismarine Gauntlet, _"That would've been_ dumb _!_ _If it wasn't so_ awesome _!"_

"No," said Cassie, "It was still dumb."

Jesse looked back down at the pit, as though double-checking they were really dead. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Petra slashing through another monster with her golden blade; it looked like the last of them on the surface.

_"C'mon,"_ he said, _"We need to get this thing covered up again."_

"Oh, yes," murmured Maya, looking slightly sick, "Because that worked _so_ well last time."

The two friends ran around the large pit, leaping over a small crater probably created by one of the smaller creeper explosions, over to a patch of untouched land. They looked at each other, and then the screen began to speed up; they were digging up the ground, clawing at the dirt with their hands in getting clumps caught beneath their fingernails.

The screen slowed down again. They clambered out of the pit they'd made, although much, much smaller than the pit of the Heckmouth, and darted over. And then it sped up again, this time with them setting the dirt down above the spitting, hissing, sparking pit; it was dark and dusk by the time they had finished, heaving exhausted breaths; they sat across from each other on a pair of slabs lining the road.

_"I- I don't know how we're going to get this to hold,"_ Jesse admitted, gesturing to the sealed land with his Gauntlet-encased hand, _"That Heckmouth blew right through the_ ground _."_

Romeo's lips twitched in mild amusement. Anthony twisted his fingers, swallowing. The Warden's face remained impassive.

Xara glanced at Romeo. Her eyes narrowed.

_"First your Prismarine Gauntlet,"_ said Petra, _"Then that Prismarine Pit spitting out creepers… we need to get to Jack's fast."_

"Please don't," Jack murmured, too quiet for much of anyone to hear. Nurm hummed and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

_"Yeah,"_ Jesse frowned, releasing a breath, _"I hope this treasure hunter knows as much as you say he does."_

"Hm," Cassie frowned. She said nothing more.

_"He does,"_ Petra declared, getting to her feet, _"He's gotta. C'mon, I'll show you the way."_

With that, Petra turned and began to run across the small bridge towards the gates of Beacontown, Jesse leaping off his slab and darting after her. Almost immediately, thunder boomed up ahead and rain began to pour.

The screen went dark.

"Well," said Lukas, after a moment; he absently noted, with some surprise, that he still had a half eaten sandwich in front of him, "That… was something."

Ivor looked at Jesse, "You could have _died._ "

The boy groaned, "But I _didn't_."

"You _could have._ "

Harper sighed and nudged Ivor, "Argue with him later, poppy. It's not going to do any good."

Ivor grunted unhappily, but fell silent. Jesse blew a relieved breath, tugging the blanket closer; he was still covered in goosebumps, despite the heat of the room.

The screen came back on to the clucking of a group of chickens, a rainbow parrot seated beside a torch. The large gates of Beacontown groaned like two stones being dragged against each other as they opened, and Jesse and Petra darted through before they'd even fully opened. The parrot squawked and took flight.

Townspeople were running for shelter from the drizzle of rain, while chickens ran happily amok. Petra rounded the corner between two buildings and slowed to a jog, turning to look at Jesse; she gestured ahead.

_"Welcome to Bad Luck Alley."_

Stella raised her eyebrows, "Well, that's a rather… _egregious_ name."

Gill shot Aiden a confused look, lowering his voice, "What does _that_ mean?"

Aiden shrugged.

_"Wow,"_ said Jesse, raising his eyebrows as he glanced at the people scattered about, most attempting to take shelter under small overhangs and umbrellas, _"I didn't even know people hung out down here at night."_

"Of course you didn't," said Stella, a smug sort of look on her face. Radar scowled at her, while Jesse just looked a bit confused.

_"Well, yeah,"_ Petra grinned, beginning to lead him further in, _"It's the cool part."_

Lukas blinked, "Huh?"

Jesse frowned at the back of Petra's head and followed, _"What's_ that _supposed to mean?"_

_"Aw, you know,"_ said Petra, shrugging, _"These are the people who like to live… off the grid. Outside the rules. And you're kind of…"_ she shot him a small, teasing grin, _"'The Boss.'"_

The real Jesse blinked once. Twice. Looked at the real Petra.

"What."

Petra snorted, chuckling, "I dunno, dude."

"But- _what_."

Olivia giggled, "Mayor Jesse."

Jesse looked at her, "I- No?"

"We gotta call you that from now on," Axel declared, fighting his own grin, "Either 'The Boss' or 'Mayor Jesse.' Nothing else is allowed."

"Please don't do that."

"Sorry, The Boss," said Petra, not at all sounding sorry, "Just how it works."

"Please don't."

Lukas shrugged, fighting his own smile, "Apologies, Mayor Jesse."

"Yeah," said Olivia, still giggling madly, "We're sorry, Mayor Jesse The Boss."

"I hate you all," Jesse declared.

"Aw, but The Boss," Aiden said, desperately attempting to look sad and failing rather miserably; Maya and Gill's unstoppable giggling didn't really help, "You're not capable of hatred. We've discussed this."

Half the audience burst into giggles; Radar was desperately trying to stop himself, but couldn't seem able to. Even Reuben was making his own squealing little piggy giggles. And he could have sworn, _could have sworn,_ there was muffled laughter coming from the walls. Jesse looked about at them, betrayed, and proceeded to hide in his blankets.

"I hate you all," he declared again, although more muffled this time. The giggling continued anyway.

_"It's just the way the world works,"_ said Petra, _"It's, like, the trade-off when you're in charge. You know that."_

_"_ You _still hang out with me, though,"_ Jesse pointed out, falling into step beside her as they turned another corner.

_"Well, yeah,"_ Petra said, _"But that's because I knew you when you were still just a nerd in a treehouse,"_ she shot him a smile and gave him a small nudge, _"Don't take it personally, dude."_

"Yeah," he heard Petra say; she leant into him a little, the blanket still over his head, "Don't take it so _personally_ , The Boss."

"Shut up," Jesse said. Petra laughed and dug her knuckles into his head through the blanket, much to the boys' dismay.

Onscreen, the two reached another intersection. Petra paused here, glancing around.

_"Should be somewheeeere down here,"_ she faltered, _"I think."_

Cassie raised her eyebrows, "You think?"

_"Wait,"_ Jesse frowned, coming up behind her, _"Have you never been here before? You said you knew a guy."_

Petra paused for a moment, chewing on her lip. Finally, she huffed and turned around to face him. _"Okay, not 'know him, know him.' I know_ of _him."_

This earnt her a few raised eyebrows from the audience. Petra, who had been sipping on a juice box, paused, taking this in.

"Huh," she said, straw still in her mouth, after a moment, "Okay."

"You would've thought that was worth mentioning," muttered Mevia. Nell glanced at her, but said nothing.

Jesse raised his eyebrows at her; Petra crossed her arms, chewing on her lip again. A silence crossed between them with nothing but the drip of the rain. Finally, she uncrossed her arms and sighed.

_"Okay, fine,"_ she said, _"He's a legend, alright? He was once one of the greatest treasure hunters in the_ whole world _and…"_ she looked away, a tint of pink crossing her cheeks, _"He's… kind of a hero of mine."_

The real Jack raised his eyebrows, looking pleasantly surprised; it must have been the first time he hadn't looked outright sick in the past half hour or so. Petra paused, straw still in her mouth. She turned to look at Jack; he looked back at her.

Jesse peeked out of his blankets.

_"What should I say?"_ Petra abruptly asked, turning away from him and beginning to pace in a circle, _"What should I do? I can't believe I'm about to meet Jack!"_

"Is," Lukas blinked, mouth twitching into a wide grin, "Is Petra _fangirling?_ "

"She is," Axel gaped, eyes the size of plates, "She _is_."

"Guys, I don't think that can be Petra," Maya declared, "It must be an imposter."

"Yup," said Gill, nodding like this made perfect sense, "Probably, like, an alien or something."

"Dude," Nell cut in, "That would be so _wicked_."

"You have a strange idea of _wicked_ , Nell," Em declared.

_"What if he invites me to go adventuring with him?"_ Petra asked; Jesse was grinning so widely his cheeks looked in danger of splitting, _"I've- I've heard_ legends _of how great he is."_

Gabriel shot the real Petra a surprised look, but couldn't help his smile. Jesse had buried his face into Reuben's back in an attempt to hide the fact that he was grinning almost as widely as his onscreen counterpart.

Petra was rather pink-faced now. Jack was chuckling quietly.

He decided he liked her.

_"Well,"_ said Jesse, leaning around to look at her a little; he tried to wipe some rain from his face so it would stop dripping into his eyes, but only succeeded in clunking himself on the forehead with the Gauntlet, _"If I can offer some advice? Best thing to do around your heroes is just act like yourself. Otherwise it's weird for everyone."_

Isa opened her mouth, paused, then nodded, "Yes, that's actually rather good advice."

"Mayor Jesse probably has some experience," said Lukas. He was then whacked with a pillow.

_"Be myself,"_ Petra echoed, nodding. She released a small breath. _"Got it, got it."_

They continued on, making their way out into another street. Petra placed her hands on her hips, looking around with a small frown. Jesse, spotting something, trailed down the other end of the road and came to a stop near the end.

The screen flipped around, revealing a ship-shaped shop with an impressively long sign above the foreign double doors: _Jack & Nurm's Adventure Emporium._

_"Jack and Nurm's Adventure Emporium,"_ Jesse read aloud.

The real Jack and Nurm shared a grin.

Up above, a rainbow parrot- possibly the same one that had been seated in front of the gates, possibly not- squawked and flapped away. Grinning, Petra trailed up next to him; she looked like she was attempting to contain some excitement.

_"Yup,"_ she said, _"That's our place. Man, I've_ always _wanted an excuse to come here!"_

"This is adorable," Lukas declared. Petra shot him a scowl.

"Say that again and I'll re-break your arm."

The blond winced and leant away from her a little, "Noted."

Gabriel nudged her with his leg, "Petra."

"I didn't say nothing."

The warrior rolled his eyes. Soren shot him an amused look. They were both well aware she'd never do such a thing.

Onscreen, Jesse shot her a smile, before stepping forward. He curled clumsy, Gauntlet encased fingers around the foreign door handle and tugged it open. He led her inside. It closed behind them.

The screen panned up to show the sign. Then went black.

"Oh, hey, look," said Aiden, turning to Cassie, "He's not deceased."

"Ha ha ha."

"Somehow," Ivor murmured. Jesse ignored him.

"Let us just hope this 'legendary adventurer' can help," Otto stated, glancing at Jack. The man looked back at him, before tearing his eyes away, tapping at his knee.

It would be fine.

It would be fine.

Please let it be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Petra was freaking out, did you tell her to Be Cool or Be Herself? Let me know in the reviews!


	98. Jack's Lament

* * *

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Ninety-Eight: Jack's Lament**

* * *

_Hmmm, hmm, hmm_

_I'm afraid, I'm afraid, I'm afraid_

_That I'm falling apart._

* * *

The screen lightened to reveal Jesse and Petra making their way into a somewhat dimly lit shop, shaking off droplets of rain and glancing around curiously. Jesse looked up, to the overhanging coloured glass above him, twin blue banners with a diamond sword stitched into each. There were armour stands bearing golden chest plates and diamond leggings, bookshelves and glass cases protecting rare items, chest, plants and glowstone.

Jesse made his way along to the side, Petra having already disappeared. A rainbow parrot- ARCHIE, a companion of the shop owner, who would not be named until many months later (if at all)- was perched on a pane of glass near the ceiling.

It cut to some objects- prismarine shards, ink sacs, other strange little artefacts and treasures- in a glass case. Petra's face appeared on the other side with a wide grin, tinted from the glass. She released a breath. _"Oh, wow."_

Aiden squinted, "What is she looking at?"

"It looks like an ink sac," said Gill. Maya shook her head.

"I think she's looking at something that _isn't_ the ink sac."

"Probably."

"Either that or she has a lovely interest in ink sacs."

"Guys," Petra huffed, "Shut up."

Petra left the glass case, looking around with sparkling eyes. She bent down slightly to read something at the base of a pedestal. _"'The Upper Lowlands'?"_ her gaze wandered, _"'Spider-Peak Mountain'?"_ she looked up, an awed grin spreading across her face as she met Jesse's eyes, _"'The Ice Crags of Doom'?"_

Jack grinned. The real Petra's eyes had grown steadily wider. Jesse glanced at her, lips twitching; Petra blinked and looked at him, before leaning closer and lowering her voice.

"Okay," she said, "You gotta admit. Those places sound _awesome._ "

Jesse snorted.

Onscreen, Petra ran off like a child in a candy store. Jesse watched her in vague amusement, before beginning to trail along the stained glass cases, regarding them with interest. He turned a corner, and Petra appeared behind him with a wide grin.

 _"It's just like I told you!"_ she exclaimed, almost breathlessly, _"Jack might be the best adventurer in town!"_

"Oh my god, she's actually fangirling," Axel grinned. Petra's cheeks tinted pink and she scowled at him. Olivia chuckled, a little bit loopy-like.

"She's got it baaaaaad."

"I'd hurt you if you weren't already," Petra grumbled. Olivia grinned at her.

"Nah, you love us too much."

_"This stuff is from all over the world!"_

They turned another corner, Jesse looking over his shoulder at her and raising an amused eyebrow. He seemed to be struggling to keep a grin off his lips. _"You mean the best adventurers in town after_ us _."_

"Ooooh, cocky," muttered Magnus, grinning. Ellegaard rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

 _"Oh, well, yeah. Of course I do,"_ Petra blinked, before her lips twitched into a tiny smirk, _"You're not_ jealous _, are you?"_

"Sounds like it," Axel not-really-whispered teasingly, shooting Jesse a grin. The boy rolled his eyes at him. Jack chuckled quietly and shared an amused look with Nurm.

_"Because that sounded kinda jealous."_

Jesse considered this for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders, a guilty look crossing his face, _"Maybe a little?"_

 _"Aww, Jesse,_ " Petra smiled and squeezed his shoulder, _"Don't be so insecure. Just 'cause I'm excited to meet these guys doesn't mean that I think you're any less cool."_

The real Jesse blinked, then shot Petra a tiny grin, "You think I'm cool?"

Petra chuckled, "Eh. You're getting there."

"I'll take it."

The two friends continued to explore the shop, before Jesse came to a stop in front of a small, wooden counter of sorts with a big stone button sticking out of its top. A sign tacked onto the front told him to _Push for Service._

Jack was grinning now. Nurm rolled his eyes and murmured something; his friend shushed him quietly.

"Well," Lukas muttered, raising his eyebrows, "That's convenient, I guess."

Cassie shrugged, "Could be a trap."

"Why would it be a trap?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"But you- nevermind."

Raising an eyebrow, Jesse stepped forward and pushed the button; this was quickly followed by the sounding of a loud buzzing noise. He glanced around and, upon finding nobody making their way over, turned to Petra as she pulled up next to him.

She looked like she was about to say something- but what, they would never find out. She was interrupted by a cough and their heads snapped to its directions.

 _"Welcome to Jack and Nurm's Adventure Emporium,"_ shrouded in shadow was a man, one hand planted on his hip and the other splayed against the wall, supporting his weight; his back was to them and they could make out only little of what he looked like.

A few people glanced at the real Jack. Ivor grinned slightly and leant a bit closer to Harper.

"I'm liking his dramatic flare."

Harper snorted quietly, but didn't disagree.

 _"Ohmygosh,"_ Petra squeaked, gripping Jesse's arm and shaking him a bit, _"It's him. It's Jack."_

The real Petra went a tiny, _tiny_ bit pink in the cheeks. Her friends, as well as Gabriel and a few of the other adults, shared amused looks. Jesse nudged her, wiggling his eyebrows. She gave him a light shove in return.

Onscreen, Petra wiped a bit of red hair, which was sticking to her forehead and cheek, out of her face. Her excited grin looked like it was going to split her face as she turned back to the shadowed adventurer. _"Sorry, I'm… I'm a big fan."_

"She's doing better than I did," Olivia murmured quietly, absently remembering someone (had it been herself or Ellegaard?) mentioning she'd fainted when she'd gone to Redstonia. Ellegaard squeezed her shoulder. The girl had to fight back a little smile.

 _"You pushed the button,"_ said the man, voice deep and dramatic and almost seeming to echo somehow; his head was turned in their direction, but not enough for them to see his face. He didn't make any move to turn to them properly. _"Very, very brave."_

Magnus raised an eyebrow and shared a small look with Ellegaard. Almost all the kids seemed to be steadily becoming convinced that Jack was, indeed, incredibly cool.

Onscreen, Jesse stared blankly at the adventurer's back. Petra appeared too busy beaming widely to care all that much.

 _"I mean,"_ the young man said, slowly, after a moment, _"I don't know how_ brave _it was, I was just doing what the sign said."_

The adventurer chuckled, still in that deep, echoing tone that should not have been strictly possible in the little shop, _"There are lots of 'signs' in the world; not everyone's brave enough to follow them."_

Isa quirked an eyebrow, running her fingers over Benedict's silky feathers, "I… suppose that makes sense. Somewhat."

Milo considered this, before pulling a face, "Er. Perhaps?"

Jesse and Petra shared a strange look, before glancing back at the shadowed stranger. Jesse abruptly gasped. Petra's eyes lit up and she gave an astounded laugh.

He was gone. The two looked around, searching for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. There was a long pause of silence as they twisted around, Jesse's brow furrowing deeply; the strangers' voice broke this silence and they jumped, twisting around to see him in the same position as before, shrouded in shadows, but in a new alcove.

 _"The Warriors of the Whispering Mountain call me the 'Stab Walker,'"_ he said, _"The Air Titans of the East call me 'He Who Slashes Like Thunder.'"_

"Woah," Axel breathed, "Those names are _awesome._ "

Lukas glanced curiously at Radar, "Does the new Order of the Stone have any 'nicknames'?"

Radar beamed, "Yeah, actually! Jesse's called the 'Wither Slayer,' I think Lukas has been called the 'Storyteller' a few times-"

"What about me?" Axel asked. Radar paused, thinking for a moment.

"Um… I think you've been called the 'Explosive Expert' before."

Axel grinned widely, "Awesome."

 _"But you may call me,"_ the stranger turned, and JACK smirked at them, an almost menacing look that was only enhanced by his one blind eye, _"Jack."_

Petra held her hands to her mouth, grinning wide enough to split her cheeks. She was almost _bouncing_ on her feet. _"So cool."_

Smothering a grin, Magnus nudged Gabriel with his elbow, "Getting jealous?"

Gabriel quirked an eyebrow, "Of course not. Why would it be?"

Magnus chuckled, "No reason."

"Right."

 _"I have a lot of names too!"_ Jesse declared, earning a somewhat confused, but also a bit amused look from Petra, _"The- The people of Sky City call me the- the 'Ground Finder.' To some I'm the 'Wither Slayer.'"_

Grinning, the real Petra nudged Jesse, who was a little red in the face. Radar was beaming; Milo, Isa and Reginald were all nodding at 'Ground Finder.' Although none of them could deny that the name was rather… _mundane_ when compared to what actually happened.

(Although that _was_ essentially what actually happened, so take that as you will.)

 _"You can call me…"_ the young man faltered, _"Uh, Jesse."_

Jack nodded, actually looking impressed, _"Cool names."_

"Eh," muttered Maya. She smiled at the look Jesse sent her.

 _"So, what can I do for you today?"_ Jack asked, beginning to make his way towards the two customers, _"Desert temple? Woodland mans-"_

Jesse brought his Gauntlet encased arm up and slammed it down onto the counter next to the button, right in front of Jack; almost instantly, the colour drained from the adventurer's face and he leapt back as though he'd been shocked.

_"-ssAHH, whoa!"_

A silence passed between them. Jack stared at the Gauntlet as though it was about to jump up and bite him on the nose the moment he got close enough. The screen panned up to Jesse's face.

 _"Yeah,"_ he said, _"_ That's _what we're here about."_

The real Jack grimaced, breathing shakily. Nurm made a concerned noise and squeezed his shoulder.

"I'm alright, friend," the adventurer murmured. The villager didn't seem convinced.

Onscreen, Jack backed away. He almost looked like he was shaking.

Hadrian raised an eyebrow.

The adventurer came to a stop, running a tongue over dry lips. He glanced away, briefly, before coughing into his first and clearing his throat.

 _"Wow, huh,"_ he said, through the slight shake of his voice, over the slight tremble of his hands, _"Crazy glove you got there. Not that I've ever seen one before."_

Aiden frowned. He leant closer to Maya and lowered his voice.

"You don't think he's a fake, do you?"

"What?" Maya blinked, "Like the Order?"

Silently, Aiden nodded. The girl frowned, eyes glancing between the onscreen Jack and the real Jack. She chewed on her lip for a moment.

"I… I dunno," she murmured, "I hope not."

"Hm."

 _"Looks real crazy, though,"_ Jack continued, breathing growing a little laboured. He bent forward to look at it, as though inspecting it, as though seeing it for the first time. _"Crazy stuff."_

Xara rolled her eyes. If he was gonna lie, he could at least do it _decently._

 _"Jack, look at yourself,"_ said Jesse, raising an eyebrow and appearing faintly amused, _"We know you're lying. Why?"_

The adventurer hesitated, not looking at them. Petra frowned, shuffling her feet.

 _"Yeah, come on, Jack,"_ she said, a bit hopefully. Jack sucked on the inside of his cheek.

 _"I… That is…"_ he scratched his beard, then sighed and walked around them, making his way into the depths of the shop; Jesse and Petra followed, _"Found it on top of a creepy bottomless pit, right? Spitting out monsters?"_

"Oh," Lizzie blinked, "So he _has_ seen it?"

 _"Yeah!"_ Jesse confirmed, _"And it had a slot with, like, a weird symbol?"_

Jack came to a stop and turned to face them. He shook his head, face hardening. _"You should have_ never _picked up that Gauntlet."_

"Well," Harper murmured, "That's comforting."

_"It's not for us mortals to tamper with."_

Ivor raised his eyebrows.

 _"I don't get it,"_ Jesse sighed, exasperation crossing his face,, _"What's the big deal? It's a glove. There's a hole in the ground."_

Mevia chuckled quietly to herself, "That's one way to put it."

 _"Ohh, it's much more than that, friend,"_ Jack murmured, a dark shadow coming over his face, _"That pit… it's as deadly as they come. And that symbol you saw was the symbol… of the Structure Block."_

"Wonderful," Soren frowned, "More Blocks."

Gabriel hummed, his own brow creasing, "Apparently so…"

Romeo was smiling. It sent chills up Wardens' back.

Onscreen, Jesse and Petra glanced at each other. Jack shook his head, that dark look on his face darkening further.

 _"Legend says,"_ he said, _"It was a mighty tool that could grow civilizations like seeds, create cities in the blink of an eye. You need one of_ those _to close your pit."_

"A Structure Block," said Olivia slowly, as though testing the word on her tongue, "That sounds… impossible."

"Yeah, well," Magnus shrugged, "Didn't the Command Block sound impossible? And, y'know, other worlds?"

"Perhaps," Ellegaard frowned, "But those were based on science. This just seems… it couldn't work."

Magnus considered this for a moment, "I mean… I guess. But couldn't the Command Block do something similar? Like, build walls and junk?"

Ellegaard hummed, tapping her knee, "That _is_ true…"

Jesse nodded, taking this in, before taking a small step forward, _"So where can I get one of these 'Structure Blocks'?"_ he glanced at his redhaired friend, _"Petra thought maybe an Ocean Monument, because of the prismarine?"_

As though for emphasis, he lifted his Gauntlet covered hand and waved it around a bit (coming dangerously close to smacking himself in the mouth, but details).

Jack nodded, _"Oh, it's an Ocean Monument alright. The Villagers of Mushroom Archipelago call it the Sea Temple."_

"Creative, creative," Dan murmured, nodding along to this, "Villagers do tend to have a knack for creative naming."

Nurm hummed. Dan smiled at him.

"You're welcome."

Abruptly, there was a familiar humming sort of speech, and NURM appeared behind some counters just off to the side. Jack shook his head and made his way over to him.

_"No, no. No problem."_

The real Nurm made a happy noise, saying something to Jack and gesturing to the screen. Jack chuckled.

"Yeah, Nurmie, we're onscreen."

 _"Guys, this is Nurm,"_ Jack continued, turning to Jesse and Petra, _"My other half. He's the genius behind all of our fine maps. Nurm, this is Jesse and Petra."_

Nurm hummed, inclining his head towards the two. Jesse waved.

_"Hi."_

Petra smiled, _"Oh, hi!"_

"She's not usually that cheery," Axel murmured, good naturedly. Olivia's' lips twitched and she just shook her bandaged head at him.

 _"I was just about to tell these two that I can't help them,"_ Jack stated. Jesse and Petra's smiles instantly fell.

"Woah, what?" Lukas frowned, "But that thing could destroy Beacontown!"

Jesse sighed, "This is getting frustrating."

Ivor hummed quietly, before reaching forward and ruffling his hair, "You'll work it out."

The boy couldn't have denied the warm feeling spreading through his chest even if he'd wanted to.

Onscreen, Jesse sat his hands on his hips, frowning, _"What?"_

 _"I love your early work,"_ Jack told him, stepping closer as Nurm disappeared around the bend and reappeared to stand next to him a few moments later, _"Witherstorm? Old Builders? Awesome."_

"Yeah, brah!" Nell cheered. Otto shot her an amused look.

 _"But as a purveyor of fine maps and adventures,"_ Jack continued, _"Your death would be terrible for business."_

The real Jesse blinked slowly, "Um… thank you?"

Jack's lips twitched, "You're welcome."

_"But-"_

_"Sorry,"_ Jack cut Petra off, sounding genuine, _"I just can't."_

Nurm made a small noise. Jesse glanced between them.

 _"Okay,"_ he said, slowly, _"So how about you come with us, then? You could… I dunno, protect us? Be our guide?"_

The real Jack gave a quiet, but long, suffering sigh, tilting his head so that it leant against the back of the couch, "Please, Notch," he whispered to himself, so low that Nurm almost didn't realise he was talking at all, "Please, do not make me go back there."

Onscreen, Jack frowned at the ground, before releasing a long sigh, _"Vowed I'd never go back there again…"_

"So he _has_ been there!" exclaimed Sparklez. He was quickly shushed.

Jack hesitated, before making his way further into the shop and gesturing for them to follow, _"Let me show you something."_

The screen cut to a large map plastered onto the wall, identical to the one that they had seen in the Temple of the Order of the Stone at the start- the start of everything, the start of a new, the start of a story.

(The same map, the same lands, the same names, yet such a different, different world.)

 _"It's like I said before…"_ Jack said, coming to a stop next to a lever just off to the side of the map, _"The world's a lot bigger than you think it is, Jesse."_

Aiden blinked, "What does he mean by-"

Jack toggled the lever.

A second later, the row of wall beneath the map jerked inwards, then down and out of sight; it was quickly replaced by another row of wall, which staggered forwards to reveal another row of map to latch onto the first one. The same happened to the two rows to the left, slipping to the side to be replaced by more map; above, jutting upwards, replaced by another row.

Jesse took a step back, eyes wide. Behind him, Nurm was nodding proudly.

Finally, the two rows to the right pulled inwards and vanished to the side; just like the others, it was soon replaced by more map. The only difference was that this one had an empty square.

Aiden opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "Ah."

"Yeah," Maya muttered, eyes almost comically wide. Most of everyone, even those that weren't from their world, was gaping.

"Well," Magnus said, after a long moment, "That was unexpected."

"Indeed," murmured Ivor. On the floor, Cassie gave a quiet snort.

"You guys never knew how big your world was?"

Soren huffed, good naturedly, "Hush, girl."

She stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Onscreen, Jesse's wide eyes had found the empty square.

 _"Lemme guess,"_ he said, _"The empty square is where we need to go."_

"Obviously," Lukas muttered.

Jack breathed a sigh and turned to face them, _"Yup."_

Petra's brow creased, _"And it's missing because… ?"_

 _"I, uh…"_ Jack glanced away, _"Kinda… burned it,"_ then, quickly, _"I threw it into a volcano, okay?"_

Radar leant back in surprise, "Volcano? Why- ?"

 _"What?"_ Jesse blinked, _"Why?"_

 _"You didn't need that kind of danger anyway, alright?"_ Jack almost (but not quite) snapped; he turned his back to them, _"I swore I wouldn't take anyone else to that temple ever again."_

"This sounds like fun," Stella quietly muttered to herself. Lluna bleated.

Jesse and Petra looked at each other, brows creased. Jack continued solemnly, his back still to them and his head bowed.

_"I refuse to let it take any more lives."_

Nurm stepped forward, humming something. Jack turned and shot him a look.

_"Shut up, Nurm."_

Petra was still staring at Jack (although not because she had no clue what Nurm had said), _"What?"_

 _"Jack, you don't understand,"_ said Jesse, desperation beginning to leak into his voice, his face, his eyes, _"We_ need _that map."_

 _"And I hear you,"_ Jack said, _"I really do. But I swear to you. It's not worth it."_

"But- But that thing could destroy Becontown!" Radar protested, "We can't just _leave_ it!"

Lukas patted his shoulder, "Talking to a screen, buddy."

Jack trailed away from them; Jesse and Petra followed, _"I found a Gauntlet just like that once. Teamed up with my friends Vos and Sammy to follow its trail."_

His gaze fell downwards. He shook his head and brought one hand up to his eye, which was perhaps just a tiny bit shinier than it was supposed to be. _"Neither of them made it out alive."_

"Oh," Isa murmured, something sinking in her chest. A sombre silence passed over the room, the heaviness of the statement hitting many people right in the chest (but not all of them; no, no, there were some that scoffed quietly to themselves, rolled their eyes on the looks of the others faces, there were some that simply didn't have enough heart left in them to truly care).

Jack's eyes found the small group seated amongst the blankets and pillows on the floor. They were so young; hardly older than Radar was right now. How old was he in their time? Early twenties? Already wandering the peaks of the world with his two best friends at his side, having not even met Nurm for another two or so years? Arrogant, on top of the world, with the sensation of being able to do anything at any time anywhere, with no strings and no weights. The ignorance of believing they'd all live forever.

His chest twisted. Jack closed his eyes and reminded himself to breathe.

 _"Hence, uh, you know,"_ said onscreen Jack, hand dropping back to his side, _"Lava, map, volcano, you- you remember what I was saying."_

Anthony winced, "Yeah."

 _"But burning the map,"_ Jack continued, _"Couldn't erase the… horrible memories."_

He began to walk again, seemingly with no destination. They silently followed him.

 _"And thanks to the curse of my_ perfect _sense of direction… I couldn't forget the location of the temple if I tried."_

"Oh boy," muttered Gill.

 _"So,"_ Jesse said, hesitantly, _"If you're the only one who knows where it is…"_

Jack turned to face him and nodded, _"Yep. Without me, you're never getting to that Sea Temple."_

"Ah," Lukas winced, "That's… ah."

"That poor man," Cam whispered. Binta squeezed her shoulder.

 _"That knowledge is…"_ Jack breathed shakily, _"My curse."_

Nurm hummed something, moving to stand next to him. Petra glanced at Jesse.

_"Heavy."_

"I think that is an understatement," Gabriel murmured.

 _"Oh, you have no idea,"_ Jack sighed.

 _"Jack, Jack, sounds to me like it's your lucky day!"_ Jesse exclaimed.

Soup blinked, "Uh, no it doesn't."

_"Petra and I have a lot of great experience helping people get over their tragic backstories."_

Petra paused, then looked at him, _"We do?"_

Ivor considered this, before chuckling, "Well, he's not wrong."

"I suppose that's true," Harper said, lips twitching. A few of the adults shared amused looks.

Jack quirked an eyebrow, _"Yeah?"_

 _"Yeah!"_ Jesse beamed, _"We'll tackle this temple together."_

"Oh," muttered Anthony, as though something truly surprising had just jabbed in him in the stomach, "Oh, he's adorable."

Sparklez chuckled and leant closer to him, "I'm surprised it took you this long to realise that."

Jack seemed to consider this. He turned, planting his hands on his hips, brow creased in a thoughtful, hesitant frown. Nurm stood next to him and Jack's gaze trailed over to him. The Villager gave a small, slow nod. Jack pressed his lips together.

He gave a single nod back.

 _"You know what?"_ Jack said, glancing back at Jesse and Petra, _"You've inspired me. I mean, am I the Velvet Tornado or aren't I?"_

Em blinked slowly, "Velvet… Tornado?"

 _"You are,"_ Jesse smiled. He faltered. _"Right?"_

Jack turned to face him, smiling for the first time since they'd come in, _"Yes."_

 _"Then, yeah!"_ Jesse said, chuckling, _"That's the spirit."_

"How can a tornado be velvet?" Em wondered. Slab shrugged.

Onscreen, Jack looked at Nurm and gestured with his head, _"Nurm? Time to get our adventuring things!"_

The Villager hummed, and the two trailed away to do just that.

Petra and Jesse watched them go. Then, grinning, Petra turned to her friend.

 _"Jesse, it's perfect!"_ she said, _"Structure Block? Sea Temple?"_

 _"I know, it's amazing!"_ Jesse grinned, doing a little jump, _"Almost… too good to be true!"_

 _"Auugh!"_ Petra cheered, shoving a fist in the air, a big, almost _goofy_ grin on her face, _"Yes!"_

The real Jesse and Petra shared a grin.

 _"And Jack,"_ the redhead continued, reaching out and gripping Jesse's shoulder, _"Man, he is_ awesome _, right?"_

The real Jack covered a smile. Gabriel chuckled quietly to himself.

"Wow, Petra," Axel grinned, "Never pegged you as a fangirl."

"Don't you dare start."

 _"I can't believe it,"_ said Petra, pacing in a circle, a bundle of jittery, excited nerves, _"I'm going on an adventure with_ Jack _."_ she thrust a fist into the air, _"Eee!"_

"Oh my god," Lukas grinned, "Did she just- Did she just _squeal?_ "

This was quickly met with a pillow to the face. However, the blond was too busy laughing to care all that much.

 _"I like him,"_ Jesse smiled, _"Can't wait to see him in action out there."_

Jack chuckled and shot the boy a soft smile, "It's appreciated, friend."

The real Jesse gave him a thumbs up.

 _"I was just thinking the same thing!"_ Petra beamed, with a somewhat obvious effort to reel it in a bit, _"He actually seems pretty cool."_

"Not wrong," Oxblood grunted, running a massive, red hand over Geoff's equally red head, "One Eye seems like a good person."

Jack paused, either because it was _Oxblood_ saying this or at being referred to as 'One Eye' (it's possible it was a bit of both), before shrugging and giving a small chuckle, "Thank you, I suppose."

Nodding, Jesse wandered in the direction Jack and Nurm had gone. He glanced around, before catching sight of Jack and Nurm talking a little ways down- the adventurer now had a diamond blade strapped to his back.

 _"Nurm, I told you,"_ Jack was saying, _"It's not the Admin's-"_

The Villager cut him off with a series of hums.

Seven specific people stiffened. Romeo himself paused. Jack rolled his eyes. No one else paid it much mind.

Jack sighed, _"Ugh. Fine."_

 _"What'd he say?"_ Jesse asked, as he made his way over, Petra just behind him. Jack and Nurm blinked and turned to face them.

 _"Nothin',"_ said Jack, _"Villager stuff. Nurm here… wants to make a new map of this place, what with the, uh, whole lava volcano incident."_

Olivia's lips twitched a little; she was leaning sleepily against Ellegaard's legs again, "That's kind of a good idea, yeah…"

Nurm made an agreeing noise and bobbed his head. He looked back at Jack and began talking rapidly, excitedly, in strange sorts of different hums. Jack shook his head.

_"Easy, Nurmie, don't blow a gasket."_

The real Nurm was beaming. Jack rolled his eyes at him, but couldn't help the twitching of his lips.

 _"That's awesome, Nurm!"_ Jesse said, smiling widely at the Villager, _"Welcome aboard!"_

Nurm made a 'whoo hoo!' noise. Jack glanced at him.

 _"He says 'whoo hoo!'"_ the adventurer translated. Jesse blinked, then chuckled.

_"Yeah, I figured that out."_

Harper chuckled quietly.

 _"So that means we're off to the Sea Temple?"_ Jesse asked, already beginning to make his way towards the door. Jack followed, brow creasing a tiny bit.

 _"Don't you think you're looking a little…"_ he gestured, _"Squishy for that?"_

The real Jesse looked unimpressed, "What the heck is it with people calling me _squishy?_ "

Petra chuckled and patted his head, much to his clear displeasure, "You just gotta accept it, Jesse."

"Bleh."

Onscreen, Jesse turned to face him, glancing down at his shirt and suspenders with a frown, _"Seriously? You're wearing a vest."_

Jack blinked once, _"The Vest of Five Fists. Gifted to me by the Singing Clerics of Port-"_

 _"Okay, jeez,"_ Jesse cut him off, jerking his clunky Gauntlet about, _"I get it, it's a cool vest."_

"It _is_ a cool vest," declared the real Jack.

 _"C'mon,"_ said Jesse, a grin twitching on his lips _"I just need to make a quick pitstop and I can show you some_ real _armour."_

And with that, the screen went black.

Axel grinned, "Oh, awesome, we get to see your armour!"

"Oh, yeah, they're really cool!" Radar said, "You've got so many."

"I wonder if any of them are the ones that Ivor made," Lukas mused, "Remember the ones that he let us pick from just before we fought the Witherstorm?"

Ivor nodded, "Yes, I remember those. It would be nice to have them put to some good use."

"As cool as that is," said Magnus, holding up a hand as though to halt them, "Can we please take a moment to appreciate the fact that Miss I'm-Super-Tough Petra is secretly a massive fangirl?"

Petra scowled at him, a slight pink tinting her cheeks and neck, "Don't."

Magnus grinned, "What? I'm just saying."

Ellegaard chuckled, "Magnus, you're embarrassing her."

"That's the _point_."

"Well, _yeah_ , who could, like, blame her?" said Nell, "That guy is, like, _super_ rad."

Jack shot her a small, amused smile, "Thank you."

"No prob, brah."

Xara blinked, something strange, like a shiver but not quite, racing up her spine. Almost automatically, her eyes snapped to Romeo, but he just looked bored, waiting for the screen to finish loading so the episode could continue. His eyes weren't even glowing (at least, not any more than usual).

When the redhead didn't move, Xara's eyes trailed away, across the audience, examining each for anything, anything at all. Her gaze lingered on a few- the man in the purple suit, the Warden, the Associate, the scavenger, the prisoner and his Mooshroom, the one eyed adventurer, the boy and his pig, the potionologist. Slowly, her gaze trailed even passed them, to the walls, to the portrait of a sheep.

The sheep blinked back at her. Its eyes hastily disappeared.

Xara stared for a long moment.

But then, eventually, she looked away. Her eyes found the archway leading into the hall.

Maybe it was just her imagination.

Maybe it was just the lack of sleep.

(When had she last slept anyway?)

(It didn't matter; she'd lost count years and years and years ago.)

Maybe it was something, something else.

(Maybe she was insane.)

(No, no, no, no)

(There was no maybe.)

But she could have sworn she saw wisps of black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When first meeting Jack, did you say 'Nice to meet you!', 'Do you always talk like this?' or 'You can call me... Jesse'? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Eh.
> 
> Ehhhhhhh.
> 
> It's... an update, I guess.
> 
> (It's crap, I'm sorry.)
> 
> So, um, I've got something pretty big planned for Ch 100 (holy crap we're two chapters away from 100 what), so I'm hoping that'll serve as enough motivation for me to write and update more often than once a month. I know. I suck.
> 
> Despite this chapters' horrible suckiness, I hope you at least somewhat enjoyed it anyway.
> 
> Now if you'll excuse me, it's almost one in the morning and I'd like to go to bed.
> 
> I'll see you guys in the next chapter! Hope you're all doing good.


	99. Guardians of the Sea Temple

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part Ninety-Nine: Guardians of the Sea Temple**

* * *

_Hmmm, hmm, hmm_

_If I don't ever see you again, oh,_

_Where do I start?_

* * *

She had not always been alone in the mansion.

There had been another. With kind smiles and caring voices and aching chests and strange, strange, strange eyes. The colour of something different, the colour of someone (something, perhaps) that wasn't fully human. But while the colour had been strange and, at times, terrifying, the eyes themselves had been soft and caring and loving. Arms that had often held her.

But then had come the sickness that was not quite a sickness. The blackening of the heart, of fingertips and lips and the grimace of pain so desperately hidden from her own curious (concerned) gaze. The sickness that had taken over, the sickness that had left blood splattered on lips, the sickness that had burned and coiled and thrived until it was all that was left.

And the someone had left her too. Left her lost in twisting hallways that only grew darker, harsher, longer, bigger, scarier. There was no one but her. Her and the thing. Left behind by the someone.

But she didn't think of that anymore.

* * *

Darkness faded to reveal the Order's Amulet, built out of gold and obsidian and hanging from the ceiling of the Hall, face-down, brightly lit with glowstone. The screen panned down to show Jesse, Jack, Petra and Nurm making their way through the doors and onto the expanse red carpet.

It cut to Radar, cleaning the Redstone Heart with the hem of his sleeve. He pulled back, regarding it for a moment; satisfied, he peeped around to see who had come in.

"Oh, hey, the Redstone Heart," said Aiden. Harper was regarding it with a dull sort of interest; all of that technological power, gone to waste… of course, it was for the best. PAMA had been (was, still was, the minute this was all over she'd be back there, back to reality, back to no one but her artificial 'friends') a wonder, a miracle, and yet it had been corrupted. It was best the Redstone Heart stay on a pedestal.

Relief crossed Radar's face and he ran over, _"Oh, Jesse, I'm so glad you're here!"_

"That scrawny little shrimp is adorable," Slab declared quietly. The other Gladiators nodded in agreement.

Jesse smiled, the intern skidding to a stop in front of him, _"Hey, Radar."_

_"There is a_ lot _going on!"_ Radar exclaimed, pulling out his notebook and beginning to flip through it, _"Someone still needs to finalise the ideas for the Founding Day banners, the Cake Baking Team can't agree on what colour to make the front of their shop, the Wool Makers Guild isn't super happy about their booth being next to the Fireworks Union-"_

_"Radar,"_ said Jesse.

_"Understandable. The delegate from Book Town left word that she wanted to make a speech at the parade. Very odd? Blue hair? Smells like sulfur?"_

Lukas paused, "That… sounds like the girl that stole the Amulet when you and Axel went to Boom Town."

Axel groaned, "Oh, I don't like her."

_"Speaking of which,_ you _should probably work on_ your _Founding Day Keynote address. Oh, and rehearse it! Why didn't I factor in rehearsal time?!"_

_"Radar?"_

"Jesse has his own Keynote?" Maya asked, "Oh, that's so _cool!_ "

The real Jesse was actually looking a little stressed; he'd lost a bit of colour in his cheeks, "That's… a lot of stuff."

Radar nodded, beaming, "Yeah! You're great at it."

"I'm… really, really hoping so."

_"Stupid, stupid!"_ Radar adjusted his glasses, grimacing, _"I'm sure I can shift a few things around, maybe push back your lunch with the Followers of Soren- they're very strange, anyway. They'll understand. Maybe."_

Soren blinked, "Huh?"

"Damn, this kid can speak fast," Magnus murmured.

_"And did you know Lukas left another draft for you to look at? I said you'd try and give notes when possible, but not to get his hopes up. Annnnnd then I left a general block of time for 'Founding Day Related Disasters.' Figured that would cover any of the various and sundry things that come up-"_

_"RADAR!"_

_"Ahh!"_ Radar jumped, fumbled with his notebook and almost dropped it, _"Sorry, got in the zone there,"_ he tucked his book away, giving Jesse a sheepish smile, _"What's up, boss?"_

Petra looked at Jesse, "The Boss."

"No."

Jesse walked passed him, chewing on his bottom lip; Petra, Jack and Nurm followed, and Radar seemed to notice them for the first time.

_"I see you've brought… friends?"_ he said. Then, eyes trailing down to the clunky Gauntlet on Jesse's hand, _"And a new accessory?"_

"Kinda," muttered Lukas.

_"Short version? The town's in danger,"_ said Jesse, raising the Gauntlet and inspecting it almost absently, _"I've stopped it for now, but I think_ this _can help me fix it permanently. I'll be gone for a little bit."_

Onscreen, Radar's eyes widened, _"Guh- Gone? But, Jesse, what about Beacontown?"_

The real Petra frowned, "What about Beacontown? I mean, I'm sure they'll be fine for at least a little while."

_"Founding Day is right around the corner and if it's really in- in_ danger _, who will protect everyone?"_

"There is _no way_ that Jesse is the only person in Beacontown that can use a sword," said Maya. Jack shook his head.

"Of course not," he said, "But people put a lot of faith in Jesse. Even if we had a whole armada and towering walls, they would still feel safer if he was there."

"Oh," Jesse murmured, a little weakly, "That's… oh."

Radar tangled his fingers in his hair, shaking his head, steadily growing more panicked, _"Who will protect everyone? There's no telling what could happen! And I have so few details! I am_ very _nervous about this."_

Jesse regarded him for a moment, almost thoughtfully. Then he stepped forward and took him back the shoulders.

_"Why don't you try leading them, pal?"_

Magnus raised his eyebrows and shared a look with Ellegaard.

_"What?"_ Radar squeaked, voice going higher with each word, _"Me? That's- This is-"_ he cut off, smiling wide enough to make his cheeks ache, eyes wide and sparkly. Petra's lips twitched.

_"Try not to explode."_

Radar threw his hands into the air, squealing loud and high-pitched, bouncing where he stood. Petra covered her face. Jesse rolled his eyes, but smiled.

Slab was shaking his head, "Adorable."

"You've said that, like, three times now," Clutch pointed out.

"It requires repeating."

With obvious effort, Radar took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down- or, rather, to contain his excitement enough to not squeal the Hall down, at the least. He turned back to Jesse, clearing his throat.

_"Jesse,"_ he said, _"I won't let you down."_

_"I know you won't,"_ said Jesse.

"Awwww," cooed Lizzie. Harper and Ivor shared a small smile.

Radar saluted, _"Good luck, boss. Beacontown will be waiting for when you get back."_

The intern turned to make his way out the hall; he came face to face with Jack, who grinned at him with a low grunt; the boy squeaked and jumped back a bit.

_"Um,"_ Radar blinked, red dusting his cheeks. He cleared his throat, turning back to the exit. _"Goodbye."_

He trailed away.

"That was just mean," Lukas said, although his lips twitched. Radar awkwardly scratched his jaw, going a little red. Noticing this, the blond squeezed his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it too much," he told him quietly, "I'm sure he was just joking."

Radar shot him a small, grateful smile, "Yeah. Thanks, Lukas."

As Radar disappeared out the door, Jack chuckled and turned to the others, _"Heh. You said it. Can't believe_ that's _your assistant."_

"What- What's that supposed to mean?" asked Radar. Jack and Nurm glanced at each other.

"Um…"

_"He's more wound up than a pack of parrots with a jukebox."_

Stampy paused, "That… sounds quite cool, actually."

_"Or a… creeper in a herd of cats."_

Axel considered this, then snorted, "Yes."

_"Or a… a squid in a, I don't- a box or somethi- I, anyway, he's real nervous is what I'm saying."_

"Sounds like Radar's not the only one that's nervous," muttered Harper, lips twitching. Ivor chuckled quietly.

_"He's a little nuts,"_ said Jesse, glancing to where Radar had disappeared with a small smile, _"But his heart's in the right place."_

If anything, the real Radar went even redder, "Aww."

Jack looked to the closing doors, humming, brow creasing, _"If you say so."_

Radar frowned.

Shrugging, Jack turned properly to Jesse, _"So, where's this armour of yours?"_

Smiling, Jesse gestured for his to follow and began to lead the group to the end of the hall. Jack and Nurm glanced around, taking in the many treasures, circling lazily on top of the golden pedestals.

_"Oh, wow,"_ the one-eye'd adventurer murmured, _"You've got some pretty cool stuff here. Stuff I've never- er, probably only seen, y'know,"_ Jesse and Petra were sharing a small grin in front; Petra was doing a little happy jig with her arms, _"Once or twice."_

Gabriel chuckled and ruffled Petra's hair, "You can be rather adorable."

Petra scowled at him, cheeks tinting pink, "Shut up."

"Never."

_"Not as cool as_ my _stuff, obviously,"_ Jack hastily said, _"But, uh, you're well on your way."_

Axel snorted, "Yeah, right."

"Is this guy even legit?" Magnus asked, being certain to keep his voice low. Ellegaard chewed thoughtfully on her lip.

"Hm. I sure hope so."

_"_ Definitely _on your way to becoming a big hero like me,"_ Jack continued, _"Not_ as _big, of course. But, uh… y'know, a real- a real great swing."_

Stella raised her eyebrows, "I've never heard of you before."

"Hah, yeah," Jack laughed, only a tad nervously, "Funny how that is."

Stella hummed, "Certainly."

_"It's just like I always say,"_ said Jesse, putting a hand on Petra's shoulder and smiling at her, _"Couldn't have done it without my friends."_

Petra smiled back and playfully batted his hand away. Behind them, Jack grimaced, as though he'd just been punched in the gut.

_"Yeah,"_ he choked, _"Friends are the best. Love… having friends."_

The real Jesse paused, "Ah. Crap."

Olivia winced and patted him on the back.

"I'm sorry, Jack," murmured Jesse, turning to look at the adventurer. He quickly waved him away.

"No, it's alright," he assurred, "You meant no harm by it."

Onscreen, Jesse winced. Then he mounted the stairs to the upper platform of the Hall, the others behind them. Petra frowned, glancing around, before turning to Jesse.

_"Hey, wait- is this not where you keep your armour anymore?"_

_"Yeah,"_ said Jack, raising his eyebrows, _"I'm not seeing any armour."_

_"No, no,"_ Jesse said, a smile twitching on his lips as he trailed to the side, _"I just have Olivia install a little upgrade while she was here."_

Olivia, who had begun to drowse again Ellegaard's leg again, lifted her head at her name, "Huh?"

"Oh, I can't wait to see this," Ellegaard said quietly, running her fingers through the girl's curls.

Jesse stopped in front of a lever. He wrapped both hands around it and jerked it down.

There was a small crackle, then Olivia's voice- loud, mechanical, but still clearly her- burst through the speakers, _"Initiating Armour-Up Sequence."_

From the ground, glass panes slid out of pace, and rows of armour slid up. The screen circled them, the group looking about with wide eyes, each armour rising into place; Nurm made a noise of awe. Jesse grinned.

_"Eh?"_

Jack scoffed, although there was clear to many that he was pushing down his impressment, _"Yeah, I've got one of those too."_

"Oh my gosh," Nell gaped "Oh holy- Oh hella- Oh how _rad._ "

"That's my armour," Ivor grinned, "Ha! That's my armour!"

"Is that Tim's armour?" Em asked. Slab nodded, grinning.

"Little guy kept it!"

"And Ellegaard's," Magnus whispered. Ellegaard had spotted it too. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. The king reached out and held her hand.

Finally, the screen stopped in the middle, Petra, Nurm and Jack perfectly visible right through the little gap of two armours.

By the lever, Jesse laughed and trailed over to stand before the half circle of armour, inspecting each with a critical eye. The screen panned to the right, then focused on the black and red armour with golden lining.

_"Ah,"_ said Jesse, _"'Adamantium Impervium.' I always suspected this one was Ivor's favourite."_

_"I think he just liked saying the name,"_ Petra said.

"Well, of course!" Ivor declared, "Best name I ever came up with."

"More like the most impossible to pronounce name you ever came up with," Magnus drawled.

"Precisely!"

The screen panned about some more- over Star Shield, Swordbreaker, Dragonsbane, Redstone Riot, Ender Defender, Golden Goliath- before settling on Tim's shiny, jewelled armour.

_"Glimmering diamonds and shiny gold,"_ Jesse hummed, _"Tim would've looked great in it. If he was real."_

Petra chuckled, _"So much pomp for a guy who never actually existed."_

"Tell me about it," Clutch murmured.

"Go for Tim's armour!" Nell exclaimed, accidentally shouting right in Mevia's ear and making her wince, "You'll look, like, super rad in it!"

"Volume, Nell," Otto muttered, although he couldn't help his twitching lips.

_"Nonexistent guy's lost,"_ Jesse grinned, _"My gain."_

Again, the screen panned around. Then, finally, it settled upon Ellegaard's armour.

_"How cool is redstone-infused armour?"_ Jesse asked.

Petra nodded, _"Ellegaard_ was _incredibly crafty."_

_"I wonder what sort of awesome redstone contraptions she'd be making these days."_

Ellegaard smiled, although it was slightly strained, "Thank you."

Magnus squeezed her hand. Olivia leant into her legs.

For a moment longer, Jesse debated. Then he made his way over to Ellegaard's armour.

The screen cut to him tugging on a brown glove (unable to put the other one on due to the clunky, out of place Gauntlet currently clinging to him like a particularly stubborn leech), before he spun around, the red and gold on his chest glinting dimly, and stalked forward. Before him, a diamond sword, gleaming with enchantments, was rising from the floor.

"So _cool_ ," breathed Gill. Aiden nodded in agreement.

Jesse grabbed the blade and held it high, enchanted diamond glinting in the light of the glowstone. Petra looked him up and down, then smiled.

_"I know it's sappy,"_ she said, _"But I feel like Ellegaard would be proud of the legacy we've upheld."_

"Oh, certainly," Ellegaard said quietly, running only slightly shaky fingers through Olivia's curls. Gabriel patted her shoulder. Soren reached over Gabriel's lap to squeeze her knee. Ivor smiled a sad smile.

A sad look crossed Jesse's face, but he did smile and sheathed his blade. He stood before them and planted his hands on his hip. Petra chuckled.

_"Now_ that's _more like it."_

"Indeed," smiled Isa.

Jack nodded, grinning toothily, _"Agreed."_

Petra glanced at Jesse, before hesitating. She glanced at Jack and Nurm. _"Hey, uh, can you just give me and Jesse a minute?"_

"What? Why?" asked Lizzie.

Jack blinked, _"Huh?"_

Nurm murmured something, shaking his head. He turned and made his way back down the stairs. Jack blinked again, before trailing after him.

Once they were far away enough, Petra turned to Jesse.

_"Listen,"_ she said, quietly, not meeting his eyes, _"With the Heckmouth and everything, I feel like I didn't get the chance to properly... apologise."_

Lukas' eyebrows raised to his hairline, "What's happening?"

"Aww, Petra's being mature!" Maya cooed. Petra shot her a look.

_"For all the stuff with my sword, Champion City… so…"_ she sighed, and properly looked at him, _"I'm sorry. You won't hear it again, so don't get used to it. I'll totally deny everything later."_

Smiling proudly, Gabriel ruffled Petra's red hair. She scowled, fixing her bandana, but had to repress the smile itching on her lips.

_"Yeah, I'm sorry too,"_ said Jesse, _"I hate it when we fight."_

_"It's the worst,"_ Petra agreed, _"You know I'd do anything for you, right?"_

"Oh," said Stacy, covering her mouth, "Oh, this is adorable."

Onscreen, Jesse smiled, _"I know."_

They stood in silence for a moment, smiling little smiles at each other. Then Petra huffed a breath.

_"Okay,"_ she said, _"Now with that_ sappy _stuff out of the way…"_

"Petra was niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice," sang Axel, grinning at the redhead, "She said sorry, she _fangirled_ … I think you've changed the most!"

"Hardy har har," Petra drawled.

_"Let's go find us a Sea Temple."_

_"Jack? Nurm?"_ Jesse said, grinning now, _"You guys ready to go?"_

_"Always,"_ Jack said. Jesse paused.

_"So, where_ are _we going, exactly?"_

_"It's time to chart a course…"_ Jack turned, planting one hand on his hip and pointing the other towards the doors, _"For Doom Sea."_

"Doom Sea," murmured Warden, "Why… _Doom_ Sea?"

"Because it-"

"Can lead to someone's doom?" Binta cut in. Jack faltered, then nodded.

"Well, yes."

Nurm appeared next to him, shaking his head and murmuring. Jack dropped his hand and scowled at him.

_"Shut up, Nurm, it's an awesome name."_

"It's really not," said Isa. Magnus seemed to consider this for a moment.

"I think it's pretty cool."

Ellegaard huffed a small laugh, "Of course you do."

"What? It _is._ "

Jack gestured to Magnus, looking at Nurm, "See? _He_ thinks it's cool!"

Nurm just murmured something, shaking his head. Dan laughed.

"I love this guy," he grinned.

The screen darkened briefly, but then quickly faded back in to reveal the Amulet of the Order of the Stone. It began to zoom out, and red track marks began to appear, going right. As more of the map was revealed, the track marks went down, continued right, crossed into waters and went right again; back on to land, going right, back into the sea and then there, right on the blank square, where the screen zoomed in with an X marking the spot.

With that, the screen went black.

Jack took a deep, shaky breath and murmured, "Here we go again."

It faded back in to reveal a dim sky of dark greens and deep blues, rain drizzling from dark clouds. Abruptly, a boat sailed passed, Jack stood at the top, one good eye narrowed. He was followed by three more boats, Jesse, Petra and Nurm seated in their respective ones; they pulled to a stop against the side of a large, sandy beach splattered with stone, grass and trees. Jack was talking.

_"- So I leapt off the cliff, mournful blade in hand, and drove it_ right _into the head of the Ikhara Zombie,"_ as he spoke, he and the others clambered out of their boats and he slashed around an imaginary sword; he imitated driving it through an equally imaginary skull, before leading them deeper across land, sand scrunching loosely beneath their shoes, _"I slept on an enormous pile of diamonds that night."_

"Radical," breathed Nell.

_"Enormous?"_ Petra echoed, coming to a stop beside Jesse, _"I can only imagine!"_

She continued to follow them. Jesse watched her, before rolling his eyes, sighing and trailing after her.

The real Jesse blinked, surprised, "Oh."

"Well," said Cassie, raising her eyebrows and absently running fingers through Winslow's thick fur, "He's not having fun."

Petra frowned, opening her mouth. But she apparently couldn't find anything to say, as she hesitantly closed it a moment later. Her frown deepened.

_"Oh, yeah,"_ said Jack, blowing out a gruff breath, _"Pretty typical day for me,"_ he looked over his shoulder at them, _"You'll see. After this, I'll take you to this_ amazing _Woodland Mansion I found."_

_"Yeah!"_ Petra beamed, quickening her pace to walk beside him- and leaving Jesse at the far back, _"Let's make that happen!"_

"Oh dear," murmured Harper, frowning. Ivor looked down at the kids on the carpet; surprised had crossed Jesse's face, then he was looking away, running fingers over Reuben's head, quite obviously (at least to Ivor) attempting to mask the hurting in his chest. Petra was frowning deeply, glancing from Jesse to the screen, looking like she wanted to say something but not sure what to say. Lukas and Cassie glanced at each other; Olivia was half-passed-out against Ellegaard's leg. Axel frowned.

_"It's_ really _far from here,"_ said Jack.

_"I love it."_

_"It's almost_ certain _death."_

_"I wouldn't have it any other way."_

Jesse said nothing, faltering on the edge of a shallow, waist-height pond as the others jumped in and began to trek through it. Petra glanced up at him, either noticing his silence or the slight crease of his brow; her eyes darted away briefly.

_"What?"_ she asked, defensively, _"It sounds awesome. Quit… staring at me like that."_

"I believe he might be a little left out," Gabriel said quietly. Petra glared at her lap and didn't answer. Jesse, hearing, went a bit red.

Onscreen, Petra turned and began to wad after Jack and Nurm. Jesse frowned, before shaking his head and jumping in after them.

It cut to Jack leaping out swiftly, absently shaking his legs in a useless attempt to dry them; sand clung to his boots, _"Alright, before we go down there… I feel I should give you one last warning."_

"That's comforting," Lukas winced.

_"The 'rules' as you know them? How the world works?"_ Jack turned to look at them, Jesse taking up the rear and climbing out last, _"Those don't always apply in this Temple."_

"Eh?" said Aiden, blinking. Again, Xara found herself briefly glancing over at Romeo.

Dan frowned, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You'll find out," Jack grunted darkly. A few people shared concerned looks. A few others shared confused ones. A selected few rolled their eyes.

Jesse and Petra looked at each other, brows creased. Something uneasy stirred in their guts.

_"Nnhm!"_ Nurm abruptly said behind them, and the two friends yelled out in surprised, jerking away and twisting to look at him. They let out small breaths and relaxed upon realising it was only the Villager.

The real Nurm made an amused noise.

Jack sighed, rolled his eyes, _"_ Some _people believe it's because this Temple was made by the 'Admin.'"_

The Folk of the Underneath and the Sunshine Institute stiffened. Xara's eyes narrowed. A few nervously flickered towards Romeo, who sat laid back in his seat, absently clicking his nails. His eyes glowed a menacing yellow and they hastily jerked their gazes away.

Nurm nodded, turning away. Petra and Jack glanced at him; Jesse leant slightly to the side, one arm dangling, to catch Jack's gaze.

_"The what?"_

Quietly, Romeo scoffed. The audience was alive with confused whispers, although a few were muttering to each other about just what 'the Admin' was. Ivor was explaining it to Jesse and his 'friends' on the floor, although it was clear that the rest of the people on his couch (apart from, of course, Jack and Nurm, the former of which was rolling his eyes and groaning quite dramatically). The looks of clear disbelief on their faces made it obvious what their thoughts were on the existence of the Admin.

He almost laughed.

Funny, how the very being (the very god) they were scoffing at was seated amongst them.

Again, Jack sighed, _"Supposedly, he's some all-powerful ancient person… built the world, I dunno. But the legend of the Admin is just that,"_ he shot Nurm a look as he says this, _"A legend. A story. Buncha superstitious malarky, frankly. I've been to the swamps of_ Foon-jar _and back and that's still one of the more ridiculous things I've ever heard."_

Nurm shook his head at him.

Binta and Cam shared a small look. Blocco yapped happily, black tail wagging, at their feet. Porkchop cackled quietly, mumbling to themselves; a few people glanced at them wearily.

Jesse shrugged, _"Eh, I've seen weirder than that."_

Romeo raised his eyebrows, "Really…"

Jesse blinked, glancing at him, as though he'd forgotten he was there, "Um… I guess. I mean, this mansion's pretty weird."

Jack was already shaking his head, "I highly doubt that."

_"True,"_ said Petra, _"Old Builders, Witherstorms, 'computers'..."_

The adventurer regarded them for a long moment. Finally, he shook his head. _"Well, let's just agree to disagree,"_ he said, _"I'll give you one thing, though. Admin or not… what you're gonna see in this Temple… it'll stay with you."_

"That is _not_ comforting," said Magnus. Ellegaard chewed her lip and glanced over at her friends; Gabriel, Ivor and Harper looked significantly worried. Soren met her eyes and they shared a small look.

With that, Jack and Nurm continued on. Jesse and Petra watched their backs for a moment, brows creased deeply, before they followed.

_"Uh,"_ said Jack, as the screen cut to show him taking wide, slow steps across the sand, as though feeling the grains beneath his boots; there was a very slight breathlessness to his voice, _"We used this island as our staging area last time we were here…"_

_"How can you be so sure it's the same one?"_ Petra asked.

Jack took a few more slow, wide, purposeful steps, before coming to a stop; the breathless, shaky quality of his voice had increased, if only somewhat, _"Uh… perfect internal compass,"_ he gasped in a small breath, bending down and beginning to dig through the sound. He took in a deep breath. _"The… The Sea Temple is directly below us."_

The screen panned over to Jesse, Petra and Nurm. Jack took in another shaky breath.

_"It's like I can feel it."_

"Is he okay?" Radar asked quietly. Lukas shook his head.

"I don't think so."

_"Hey, uh,"_ said Jesse, _"How exactly are we going to breathe?"_

_"Knew a guy that taught me how to hold my breath for ten minutes,"_ said Jack, looking over his shoulder at him; he was now in a small hole. Jesse blinked.

_"I mean, that's impressive, but…"_

Magnus snorted, "I can hold my breath for _twice_ as long as that."

Axel turned to him with wide eyes, "You can?"

Ellegaard also turned to him- although with a rather unimpressed look, "You can hold your breath for twenty minutes?"

Magnus paused, "Uh. Yes?"

"Of course you can."

Jack's digging had revealed a double chest, old and stained with sand. He threw it open. _"Picked up these enchanted helmets from the Deep Dwellers of Hon'bar Crevasse,"_ he turned, holding one of said helmets, which were born with glass to see through and golden 'bars.' They gleamed with enchantments. Jack's face was grim, but determined.

_"Time to suit up and roll out."_

The screen went black.

"Okay," said Ellegaard, after a moment, "Should we… stop for lunch or… ?"

"Let's finish one more scene," said Isa, frowning, "I want this over with eventually."

Milo sighed, "Don't we all…"

The black faded to reveal the blue hue of an underwater world. Fish scattered; long strands of kelp swayed gently in the current; patches of light shone done from the surface

From one of the patches of light descended four individuals, clad in armour, faces half-hidden behind enchanted helmets. They floated steadily downwards into the darker waters, fish swirling around them; it cut to Jesse planting his feet on a ledge, a small, slow dust cloud of sand puffing up at the contact. He glanced about as the others landed around him.

"Ohh, it's so beautiful," said Maya. Milo and Reginald- who had never before seen nor comprehended such a magnificent world beneath the waves- were gaping, eyes wide.

_"Temple's…"_ Jack pointed, _"That way."_

Petra frowned, _"How… ?"_

Jack looked at her for a moment. He tapped the glass of his helmet. _"Compass."_

With that, he leapt up and swam away. Petra grinned after him.

_"Right!"_ she said, _"Oh, that's so cool!"_

Gabriel chuckled quietly. Jack grinned proudly; Nurm rolled his eyes.

Petra shot Jesse a grin, who shook his head and grinned back. He stepped swam forward after Jack, Petra and Nurm following, and they came to a stop at a ledge. The screen began to zoom out slightly.

It was beautiful. Deep and wide and blue, schools of fish scattered about, kelp swaying gently, coral glinting from where it was rooted in the cracks of cliff sides. Jesse carefully floated forwards, eyes trailing to the far drop beneath him. Then he leapt off and began to swim.

He swam by fish of various colours, from deep purples to brilliant oranges to bright yellows. Bubbles bloated and popped as he continued onwards, legs kicking and arms pumping; he was dentered only slightly by the heavy prismarine of the Gauntlet, evident in how he occasionally swayed and faltered to the side, leaving him to hastily flay as he attempted to regain his balance.

And then, on the horizon- a giant temple of blues and sea greens, branching into smaller sections, twisting into tall towers. It was lined with rooting lumps of coral in nicks and cracks and clinging strings of kelp. The top of the monument almost resembled a head.

"Whoa," breathed Val. Soup nodded, amazed.

"You can say _that_ away."

"Whoa."

_"Whoa,"_ Jesse breathed, unknowingly echoing the girl in the audience. He swam to a halt, plating his feet on the ground, as the others came up behind him. The screen spun around, and they could see the monument even clearer; it was dotted with sea lanterns, a large staircase leading up to the mouth of what was definitely a head. It was tall and menacing in the depths of the blue.

_"There she is,"_ said Jack, grimly. He jumped forward, floating in the water; Petra made a noise of awe.

_"Incredible."_

She and Nurm floated after him. Jesse paused, eyes searching the spaces around the monuments expanse structure; something was swimming along the side.

Gill blinked, "Is that- ?"

"Oh no," said Ellegaard, eyes widening, "Ohhh no."

"What?" asked Radar, startled, "What is it?"

Jesse's eyes narrowed, following it. The thing swam lazily to the side; then it spotted him and it's one eye glowed a menacing yellow; its tail rapidly jerked from side to side; orange spikes shot from its round, bulging body, glinting points; it shot through the water like a torpedo.

Jesse's eyes widened.

"Jump out the way!" yelled Stacy, "Jump out the way!"

A colourful beam shot from the Guardian's single eye. Jesse leapt to the side, moving so much slower, so much clumsier underwater; he narrowly avoided the beam, and even more narrowly avoided the spiked body zipping past him; one particular spike grazed the glass of his helmet.

A few people winced. Ivor reached out and gripped Jesse's shoulder tightly, protectively.

Jesse floated, watching the Guardian as it circled back around. He hastily turned and began to hop-float after the others, who were already making their way up the ancient, crumpled steps.

In a massive leap, he reached the bottom one. Petra, who was a bit higher, turned around and pointed.

_"Jesse! Behind you!"_

A beam, flashing orange and yellow and purple and blue, hit the step almost directly next to Jesse; it exploded in a spray of dust and rubble; he jolted back, startled, and spun around. In the dark of the depths, a single glowing eye glared; Jesse drew his enchanted blade.

"Oh dear," murmured Binta, "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear."

Jesse leapt up, raising his blade; the Guardian zipped closer, tail jerking side to side, spikes jutting out; his blade glinted against the glow of its eye as he prepared to bring it down through its bloated body.

The screen glitched. The audio stuttered. The image jittered. Random clusters of colour flashed.

And then a colourful, glitchy beam shot from the eye of the Guardian-

Blood. Blood, floating through the water. Jesse floated back, eyes wide with surprise; the right side of his chest had been almost completely blasted off; his arm was gone; there was nothing left but mangled, pink-red flesh and blood. Blood in the water. His other hand (his only hand), the one encased in the Gauntlet, slackened its grip on the hilt of his blade and it fell, painfully slow, to hit the sandy floor in a small burst of grainy cloud.

Someone had screamed amongst the audience. Ivor wasn't sure who; it might have been him. It might have been Harper or Lukas or Aiden or someone else. It didn't matter.

He could only sit and watch (watch the blood, the blood, oh god the blood) and forget how to breathe (that's his _son_ , that's _his son no no no_ ) and this wasn't right, this couldn't be right, there was something wrong with the screen (there had to be something wrong), please no please no _please please please it couldn't be real, don't let it be real-_

A red hue surrounded the screen. Then it glitched again- once, twice, three times- and went black.

The audience stared.

Then-

"What the frick," said Lukas, weakly.

"Jesse just died," gaped Aiden.

"What the _frick._ "

"Jesse just _died_."

" _What the frick._ "

"Turn it back on," Ivor choked. Then, louder, "Turn it _back on!_ "

"I'm-" Ellegaard drew in a trembling breath, fumbling with the remote, hands trembling, "I'm trying-"

"Oh god," Petra breathed, looking sick, "Oh- Oh god-"

Cassie swore. Then swore louder. A third time, even louder. Stella stared with a slack-jaw. Jack opened and closed his mouth. Jesse was quiet for a long moment, eyes wide. Finally, he drew in a trembling breath and glanced around at the rest of the audience; everyone was pale, shaky, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. He swallowed and licked abruptly dry lips.

"Uh- Uh…" his voice shook; staring, wide eyes turned from the screen to him, "Well, uh… that… that… hah… happened…"

Quite suddenly, he realised his hands were shaking. Badly. He balled them into fists in an attempt to force them still, but it did little to nothing to do so. Ellegaard fumbled with the remote, dropped it and swore, burying her face into her hands. Magnus wrapped a tight arm around her, pasty pale; Olivia drew in a sharp, thick breath, tears beginning to run down her face.

"Oh," she murmured, weakly, "Oh…"

"C'mere," muttered Ellegaard, bending down and wrapping her arms around the girl, "C'mere."

The girl curled into her, shaking, breath hitching with cries. Magnus reached out and gripped Axel's trembling broad shoulder; the large boy's face was twisted, contorted, shocked and angry and disbelieving. Tears shone in his eyes.

Lukas gasped for a breath that wouldn't come. Cassie stared at him for almost two whole minutes before her brain jolted back to reality and she realised what was wrong; she hastily tried to comfort him, calm him down, as Soren scrambled from the couch and knelt beside them.

Reuben was whining, crying, nuzzling closer. Jesse wrapped his arms (he lost his arm oh god he lost his arm he didn't have an arm) around the little piggy and held him tight. Almost immediately afterwards, there were arms wrapping around Jesse himself and he was being pulled against Harper's chest, her shaky breath in his ear.

"It's okay," she whispered, although it was unclear whether it was to him or herself (maybe it was both), "It's okay, it's gonna be okay, it's okay."

He nodded, throat swelling, and burrowed into the hug. There was another body, another pair of arms, and he knew without looking that it was Ivor. If Jesse were to see his face, he would have noticed how it had gone whiter than chalk.

"That didn't happen," Jack croaked, eyes wide, sweat beading his forehead, "That didn't happen, Nurm. Why… ?"

Nurm had no answer.

"I think," Radar gasped, weakly, "I think I- I think I'm gunna- gunna be suh-" he gagged, "Sick."

"Break," Gabriel choked out. He reached forward, tugging a shaking Petra closer with his own unsteady hand, and wrapped an arm around her. She buried her face into his shoulder. He swallowed.

"I believe it's time for a break."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Which armour did you pick? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> I'm really sorry this came out so late and I seriously appreciate you guys being so patient! You're all awesome.
> 
> I've got a schedule sort of in order now, and it's a bit bleh, but it's kinda good for me. For those that don't know, I've got two stories going on, this one and my Ninjago story, Crooked Clockwork. I updated that last Wednesday and now I'm updating Movie Mode this Wednesday. I plan to keep this pattern going for now on; this Wednesday is Movie Mode, next Wednesday is Crooked Clockwork, next is Movie Mode and so on. This helps me keep updates consistent while also letting me work on two stories at once. I hope you guys are okay with this.
> 
> In other news, I'm also working on an Author Platform! On these, I post consistent (as best as I can, anyhow) content about writing, books, etc. Every Monday is Writing Prompt Monday, which is where I do a writing prompt short around 600 words (you guys are also of course free to join in and suggest your own writing prompts, as well as recommend books you think I should read), I post rare words and their meanings every day, what I'm reading, a few so far random comics about writing, a picture of my dog here and there, the occasional writing advice and writing article, that sort of stuff. As well as, of course, updates about that book I'm writing.
> 
> If any of you are interested, you can find me on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr under Scriibbliings. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
> 
> That aside, I hope you guys are all doing good and that I'll see you on my Platform! And, if not, then I'll see you in Chapter 100. Whoohoo!


	100. Cluedo, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING PLEASE READ OF EXTREME IMPORTANCE
> 
> This chapter is EXTREMELY DARK and may not be suitable for viewers that are younger or may be uncomfortable with the material! This chapter contains EXTREMELY GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE AND INJURY, including GRUESOME DESCRIPTIONS, BLOOD, DEATH, BROKEN BONES (INCLUDING FINGERS) AND VOMITING. If you are unsure about whether or not this chapter is suitable for you, please contact me via PM and I can provide you with a water-downed version of the events and, if you wish to know the extent of the stated warnings, I can also provide a list of what the injuries are and when they happen so the viewer is prepared for them. If you do not have an account and cannot PM me, you can also contact me through Twitter at scriibbliings, Instagram at Scriibbliings and Tumblr at toni4eyes or moviemodeasktheaudience. If requested, I can also post this list on the Movie Mode Ask Blog.
> 
> This chapter has caused me to change the stories rating from K+ to T.
> 
> You have been warned.
> 
> EDIT: As some readers have stated that they are uncomfortable with the above warned topics, a CENSORED VERSION has been added as it would be unfair for them not to be able to read the chapter simply because my brain decided it wanted to be gory. If you would like the ORIGINAL VERSION, you can find it BELOW the CENSORED EDITION.

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part One Hundred: Cluedo, Part Two**

**(Censored Edition)**

* * *

He was rubbing his chest, face twisted in a pained grimace. Stomach clenching in worry, she sat her book down and trailed over, frowning.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He blinked, quickly hiding the pain behind a reassuring smile. His hand dropped back down to his side.

"Yes, of course," he said, "Just a bit of a stitch."

"Oh," she murmured, "You're sure?"

He chuckled and ruffled her hair, "I'm sure. It's tough work maintaining a garden."

"I wouldn't have thought so," she said, lips twitching. He chuckled again.

"Come garden with me after lunch," he said, already heading towards the kitchen to start preparing said lunch, "I'll show you the best way to grow potatoes."

She beamed, following, "I like potatoes."

Another chuckle.

"I know you do."

* * *

Jesse had been rather nauseous lately. Nauseous in the sense of your vision swimming, your head thumping, your gut churning, the back of your throat tasting of bile. Nauseous in the sense that you _know_ you're going to throw up, whether it be sooner or later. And throw up, Jesse certainly did.

It stank. Had he not been almost certain that it was coming, he doubted he would have made it to the empty cauldron in time. The taste was foul in his mouth; it burnt his nose, stung his eyes. And even though he'd vomited everything up, he was still dry heaving, gagging and gasping and hacking. Harper's gentle hand was rubbing soothing circles on his back, murmuring comforting words that he could only partially hear. His head was too busy spinning.

When he finally finished, when he was left gasping and groaning against the rim of the now no longer empty cauldron, he was gently tugged away. He was leaning against someone's chest- he was fairly sure it was Ivor's. Someone was cleaning the vomit from his face.

"You're alright," Ivor was murmuring, "It's okay."

Jesse didn't really believe him, but he was too tired to protest. He kept seeing the blood ( _his_ blood), floating through the water. The mangled pink flesh where his arm had been. Petra's scream. The glitch of the screen.

This was all so… so...

Dumb.

Horrible.

_Terrifying._

Swallowing, grimacing at the taste of sick in his mouth, Jesse turned and buried his face into Ivor's shoulder. The potionologist wrapped his arms around him tightly, holding him close. Murmuring little comforting nonsense into his hair. Harper was rubbing little circled on his back.

He didn't like throwing up in front of them. Didn't like showing them how much the scene (the blood, the water, the red red red) had really affected him. Because it was selfish, wasn't it? Why should it matter that _he_ had gotten (dead) hurt, so long as his friends were okay? So long as his friends could keep going? Why did any of it _matter_ , as long as it was him and not them?

Oh, but that was the thing. Hadrian had already proved that he wasn't as strong, as heroic, as brave, as _anything_ than the him onscreen. Then the person everyone seemed to think he was. They were all holding him up on this high pedestal, but he wasn't _any_ of that, now was he? He didn't belong there. He didn't deserve to be called a hero. How could he, when the potential of his own death- even if it resulted in his friends, his family being safe- terrified him to the core?

No. Jesse wasn't a hero.

He wasn't sure what he was.

* * *

No one could tell you when or how it happened. Not even the YouTubers, who sat in the library with pale faces and bruised fingers as they tried to stop the bleeding and stand protectively around the game board with breaking blades at the same time. All anyone could tell you was that it happened. And that no one was coming to help.

Xara had sprained her ankle. She limped down the dark hallway, it's wallpaper peeling in thin strips, counting the tiles- the game squares- in her head. She couldn't see the question marks that would mean she was to pick up a card, but she knew they were there; invisible to the eye.

Her purple wristband, which marked her as Plum, was stuck there. She'd already tried tearing, biting, cutting, but it wouldn't budge. It might as well have been sewn into her skin. She was half-certain that when (or if) she ever got it off, there'd be a lovely bruise behind. It was certainly on tight enough.

She gripped her hoe- the only thing she'd been able to find that so much as resembled some kind of weapon- tighter in her blistered hand, wincing as pain flared up her ankle. She came to a stop, breathing deeply through her nose. There was a room just up ahead. Another turn and she should be there. That was good. One step closer to figuring out. And they couldn't make mistakes. They had to be sure. Had to be certain.

The earpiece buzzed and crackled, shocking the insides of her ear. Xara grimaced, gritting her teeth, fingers twitching with the urge to take it out and stomp it into sparking pieces. But she knew that was a bad idea. It was, after all, her only way to communicate with the others. Besides. It was as stuck in her ear as the bracelet was to her wrist.

_" Okay- Okay,"_ the crackling voice stuttered, _"Um… I think- I think it was-"_

Her bracelet beeped and she stiffened, a cold sweat breaking out on her brow. From the sudden silence, she knew he'd heard it from his own bracelet too.

_"Radar?"_ another voice said urgently. Jesse. _"Radar, you need to hurry."_

_"I- yeah- yeah-"_ he cut off, audibly swallowing; she could hear his shaky breathing, _"I… I think it was- I think it was, um… uh…"_

Her bracelet beeped again. She tightened her grip on her sword, eyes darting around the dark hallway. Heart beginning to thud.

_"Green!"_ Radar gasped, the earpiece sparking and shocking her ear again, _"I think it was- was Green. With the- With the, um… the…"_

_"Come on!"_ someone else yelled, panic creeping on the edges of his voice; his name might've been Luke, _"Radar, you have to-"_

_"The rope! I think it was Green with the rope in the patio."_

_"I have Green,"_ said Jack, _"I-"_

A third beep. Her earpiece burst with static, loud enough to pierce her brain and leave her ear throbbing. She yelled, automatically clamping a hand over it. Shocks burnt her ear, her fingers, had her grinding her teeth hard against the pain. The agony.

It subsided slowly, but her ear continued to throb long after, raw and tender. She shucked long, deep breaths through her clenched teeth. Sweat dripped down her nose. Her earpiece was eerily silent.

Then, so quiet it was almost lost in the throb of her ear and the sucking of her berath, a crackle and Jesse's voice, _"Radar?"_

There was no answer.

She wanted to swear, but all that came out was a weak gasp. Xara clenched her eyes shut and forced herself to stand, even though her ankle throbbed in clear protest. She couldn't even remember when she'd fallen to her knees in the first place.

_"Oh god,"_ Petra said, sounding sick even through the static, _"Oh…"_

_"Jack?"_ said a new voice, weakly, the voice of a girl that no one had known existed, _"You- You suh- said that you had Green?"_

She heard Jack audibly swallow, and imagined him nodding, _"Yes."_

Xara took a deep breath and brought up her bracelets screen, checking Green off the list. To the side, she crossed out Radar's name.

Two gone.

* * *

It was too hot. Their foreheads burned. Bile stung the back of his throat, but he swallowed it and pressed harder against the wound, trying desperately to staunch the flow of red. Maybe then his (bloody) hands would stop shaking so hard.

"It's okay," Anthony croaked, kneeling across from him, "You'll be okay. Just hang in there."

"How- How's he doing?" Dan asked, glancing over his shoulder at them, but only for a moment. He was standing with the other two in front of the game board, his stone sword, which had a spiderweb of cracks along its length and looked like a simple nudge would cause it to shatter, gripped tightly in both of his bruised hands. His face was battered, lip split and nose bruised, and his hair had turned a sickly pale green that looked close to becoming a shocking white.

"He's…" he wasn't sure how to answer him; his voice broke and caught in his closed throat. He pressed harder against his unconscious friends' wound, unable to ignore the warm, sticky red. He wanted to throw up. He was _going_ to throw up. But he didn't let himself. Not right then.

"I think I saw something," Stacy abruptly cut in, the muscles in her back and shoulder stiffening instantly. She raised her sword, which wasn't in that much better condition than Dan's, and shifted her weight. Despite the nasty cut on her forehead, her face was set in determination. Although perhaps she was simply hiding her pounding heart.

"Where?" Lizzie asked, pale eyes narrowing and darting around. She raised her own sword, the only one that didn't look like it would shatter at the brush of a feather, but she held it in her non-dominant hand. Her other one was scratched up bad, to the point that she could hardly curl her fingers without tearing the scabs and gritting her teeth against a pained scream.

It wasn't Stacy that pointed, but Dan. All the lights had stopped working, except for the single lantern perched beside the board game on the table, surrounding them in a small, flickering circle of light. But beyond that point was utter darkness, complete shadow, lost no matter how much they strained their eyes. The cold sat heavy in the air and turned their breath to fog.

Sparklez couldn't see anything and, from the way Anthony's brow was furrowed deeply, he didn't think he could either. But the other three apparently could, for they all went stiff and still, swords raised and feet a shoulder width apart. Waiting for whatever was there to come closer. To dare to creep into their little circle of light.

He held his breath. Felt the warmth of Stampy's blood over his hands. Tasted the bile in his mouth and the terror in the air. He could hear the steady pulse of his panicked heartbeat in his ears. His leg was beginning to cramp from crouching for so long.

No one moved.

Certainly not Stampy.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Fifteen. Twenty. It wasn't until twenty-five that Dan's shoulders slowly uncurled and his sword, even more slowly, lowered only slightly. Stacy and Lizzie eventually did the same, although none of them took their eyes off the shadows. After another long, painful moment, Anthony spoke in a hushed whisper.

"Is it gone?" he asked. Another pause.

"I think so," Lizzie whispered, "Good thing it didn't spot us."

"Haven't you noticed?" Stacy asked, just as quiet, "They don't have eyes. They can't see."

"Maybe they're just not in their head," Dan murmured. The idea made Sparklez shudder.

Anthony returned to the medkit, the same one Lizzie had ventured down into the kitchen and almost died to retrieve, and clumsily threaded a string through a needle with trembling fingers. Sparklez took in a few deep, steadying breaths, but couldn't do anything for the nausea clenching his stomach. He swallowed.

"You know what you're doing, right?"

The man forced his hands steady with some great deal of difficulty. He gave Sparklez a strained smile.

"No."

"Well," said Sparklez, fairly certain that he was going to throw up in the next few minutes, "You better not kill him. I don't think he'd like that all that much."

They laughed. Laughed like he'd just told the greatest joke of all time. Funny. Oh, hilarious. Just look at their friend, lying still and pale! Silly Stampy, it's not nap time. You'll be up all night at this rate!

_Harharharharharharharharhar._

"We need to shut up," Stacy giggled, tears pouring down her dirt streaked face, "We need to shut up or they'll hear us and they'll find us and then we're _all_ dead!"

Everyone laughed harder. It was all so funny. It was like someone had filled the room with laughing gas. Like they were all high on helium and everything they said was hilarious. Sparklez hardly realised he'd started crying.

The lantern flickered. Everyone stopped laughing. They all had tears on their faces.

They sat in total silence for a long moment. Finally, Anthony held up the needle and thread.

"Are you ready?" he asked, quietly. Hoarsely.

Sparklez shook his head, "No."

Anthony smiled that strained smile, "Neither am I."

_Harharharhar._

* * *

Olivia. Radar.

Olivia? Radar?

Olivia! Radar!

_Olivia. Radar._

Olivia. Radar. Gone.

Or at least unresponsive. Maybe unconscious. Maybe dead.

Dead. Dead, dead, dead.

Are they dead?

Oh god, please don't let them be dead. Please. They don't deserve to die. None of them deserve to die.

_Respawn._ There was respawn, right?

But what if it doesn't work in the game?

Maybe they're out. Maybe they're free. Like when he'd had that thing's hand shoved into his stomach. They should be fine, right? Right?

Right?

The screen popped up on his bracelet. Blue. Peacock. But there were two Peacock's. Him and her. Same names.

Jesse tapped the screen. The dice rolled. Spun. Clattered silently. Stopped.

Five.

He walked, counting the tiles in his head. When he stopped, his blue bracelet beeped and the screen reappeared with a question mark. His heartbeat sped up. Thudding in his ears. Pick a card.

He tapped the screen again.

An agonising second passed. Then words.

_Enter the nearest room._

Jesse almost collapsed in his relief. He released a shaky breath, knees trembling and knocking together as his legs struggled to support his weight. Not a clock. Not dead. Yet.

Not dead yet.

His earpiece crackled, _"What did you get?"_

Petra.

"Enter the nearest room," he said, voice somehow strong despite the way his legs shook. He heard a few relieved sighs.

Jesse looked up and down the dark hallway, spotting the nearest door just a few steps ahead of him. He left the squares and made a beeline for it, carefully tugging it open and stepping inside. He was in the guest room. He wondered if Radar had been in here when it happened. They hadn't found out.

Olivia had been in the theatre.

He swallowed and brought up his checklist. These are the people who were not the killer:

Green.

Mustard.

Rose.

Mr Lime.

Some of the names were new. Almost made up. He suspected that was because there were more players than characters. There was Peacock, Green, Mustard, White, Plum and Scarlet. But now there was also Tulip, Mud, Rose, Mr Lime, a second Peacock and Head Wound.

Head Wound. Guess who that had been?

How _funny._

There was a second column on the checklist. Weapons. These are the weapons that the killer had not used:

Poison.

Knife.

Pickaxe.

TNT.

Trophy.

Sword.

Like the names, there were new ones that hadn't been there in the first game. There had been rope, sword, poison, trophy, bat, knife and axe. What there hadn't been was screwdriver, hoe, pickaxe, TNT and- the strangest option- none. No murder weapon.

Axel thought it was a trick. Xara told him to shut up and find out.

The final column on the checklist was rooms. Unlike the weapons and the names, there were no new ones. These are the rooms that the murder hadn't taken place is:

The dining room.

The spa.

The bedroom.

The patio.

That left the theatre, hall, observatory and guest house. And there was also, of course, the swimming pool, right smack in the middle of the house. Where they were supposed to go if they thought they had all the answers. Jesse didn't want to think about what might happen if they went there and were wrong.

He took a deep breath, "Okay. I think it was White with the bat in the… the hall."

His earpiece crackled for a moment.

_"As White, I take offence to that,"_ said Stella.

Another crackle. Petra huffed.

_"Good."_

_"I have the bat,"_ came Lukas' voice.

That's another thing about this game. In the other one, they'd only been able to show the person that had asked what they got wrong. But in this, they were allowed to tell everyone. Small mercies.

Jesse checked bat off his list. Almost immediately afterwards, his bracelet beeped and he stiffened. His eyes snapped around the room, going to every door, every corner, every closet and hole and crawl space. He saw nothing.

Yet another thing. There were… _somethings_ in there with them. Jesse hadn't caught a good look at them himself. Whenever one was near, their bracelets would beep to warn them. But the thing was, _all_ of their bracelets would beep. Even when they were on different sides of the house. One may have been near, but it was never clear whether it was right around the corner or sneaking up behind one of your friends.

None of them knew what they were. The only ones that possibly did were gone.

Gone.

_Gone._

Jesse stood stiffly. A silence fell over the communications; he could hear the faint buzz of static from his earpiece. Everyone listening for the something that might be nearby.

But there was nothing.

After a long moment, a little yellow dot blipped on his screen. Lukas was rolling.

Despite the danger, Jesse closed his aching eyes. He wished he could sleep. Wished this would all just go away. How long had they been playing? Three hours? Two minutes? How long since everyone else became dead to the world and they were left to defend for themselves?

What if none of them wake up, even if they get out of here? What if Olivia and Radar never reappear? What if they never get out to begin with? What if they all just die here, shrunk down and trapped in a fake house, with _somethings_ roaming the hallways and colour coded bracelets and faulty earpieces stuck to their skin?

_Shut up,_ Jesse told his brain, _Just shut up._

Surprisingly, it did.

He stood in the silence, throat thick and stomach clenched. He wasn't hurt, but he wondered who was. He was too afraid to ask.

He had to remind himself to breathe.

* * *

Romeo watched Lukas get eaten.

It had not been a pretty observation. They had both stood in the dining room, silently relieved at the presence of another but not knowing each other well enough to strike up a proper conversation. But while Romeo would never admit it, the blond being there after wandering the dark hallways and wondering if the next beep of his red bracelet would be his end, and most especially with how his powers seemed to have been completely switched off, was incredibly comforting.

And now he was watching said blond get eaten alive.

The _somethings_ that were chewing him to bits looked like regular monsters, albeit only to a degree. These ones resembled zombies. Except their skin was a blackish-grey instead of sickly, poisoned green. And they didn't have any eyes. Just more blackish-grey skin.

And their teeth.

God, their teeth.

He'd never seen a zombie with dozens upon dozens of tiny, needle-like bones sticking out of their gums. And to be frank, he never wanted to see one again.

The game continued. Romeo stayed where he was. Watching this happen. Paralysed. He heard Jack translate for Nurm that Plum wasn't the killer. He couldn't have moved even if he'd tried; you weren't allowed to move when it wasn't your turn. The monsters continued to eat the boy.

Don't make a sound.

Don't make a sound.

_Don't make a sound._

When it was his turn, he didn't realise it until he heard Xara snapping in his earpiece for him to hurry up. He rolled the dice, not looking away from Lukas, unable to do anything else. They kept chewing.

He rolled a two.

Romeo left the spa, carefully and quietly closing the door behind him. He stared at it. The clean wood.

He took a step away, turned around and threw up.

* * *

A door was not an ideal stretched, but it was the best thing they had. They were lucky that the library door had been birch wood, instead of something heavier, like dark oak. Stampy was practically sprawled across it, face the colour of porridge and sweat beading his forehead; his breathing was raspy and uneven. The stitches were messy and uneven, the wound redraw. But there was nothing they could do besides keep going.

They were making their way through one of the passageways. This one was wide and rather spacious, giving them enough room to walk side by side, as well as enough to carry Stampy on the door. Stacy led them from the front, blade in hand, taking careful steps. Keeping an eye out for both the _somethings_ and the passageway getting smaller. Because if it got smaller, then they wouldn't be able to carry Stampy through, and that meant they'd have to go out into the hallway.

And who knows what's out in the hallway?

It was almost funny. How everyone had unofficially and even silently been banned from going into the passageways. It was like going in them was an automatic taboo. And now here they were, feeling more safe here rather than out there.

Dan was walking just behind Stacy, carrying the game board as carefully as possible on a particularly large, but thin, book. He could see splotches of colour scattered about, marking the player's location.

Lizzie took up the rear. There were bags beneath her eyes and she'd received a rather nasty burn on her leg when a creeper (or at least something that resembled and acted like a creeper, but certainly didn't look like one) had blown up. They didn't want to test the respawn. Not when everything was so different. Not when it might not work.

Then again, they might not have a choice.

Stacy stopped, her sword half-raised. Dan peered over her shoulder, but could only squint at more shadow.

"What is it?" he whispered. She shook her head.

They stood in silence, shoulders and legs tensed. The passageways certainly weren't clean, and they were all tired, sore and dirty. Not to mention starving and dehydrated. Dan was tempted to just lie on the floor right then and there and never get up again. Pretend none of this was really happening. Maybe he'd wake up and it would all turn out to be some sort of horrendous nightmare.

"Okay," Stacy whispered, relaxing only a little, "I think we're good."

Sparklez let out a shaky breath of relief. His and Anthony's arms were shaking and cramped under the weight of Stampy and the door. They'd have to stop soon. At least long enough to switch on who was carrying what.

They kept walking.

* * *

Romeo was leaning against the wall, mouth tasting of bile and stomach churning. His discoloured fingers trembled. The peeling wallpaper had torn against him, his warm forehead pressed against the cool underneath. Birch.

The nausea swirled with a vengeance. He almost thought he was going to throw up again.

Then the noise. Gurgled wheezing. Almost completely silent. His breath caught in his chest and froze.

Slowly, he looked up. At the end of the dark hall, something staggered. Eyeless with needle-like teeth. It resembled a skeleton, except… greyish-black. It gripped its bow loosely in one hand.

His heart thudded in his chest. He couldn't move.

(He wondered who was dead now.)

The _something_ turned its head and stared right at him. Without eyes.

Romeo stared back.

The things jaw worked. It gurgled dully, a useless breath wheezing between its horrific teeth. Which was strange, because skeleton's don't have lungs or throats and didn't need to breathe or wheeze or gurgle. Although he supposed this wasn't really a skeleton, was it?

It began to stagger towards him.

His breathing quickened. He tried to teleport, to disappear and reappear far away, but it didn't work. He clapped his trembling hands and tried to make it vanish. It didn't work. He tried to fly. It didn't work. He tried to change, to toss it away, to lift it into the air, but nothing. Nothing.

Nothing worked.

The _something_ was closer now. He could hear the _clank, clank, clank_ of its bones, of its knobbly knees hitting each other. He could see what was between its teeth.

Oh. Oh, he was going to throw up again.

Clucking.

The thing paused. Then, almost at the same time, they both turned to look to the side. Nearly right between them was a small, life-sized statue of a chicken. It was completely black.

No eyes.

They stared at it. The _something_ turned back to Romeo, and had it had eyes, it might've been glaring. It turned away and staggered back down the hall. Romeo watched it until it was completely out of sight.

He laughed. A weak, shocked laugh. He put his weight against the wall and slid to the floor, tearing the peeling wallpaper along the way. Revealing the birch.

God, the birch.

* * *

There were broken hearts painted on the floor.

Jessi had watched them do paint them. She'd watched them tear her apart and then draw them on the floor. All over the floor. Everywhere.

She wanted to look away, but found she couldn't. She could only stare.

And stare.

They were stumbling away now, presumably in search of someone else to tear apart and use as art supplies. The only reason they didn't see _her_ was because she was half-hidden behind the kitchen table on her hands and knees.

Broken hearts.

Stella dead on the floor.

* * *

"Maybe they got in through the doors," Anthony said quietly, the crackling fire casting shadows on his face, "Too many spawned and broke through."

"And what about the others?" Dan asked, just as quietly. They had to keep their voices down. "Where did they go? People don't just disappear."

"We've been looking out the windows, too," whispered Lizzie, "A few of us have gone up to the roof and throw TNT and arrows and stuff down when we think there's too many of them. I've never seen anything like those monsters."

A silence fell across them. Stacy shivered and huddled closer to the fire.

"How long do you think we'll be safe here?" Sparklez asked. He was standing at the iron door on watch duty.

"We're not safe here," Lizzie pointed out, "I don't think anyone was ever safe here."

Dan gripped his pickaxe tighter. Next to him was the game board. Still on the door, a thin blankets thrown over him in a desperate attempt to keep him warm, Stampy lay limp. He reached out and squeezed the boys' hand, fighting the way his throat closed. He didn't want to cry.

"We should sleep," said Stacy, after a long time, "Get some rest. Someone can stay on watch. We'll need to get moving again soon."

"She's right," Anthony murmured, "I'll take first watch. I'll wake Lizzie up for the second one in an hour."

Lizzie nodded, "Okay."

They settled around the fire, Sparklez swapping places with Anthony. Dan shifted closer to Stampy, pickaxe next to him. Everything hurt. His whole body was black and blue with bruises. He felt like he could sleep for an entire century and more.

But despite this, it took a long time for anyone to fall asleep.

* * *

Stacy was screaming. On the floor just behind her, Lizzie was having trouble breathing. Her fingers were tangled in her pink hair. Sparklez was desperately trying to calm her down. The game board was, in that moment, intact but forgotten on the floor.

She kicked desperately at the iron door, trying to tear it open, but it didn't so much as budge. Her chest burned. Her wrist was broken and swollen. She was screaming. Screaming her throat raw.

Anthony was grabbing her shoulder, trying to pull her away. Through the tiny window, she could see Dan. Could see him bringing down his pickaxe, right into the things' brain. Heard its skull crack and cave. Dan tugged at his pickaxe, trying to tear it free. Stampy lay behind him on the door. Completely still.

There were too many. Practically rushing through the other burst doorway. Something that looked vaguely like a spider, but with hundreds of twisted limbs and (of course) no eyes, launched through the hoard of _somethings_ and landed on Dan's back, sinking it's needle-point teeth into his shoulder. He let go of the pickaxe.

Stacy screamed again.

She didn't see him fall to the ground. She didn't see him and Stampy disappear within the hoard of _things._ She didn't hear the screams over the blood rushing in her ears. Didn't what they did to them. She didn't see any of this.

She'd already been pulled away.

* * *

"Dude," Axel said, voice trembling, "Dude, this is freaky."

_"What?"_ Jesse asked, terror beginning to enter his voice, _"What is it?"_

"I'm okay," the large boy hastily assured, "Just…"

Just the walls.

And the floor.

And the ceiling.

And basically every other surface in the entrance hall.

All of it marked in messy, jagged scribbles. Some letters were so close together, they were practically on top of each other. Others were so far spaced, it was difficult to find each one in the heap of other words. Crisscrossing and curving and _everywhere._ Things were practically disappearing beneath them. And each one of them either spelt one of two words.

Black.

Blue.

Black. Blue. Black. _Blue. Black. Blue._ _ **Black. Blue. Black. Blue. BlACk**_ _ **bLuE**_ _ **BLack BULe BLACK BLuE**_ _ **BLACK BLUE**_ **BLACK BLue BLACK BLUE blacK bLue BLACK BlUE BLACK BLUE BLACK BLUE BLACKBLUEBLACK BLUE BLACKBLACK BLUE BLACK** _ **BLUE blue BlUe BLAck BLuE**_

Everywhere.

"Creepy," Axel murmured, after a long pause, "Just really creepy."

_"Oh,"_ Jesse whispered, _"Are… Are you gonna go?"_

Axel blinked, forcing himself to tear his attention away from the scrawls- which proved to be somewhat difficult, considering they were everywhere. Everywhere.

"Uh, yeah," he said, clearing his throat and taking a quick pause to make sure that there was no gurgling or wheezing or staggering footsteps anywhere nearby, "I think it was, um, Rose with the screwdriver in the hall."

A pause. Then his earpiece buzzed, sparking and making him wince.

_"I got screwdriver,"_ said Jack. Taking a deep breath, relieved at having lasted another turn, Axel nodded absently and checked that off his list.

"Okay," he murmured, quietly, "Okay. Your turn, uh… other Jessi."

_"Rih- Right,"_ answered a quiet, quiet voice. He closed his eyes.

But could still see the scrawl.

Blue. Black.

Everywhere.

* * *

"We just have to wait for them to finish the game," said Lizzie, trying and failing to still the tremble of her hands, "Then this should all be over, right? The respawn will turn back on and everyone will be okay."

"Yeah," Anthony swallowed, tentatively peering over the edge of the roof, down to the hoard of _somethings_ that had replaced the monsters below. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of this as well. "Yeah."

They had made it just barely to the mansion's roof. The stars twinkled above them, the moon big and white. They'd carried up as much stuff as they'd could that was small enough to fit through the hole and dumped it on top of the trapdoor, weighing it shut. The gagging and wheezing of the things was loud, a constant drum to their ears that left their brains aching.

The four survivors sat around the game board, bloody, bruised and somehow even more exhausted than they had been before. Stacy had her face buried in her hands. She'd at least fractured a few fingers pounding on the iron door, but none of them knew how to splint them. When they'd tried, she'd only screamed in pain, so they'd opted it best not to touch them.

"They're gone," Sparklez croaked weakly, "They're both gone."

"The respawn will turn back on," Lizzie insisted. Sparklez didn't answer.

They sat in silence. Anthony shifted closer to look at the board, taking in the strange, tiny splashes of colour that certainly hadn't been there before. The entrance hall looked like someone had written on every surface. He could see red in some rooms. Even in some hallways. Like a murder scene.

The sickness that had plagued him for the past two hours hit again. He'd already thrown up somewhere in the corner of a room. He swallowed bile and clenched his eyes shut.

"Do you think they're okay?" he asked, "The guys in the game."

"No," Stacy murmured, face still buried in her fractured fingers, "No, I don't think they're okay."

"Oh," Anthony whispered. He didn't either. "Well, um, maybe-"

"I _don't_ want to talk right now," she cut him off. Anthony's jaw snapped shut with a _click_ of his teeth. Nothing but the gurgling and the wheezing of the things that wanted to kill them.

They sat and Death sat with them.

* * *

Jesse cried when he saw his sister.

They saw each other from either ends of the hall, that black chicken statue that seemed to ward those _things_ away directly between them. It was on either side of this little statue that they were able to meet and wrap their arms around each other above its hard head, sobbing and shaking. Sure, they could talk to each other through the earbuds, but it wasn't the same as standing right in front of each other. Wasn't the same as feeling their arms around each other. Of being close. Of being _there._

And they knew the answer.

Or at least, they hoped they did.

God, they hoped

Please.

As they slowly but steadily made their way closer and closer to the middle of the board, to the swimming pool, and further away from the protective reach of the chicken statue, Xara joined them. Her hoe had snapped, but she'd refused to leave it behind, instead opting to clutch the sharp head between bloodied fingers like a wicked knife. They didn't greet each other, but acknowledged her with tiny nods. She returned the gesture with a stony face.

_"Ah, crud,"_ Axel murmured through the faulty earpieces, _"I think I'm too far away."_

_"Yeah,"_ said Petra, whispering so quietly, they almost didn't hear her, _"I'm stuck hiding in the cupboards."_

Nurm hummed something. But it was useless to even attempt to decipher what he was saying with Jack to translate.

And Jack…

He got all the clocks. And now he was just another name crossed out on Xara's list and another meal for those _somethings._

"It's okay," Jesse said, quietly, "Just… see if you can get to a room or something."

_"Got it."_

"It's good that three of us are going," Xara commented, voice strangely soft; best not to attract the _things_ , "What are you two going to say?"

"Tulip," Jesse told her, "With the hoe in the hall."

"I'm saying the same," whispered Jessi, eyes to the floor, running her fingers over her scarred knuckles, "But with Scarlet."

"What about you?" Jesse asked.

"Hallway, hoe, Scarlet," she said, "That's who it's down to, right? Scarlet or Tulip?"

"Yeah," Jesse murmured. Xara nodded.

"Strange how this version of the game works," she muttered, "How we're all working together."

Jessi shuffled her feet, "What… What do you think happens to the person that's accused? The one that's actually the 'murderer.'"

"Nothing," said Jesse, a bit hastily, "Nothing should happen. It's… just a game."

"This isn't just a game," Xara stated. Neither of them said anything to that.

The dice jumped from person to person, and within three rounds, the three were only a few steps away from the swimming pool. Just a little bit away was Romeo, something that looked disgustingly like puke on his shoes. He would be where they were within another turn or two.

"Hey," Jesse called, daring to raise his voice even a tiny bit, "Uh, what are you gonna say at the swimming pool?"

Romeo stared at him with his strange eyes. He had a red bracelet around his wrist, marking him as Scarlet. "I… hallway, hoe and… Tulip, I guess."

"Okay," Jesse swallowed "I'm saying hallway, hoe, Tulip as well. So, um… if I don't come back out, then… that's not right."

Slowly, the redhead nodded. Breathing shakily (the door was only a few squares away), Jesse gestured to his sister.

"She's saying hallway, hoe, Scarlet. So's Xara. If both of those turn out to be wrong, then… yeah."

An awkward silence passed. Neither Romeo nor Xara looked at each other.

Axel rolled the dice. Nurm rolled the dice and got his sixth clock card; get eight and he'll (die) lose. Romeo rolled the dice and moved a bit closer. Petra, trapped in a cupboard with _things_ roaming about, was forced to pass.

Then it was Jesse's turn.

"I'm right behind you," Jessi said, voice trembling, squeezing his hand, "I'm right behind you."

"I know," Jesse whispered.

He rolled and let go of her hand.

* * *

Jesse had only been to the swimming pool once before. And in that time, he had given the right answer and had been rewarded with long, wispy black fingers plunging into his gut.

This time, the swimming pool was different, somehow. He couldn't place it at first, but when he squinted, he realised it was bigger than it had been. The pool significantly larger. And, when he peered into it, much, much deeper. There almost seemed to be sand at the bottom, but it was difficult to tell.

He backed away from it.

That's when the cold came. Familiar, chilling frost creeping along the walls. Goosebumps popped up along his skin. Icicles grew on the ceiling. The water became frigid and a thin layer of ice formed along the edges. His breath became puffs of white cloud in the air.

Jesse turned around and came face to chest with a monster of wispy darkness.

Its' head was tilted down towards him. Despite the fact that it had no eyes, he had the sensation of being stared at.

He was shivering now. He wasn't sure if it was from the cold or not.

"Hih- Hi," he said, teeth chattering.

It didn't respond.

He hadn't expected it to.

Jesse took a deep breath, wrapping his arms around himself both in a protective, comforting hug and in an attempt to maintain a bit of warmth. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was strangely dry.

"Okay," he croaked, "Um… I- I thuh- think it was… it was Tulip. In the hallway. With… With the…"

He squeezed his eyes shut.

"With the hoe."

Silence.

A long moment passed.

Slowly, cautiously, he cracked open an eye.

The monster was still standing there.

Staring without eyes.

It wasn't even showing off its jagged smile.

Jesse's heart was thudding in his chest. In his ears. His breathing trembled.

"Weh- Weh- Well?" he asked, "Am I ruh- ruh- right oh- or nuh- not?"

Nothing.

Then it cocked its head. Like a puppy being offered a bone. Or a curious cat.

He was so busy looking at its crooked head, he didn't even have a hope of seeing its arm shooting forward. He didn't feel the fingers plunge into his stomach at first. He didn't have a chance to scream.

He was already busy choking.

* * *

They were forced to hide the board game between two slabs of roof, tucked just out of sight behind a curve in the building. Sparklez was the one tasked with doing this, while Lizzie, Anthony and Stacy tried desperately to use their weight to hold down the bulging trapdoor and keep the roaring _things_ at bay.

(They couldn't even be considered monsters.)

Sparklez hurried back, almost slipping off the roof entirely when his foot hit a loose shingle. It clattered across the slabs, breaking in half along the way, before disappearing over the edge. He swallowed, absently hoped it would lodge itself into one of those _things'_ heads, and continued his climb.

He had just rise over a small curve to where his friends were when the trapdoor exploded open.

The others were sent flying. Stacy hit hard, but was thankly caught in a stick-out that was there to make room for a boarded up window; it had been accidentally shattered when Axel and Aiden had started rough-housing while in search of some more dishes for the new arrivals.

Anthony was flung towards Sparklez, and the man just barely caught the other before he could go sliding. This small accomplishment almost sent them _both_ skidding over the edge, but he'd been able to catch hold of a particularly sturdy shingle just in the nick of time, cutting his fingers in the process. Lizzie, meanwhile, was thrown the furthest, and was just barely able to grab onto the edge of the roof, leaving her dangling a good four or five stories above a hoard of starving _things_ that would love to rip her apart with their horrific teeth.

"Lizzie!" Stacy gasped, almost at the exact same time that six _somethings_ poured out through the busted trapdoor.

One that resembled a zombie lunged at the girl, who screamed and wrapped her aching fingers around its throat, just barely keeping its gnawing, needle-point teeth away from her face. Its jagged claws scrambled and tore at her shirt.

Three that resembled skeletons raised their bows, aiming for Sparklez and Anthony. Except their arrows had sticks of TNT taped them. From the way they were sizzling, they were just about ready to explode.

Sparklez only had time to throw himself to the side, hitting Anthony full on and almost sending them both skidding down the side of the roof anyway. The things released their explosive arrows and sent them flying.

One exploded in the air. Another sent the two reeling back, ears ringing and faces red with the heat, nearly right off the edge of the roof. The third lodged itself where the broken shingled had been and blew a hole straight through the ceiling.

He gasped for breath, heart thudding and vision spinning. Anthony was dragging himself onto his hands and knees beside him, feet finding pocket holes amongst the tiles, and reached out to grip Sparklez' shoulder. The other man's mouth was moving, but Sparkez couldn't hear was he was saying. There was too much ringing.

On scraped knees, they crawled back up to the top of the roof to find Stacy wrestling with a something that only vaguely resembled a spider and a zombie. It might have been a horrendous mix of the two. Lizzie was painstakingly heaving herself back up onto the roof. The zombie-like something that had been attacking Stacy earlier was gone. Hopefully tossed over the side.

The skeleton-like ones were still there. They were already pulling their bow strings back with their sparking arrows. Anthony didn't give them the chance to fire.

Yelling (or at least Sparklez' could only assume he was yelling), the man leapt forwards and charged like an enraged bull. He hit the middle one, hands grabbing onto its bones in a visor-like grip. But he didn't stop. He kept charging, bent forwards, practically dragging the thing beneath him.

When they reached the slope, he skidded to a stop, smashed his boot into its skull and sent it tumbling down.

One of the other skeleton-like things fired. The arrow soared high above Sparklez' head and fell right into the hole the other one had made. Blood rushing in his ears, half dead, he hastily scrambled up. It exploded and sent him flying forwards, taking part of the mansion with it.

He skidded across the roof, shingles scraping and cutting at his skin. He caught and held on tight.

Gasping for breath, Sparklez pushed himself upright, arms shaking beneath him. His eyes snapped around. Anthony was beating one of the other skeleton-resembling things with its own leg. Lizze was still dragging herself up, but was thankfully out of immediate danger. Stacy shoved her blade through the zombie-spider _thing's_ thick, gnarled hide. It promptly shattered.

Something appeared directly in front of him. Sparklez' head automatically snapped up. He was looking into the eyeless face of a twisted Enderman.

It began to screech.

Screaming, Sparklez scrambled to his feet and bolted, only narrowly avoiding its long arm, bent in places it shouldn't have been bent, as though it had a few extra elbows. He ducked around a chimney, heart thudding. He didn't have a weapon. He didn't even have a _stick_. How were they supposed to hold them off?

Lizzie appeared next to him, gripping his arm tightly, hands cut up and sweat beading her brow. She took a few deep breaths, taking the moment to gather herself.

"I've lost my sword," she said, "It went over the edge. Do you not have anything?"

He jerked his head in a shake. Lizzie clenched her eyes shut.

"Okay," she took a deep breath, "Well… let's take these jerkwads down with us then, right? Make them regret what they did to Dan and Stampy."

Sparklez stared at her and realised she was serious. Her eyes were cold and hard. Determined. She'd accepted that they could die here. That they probably _would_ die here, with or without respawn. And while no one was _okay_ with it… what other choice did they have?

It was die cowering or die standing.

When Lizzie stood, Sparklez breathed deeply and stood with her.

"For Dan and Stampy," he said. She nodded.

"For Dan and Stampy."

They darted out from behind the chimney.

* * *

When their bracelets told them that the dice had been moved to Axel, that the game was still going, Jessi screamed.

The sudden, ear-splitting noise almost made Romeo leap out of his square in surprise. Xara, being the closest, reached over best she could and clamped a hand over the girl's mouth, gripping the back of her neck with the other. Her voice was a hiss.

"Don't," she said, "Don't you dare. You'll draw them right too us."

Jessi didn't even seem to hear. She was shaking hard, tears dripping from her eyes. Abruptly uncomfortable, Romeo looked away.

After a moment, Xara tentatively pulled away. Jessi didn't scream again. She sunk to the floor and covered her mouth with her scarred hands.

"I know," Xara murmured with a surprising softness. She rested a hand on Jessi's shaking back. "I know."

They sat in silence. Through her earpiece, Xara could hear someone else muffling their own cries. She didn't know who it was. Either Axel or Petra. Probably both.

Then it was Jessi's turn. It took a bit of encouragement from Xara, but she was eventually able to get to her trembling legs and roll the dice.

Four.

She went into the swimming pool without a word.

Leaving Xara and Romeo to stand in the silence.

* * *

Jesse was not dead, but he was so cold he was sure he was going to be soon.

The monster's fingers were still plunged into his gut, but frost had crept over him, turning his lips blue and freezing his blood to the point where he wasn't bleeding out. The only thing stopping him from collapsing to the floor was the monster. It was practically holding him upright at this point.

He had never felt a cold like this one.

Nor did he ever want to again.

"JESS!" his sister screamed, "Oh my god!"

She took a step closer, but the monster's head snapped towards her and she froze. Jesse tried to speak, but couldn't move. Everything was so cold.

"It's- It's gonna be okay," Jessi reassured. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself this too. Her voice was thick with tears. "It's gonna be okay, just hang in there."

He couldn't answer. She turned to look at the monster, heart thundering. But this time there was more anger than fear.

"Let him go," she said, voice surprisingly strong, materialised in white puffs of cloud, "He hasn't done anything wrong."

It didn't move.

She wasn't sure _what_ she'd been expecting.

Jessi swallowed and took a deep breath, the intense cold beginning to make her shiver. It was practically crawling up her spine. "Okay. I think it was Scarlet. In the hallway. With the hoe."

Silence.

She stared at the monster. The monster stared back. Her brother gasped silently for breath. He looked like he was about to pass out.

In one fluid motion, the monster lifted her brother into the air and tossed him into the swimming pool.

Jessi screamed, "NO!"

She ran to the pool, skidding to the edge, and her already cold blood ran colder. It was dark, deep, terrifyingly large. There was sand at the bottom.

And there was something moving beneath the surface.

Jessi made to jump in. She was partway into the air when a cold, cold hand wrapped around her arm and jerked her violently backwards, almost dislocating her shoulder. She gasped, cold piercing through her skin, freezing her blood and turning her bones to frigid ice. She tried to struggle, but her limbs had gone completely numb; they could've been full of bean bag beans for all the use they were.

She could see her brother. He was thrashing- or at least, trying to- beneath the water. He was holding his breath. He must've been so cold. Too cold to swim properly. To do anything except sink. Sink into the sand.

One of the shadows shot towards him. Its one eye began to glow.

A Guardian.

Even if Jessi had been able to scream, she would not have had the time to. A flashing beam shot through the water. It hit Jesse full on.

It was a near perfect replay of the what had happened onscreen (except Jesse had actually _moved_ then, except that had been an accident, a not real, a glitch, a mistake, a no no no). She saw her brother's arm get blasted clear off his shoulder. She saw the bubbles rising from his mouth, the shock and terror on his face, before it was all covered by the red in the water.

Jessi tried to scream. All that came out was a strangled gurgle.

The monster dropped her to the floor and she lay there, shivering but otherwise unmoving. It left her.

The game went on.

* * *

They were surrounded. More monsters had poured from the trapdoor. Stacy had been able to get a bow off a skeleton-like thing, but didn't have any arrows, so had resorted to wacking them with it, despite her cracked ribs. Anthony had resorted to caving skulls with one of his own boots, which turned out to be a surprisingly decent weapon. Lizzie pummeled everything grey-skinned and eyeless that came anywhere close with her fists, leaving them bruised and sore, but she refused to let this phase her. Sparklez had been able to get his hands on some bones and was using them as clubs.

Tired. Sore. Bloody.

And yet they kept coming.

And coming.

And coming.

Like some kind of relentless flow of burning lava.

A spider-thing gnashed its pincers at Sparklez' face, but he threw it off with some difficulty, stamping his foot down on his gnarled stomach. It burst into blackish-grey goo that made him want to vomit. But of course, there was the time.

Stacy yelled, leaping in front of him and shoving the tip of her bow through the mouth of a zombie-thing. It gurgled, before it started choking. Sparklez hurried forward and, together with Stacy, they heaved the bow, now covered in disgusting goop, back out. The thing fell to its knees, then onto its side.

"Thanks," Stacy panted. Sparklez nodded.

"Likewise."

The two friends returned to the hoard of _somethings_ , back to back, ridiculous weapons held in front of them. Another zombie-thing charged towards them, but Sparklez hit it hard over the head with a bone and kicked it in the stomach, sending it flying backwards into a skeleton-thing that had been taking aim with a sparking arm. They both fell to the ground and the arm exploded.

Stacy and Sparklez stumbled, ears ringing, but didn't fall. Another hole in the roof. More _somethings_ quickly replaced the ones that had died in the blast.

"There's too many!" Anthony yelled from where he was practically sitting on top of a flashing creeper-thing, smashing its head in with his boot before it could explode. "What do we do?!"

"I don't know!" Lizzie yelled back. She punched a zombie-thing right in the nose. "Just hang in there!"

"For how long?!" Sparklez asked. An Enderthing appeared in front of him and swatted at the with its strange arm. Sparklez barely ducked in time.

"For however long it takes!" Stacy said, and shoved her bow through the Enderthing's stomach. It gurgled and teleported away. Her bow broke in half and puffed.

Stacy swore, something tasting of copper in her mouth. She spat it out and looked around, bringing up her fists. Sparklez gripped his bones tighter.

An arrow embedded itself into the ground next to them and exploded.

Sparklez screamed, although he couldn't hear it, and fell, skidding. He dropped the bones, hands and feet flaying in search of a grip. Miraculously, his fingers caught hold of some shingles and held. His legs dangled over the edge of the roof. There was blood in his mouth.

"Stay- Stacy-" he gasped, ears still ringing, and looked around. As the ringing slowly subsided, he began to hear her struggling, and spotted her fingers clinging to the edges of the roof. His eyes widened and he lunged forward, reaching for her. "Stacy!"

She looked up. Horror crossed her face. "Behind-"

The Enderthing's twisted, multi-elbowed arm hit him in the back. The breath was torn from his lungs. He went flying, head over heels, right over Stacy. It was with a slight surprise that he realised he was falling. Everything was spinning. _He_ was spinning.

Sparklez hit the ground. They don't tell you about how you hit the ground. They don't tell you about the agony. He choked, eyes to the dark sky. Jaw working. He couldn't see the Enderthing; it was too dark. Too far away. He could see Stacy, though, dangling from the side of the roof.

He saw her fingers slip.

He saw her fall towards him.

Then the _things_ appeared in front of him, grey skin where eyes should have been. Needle-point teeth, small and horrifically wicked, jaws opening wide to show each and every one of them off. Gnarled hands reaching.

Reaching…

* * *

_"It's a chicken. I think it's keeping the monsters away."_

_"Why a chicken?"_

_"You say that like I have an answer."_

Jessi's head was spinning. Everything was cold. Frost clung to her clothes.

Xara had come in. They were looking at each other. Her face was impassive.

The monster waited.

_"Dude, it was, like, all over the walls. Who writes blue and black all over the walls? I mean, sure, it's_ kinda _creepy, but it's mostly just weird."_

"Well," said Xara, quietly, "I suppose we were wrong, huh?"

Jessi tried to nod, but could only get her head to tilt slightly to the side. Xara turned her stony gaze back to the monster.

"Alright," she said.

_"Why are there so many hoes?"_

_"Just grab them. They may not be swords, but they're sharp."_

_"Yeah. Good idea."_

Cold. So cold.

_"The walls," she whispered, "They're made of birch."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Yeah. I wonder why they got covered up."_

Her eyes trailed to the far away ceiling, coating in traces of frost. Covered in drawings of broken hearts. Chest pains. Growing worse and worse and worse with every passing day. Her own heart clenched painfully.

"I think it was Scarlet," said Xara, "In the hallway. With-"

"No," Jessi choked, voice a meere whispered. But it was loud enough in the silence for Xara to pause and look at her. Despite her frozen body, her heart was thudding sluggishly in her chest. Panic, realisation and disbelief were trudging clumsily through her head. She made a strangled sort of noise. "Nnuh… no…"

"What is it?" Xara asked, a bit urgently, "Spit it out."

"Ih… it… it…"

Xara grunted, grinding her teeth, "Come on. There might be some kind of time limit."

"Him…" Jessi whispered, "It… him…"

"What?"

"It-"

A black, wispy hand shot out and wrapped around Xara's throat. Her lips immediately turned blue, eyes bulging in her skull. She gritted her teeth together. It stared at her. Eyeless.

It threw her and the splash was thunder in Jessi's ears.

"Nuh… nuh…" she croaked, shaking harder, blue veins bulging in her neck. The monster didn't even glance at her. Just turned to look at the door.

A long moment.

It opened and Romeo, pale white against the grey splotches across his skin, closed it behind him.

His eyes went from the monster to Jessi's shivering form to the bloody water. He curled his shaking hands into tight fists.

"She…" he trailed off, yellow eyes slowly returning to the monster. His voice was strangled. "She didn't deserve that."

It said nothing. It did nothing.

Romeo clenched his fists harder.

"Him," Jessi croaked, urgently but so, so slowly, "It… him…"

"What?" he asked, not looking away from the monsters. She took a few deep, raspy breaths. Puffs of white cloud.

"Him. Chih… Chicken…"

"Chicken?" the half-Admin frowned.

"Huh- Huh- Heart," she whispered, "Heart. Har- Heart."

"Heart?" Romeo echoed, eyes flickering to her, "What are you- ?"

He cut off. She wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were to the ceiling.

Romeo looked up and went even colder than he already was.

Broken hearts.

Broken…

"Oh," he whispered, eyes growing wide. His own heart thudded in his chest. " _Oh._ "

He'd ran out of time.

A freezing hand curled around his throat and lifted him clear off the ground. Romeo gasped, choked, legs kicking uselessly. His eyes snapped from the broken hearts to the monsters face. Its wispy, lipless mouth was twisted into a snarl of jagged teeth. Frost crept along his skin. His hand clawed at the one around his throat, but quickly went numb.

"No," he wheezed, "It can't… you can't…"

Jessi tried to push herself to her knees, but only succeeded in flopping back to the ground. She was gasping for breath, as though she was being strangled with him. Her body was wracked with violent shivers. Tears beaded in her eyes and froze on her cheeks.

Him.

Him.

_Him._

"Hallway," Romeo choked, "Nuhg… No… wheh… weapuh- pon… meh… me."

He looked the monster right where its eyes should have been.

"Me," he said, "I kih... killed you."

It stared at him. Unmoving. Romeo gasped for breath, face steadily turning blue. Blue.

"I kuh- kuh- killed you, Fruh- Fred."

The monster dropped him. Romeo hit the ground hard and sucked in a deep, painful breath. He coughed, lungs hacking, and shivered harshly. He turned his watery gaze up to the monster.

It stared down at him.

Then it was gone.

And so was everything else.

* * *

Jessi looked up to find that she was somewhere else.

Stars sparkled above her like scattered glitter. She was still blue and covered in frost, shivering hard. There might've been frostbite on the tip of her nose. The majority of her body was horribly numb.

But there were stars.

She stared dumbly up at them for a long moment, blinking slowly. Then she heard a strangled yell and her eyes flickered to the side just in time to see Petra tackling a familiar blond in a tight hug. Lukas clung to her, covered in cuts and bruises and bleeding a bit badly in multiple places; he kept one hand clamped over his jaw.

On her other side, Axel was hugging a bloody but alive Olivia closely, tears pouring from his eyes. Radar staggered to his feet, and Axel tugged him over to join them. She could see Lizzie and Anthony- the latter of whom was mysteriously missing a shoe- speaking rapidly to Sparklez, Stacy, Dan and Stampy, tears in their eyes. Sparklez and Stacy looked especially pained, while Dan and Stampy clung to each other and cried.

Jessi tilted her head to her other side again, spotting Jack and Nurm hugging. Stella sitting on the floor, running shaking fingers through her blonde hair, which was now torn and ragged. Xara looked like she'd just been tossed down the side of a mountain, but she had looked like that even before she'd been tossed into the pool. She couldn't see her brother.

Romeo, however, was sitting right next to her. Jessi was surprised she hadn't seen him first. He was looking around, pale and wide eyed and still shivering, although it was unclear whether or not it was entirely from the cold. He looked like he had glass shards stuck just above his elbow.

"Jess!"

Her eyes darted to the side, just in time to see Jesse stumbling towards her. He was holding his right arm close to his chest, pained and hurt, but alive. _Alive._

By some unfathomable power, Jessi shot upright. Her brother reached her at the exact same time she was trying to stagger onto numb legs, only to fall. He fell with her and she flung herself at him, clinging with her frozen fingers, shaking so hard, she was practically vibrating. He clung back best he could with his arm, burying his face into her shoulder.

The twins sobbed together.

On the horizon, the sun began to rise.

* * *

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part One Hundred: Cluedo, Part Two**

**(Original Edition)**

* * *

He was rubbing his chest, face twisted in a pained grimace. Stomach clenching in worry, she set her book down and trailed over, frowning.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He blinked, quickly hiding the pain behind a reassuring smile. His hand dropped back down to his side.

"Yes, of course," he said, "Just a bit of a stitch."

"Oh," she murmured, "You're sure?"

He chuckled and ruffled her hair, "I'm sure. It's tough work maintaining a garden."

"I wouldn't have thought so," she said, lips twitching. He chuckled again.

"Come garden with me after lunch," he said, already heading towards the kitchen to start preparing said lunch, "I'll show you the best way to grow potatoes."

She beamed, following, "I like potatoes."

Another chuckle.

"I know you do."

* * *

Jesse had been rather nauseous lately. Nauseous in the sense of your vision swimming, your head thumping, your gut churning, the back of your throat tasting of bile. Nauseous in the sense that you _know_ you're going to throw up, whether it be sooner or later. And throw up, Jesse certainly did.

It stank. Had he not been almost certain that it was coming, he doubted he would have made it to the empty cauldron in time. The taste was foul in his mouth; it burnt his nose, stung his eyes. And even though he'd vomited everything up, he was still dry heaving, gagging and gasping and hacking. Harper's gentle hand was rubbing soothing circles on his back, murmuring comforting words that he could only partially hear. His head was too busy spinning.

When he finally finished, when he was left gasping and groaning against the rim of the now no longer empty cauldron, he was gently tugged away. He was leaning against someone's chest- he was fairly sure it was Ivor's. Someone was cleaning the vomit from his face.

"You're alright," Ivor was murmuring, "It's okay."

Jesse didn't really believe him, but he was too tired to protest. He kept seeing the blood ( _his_ blood), floating through the water. The mangled pink flesh where his arm had been. Petra's scream. The glitch of the screen.

This was all so… so...

Dumb.

Horrible.

_Terrifying._

Swallowing, grimacing at the taste of sick in his mouth, Jesse turned and buried his face into Ivor's shoulder. The potionologist wrapped his arms around him tightly, holding him close. Murmuring little comforting nonsense into his hair. Harper was rubbing little circled on his back.

He didn't like throwing up in front of them. Didn't like showing them how much the scene (the blood, the water, the red red red) had really affected him. Because it was selfish, wasn't it? Why should it matter that _he_ had gotten (dead) hurt, so long as his friends were okay? So long as his friends could keep going? Why did any of it _matter_ , as long as it was him and not them?

Oh, but that was the thing. Hadrian had already proved that he wasn't as strong, as heroic, as brave, as _anything_ than the him onscreen. Then the person everyone seemed to think he was. They were all holding him up on this high pedestal, but he wasn't _any_ of that, now was he? He didn't belong there. He didn't deserve to be called a hero. How could he, when the potential of his own death- even if it resulted in his friends, his family being safe- terrified him to the core?

No. Jesse wasn't a hero.

He wasn't sure what he was.

* * *

No one could tell you when or how it happened. Not even the YouTubers, who sat in the library with pale faces and bruised fingers as they tried to stop the bleeding and stand protectively around the game board with breaking blades at the same time. All anyone could tell you was that it happened. And that no one was coming to help.

Xara had sprained her ankle. She limped down the dark hallway, it's wallpaper peeling in thin strips, counting the tiles- the game squares- in her head. She couldn't see the question marks that would mean she was to pick up a card, but she knew they were there; invisible to the eye.

Her purple wristband, which marked her as Plum, was stuck there. She'd already tried tearing, biting, cutting, but it wouldn't budge. It might as well have been sewn into her skin. She was half-certain that when (or if) she ever got it off, there'd be a lovely bruise behind. It was certainly on tight enough.

She gripped her hoe- the only thing she'd been able to find that so much as resembled some kind of weapon- tighter in her blistered hand, wincing as pain flared up her ankle. She came to a stop, breathing deeply through her nose. There was a room just up ahead. Another turn and she should be there. That was good. One step closer to figuring out. And they couldn't make mistakes. They had to be sure. Had to be certain.

The earpiece buzzed and crackled, shocking the insides of her ear. Xara grimaced, gritting her teeth, fingers twitching with the urge to take it out and stomp it into sparking pieces. But she knew that was a bad idea. It was, after all, her only way to communicate with the others. Besides. It was as stuck in her ear as the bracelet was to her wrist.

_" Okay- Okay,"_ the crackling voice stuttered, _"Um… I think- I think it was-"_

Her bracelet beeped and she stiffened, a cold sweat breaking out on her brow. From the sudden silence, she knew he'd heard it from his own bracelet too.

_"Radar?"_ another voice said urgently. Jesse. _"Radar, you need to hurry."_

_"I- yeah- yeah-"_ he cut off, audibly swallowing; she could hear his shaky breathing, _"I… I think it was- I think it was, um… uh…"_

Her bracelet beeped again. She tightened her grip on her sword, eyes darting around the dark hallway. One of the blisters popped.

_"Green!"_ Radar gasped, the earpiece sparking and shocking her ear again, _"I think it was- was Green. With the- With the, um… the…"_

_"Come on!"_ someone else yelled, panic creeping on the edges of his voice; his name might've been Luke, _"Radar, you have to-"_

_"The rope! I think it was Green with the rope in the patio."_

_"I have Green,"_ said Jack, _"I-"_

A third beep. Her earpiece burst with static, loud enough to pierce her brain and leave her ear throbbing. She yelled, automatically clamping a hand over it. Shocks burnt her ear, her fingers, had her grinding her teeth hard against the pain. The agony.

It subsided slowly, but her ear continued to throb long after, raw and tender. She shucked long, deep breaths through her clenched teeth. Sweat dripped down her nose. Her earpiece was eerily silent.

Then, so quiet it was almost lost in the throb of her ear and the sucking of her breath, a crackle and Jesse's voice, _"Radar?"_

There was no answer.

She wanted to swear, but all that came out was a weak gasp. Xara clenched her eyes shut and forced herself to stand, even though her ankle throbbed in clear protest. She couldn't even remember when she'd fallen to her knees in the first place.

_"Oh god,"_ Petra said, sounding sick even through the static, _"Oh…"_

_"Jack?"_ said a new voice, weakly, the voice of a girl that no one had known existed, _"You- You suh- said that you had Green?"_

She heard Jack audibly swallow, and imagined him nodding, _"Yes."_

Xara took a deep breath and brought up her bracelets screen, checking Green off the list. To the side, she crossed out Radar's name.

Two gone.

* * *

Blood was everywhere. It was on the floor, on their clothes, on his face and in his hair and all over his hands. Bile stung the back of his throat, but he swallowed it and pressed harder against the wound, trying desperately to staunch the flow. Maybe then his (bloody) hands would stop shaking so hard.

"It's okay," Anthony croaked, kneeling across from him, "You'll be okay. Just hang in there."

"How- How's he doing?" Dan asked, glancing over his shoulder at them, but only for a moment. He was standing with the other two in front of the game board, his stone sword, which had a spiderweb of cracks along its length and looked like a simple nudge would cause it to shatter, gripped tightly in both of his bruised hands. His face was battered, lip bloodied and nose bruised, and his hair had turned a sickly pale green that looked close to becoming a shocking white.

"He's…" he wasn't sure how to answer him; his voice broke and caught in his closed throat. He pressed harder, hot, sticky blood bubbling out of his friend's stomach and all over his hands and sleeve and front. He wanted to throw up. He was _going_ to throw up. But he didn't let himself. Not right then.

"I think I saw something," Stacy abruptly cut in, the muscles in her back and shoulder stiffening instantly. She raised her sword, which wasn't in that much better condition than Dan's, and shifted her weight. Chunks of her hair were gummy and clunked together with half-dried blood, although he wasn't sure if it was from the wound on her forehead or from carrying their friend.

"Where?" Lizzie asked, pale eyes narrowing and darting around. She raised her own sword, the only one that didn't look like it would shatter at the brush of a feather, but she held it in her non-dominant hand. Her other one was scratched so bad, so deep and in so many places, it was more open wound than skin. She could hardly curl her fingers without tearing the scabs and gritting her teeth against a pained scream.

It wasn't Stacy that pointed, but Dan. All the lights had stopped working, except for the single lantern perched beside the board game on the table, surrounding them in a small, flickering circle of light. But beyond that point was utter darkness, complete shadow, lost no matter how much they strained their eyes. The cold sat heavy in the air and turned their breath to fog.

Sparklez couldn't see anything and, from the way Anthony's brow was furrowed deeply, he didn't think he could either. But the other three apparently could, for they all went stiff and still, swords raised and feet shoulder-width apart. Waiting for whatever was there to come closer. To dare to creep into their little circle of light.

He held his breath. Felt the warmth of Stampy's blood over his hands. Tasted the bile in his mouth and the terror in the air. He could hear the steady pulse of his panicked heartbeat in his ears. His leg was beginning to cramp from crouching for so long.

No one moved.

Certainly not Stampy.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Fifteen. Twenty. It wasn't until twenty-five that Dan's shoulders slowly uncurled and his sword, even more slowly, lowered only slightly. Stacy and Lizzie eventually did the same, although none of them took their eyes off the shadows. After another long, painful moment, Anthony spoke in a hushed whisper.

"Is it gone?" he asked. Another pause.

"I think so," Lizzie whispered, "Good thing it didn't spot us."

"Haven't you noticed?" Stacy asked, just as quiet, "They don't have eyes. They can't see."

"Maybe they're just not in their head," Dan murmured. The idea made Sparklez shudder.

Anthony returned to the medkit, the same one Lizzie had ventured down into the kitchen and almost died to retrieve, and clumsily threaded a string through a needle with trembling fingers. Sparklez took in a few deep, steadying breaths, but couldn't do anything for the nausea clenching his stomach. He swallowed.

"You know what you're doing, right?"

The man forced his hands steady with some great deal of difficulty. He gave Sparklez a strained smile.

"No."

"Well," said Sparklez, fairly certain that he was going to throw up in the next few minutes, "You better not kill him. I don't think he'd like that all that much."

They laughed. Laughed like he'd just told the greatest joke of all time. Funny. Oh, hilarious. Just look at all that blood! Silly Stampy, it's supposed to be _inside_ you. Now you've got it all over the place! Who's going to clean up this mess, huh?

_Harharharharharharharharhar._

"We need to shut up," Stacy giggled, tears pouring down her dirt-streaked face, "We need to shut up or they'll hear us and they'll find us and then we're _all_ dead!"

Everyone laughed harder. It was all so funny. It was like someone had filled the room with laughing gas. Like they were all high on helium and everything they said was hilarious. Sparklez hardly realised he'd started crying.

The lantern flickered. Everyone stopped laughing. They all had tears on their faces.

They sat in total silence for a long moment. Finally, Anthony held up the needle and thread.

"Are you ready?" he asked, quietly. Hoarsely.

Sparklez shook his head, "No."

Anthony smiled that strained smile, "Neither am I."

_Harharharhar._

* * *

Olivia. Radar.

Olivia? Radar?

Olivia! Radar!

_Olivia. Radar._

Olivia. Radar. Gone.

Or at least unresponsive. Maybe unconscious. Maybe dead.

Dead. Dead, dead, dead.

Are they dead?

Oh god, please don't let them be dead. Please. They don't deserve to die. None of them deserve to die.

_Respawn._ There was respawn, right?

But what if it doesn't work in the game?

Maybe they're out. Maybe they're free. Like when he'd had that thing's hand shoved into his stomach. They should be fine, right? Right?

Right?

The screen popped up on his bracelet. Blue. Peacock. But there were two Peacocks. Him and her. Same names.

Jesse tapped the screen. The dice rolled. Spun. Clattered silently. Stopped.

Five.

He walked, counting the tiles in his head. When he stopped, his blue bracelet beeped and the screen reappeared with a question mark. His heartbeat sped up. Thudding in his ears. Pick a card.

He tapped the screen again.

An agonising second passed. Then words.

_Enter the nearest room._

Jesse almost collapsed in his relief. He released a shaky breath, knees trembling and knocking together as his legs struggled to support his weight. Not a clock. Not dead. Yet.

Not dead yet.

His earpiece crackled, _"What did you get?"_

Petra.

"Enter the nearest room," he said, voice somehow strong despite the way his legs shook. He heard a few relieved sighs.

Jesse looked up and down the dark hallway, spotting the nearest door just a few steps ahead of him. He left the squares and made a beeline for it, carefully tugging it open and stepping inside. He was in the guest room. He wondered if Radar had been in here when it happened. They hadn't found out.

Olivia had been in the theatre.

He swallowed and brought up his checklist. These are the people who were not the killer:

Green.

Mustard.

Rose.

Mr Lime.

Some of the names were new. Almost made up. He suspected that was because there were more players than characters. There was Peacock, Green, Mustard, White, Plum and Scarlet. But now there was also Tulip, Mud, Rose, Mr Lime, a second Peacock and Head Wound.

Head Wound. Guess who that had been?

How _funny._

There was a second column on the checklist. Weapons. These are the weapons that the killer had not used:

Poison.

Knife.

Pickaxe.

TNT.

Trophy.

Sword.

Like the names, there were new ones that hadn't been there in the first game. There had been rope, sword, poison, trophy, bat, knife and axe. What there hadn't been was screwdriver, hoe, pickaxe, TNT and- the strangest option- none. No murder weapon.

Axel thought it was a trick. Xara told him to shut up and find out.

The final column on the checklist was rooms. Unlike the weapons and the names, there were no new ones. These are the rooms that the murder hadn't taken place is:

The dining room.

The spa.

The bedroom.

The patio.

That left the theatre, hall, observatory and guest house. And there was also, of course, the swimming pool, right smack in the middle of the house. Where they were supposed to go if they thought they had all the answers. Jesse didn't want to think about what might happen if they went there and were wrong.

He took a deep breath, "Okay. I think it was White with the bat in the… the hall."

His earpiece crackled for a moment.

_"As White, I take offence to that,"_ said Stella.

Another crackle. Petra huffed.

_"Good."_

_"I have the bat,"_ came Lukas' voice.

That's another thing about this game. In the other one, they'd only been able to show the person that had asked what they got wrong. But in this, they were allowed to tell everyone. Small mercies.

Jesse checked bat off his list. Almost immediately afterwards, his bracelet beeped and he stiffened. His eyes snapped around the room, going to every door, every corner, every closet and hole and crawl space. He saw nothing.

Yet another thing. There were… _somethings_ in there with them. Jesse hadn't caught a good look at them himself. Whenever one was near, their bracelets would beep to warn them. But the thing was, _all_ of their bracelets would beep. Even when they were on different sides of the house. One may have been near, but it was never clear whether it was right around the corner or sneaking up behind one of your friends.

None of them knew what they were. The only ones that possibly did were gone.

Gone.

_Gone._

Jesse stood stiffly. A silence fell over the communications; he could hear the faint buzz of static from his earpiece. Everyone listening for the something that might be nearby.

But there was nothing.

After a long moment, a little yellow dot blipped on his screen. Lukas was rolling.

Despite the danger, Jesse closed his aching eyes. He wished he could sleep. Wished this would all just go away. How long had they been playing? Three hours? Two minutes? How long since everyone else became dead to the world and they were left to defend for themselves?

What if none of them wake up, even if they get out of here? What if Olivia and Radar never reappear? What if they never get out to begin with? What if they all just die here, shrunk down and trapped in a fake house, with _somethings_ roaming the hallways and colour coded bracelets and faulty earpieces stuck to their skin?

_Shut up,_ Jesse told his brain, _Just shut up._

Surprisingly, it did.

He stood in the silence, throat thick and stomach clenched. He wasn't hurt, but he wondered who was. He was too afraid to ask.

He had to remind himself to breathe.

* * *

Romeo watched Lukas get eaten.

It had not been a pretty observation. They had both stood in the dining room, silently relieved at the presence of another but not knowing each other well enough to strike up a proper conversation. But while Romeo would never admit it, the blond being there after wandering the dark hallways and wondering if the next beep of his red bracelet would be his end, and most especially with how his powers seemed to have been completely switched off, was incredibly comforting.

And now he was watching said blond get eaten alive.

There wasn't so much as blood as there were flabs of pink flesh. The boys' jaw had been ripped off. His baby blue eyes rolled in his head, darting about, wide and horrified and _aware._ His tongue flopped about uselessly. There were two of them, one eating away at his thigh and the other at the side of his chest and around his shoulder. Romeo could see the severed jaw in the corner.

The _somethings_ looked like regular monsters, albeit only to a degree. These ones resembled zombies. Except their skin was a blackish-grey instead of sickly, poisoned green. And they didn't have any eyes. Just more blackish-grey skin.

And their teeth.

God, their teeth.

He'd never seen a zombie with dozens upon dozens of tiny, needle-like bones sticking out of their gums. And to be frank, he never wanted to see one again.

The game continued. Romeo stayed where he was. Watching this happen. Paralysed. He heard Jack translate for Nurm that Plum wasn't the killer. He couldn't have moved even if he'd tried; you weren't allowed to move when it wasn't your turn. The monsters continued to eat the boy.

Don't make a sound.

Don't make a sound.

_Don't make a sound._

When it was his turn, he didn't realise it until he heard Xara snapping in his earpiece for him to hurry up. He rolled the dice, not looking away from Lukas, his blue eyes wide and terrified and slowly growing glazed. They'd eaten his fingers, his shoulder, his leg. As he watched, one tore off his arm with the wet, disgusting sound of-of flesh tearing and the crack of bone breaking and began to gnaw on it like a lamb shank.

He rolled a two.

Romeo left the spa, carefully and quietly closing the door behind him. He stared at it. The clean wood.

He took a step away, turned around and threw up.

* * *

A door was not an ideal stretcher, but it was the best thing they had. They were lucky that the library door had been birch wood, instead of something heavier, like dark oak. Stampy was practically sprawled across it, face the colour of porridge and sweat beading his forehead; his breathing was raspy and uneven. The stitches were messy and uneven, the wound redraw. But there was nothing they could do besides keep going

They were making their way through one of the passageways. This one was wide and rather spacious, giving them enough room to walk side by side, as well as enough to carry Stampy on the door. Stacy led them from the front, blade in hand, taking careful steps. Keeping an eye out for both the _somethings_ and the passageway getting smaller. Because if it got smaller, then they wouldn't be able to carry Stampy through, and that meant they'd have to go out into the hallway.

And who knows what's out in the hallway?

It was almost funny. How everyone had unofficially and even silently been banned from going into the passageways. It was like going in them was an automatic taboo. And now here they were, feeling safer here rather than out there.

Dan was walking just behind Stacy, carrying the game board as carefully as possible on a particularly large, but thin, book. He could see splotches of colour scattered about, marking the player's location. And red. A lot of red.

Lizzie took up the rear. There were bags beneath her eyes and she'd received a rather nasty burn on her leg when a creeper (or at least something that resembled and acted like a creeper, but certainly didn't look like one) had blown up. They didn't want to test the respawn. Not when everything was so different. Not when it might not work.

Then again, with the pus that was leaking out of Stampy's wound, they might not have a choice.

Stacy stopped, her sword half-raised. Dan peered over her shoulder, but could only squint at more shadow.

"What is it?" he whispered. She shook her head.

They stood in silence, shoulders and legs tensed. The passageways certainly weren't clean, and they were all tired, sore and dirty. Not to mention starving and dehydrated. Dan was tempted to just lie on the floor right then and there and never get up again. Pretend none of this was really happening. Maybe he'd wake up and it would all turn out to be some sort of horrendous nightmare.

"Okay," Stacy whispered, relaxing only a little, "I think we're good."

Sparklez let out a shaky breath of relief. His and Anthony's arms were shaking and cramped under the weight of Stampy and the door. They'd have to stop soon. At least long enough to switch on who was carrying what.

They kept walking.

* * *

Romeo was leaning against the wall, mouth tasting of bile and stomach churning. His discoloured fingers trembled. The peeling wallpaper had torn against him, his warm forehead pressed against the cool underneath. Birch.

The nausea swirled with a vengeance. He almost thought he was going to throw up again.

Then the noise. Gurgled wheezing. Almost completely silent. His breath caught in his chest and froze.

Slowly, he looked up. At the end of the dark hall, something staggered. Eyeless with needle-like teeth. It resembled a skeleton, except… there were bits of pink flesh stuck between its teeth. And blood on its bones. It gripped its bow loosely in one hand.

His heart thudded in his chest. He couldn't move.

(He wondered who was dead now.)

The _something_ turned its head and stared right at him. Without eyes.

Romeo stared back.

The things jaw worked. It gurgled dully, a useless breath wheezing between its horrific teeth. Which was strange, because skeleton's don't have lungs or throats and didn't need to breathe or wheeze or gurgle. Although he supposed this wasn't really a skeleton, was it?

It began to stagger towards him.

His breathing quickened. He tried to teleport, to disappear and reappear far away, but it didn't work. He clapped his trembling hands and tried to make it vanish. It didn't work. He tried to fly. It didn't work. He tried to change, to toss it away, to lift it into the air, but nothing. Nothing.

Nothing worked.

The _something_ was closer now. He could hear the _clank, clank, clank_ of its bones, of its knobbly knees hitting each other. He could see the red and the pieces of flesh in its teeth. And blonde chunks of hair.

Oh. Oh, he was going to throw up again.

Clucking.

The thing paused. Then, almost at the same time, they both turned to look to the side. Nearly right between them was a small, life-sized statue of a chicken. It was completely black.

No eyes.

They stared at it. The _something_ turned back to Romeo, and had it had eyes, it might've been glaring. It turned away and staggered back down the hall. Romeo watched it until it was completely out of sight.

He laughed. A weak, shocked laugh. He put his weight against the wall and slid to the floor, tearing the peeling wallpaper along the way. Revealing the birch.

God, the birch.

* * *

There were broken hearts painted on the floor in blood.

Jessi knew it was blood because she'd watched them do it. She'd watched them rip open her guts and, once they were done chewing and eating and gnawing at her flesh, use her blood to draw them on the floor. All over the floor. Everywhere.

She wanted to look away, but found she couldn't. She could only stare.

And stare.

They were stumbling away now, presumably in search of someone else to tear apart and use as art supplies. The only reason they didn't see _her_ was because she was half-hidden behind the kitchen table on her hands and knees.

Broken hearts.

Stella dead on the floor.

* * *

"Maybe they got in through the doors," Anthony said quietly, the crackling fire casting shadows on his face, "Too many spawned and broke through."

"And what about the others?" Dan asked, just as quietly. They had to keep their voices down. "Where did they go? People don't just disappear."

"We've been looking out the windows, too," whispered Lizzie, "A few of us have gone up to the roof and throw TNT and arrows and stuff down when we think there's too many of them. I've never seen anything like those monsters."

A silence fell across them. Stacy shivered and huddled closer to the fire.

"How long do you think we'll be safe here?" Sparklez asked. He was standing at the iron door on watch duty.

"We're not safe here," Lizzie pointed out, "I don't think anyone was ever safe here."

Dan gripped his pickaxe tighter. Next to him was the game board. Still on the door, a thin blanket thrown over him in a desperate attempt to keep him warm, Stampy lay limp. He reached out and squeezed the boys' hand, fighting the way his throat closed. He didn't want to cry.

"We should sleep," said Stacy, after a long time, "Get some rest. Someone can stay on watch. We'll need to get moving again soon."

"She's right," Anthony murmured, "I'll take first watch. I'll wake Lizzie up for the second one in an hour."

Lizzie nodded, "Okay."

They settled around the fire, Sparklez swapping places with Anthony. Dan shifted closer to Stampy, pickaxe next to him. Everything hurt. His whole body was black and blue with bruises. He felt like he could sleep for an entire century and more.

But despite this, it took a long time for anyone to fall asleep.

* * *

Stacy was screaming. On the floor just behind her, Lizzie was having trouble breathing. Her bloody fingers were tangled in her pink hair. Sparklez was desperately trying to calm her down. The game board was, in that moment, intact but forgotten on the floor.

She kicked desperately at the iron door, trying to tear it open, but it didn't so much as budge. Her chest burned. Her wrist was broken and swollen. She was screaming. Screaming her throat raw.

Anthony was grabbing her shoulder, trying to pull her away. Through the tiny window, she could see Dan. Could see him bringing down his pickaxe, right into the things' brain. Murky blood sputtered and its body hit the ground. Dan tugged at his pickaxe, trying to tear it free. Stampy lay behind him on the door. Completely still.

There were too many. Practically rushing through the other burst doorway. Something that looked vaguely like a spider, but with hundreds of twisted limbs and (of course) no eyes, launched through the hoard of _somethings_ and landed on Dan's back, sinking its needle-point teeth into his shoulder. He let go of the pickaxe.

Stacy screamed again.

She didn't see him fall to the ground. She didn't see him and Stampy disappear within the hoard of _things._ She didn't hear the screams over the blood rushing in her ears. Didn't see the way Stampy, despite being unconscious, start to jerk and wither as they sunk their teeth into his legs, arms, neck, tear open his pus-filled wound and sticky stitches. She didn't see any of this.

She'd already been pulled away.

* * *

"Dude," Axel said, voice trembling, "Dude, this is freaky."

_"What?"_ Jesse asked, terror beginning to enter his voice, _"What is it?"_

"I'm okay," the large boy hastily assured, "Just…"

Just the walls.

And the floor.

And the ceiling.

And basically every other surface in the entrance hall.

All of it marked in messy, jagged scribbles. Some letters were so close together, they were practically on top of each other. Others were so far spaced, it was difficult to find each one in the heap of other words. Crisscrossing and curving and _everywhere._ Things were practically disappearing beneath them. And each one of them either spelt one of two words.

Black.

Blue.

Black. Blue. Black. _Blue. Black. Blue._ _ **Black. Blue. Black. Blue. BlACk**_ _ **bLuE**_ _ **BLack BULe BLACK BLuE**_ _ **BLACK BLUE**_ **BLACK BLue BLACK BLUE blacK bLue BLACK BlUE BLACK BLUE BLACK BLUE BLACKBLUEBLACK BLUE BLACKBLACK BLUE BLACK** _ **BLUE blue BlUe BLAck BLuE**_

Everywhere.

"Creepy," Axel murmured, after a long pause, "Just really creepy."

_"Oh,"_ Jesse whispered, _"Are… Are you gonna go?"_

Axel blinked, forcing himself to tear his attention away from the scrawls- which proved to be somewhat difficult, considering they were everywhere. Everywhere.

"Uh, yeah," he said, clearing his throat and taking a quick pause to make sure that there was no gurgling or wheezing or staggering footsteps anywhere nearby, "I think it was, um, Rose with the screwdriver in the hall."

A pause. Then his earpiece buzzed, sparking and making him wince.

_"I got screwdriver,"_ said Jack. Taking a deep breath, relieved at having lasted another turn, Axel nodded absently and checked that off his list.

"Okay," he murmured, quietly, "Okay. Your turn, uh… other Jessi."

_"Rih- Right,"_ answered a quiet, quiet voice. He closed his eyes.

But could still see the scrawl.

Blue. Black.

Everywhere.

* * *

"We just have to wait for them to finish the game," said Lizzie, trying and failing to still the tremble of her hands, "Then this should all be over, right? The respawn will turn back on and everyone will be okay."

"Yeah," Anthony swallowed, tentatively peering over the edge of the roof, down to the hoard of _somethings_ that had replaced the monsters below. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of this as well. "Yeah."

They had made it just barely to the mansion's roof. The stars twinkled above them, the moon big and white. They'd carried up as much stuff as they'd been able to that was small enough to fit through the hole and dumped it on top of the trapdoor, weighing it shut. The gagging and wheezing of the things was loud, a constant drum to their ears that left their brains aching.

The four survivors sat around the game board, bloody, bruised and somehow even more exhausted than they had been before. Stacy had her face buried in her hands. She'd broken a few fingers pounding on the iron door, leaving them red and swollen and bending in gruesome ways, but none of them knew how to splint them. When they'd tried, she'd only screamed in pain, so they'd opted it best not to touch them.

"They're gone," Sparklez croaked weakly, "They're both gone."

"The respawn will turn back on," Lizzie insisted. Sparklez didn't answer.

They sat in silence. Anthony shifted closer to look at the board, taking in the strange, tiny splashes of colour that certainly hadn't been there before. The entrance hall looked like someone had written on every surface. He could see red in some rooms. Even in some hallways. Like a murder scene.

The sickness that had plagued him for the past two hours hit again. He'd already thrown up somewhere in the corner of a room. He swallowed bile and clenched his eyes shut.

"Do you think they're okay?" he asked, "The guys in the game."

"No," Stacy murmured, face still buried in her broken fingers, "No, I don't think they're okay."

"Oh," Anthony whispered. He didn't either. "Well, um, maybe-"

"I _don't_ want to talk right now," she cut him off. Anthony's jaw snapped shut with a _click_ of his teeth. Nothing but the gurgling and the wheezing of the things that wanted to kill them.

They sat and Death sat with them.

* * *

Jesse cried when he saw his sister.

They saw each other from either end of the hall, that black chicken statue that seemed to ward those _things_ away directly between them. It was on either side of this little statue that they were able to meet and wrap their arms around each other above its hard head, sobbing and shaking. Sure, they could talk to each other through the earbuds, but it wasn't the same as standing right in front of each other. Wasn't the same as feeling their arms around each other. Of being close. Of being _there._

And they knew the answer.

Or at least, they hoped they did.

God, they hoped

Please.

As they slowly but steadily made their way closer and closer to the middle of the board, to the swimming pool, and further away from the protective reach of the chicken statue, Xara joined them. Her hoe had snapped, but she'd refused to leave it behind, instead opting to clutch the sharp head between bloodied fingers like a wicked knife. They didn't greet each other, but acknowledged her with tiny nods. She returned the gesture with a stony face.

_"Ah, crud,"_ Axel murmured through the faulty earpieces, _"I think I'm too far away."_

_"Yeah,"_ said Petra, whispering so quietly, they almost didn't hear her, _"I'm stuck hiding in the cupboards."_

Nurm hummed something. But it was useless to even attempt to decipher what he was saying with Jack to translate.

And Jack…

He got all the clocks. And now he was just another name crossed out on Xara's list and another meal for those _somethings._

"It's okay," Jesse said, quietly, "Just… see if you can get to a room or something."

_"Got it."_

"It's good that three of us are going," Xara commented, voice strangely soft; best not to attract the _things_ , "What are you two going to say?"

"Tulip," Jesse told her, "With the hoe in the hall."

"I'm saying the same," whispered Jessi, eyes to the floor, running her fingers over her scarred knuckles, "But with Scarlet."

"What about you?" Jesse asked.

"Hallway, hoe, Scarlet," she said, "That's who it's down to, right? Scarlet or Tulip?"

"Yeah," Jesse murmured. Xara nodded.

"Strange how this version of the game works," she muttered, "How we're all working together."

Jessi shuffled her feet, "What… What do you think happens to the person that's accused? The one that's actually the 'murderer.'"

"Nothing," said Jesse, a bit hastily, "Nothing should happen. It's… just a game."

"This isn't just a game," Xara stated. Neither of them said anything to that.

The dice jumped from person to person, and within three rounds, the three were only a few steps away from the swimming pool. Just a little bit away was Romeo, something that looked a disgustingly like puke on his shoes. He would be where they were within another turn or two.

"Hey," Jesse called, daring to raise his voice even a tiny bit, "Uh, what are you gonna say at the swimming pool?"

Romeo stared at him with his strange eyes. He had a red bracelet around his wrist, marking him as Scarlet. "I… hallway, hoe and… Tulip, I guess."

"Okay," Jesse swallowed "I'm saying hallway, hoe, Tulip as well. So, um… if I don't come back out, then… that's not right."

Slowly, the redhead nodded. Breathing shakily (the door was only a few squares away), Jesse gestured to his sister.

"She's saying hallway, hoe, Scarlet. So's Xara. If both of those turn out to be wrong, then… yeah."

An awkward silence passed. Neither Romeo nor Xara looked at each other.

Axel rolled the dice. Nurm rolled the dice and got his sixth clock card; get eight and he'll (die) lose. Romeo rolled the dice and moved a bit closer. Petra, trapped in a cupboard with _things_ roaming about, was forced to pass.

Then it was Jesse's turn.

"I'm right behind you," Jessi said, voice trembling, squeezing his hand, "I'm right behind you."

"I know," Jesse whispered.

He rolled and let go of her hand.

* * *

Jesse had only been to the swimming pool once before. And in that time, he had given the right answer and had been rewarded with long, wispy black fingers plunging into his gut.

This time, the swimming pool was different, somehow. He couldn't place it at first, but when he squinted, he realised it was bigger than it had been. The pool significantly larger. And, when he peered into it, much, much deeper. There almost seemed to be sand at the bottom, but it was difficult to tell.

He backed away from it.

That's when the cold came. Familiar, chilling frost creeping along the walls. Goosebumps popped up along his skin. Icicles grew on the ceiling. The water became frigid and a thin layer of ice formed along the edges. His breath became puffs of white cloud in the air.

Jesse turned around and came face to chest with a monster of wispy darkness.

Its' head was tilted down towards him. Despite the fact that it had no eyes, he had the sensation of being stared at.

He was shivering now. He wasn't sure if it was from the cold or not.

"Hih- Hi," he said, teeth chattering.

It didn't respond.

He hadn't expected it to.

Jesse took a deep breath, wrapping his arms around himself both in a protective, comforting hug and in an attempt to maintain a bit of warmth. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was strangely dry.

"Okay," he croaked, "Um… I- I thuh- think it was… it was Tulip. In the hallway. With… With the…"

He squeezed his eyes shut.

"With the hoe."

Silence.

A long moment passed.

Slowly, cautiously, he cracked open an eye.

The monster was still standing there.

Staring without eyes.

It wasn't even showing off its jagged smile.

Jesse's heart was thudding in his chest. In his ears. His breathing trembled.

"Weh- Weh- Well?" he asked, "Am I ruh- ruh- right oh- or nuh- not?"

Nothing.

Then it cocked its head. Like a puppy being offered a bone. Or a curious cat.

He was so busy looking at its crooked head, he didn't even have a hope of seeing its arm shooting forward. He didn't feel the fingers plunge into his stomach at first. He didn't have a chance to scream.

He was already busy choking on his own blood.

* * *

They were forced to hide the board game between two slabs of roof, tucked just out of sight behind a curve in the building. Sparklez was the one tasked with doing this, while Lizzie, Anthony and Stacy tried desperately to use their weight to hold down the bulging trapdoor and keep the roaring _things_ at bay.

(They couldn't even be considered monsters.)

Sparklez hurried back, almost slipping off the roof entirely when his foot hit a loose shingle. It clattered across the slabs, breaking in half along the way, before disappearing over the edge. He swallowed, absently hoped it would lodge itself into one of those _things'_ heads, and continued his climb.

He had just risen over a small curve to where his friends were when the trapdoor exploded open.

The others were sent flying. Stacy hit hard, but was thankfully caught in a stick-out that was there to make room for a boarded-up window; it had been accidentally shattered when Axel and Aiden had started rough-housing while in search of some more dishes for the new arrivals.

Anthony was flung towards Sparklez, and the man just barely caught the other before he could go sliding. This small accomplishment almost sent them _both_ skidding over the edge, but he'd been able to catch hold of a particularly sturdy shingle just in the nick of time, cutting his fingers in the process. Lizzie, meanwhile, was thrown the furthest, and was just barely able to grab onto the edge of the roof, leaving her dangling a good four or five stories above a hoard of starving _things_ that would love to rip her apart with their horrific teeth.

"Lizzie!" Stacy gasped, almost at the exact same time that six _somethings_ poured out through the busted trapdoor.

One that resembled a zombie lunged at the girl, who screamed and wrapped her broken fingers around its throat, just barely keeping its gnawing, needle-point teeth away from the flesh of her face. Its jagged claws scrambled and tore at her shirt, leaving ugly gashes across her stomach.

Three that resembled skeletons raised their bows, aiming for Sparklez and Anthony, but not with arrows. No, these looked more like limbs, arms and legs and knees and elbows, that had been stiffened to the point of being ramrod straight and had then been stuffed with sticks of TNT. From the way they were sizzling, they were just about ready to explode.

Sparklez only had time to throw himself to the side, hitting Anthony full on and almost sending them both skidding down the side of the roof anyway. The things released their limbs and- against the laws of common sense- sent them flying.

One exploded in the air. Another sent the two reeling back, ears ringing and faces red with the heat, nearly right off the edge of the roof. The third rolled and clattered like the broken shingle and blew a hole straight through the ceiling.

He gasped for breath, heart thudding and vision spinning. Anthony was dragging himself onto his hands and knees beside him, feet finding pocket holes amongst the tiles, and reached out to grip Sparklez' shoulder. The other man's mouth was moving, but Sparkez couldn't hear was he was saying. There was too much ringing.

On bleeding knees, they crawled back up to the top of the roof to find Stacy wrestling with a something that only vaguely resembled a spider and a zombie. It might have been a horrendous mix of the two. Lizzie was painstakingly heaving herself back up onto the roof. The zombie-like something that had been attacking Stacy earlier was gone. Hopefully tossed over the side.

The skeleton-like ones were still there. They were already pulling their bowstrings back with their severed, bomb-stuffed limbs. Anthony didn't give them the chance to fire.

Yelling (or at least Sparklez' could only assume he was yelling), the man leapt forwards and charged like an enraged bull. He hit the middle one, hands grabbing onto its bones in a visor-like grip. But he didn't stop. He kept charging, bent forwards, practically dragging the thing beneath him.

When they reached the slope, he skidded to a stop, smashed his boot into its skull and sent it tumbling down.

One of the other skeleton-like things fired. The limb soared high above Sparklez' head and fell right into the hole the other one had made. Blood rushing, half dead, he hastily scrambled up. It exploded and sent him flying forwards, taking part of the mansion with it.

He skidded across the roof, shingles scraping and cutting at his skin. His cheek tore. He felt warm blood.

Gasping for breath, Sparklez pushed himself upright, arms shaking beneath him. His eyes snapped around. Anthony was beating one of the other skeleton-resembling things with its own leg. Lizze was still dragging herself up, but was thankfully out of immediate danger. Stacy shoved her blade through the zombie-spider _thing's_ thick, gnarled hide. It promptly shattered.

Something appeared directly in front of him. Sparklez' head automatically snapped up. He was looking into the eyeless face of a twisted Enderman.

It began to screech.

Screaming, Sparklez scrambled to his feet and bolted, only narrowly avoiding its long arm, bent in places it shouldn't have been bent, as though it had a few extra elbows. He ducked around a chimney, heart thudding. He didn't have a weapon. He didn't even have a _stick_. How were they supposed to hold them off?

Lizzie appeared next to him, gripping his arm tightly, hands cut up and sweat beading her brow. She took a few deep breaths, taking the moment to gather herself.

"I've lost my sword," she said, "It went over the edge. Do you not have anything?"

He jerked his head in a shake. Lizzie clenched her eyes shut.

"Okay," she took a deep breath, "Well… let's take these jerkwads down with us then, right? Make them regret what they did to Dan and Stampy."

Sparklez stared at her and realised she was serious. Her eyes were cold and hard. Determined. She'd accepted that they could die here. That they probably _would_ die here, with or without respawn. And while no one was _okay_ with it… what other choice did they have?

It was die cowering or die standing.

When Lizzie stood, Sparklez breathed deeply and stood with her.

"For Dan and Stampy," he said. She nodded.

"For Dan and Stampy."

They darted out from behind the chimney.

* * *

When their bracelets told them that the dice had been moved to Axel, that the game was still going, Jessi screamed.

The sudden, ear-splitting noise almost made Romeo leap out of his square in surprise. Xara, being the closest, reached over best she could and clamped a hand over the girl's mouth, gripping the back of her neck with the other. Her voice was a hiss.

"Don't," she said, "Don't you dare. You'll draw them right too us."

Jessi didn't even seem to hear. She was shaking hard, tears dripping from her eyes. Abruptly uncomfortable, Romeo looked away.

After a moment, Xara tentatively pulled away. Jessi didn't scream again. She sunk to the floor and covered her mouth with her scarred hands.

"I know," Xara murmured with a surprising softness. She rested a hand on Jessi's shaking back. "I know."

They sat in silence. Through her earpiece, Xara could hear someone else muffling their own cries. She didn't know who it was. Either Axel or Petra. Probably both.

Then it was Jessi's turn. It took a bit of encouragement from Xara, but she was eventually able to get to her trembling legs and roll the dice.

Four.

She went into the swimming pool without a word.

Leaving Xara and Romeo to stand in the silence.

* * *

Jesse was not dead, but he was so cold he was sure he was going to be soon.

The monster's fingers were still plunged into his gut, but frost had crept over him, turning his lips blue and freezing his blood to the point where he wasn't bleeding out. The only thing stopping him from collapsing to the floor was the monster. It was practically holding him upright at this point.

He had never felt a cold like this one.

Nor did he ever want to again.

"JESS!" his sister screamed, "Oh my god!"

She took a step closer, but the monster's head snapped towards her and she froze. Jesse tried to speak, but couldn't move. Everything was so cold.

"It's- It's gonna be okay," Jessi reassured. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself this too. Her voice was thick with tears. "It's gonna be okay, just hang in there."

He couldn't answer. She turned to look at the monster, heart thundering. But this time there as more anger than fear.

"Let him go," she said, voice surprisingly strong, materialised in white puffs of cloud, "He hasn't done anything wrong."

It didn't move.

She wasn't sure _what_ she'd been expecting.

Jessi swallowed and took a deep breath, the intense cold beginning to make her shiver. It was practically crawling up her spine. "Okay. I think it was Scarlet. In the hallway. With the hoe."

Silence.

She stared at the monster. The monster stared back. Her brother gasped silently for breath. He looked like he was about to pass out.

In one fluid motion, the monster lifted her brother into the air and tossed him into the swimming pool.

Jessi screamed, "NO!"

She ran to the pool, skidding to the edge, and her already cold blood ran colder. It was dark, deep, terrifyingly large. There was sand at the bottom.

And there was something moving beneath the surface.

Jessi made to jump in. She was partway into the air when a cold, cold hand wrapped around her arm and jerked her violently backwards, almost dislocating her arm. She gasped, cold piercing through her skin, freezing her blood and turning her bones to frigid ice. She tried to struggle, but her limbs had gone completely numb; they could've been full of bean bag beans for all the use they were.

She could see her brother. He was thrashing- or at least, trying to- beneath the water. He was holding his breath. He must've been so cold. Too cold to swim properly. To do anything except sink. Sink into the sand.

One of the shadows shot towards him. Its one eye began to glow.

A Guardian.

Even if Jessi had been able to scream, she would not have had the time to. A flashing beam shot through the water. It hit Jesse full on.

In a near perfect replay of the what had happened onscreen (except Jesse had actually _moved_ then, except that had been an accident, a not real, a glitch, a mistake, a no no no), her brother's arm was blasted clear off his shoulder. She saw the pink of his open flesh, the bubbles rising from his mouth, the shock and terror on his face, before it was all covered by the blood in the water. Small tufts of her brothers pale pink flesh bobbed to the surface.

Jessi tried to scream. All that came out was a strangled gurgle.

The monster dropped her to the floor and she lay there, shivering but otherwise unmoving. It left her.

The game went on.

* * *

They were surrounded. More monsters had poured from the trapdoor. Stacy had been able to get a bow off a skeleton-like thing, but didn't have any arrows, so had resorted to wacking them with it, despite her cracked ribs. Anthony had resorted to caving skulls with one of his own boots, which turned out to be a surprisingly decent weapon. Lizzie pummeled everything grey-skinned and eyeless that came anywhere close with her fists, leaving them bloody and sore, but she refused to let this phase her. Sparklez had been able to get his hands on some bones and was using them as clubs.

Tired. Sore. Bloody.

And yet they kept coming.

And coming.

And coming.

Like some kind of relentless flow of burning lava.

A spider-thing gnashed its pincers at Sparklez' face, but he threw it off with some difficulty, stamping his foot down on his gnarled stomach. It burst into blackish-grey goo that made him want to vomit. But of course, there was the time.

Stacy yelled, leaping in front of him and shoving the tip of her bow through the mouth of a zombie-thing. It gurgled, before the bow went straight through the back of its neck and it started choking. Sparklez hurried forward and, together with Stacy, they heaved the bow, now disgustingly bloody, back out. The thing fell to its knees, then onto its side.

"Thanks," Stacy panted. Sparklez nodded.

"Likewise."

The two friends returned to the hoard of _somethings_ , back to back, ridiculous weapons held in front of them. Another zombie-thing charged towards them, but Sparklez hit it hard over the head with a bone and kicked it in the stomach, sending it flying backwards into a skeleton-thing that had been taking aim with a sparking arm. They both fell to the ground and the arm exploded.

Stacy and Sparklez stumbled, ears ringing, but didn't fall. Another hole in the roof. More _somethings_ quickly replaced the ones that had died in the blast.

"There's too many!" Anthony yelled from where he was practically sitting on top of a flashing creeper-thing, smashing its head in with his boot before it could explode. "What do we do?!"

"I don't know!" Lizzie yelled back. She punched a zombie-thing right in the nose. "Just hang in there!"

"For how long?!" Sparklez asked. An Enderthing appeared in front of him and swatted at them with its strange arm. Sparklez barely ducked in time.

"For however long it takes!" Stacy said, and shoved her bow through the Enderthing's stomach. It gurgled and teleported away. Her bow broke in half and puffed.

Stacy swore, blood dripping into her mouth. She spat it out and looked around, bringing up her fists. Sparklez gripped his bones tighter.

A leg flopped next to them and exploded.

Sparklez screamed, although he couldn't hear it, and fell, skidding. He dropped the bones, hands and feet flaying in search of a grip. Miraculously, his fingers caught hold of some shingles and held. His legs dangled over the edge of the roof. There was blood in his mouth.

"Stay- Stacy-" he gasped, ears still ringing, and looked around. As the ringing slowly subsided, he began to hear her struggling, and spotted her fingers clinging to the edges of the roof. His eyes widened and he lunged forward, reaching for her. "Stacy!"

She looked up. Horror crossed her face. "Behind-"

The Enderthing's twisted, multi-elbowed arm hit him in the back. The breath was torn from his lungs. He went flying, head over heels, right over Stacy. It was with a slight surprise that he realised he was falling. Everything was spinning. _He_ was spinning.

Sparklez hit the ground. His spine broke, shattering into little fragments. He choked, eyes to the dark sky. Jaw working. He couldn't see the Enderthing; it was too dark. Too far away. He could see Stacy, though, dangling from the side of the roof.

He saw her fingers slip.

He saw her fall towards him.

Then the _things_ appeared in front of him, grey skin where eyes should have been. Needle-point teeth, small and horrifically wicked, jaws opening wide to show each and every one of them off. Gnarled hands reaching.

Reaching…

* * *

_"It's a chicken. I think it's keeping the monsters away."_

_"Why a chicken?"_

_"You say that like I have an answer."_

Jessi's head was spinning. Everything was cold. Frost clung to her clothes.

Xara had come in. They were looking at each other. Her face was impassive.

The monster waited.

_"Dude, it was, like, all over the walls. Who writes blue and black all over the walls? I mean, sure, it's_ kinda _creepy, but it's mostly just weird."_

"Well," said Xara, quietly, "I suppose we were wrong, huh?"

Jessi tried to nod, but could only get her head to tilt slightly to the side. Xara turned her stony gaze back to the monster.

"Alright," she said.

_"Why are there so many hoes?"_

_"Just grab them. They may not be swords, but they're sharp."_

_"Yeah. Good idea."_

Cold. So cold.

_"The walls," she whispered, "They're made of birch."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Yeah. I wonder why they got covered up."_

Her eyes trailed to the faraway ceiling, coating in traces of frost. Covered in drawings of broken hearts. Chest pains. Growing worse and worse and worse with every passing day. Her own heart clenched painfully.

"I think it was Scarlet," said Xara, "In the hallway. With-"

"No," Jessi choked, voice a mere whispered. But it was loud enough in the silence for Xara to pause and look at her. Despite her frozen body, her heart was thudding sluggishly in her chest. Panic, realisation and disbelief were trudging clumsily through her head. She made a strangled sort of noise. "Nnuh… no…"

"What is it?" Xara asked, a bit urgently, "Spit it out."

"Ih… it… it…"

Xara grunted, grinding her teeth, "Come on. There might be some kind of time limit."

"Him…" Jessi whispered, "It… him…"

"What?"

"It-"

A black, wispy hand shot out and wrapped around Xara's throat. Her lips immediately turned blue, eyes bulging in her skull. She gritted her teeth together. It stared at her. Eyeless.

It threw her and the splash was thunder in Jessi's ears.

"Nuh… nuh…" she croaked, shaking harder, blue veins bulging in her neck. The monster didn't even glance at her. Just turned to look at the door.

A long moment.

It opened and Romeo, pale white against the grey splotches across his skin, closed it behind him.

His eyes went from the monster to Jessi's shivering form to the bloody water. He curled his shaking hands into tight fists.

"She…" he trailed off, yellow eyes slowly returning to the monster. His voice was strangled. "She didn't deserve that."

It said nothing. It did nothing.

Romeo clenched his fists harder.

"Him," Jessi croaked, urgently but so, so slowly, "It… him…"

"What?" he asked, not looking away from the monsters. She took a few deep, raspy breaths. Puffs of white cloud.

"Him. Chih… Chicken…"

"Chicken?" the half-Admin frowned.

"Huh- Huh- Heart," she whispered, "Heart. Har- Heart."

"Heart?" Romeo echoed, eyes flickering to her, "What are you- ?"

He cut off. She wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were to the ceiling.

Romeo looked up and went even colder than he already was.

Broken hearts.

Broken…

"Oh," he whispered, eyes growing wide. His own heart thudded in his chest. " _Oh._ "

He'd ran out of time.

A freezing hand curled around his throat and lifted him clear off the ground. Romeo gasped, choked, legs kicking uselessly. His eyes snapped from the broken hearts to the monsters face. Its wispy, lipless mouth was twisted into a snarl of jagged teeth. Frost crept along his skin. His hand clawed at the one around his throat, but quickly went numb.

"No," he wheezed, "It can't… you can't…"

Jessi tried to push herself to her knees, but only succeeded in flopping back to the ground. She was gasping for breath, as though she was being strangled with him. Her body was wracked with violent shivers. Tears beaded in her eyes and froze on her cheeks.

Him.

Him.

_Him._

"Hallway," Romeo choked, "Nuhg… No… wheh… weapuh- pon… meh… me."

He looked the monster right where its eyes should have been.

"Me," he said, "I kih... killed you."

It stared at him. Unmoving. Romeo gasped for breath, face steadily turning blue. Blue.

"I kuh- kuh- killed you, Fruh- Fred."

The monster dropped him. Romeo hit the ground hard and sucked in a deep, painful breath. He coughed, lungs hacking, and shivered harshly. He turned his watery gaze up to the monster.

It stared down at him.

Then it was gone.

And so was everything else.

* * *

Jessi looked up to find that she was somewhere else.

Stars sparkled above her like scattered glitter. She was still blue and covered in frost, shivering hard. There might've been frostbite on the tip of her nose. The majority of her body was horribly numb.

But there were stars.

She stared dumbly up at them for a long moment, blinking slowly. Then she heard a strangled yell and her eyes flickered to the side just in time to see Petra tackling a familiar blond in a tight hug. Lukas clung to her, covered in cuts and bruises and bleeding a bit badly in multiple places; he kept one hand clamped over his jaw, which looked horribly broken, but attached.

On her other side, Axel was hugging a bloody but alive Olivia closely, tears pouring from his eyes. Radar, half his face painted entirely in red, staggered to his feet, and Axel tugged him over to join them. She could see Lizzie and Anthony- the latter of whom was mysteriously missing a shoe- speaking rapidly to Sparklez, Stacy, Dan and Stampy, tears in their eyes. Sparklez and Stacy looked especially pained, while Dan and Stampy clung to each other and cried.

Jessi tilted her head to her other side again, spotting Jack and Nurm hugging. Stella sitting on the floor, running shaking fingers through her blonde hair, which was now torn and ragged. Xara looked like she'd just been tossed down the side of a mountain, but she had looked like that even before she'd been tossed into the pool. She couldn't see her brother.

Romeo, however, was sitting right next to her. Jessi was surprised she hadn't seen him first. He was looking around, pale and wide-eyed and still shivering, although it was unclear whether or not it was entirely from the cold. Blood trailed sluggishly down his arm; he looked like he had glass shards stuck just above his elbow.

"Jess!"

Her eyes darted to the side, just in time to see Jesse stumbling towards her. He was holding his right arm close to his chest, blood soaking his shirt, but alive. _Alive._

By some unfathomable power, Jessi shot upright. Her brother reached her at the exact same time she was trying to stagger onto numb legs, only to fall. He fell with her and she flung herself at him, clinging with her frozen fingers, shaking so hard, she was practically vibrating. He clung back best he could with his arm, burying his face into her shoulder.

The twins sobbed together.

On the horizon, the sun began to rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was that? Was I planning on making this chapter so horrifically gruesome?
> 
> No. No, I was not.
> 
> But, hey, no one's dead.
> 
> Do any of you remember when I posted on Tumblr and was screeching about this brilliant idea I had that ties everything together and how I blessed showers?
> 
> Yeah, that was when I realised who the monster was.
> 
> But whooooo! Chapter ONE HUNDRED, guys! *throw confetti* Whoever thought we'd make it this far? I certainly didn't. Granted, I didn't really expect this story to reach chapter ten, and yet here we are!
> 
> I seriously hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and don't mind its events or the upped rating too much. If any of you have any problems with this, please feel free to contact me about it.
> 
> I wish every student good luck on their exams, hope you're all doing good and I'll see you all soon!


	101. Battle Scars

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part One Hundred and One: Battle Scars**

* * *

When the kids came stumbling down from the attic and into the halls, Harper dropped the mug of hot chocolate she'd made for Jesse and almost screamed.

Most- no, all- of them were covered in blood. Jesse pulled away from a girl with scarred knuckles she'd never seen before, staggering towards her on shaking legs, his arm- oh god, his _arm_ \- held close to his chest. Harper met him halfway, wrapping her arms around him. She wanted to ask a million questions at once- was he okay, what happened, oh god oh god oh god- but all that came out was a small, choked sound, her mouth opening and closing.

What happened afterwards was a blur. There were still more of them on the roof, having been unable to climb down the ladder (what were they doing on the _roof?!_ ), so they had to send some people up to get them. They were all huddled in the second living room, blankets and pillows tossed out on the floor as everyone who had some semblance of medical knowledge took care of the injured, and everyone who didn't scuttle about like panicked rabbits trying to help. Ivor led them, handing out painkillers and healing potions and blood replenishers, stitching up gaping wound after gaping wound, going from one person to the next to the next to the next to the next.

Harper, who had extensive knowledge in medicine (although certainly not as much as Ivor's) after so long surviving on her own in the almost barren wastelands that had replaced Crown Mesa, did the same. She couldn't have helped going to Jesse first even if she'd tried; she stitched up his arm, which was raw and gory around the shoulder (as though it had been blasted off, as though it had been), wrapped it tightly with clean bandages and gave him something that put him to sleep almost instantly.

And the girl- the girl with the streak of colour in her hair and the scars on her knuckles, the one she'd never seen before. She'd practically clung to Jesse the entire time, lips blue and shaking hard. Frostbite had blackened the tip of her nose.

She wrapped blankets around her- the biggest, thickest ones she could find- and got about three hot water bottles to stuff in there too. The girl said nothing the entire time, just clung to Jesse's sleeping form and breathed harshly. Harper was half-certain she was the middle of some kind of anxiety or panic attack (there was a difference, after all). So she gave her a calming potion, and with that, the poor girl was out like a light.

Harper turned to the next one. She'd chip the frostbite off the girl's nose later. When there wasn't anyone bleeding to death.

Lukas' jaw was badly broken. Ivor said it was one of the worst breaks he'd ever seen, that there were bone fragments and torn tendrils and burst arteries. He had to put the boy to sleep and perform surgery to put a wire through to hold everything together so it wouldn't heal wrong.

A few others needed surgeries. Sparklez and Stacy's spines were fractured. Half of Radar's face was practically mauled and his eye- she'd rather not think about his eye. Xara refused to take any potions that could knock her out, despite their protests. Her ankle had swollen to the size of a golf ball.

Nurm, who was one of the few least injured with only some nasty cuts and bruises, was speaking rapidly to Jack. And Jack- Jack was not in good shape, although he hid his pained grimaces behind reassuring smiles and cocky smirks. His twisted arm was in a sling and his leg looked like something horrendous had bitten out a massive chunk. But he was must have gotten away from whatever had done it, because there were no other gruesome injuries, although Harper was surprised he didn't

(bleed to death)

Now his leg was wrapped up tight in stark white bandages, pinned together with a clip needle. Hiding the worst of it from view.

Harper glanced around and realised with little surprise that the majority of the injured were fast asleep, either potion-induced or from just passing out. She spotted Cassie sitting almost protectively next to an unconscious Lukas, Winslow curled across her shoulders, and would have been amused had she been in the mood to be. Soren was on the blond's other side, running gentle fingers through his hair. Something ached in her chest.

She helped the best she could with the surgeries, the more minor injuries, making sure everyone had everything they needed. Mevia scribbled down each of their injuries, what kind of potions they were on, their names at the top, much like you would do at an actual hospital. After a long three hours, in which time Harper chipped the frostbite from the girl's nose, they had done everything they could.

Drained, Harper sat next to a still sleeping Jesse, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Ivor trailed over and sat next to her. She leant against him.

"What happened?" she asked in a strained whisper, even though she knew that he wouldn't have the answer either, "What happened to them?"

"I don't know," Ivor murmured, "We'll have to wait for them to wake up and tell us."

Harper didn't answer. She gripped Jesse's good hand in her own. He and the girl slept on.

"He's like a poppy seed," she said, after a long moment; Ivor shot her a small, surprised look, "Like how you're a poppy."

The potionologist chuckled tiredly, cheeks tinting pink, "I suppose he would be."

"Mmm," she rested her head against his shoulder, "He'll be okay, right?"

"Of course," Ivor lowered his voice, leaning his head against hers, "He's a strong boy. You know that."

"Poppy?"

"Yes?"

"Whoever did this," she said, "Whoever hurt them…"

"How do you know it was a person?" Ivor asked, brow creasing, "They must've somehow ended up outside with the monsters."

"No," Harper murmured, "I don't think so. You saw the bites. You saw the way they were…"

She trailed off, a sickness bubbling in the back of her throat. She swallowed bile.

"You saw."

Ivor was silent. He had.

Jack, Petra, Axel, everyone that had been aware enough, had all said they were bite marks.

_Bite marks._

When Ivor had first looked at them, first seen the millions of little swollen puncture marks clustered together and the way the skin was ripped, he had not thought of teeth. He had thought of a swarm of angry, vicious wasps or some kind of trap full of giant needles. He had thought of their limbs getting caught in horrific contraptions and being shredded. He had not thought of a _something_ staggering about with a mouthful of needles sticking out of grey gums.

No, Ivor had not thought of that. And he didn't much want to.

"They'll be okay," he said, again. This time, Harper didn't answer. She just closed her eyes.

He didn't think she much believed him.

He didn't much believe himself either.

* * *

"Petra," Gabriel said, quietly, "How did it happen?"

"I dunno," the redhead murmured, fiddling with her whetstone, "We were all just… doing our own thing. Then we were in that damn board game."

"You didn't start playing it on your own? No one brought it out?"

"No," she gripped the stone, eyes hardening in a glare, "You think I'm lying?"

Gabriel shook his head, "Of course not."

"Hm."

She wouldn't look at him. She dragged the whetstone across her sword with practised ease. Gabriel watched her for a long, silent moment. Nothing but the _shiiiiing_ of the stone against the sword.

"Did you know what to do?" he asked, finally. Petra jerked one shoulder in a half-shrug.

"Sorta," she muttered, "Some of us played it before. Remember?"

Another drawn out _shiiiiiiing._ The whetstone halted. Petra kept her eyes to the gleaming blade.

"It was different, though," she said, "A lot different. I couldn't figure out why, at first. Then Olivia…"

She didn't finish. Gabriel shifted a bit closer.

"What happened to Olivia?"

"I don't know," she whispered. Her eyes were almost distant. The colour had drained from her cheeks. "I don't _want_ to know. But what you could hear… you could _hear_ it happening. To all of them."

"Hear what, Petra?" he asked. She clenched her jaw and jerked her head in a shake. Her eyes were glistening.

"Shut up," she croaked, "Shut up. I don't… I don't want to talk about this."

"Petra-"

She dropped the whetstone and stood abruptly, gripping the sword in her hand. She murmured something he didn't fully catch- something about checking on Jesse- and turned to leave. Gabriel stood as well.

"Petra, please," he said, "We need to figure out what happened. So it doesn't happen again."

The muscles in her back and shoulders stiffened. He heard her breathing hitch and saw her knuckles whiten with the force of her grip on the sword. She swallowed and there was a click in her throat.

"Don't you get it?" she said. Perhaps to a stranger, she would have sounded angry. She would've sounded irritated. But Gabriel heard the slight waver and the lurking terror. "We don't know. We don't know _anything._ One minute we were here and the next we were _there_ and Olivia and- and Radar and Jack and Lukas and- and-"

She cut off, shaking hard. Gabriel stepped closer, reaching for her, but stopped himself at the last second. Instead, he skirted around so she could see him.

"Can I touch you?" he asked, quietly. She kept her watery gaze to the ground, jaw clenched. After a moment, she nodded stiffly.

Gabriel reached out again, gently placing his hand on her tense shoulder. He tugged her closer and wrapped an arm around her. Petra rested her forehead against his shoulder. Her fingers grew lax around her blade. He could feel the tremors going through her battered body.

"There wasn't any respawn," she croaked, after a long moment, "They were dead. Dad, they were actually _dead_ for- for hours, they didn't come back as they should have. It was like it was delayed, and what happens between the gap of death and respawn? What are you, if not _dead?_ "

"They're okay now," he assured her (although he did not believe this himself), "Petra, they're okay now. They'll be okay. No one's dead."

She went quiet. Buried her face into his shoulder. He held her close.

She didn't speak again.

* * *

Something cold was pressed against his throbbing jaw, and Lukas flinched away, sluggish brain taking longer than he would've liked to realise he was staring right up at Cassie. She huffed.

"It's just an ice pack, you blond idiot," she said, and pressed it against his jaw. Lukas winced, but leant into it. Winslow meowed and rubbed his head against his shoulder, purring. He would have pet him, had his arms not felt like lead.

From the other side of the living room, Anthony let out a heavy sigh.

"For the last time," he said, "We don't know what happened."

"So, what?" asked Binta, raising an eyebrow, "You've got no idea how you got there?"

"None," Anthony insisted, "I can't even remember how it _began._ Just that we needed to protect the board."

A silence. Binta sighed and rubbed her tired eyes.

"Alright," she said, "We went up onto the roof to look for the game board. Sparklez said he'd hid it in an alcove."

Anthony regarded her hesitantly, "... And?"

"And nothing," Binta sighed, "Place was empty. No board game."

"Then where is it?" Anthony asked, a panicked note entering his voice. Lukas' own heart was beginning to thud.

"We don't know," she admitted, reluctantly, "No one's seen it. We've searched everywhere we could think of, and it's nowhere in sight. Once all the monsters burn, we're going to take a look outside and…"

She kept talking, but the roar of blood in Lukas' ears prevented him from hearing the rest. If they couldn't find it, couldn't destroy it, what was stopping them from being taken back? What was stopping those _things_ with their lack of eyes and cluster of needle-point teeth from coming back, from ripping him and his friends apart, what was stopping them from being lost in those basted hallways with their peeling wallpaper and the game, some _stupid_ game that no one had agreed to play- _what was stopping it?_

"Lukas!" Soren was yelling, a firm hand around his arm, "Lukas, _breathe_!"

His chest was on fire. The pain in his jaw sparked and crackled like an angry pool of lava, the cold of the ice pack like shards. He jerked his head away and immediately regretted it. Agonising flames burst in a clumsy explosion, crackling like pop-rocks, that stupid popping candy that Maya had pranked him with because he'd never had any before and he'd decided they were alright. He tried to scream, but all that came out was a gargled sort of noise, unable to properly open his mouth because of the wire through his jaw.

"Lukas- Lukas, calm down," Cassie said, gripping his shoulder, "Lukas, you need to breathe. Everything's okay."

_But it wasn't._

He clenched his eyes shut, forcing himself to suck in breaths through his teeth at Soren and Cassie's instructions. Everything hurt. Everything hurt, hurt, _hurt._

The worst part was that he remembered.

He remembered

_(his jaw flying off)_

everything, from the _things_ coming in to Romeo's horrified face to the biting and the chewing and the

_(you don't know pain until you've been eaten alive)_

"Calm down," said Cassie, "Lukas, for the love of god, _calm down._ "

He couldn't breathe.

(Eaten alive.)

* * *

Everything was hazy, but pleasantly warm. The roaring agony of his shoulder had been reduced to a dull throb, although the majority of his arm remained numb. He blinked sluggishly at the ceiling for a good few minutes (or maybe even a few hours- time was difficult), before a face appeared above him.

"Jesse?"

He blinked at the face, before groaning softly and closing his eyes. Gentle fingers ran through his hair.

"It's alright," Ivor murmured.

"Is he awake?"

"Yeah."

The bed dipped and Jesse cracked open an eye to see Harper. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

"Hey, poppy seed," she said, quietly, as though being too loud would hurt his ears (well, it could, if he had a concussion), "How you feeling?"

Jesse swallowed a click in his throat, and croaked, "Crappy."

"I'm not surprised," Ivor said, brow creasing, "Any pain?"

"Not really," he blinked another few times, absently leaning into the potionologist's hand, "M'arm's numb…"

"What?" Harper asked, leaning closer, "Your arm's numb?"

"Mmhm…"

Harper and Ivor glanced at each other, but Jesse's eyes were already drifting shut again. When he realised, Ivor carefully tapped the side of his head.

"Hey, hey, no sleep yet," he said, ignoring Jesse's responding groan, "Which arm?"

"Uh… right one."

"This one?" there was a stinging pinch on the fleshy underside of his bicep. Jesse grimaced.

"Uhr- left."

Ivor leant over his chest. After a minute, Jesse cracked open an eye (when had he closed them?) to see what he was doing. It was with some surprise that he realised the potionologist was pinching his arm.

"Oh," Jesse murmured, "I can't feel that."

"What about here?" Ivor asked, and pinched his wrist. Jesse sluggishly shook his head.

"Nothin'."

They looked at each other again. Jesse's eyes slipped shut.

"M'sure it's fine, Dad," he murmured, "P'bly just slept on it funny…"

A pause. He opened an eye again to find them staring at him.

"Wha'?"

"Nothing," Ivor said, and had to turn his head to hide a wide smile. Harper smiled as well and kissed his forehead.

"Try and got some sleep, poppy seed," she whispered, "We'll be here."

"'Kay, Mum," Jesse muttered. He heard a small, startled laugh from Ivor, before his eyes slipped shut and he dropped off again.

* * *

The next time Jesse woke up, his left arm was still dead to the world and his shoulder pulsed like a particularly angry heartbeat. It took him a few seconds to become completely aware of his surroundings, and it was with a vague sort of surprise that he realised he was tucked in a cot in the corner of the second living room. Banners had been drawn across the windows to keep out the sunlight (there was _sunlight_ ), so he could only assume it was late.

There was a small figure curled up on the floor next to his cot. He had to squint at it for a good few minutes before his still somewhat sluggish brain realised it was Jessi.

"Jessi?" he whispered, voice a croak. Her head snapped around to look at him. She had a bandage over her nose.

"Jason?"

He flinched, blood freezing in his veins. Jessi leant back a little.

"Sorry," she murmured, "Jesse."

He looked at her, "Are… Are you okay?"

She blinked at him, "Oh. Yeah."

"What happened to your nose?"

She shrugged, "I haven't asked," she held up her hands; almost all of her fingers were bandaged, "I've got these too."

Jesse looked at the bandages and winced, "Ow. They really haven't told you anything."

"I try to pretend I'm asleep whenever someone's in," she admitted, "They've, uh… mostly left me alone so far."

He hesitated, "What… What are you gonna do?"

"Go back into the walls," she said.

"Why?"

Jessi opened her mouth. Nothing came out. After a moment, she closed it and didn't answer. Jesse almost made to sit up, but at the last minute decided that probably wasn't a very good idea and settled back down.

"They'll like you."

"Sure they will."

"Jess, come on."

"We're not talking about this again."

"They already know you're here."

"I said we're not talking about this."

He went quiet, staring at her. She stared back.

Finally, he said, "You really haven't talked to any of them?"

"No."

"Have any of them talked to you?"

"They've tried to," she admitted, reluctantly, "Stopped when I burst into tears."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

They fell into a silence. Jesse's heavy eyelids slid shut.

"Jessi?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

She shifted closer, resting her cheek against his good arm. He leant into her. She closed her own eyes. When she spoke, her voice was small and hoarse.

"I love you too."

* * *

Reuben nuzzled against Jesse's chest, oinking happily. He ran his fingers over his fuzzy pink head, his ears, scratching him in his favourite places. It felt somewhat awkward doing this with his non-dominant hand, but his left one was like a dead weight at his side. Moving it was like throwing about a giant, heavy rubber glove full of slime.

He wasn't sure what had convinced Jessi not to return to the walls, not to hide away, but nonetheless, she was here. Sitting on the floor, running her fingers over her scarred knuckles, head bowed and hair hanging in her face, stiff as a board, but _here_. Not in the walls. _Here._

Harper and Ivor were watching her. This was, he was almost certain, the first time she hadn't immediately dived under blankets or otherwise hid away. Which also just happens to be the first time Jesse had been properly awake for more than a few minutes. He could practically _see_ the gears turning in Ivor's head.

Reuben snorted and licked his chin. Jesse made a surprised snorting sort of noise, wiping his chin with his good hand. "You're gross."

The piggy just made a happy noise.

Harper smiled at him. Ivor kept his eyes to Jessi.

After a long moment, he cocked his head slightly, "What's your name?"

Jesse glanced at her, just in time to see every muscle in her back and shoulders coil tightly. She froze completely, eyes to the floor. She remained like this for a concerningly long moment. Just as Ivor looked like he was about to repeat the question- or say something different- she spoke.

"I'm…" her voice was almost silent, a tiny whisper, so low that they all unconsciously leant forward and strained their ears to hear, "Jessi."

Ivor raised his eyebrows, "You're called Jessi?"

She nodded, twisting her fingers. Pink dusted her cheeks. "Yeah… with an i."

"With an i."

"Yeah."

He looked at her for a long moment, almost thoughtfully, "Hm."

Jessi went even pinker and shrunk in on herself a bit. Harper shot Ivor a small look, and he winced and turned away, mumbling something that might have been an apology. Or just grumbling. It was a bit incoherent.

"It's nice to meet you, Jessi," Harper said, turning back to the girl. Jessi shrugged stiffly. "Is it short for anything?"

Jessi glanced up at her, then quickly away, "Um… it's… short for- for Jessica."

"That's a nice name."

"And you've been in the walls this whole time?" Ivor cut in. Harper shot him another look.

"I…" Jessi swallowed, but her mouth was dry, "Yeah."

"Why didn't you come out?"

"Ivor, please," Harper huffed. Ivor held up his hands.

"I'm just asking," he said, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Jessi twisted her fingers, face almost red now, "Um… I didn't… I didn't know who anyone was. I was scared. You all just… appeared…"

"You were here first," Harper murmured. It wasn't a question. More of a quiet realisation. Jesse continued to silently run his fingers over Reuben's head. His sister kept her eyes downcast.

"... Yeah."

A silence came upon them. Reuben had begun to doze against his chest.

"So," said Ivor, finally. Except this time, his eyes were on Jesse. "Olivia mentioned that you already knew she was here. A lot of them did, actually."

Jesse's fingers stilled from where they were brushing over his piggy's head. After a moment, he forced them to continue. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Ivor regarded him, "What's that about?"

"No idea."

"Jesse," Harper sighed. He covered a wince. Before he could say anything- or before Harper could continue- a quiet, quiet voice spoke up.

"I asked him not to."

They all turned to blink at her. Her cheeks were flaming red at this point.

"Why?" Ivor asked. She audibly swallowed.

"Because… I was scared."

"And just why did you agree, Jesse?" Harper asked, "It's not like you know her."

The twins glanced at each other. Harper and Ivor looked between them for a moment. An unsureness entered the engineer's voice.

"Uh… right?"

Ivor's eyes narrowed. He sat down on the edge of the cot, which dipped beneath his weight, and leant forward, elbows on his knees. When Jesse kept his gaze averted, he tapped his jaw and forced him to look at him,

"What's going on, bluejay?" the potionologist asked, his voice surprisingly soft. Jesse hesitated, unconsciously holding Reuben against his chest like a teddy bear, and glanced at his sister again. She looked at him, then away. He swallowed.

"Uh…"

"We're twins," Jessi whispered. But it might as well have been a scream in the following silence.

Harper and Ivor stared at them, taken aback. Jesse winced.

"Er… yeah," he murmured, "We were… separated when we were little. I ran into her after I respawned and we… realised… yeah."

He shifted, abruptly uncomfortable under their wide stares. Reuben snorted quietly in his sleep. "She made me promise not to tell anyone."

"You're… _twins_?" Ivor said, slowly. Brother and sister nodded quietly. The potionologist glanced between them, jaw slacked. Harper blinked a few times.

"Wait," she said, brow creasing, "Why are you both called Jesse, but spelt differently? That's… not smart naming."

"Um," Jesse murmured, shoulders coiling. He kept his eyes on Reuben. "Well…"

"Jesaiah."

A pause. They all turned to look down at Jessi. For the first time, she looked back at them properly for almost a full second, before ducking her head again, cheeks flaming. She licked dry lips.

"Jesse is… short for Jesaiah. I think the nicknames came about after we were separated."

"Oh," said Ivor, looking even _more_ startled. Both he and Harper turned to look at Jesse, who hastily hid his own surprise. "We didn't know that."

Jesse jerked his shoulders in a shrug, a heat rising up his neck, although he couldn't tell you why, "It, uh… it never really came up…"

Another silence. Harper and Ivor looked at each other, then at Jesse, then at his sister. After a long moment, Harper nodded slowly.

"Alright," she said, carefully, "How long have you been here, Jessica?"

Jessi fiddled with the buckle of her dungarees, "Um… I- I dunno… a long while. Before any of you."

"I see," Harper murmured. Then, louder, "Well… it's really nice to meet you, Jessi."

She offered a hand. Jessi stared at it for a good minute, before tentatively accepting it. They shook, and the girl drew her hand back quickly. Ivor looked at her for a moment, then at Jesse. He made a quiet noise.

"Jesaiah, huh?"

Jesse nodded, chewing on the inside of his cheek. Ivor regarded him for another moment, before nodding.

"Alright," he said, "Well, I think it's time for you to get some more rest."

Jesse blinked at him, "But I'm not tired."

"Don't care. Sleep."

"But-"

"He's right, poppy seed," Harper cut in, gently, "Get some rest. You're still healing."

Jesse frowned, but a sharp, discreet look from Jessi out the corner of her eye had him sighing.

"Fine," he mumbled. Harper smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Good."

He laid down, shifting Reuben so that he was cuddled against him on the cot, which proved to be a somewhat awkward task with his rubber glove full of slime of an arm. Harper tucked the blanket around him.

Over on the other side of the room, Xara was frowning at the floor, leaning most of her weight against the wall. Her eyes trailed around the room, absently noting Ivor giving Jesse a potion to help him sleep (the nightmares had been particularly gruesome for a lot of them), the girl curling up on the floor next to the cot. Mevia was sitting on one of the spare couches, flipping through everyone's injury charts, Nell's head rested on her shoulder. Stacy and Sparklez were in a medically induced coma and were tucked into a pair of beds in the corner. Lukas' head was resting in Soren's lap, Cassie leaning against the man. Petra with Gabriel, Olivia and Axel with Magnus and Ellegaard, everyone who _wasn't_ in the room more than likely in their bedrooms…

Except for _him._

Her jaw clenched at the thought of him. But he'd apparently figured it out. Apparently was able to get them back here. Out of that hellhole.

And she hadn't seen him since they'd got down from the roof.

An ache thumped above her eyebrow. Grimacing, she rubbed it with a bandaged hand (blisters were jerks), but it did little to ward it off. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply through her teeth.

What he'd done- what he'd done to him, to _them_ , to their _home_. He'd only wanted to make sure he was _okay_ , for god's sake, wanted to make sure he wasn't about to do anything stupid, wasn't about to

(make his heart explode)

hurt anyone or hurt himself or something like that. Although Fred (god, Fred) had been certain that he would never actually _hurt_ anyone. Not on purpose, anyway.

Xara had to bite back a laugh.

If she started now, it would more than likely turn into sobbing. She'd rather not do that. Especially in front of a whole room of people.

That aside.

Romeo wasn't anywhere to be seen.

She wasn't even sure if he'd had his injuries looked at. Then again, maybe he wasn't that injured.

(Lucky scumbag.)

The throb of her temple spiked. She didn't wince, although her brow creased. With a quiet sigh, she rubbed uselessly at her forehead again and glanced around the quiet room full of injured bodies one last time. Most of them were out cold. The few that were awake were chatting quietly amongst themselves or reading a book. Ivor and Harper were talking to Jessi, and she answered tentatively, definitely too quiet for Xara to here from across the room. Even reading her lips would have proven to be difficult, not that she had the urge to.

She pushed herself off the wall, tentatively putting weight on her injured ankle. Pain sparked dully, but it was bearable. With a noticeable limp, she slipped out of the room and into the hall.

The monster- or whatever the heck it was- was still here. She was almost certain of this. The mansion, the episodes, the board game, the new monsters with their damn needle-point teeth, the 'dimension' hopping, the delayed respawn, the… the falling. The falling through sparks of flashing, eye-throbbing colour, the warping of being pressed together and stretched apart. The way they were first brought to the board game. Only three people had ever been able to teleport like that.

Everything. _Everything._ It was the only explanation. All of this could only be done by an Admin.

And there was only one Admin left.

* * *

It lurked.

Everything was cold. Freezing. Ice. But it was used to the cold.

Everything was dark. Warped. Shadowed. But it was used to the dark.

Everything ached. Burned. Throbbed. Especially in its chest. But it was used to the aching.

In its broken head, it remembered, but at the same time, it did not. It remembered the red and the purple, the chicken and the blue (black?), the little girl with the scars and the smile. It remembered, albeit only vaguely, the concept of emotion. These things meant something to it, it was sure. It had cared about them, once. But how can you feel, how do you care, when you have no heart to beat in your chest?

(Broken hearts)

It could not remember how its heart had been broken, nor did it remember where the shards had gone. But they were close, it was sure. Somewhere. Somewhere nearby. Maybe. It would find

(make his heart explode)

the shards. It would. It had to.

… It had a name.

It had been called a name.

Was that name its?

Fred.

Hm.

Maybe.

It didn't matter. Not yet. Not now.

Things were moving. That was good. But waiting… waiting was good too.

(Please figure it out.)

They would figure it out.

(Maybe)

But until then, it ached in the dark and in the cold, pondering a name that it had once owned.

Fred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating last week guys- thanks for being so patient ::) Because of that, I decided to update it today instead of waiting for tomorrow.
> 
> Alright, so, some context for the last chapter- it was meant to be confusing because the characters themselves were confused. They had no idea what was going on or even how they really got there- Jessi was apart of that confusion, which is more or less why no one properly reacted to her. They did have more problems on their hands, after all. So, yeah. No one really knows what happened.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and that it cleared up at least some of the confusion. Thanks again for being so patient with updates! And MEGA THANKS to Raintag and Ariza Luca for beta reading this chapter and making sure it actually makes sense. Both are amazing and you should definitely check out their stories (also, thanks to Raintag for thinking of this chapter's title).
> 
> Hope everyone's doing good and I'll see you soon.
> 
> EDIT: Ugh, I need to stop forgetting to put things in my ANs. Harper calling Jesse poppy seed was an idea from an Anonymous user over on the MM's tumblr blog! Credit goes to them!


	102. Glitching

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part One Hundred and Two: Glitching**

* * *

_So come along._

* * *

Romeo grimaced, poking carefully at the thing sticking out of his arm. It looked almost like blackish-redish glass, but it was hard to tell. The bleeding (he was _bleeding_ ) had stopped and dried on his skin and shirt, but he knew the minute he pulled out a shard- or whatever they were- it would start again. If he was remembering that right, anyhow.

(It had been a long time since he'd had to deal with actual injuries.)

He probably should have pulled them out ages ago. But his hands were still shaking and his chest ached dully from- whatever that had been. He'd been certain that the shards had poisoned him or something. Had been certain that he was dying.

Maybe he still was.

(Probably.)

Romeo breathed a heavy, shaky sigh, bringing a trembling hand up to scrub at the bridge of his nose. If there was one thing he missed about being an Admin ( _he was still the Admin, dammit_ ), it was the fact that he couldn't be hurt. Especially not this easily.

Why did he have to be

(weak)

stuck here with all of these… _people_? Especially when some from… _underneath_ were here. And her.

Most especially her.

(And him.)

( _I killed you._ )

A dull, thudding rage boiled in his gut, although he knew, at the back of his mind, that it concealed something deeper. Fear. Agony.

He shoved those thoughts away.

_Shut up._

"So you _can_ bleed."

Speak of the devil.

Romeo clenched his eyes shut, absently wondering if she'd go away if he ignored her. But she had never been one to let something like that deter her, and he somehow doubted being locked away (what he'd done to her) had changed that. He gritted his teeth together and looked over his shoulder just enough to scowl at her.

"What do you want?"

Xara stood in the doorway of his room, regarding him silently. After a moment, she let herself in, which only made his scowl deepen, and walk around the bed (which he hadn't bothered to use) to stand in front of him. Her eyes were on his bloody arm, and he shifted so that it was half-hidden behind his back. His scowl turned into a glare.

"I never said you could come in."

"Don't care," Xara said. Irritation bubbled in his stomach and he opened his mouth to scream at her, but her hand snatched out and grabbed his arm before he could, jerking it out from behind his back. A spark of pain shot through the punctured skin and he hissed involuntarily. A half-formed scab tore and began to bleed sluggishly.

Xara peered at the wound, bandaged fingers hovering carefully over the embedded shards. Romeo grimaced, clamping his teeth down on his tongue to avoid making any ( _weak_ ) noise, and- perhaps against his better judgement- shoved her away. She stumbled back two steps, but didn't let go of his arm. She shot him an unimpressed look. He scowled at her.

"Let me go."

Rolling her eyes, Xara did so. Romeo immediately tucked his arm behind his back again, an embarrassed heat rising up his neck. He glared at her again when he realised she was still watching.

" _What?_ "

"Did you do it?"

He was startled enough to forget to glare. He blinked. "What?"

"The board game," Xara said, a harshness tinting her voice, "The monsters. The episodes, _everything._ Did you do it?"

"The board- no, of course I _didn't_ ," he spat the last word, glare returning tenfold, "Of course _you_ would think I was responsible."

"Do you know who did?"

He was silent. Words had lodged themselves into his throat. Xara's face was cold and detached. When he didn't answer, she raised her eyebrows.

"So you do know."

"Get out," he had meant for the words to be a growl, a snap, but they came out quiet instead. Xara, not deterred in the slightest, stepped closer again. He hated the fact that he was sitting down, that she basically towered over him, but didn't feel like he could stand up. He glared at her, but she just stared coolly back. He would have preferred it if she yelled.

"It was down to two options, Romeo," she said, " _Two_ options. We said both. Neither were right. And yet you figured it out."

Xara bent and leant closer, getting right in his face, and this time he could see the glare in her hardened, tired eyes. Messy, frayed purple hair fell into her face. When she spoke, her voice was a low growl.

"What did you do?"

Rage- but also a spiking, jerking fear- shot from his stomach and straight to his brain. Without a thought, he raised his leg and kneed her right in the gut.

Xara grunted, hand automatically going to her stomach. He shoved her again, and she stumbled back, but quickly regained her footing. Romeo shot to his own feet, heart thudding, and froze when he spotted the twisted, vicious look on her face. A low thunder rumbled at the back of her throat like a growl.

Romeo took a step back and hit the bed. She lunged at him.

He would never, ever admit that he squeaked like he did then. He stepped back, fell onto the bed, and then he was gone. Romeo reappeared at the other end of the room and hit the floor hard, grunting. Xara landed on the bed, but immediately twisted off, her hard eyes quickly finding him. She lunged again.

Romeo threw himself to the side, trying to teleport again; a weak electricity shoot through his spine and limbs and made him jerk, gasping more in surprise than in pain and

(glitch)

Arms wrapped around him, around his neck, trapping him against another body. His back was practically glued to her front, breathing (he doesn't need to breathe) coming out in sharp gasps. He squirmed, hands clawing at her arms, but she didn't budge. She might as well have been made of stone.

"Stop it!" she hissed in his ear, "For the love of- calm the hell down!"

Romeo struggled harder and tried to teleport again, an act that he should've been able to do in his sleep (not that he needed to sleep), but instead he only achieved a strange tingling sensation across his skin. Like pins and needles. Then a shooting pain from his very core, leaving black stars in front of his eyes and he

(glitched)

slumped against Xara. He didn't notice her grip loosening. The tingling was still heavy in his limbs, leaving him practically frozen where he was. His chest was beginning to burn. He was half-certain that he was on the verge of passing out.

"Hey, are… you okay?"

A hand shook his shoulder. He grimaced, the pain in his chest slowly but steadily growing worse. Burning. He tried to push himself upright- away from her- but his limbs were clumsy and numb. It took him a moment to realise she'd grabbed his arm.

"You're kidding me," she groaned, "Romeo, you're supposed to _breathe._ "

The reminder was like a sharp nip through his brain. He sucked in a breath, his lungs expanding almost painfully, and coughed once. The tingling numbness didn't leave his limbs, but the dissipating tightness of his chest was a relief. After a moment, he pushed himself away from Xara, despite the heaviness of his numb skin, trying to fight off the heat rising up his neck. She didn't try to stop him.

A silence passed between them. Xara spoke first.

"You gonna tell me what happened now?"

"I don't know anything," Romeo mumbled, his voice scratchy. He absently rubbed his chest.

"Don't lie," said Xara, "What happened?"

He glared at her, but it held little heat. She stared back, blank. There were heavy purple bags beneath her tired eyes.

(He'd done that to her.)

Romeo jerked his head away, "I don't think you'd want to know."

She laughed then, a harsh, shrill sound that made his eardrums throb and his skin (which was slowly gaining back some feeling) crawl. It was a laugh that held no humour, an insane laugh, and he would have very much liked his teleportation powers to start kicking in.

" _You_ ," Xara spat, jabbing him hard in the chest, a twisted grin still on her lips, "Don't get to decide that. Now tell me. _What the hell happened?_ "

He hesitated. Xara rolled her eyes.

"Don't make me start beating the crap out of you."

His yellow eyes flared, "I could take you."

"Sure," she drawled, "Maybe when you don't forget how to breathe."

Scowling, he shot to his feet. Except his legs were still mostly dead and numb and practically crumpled beneath his weight. He hit the floor. Xara cackled.

"Okay," she gasped, after a moment, grinning, "Seriously, though. Tell me."

"What part of-"

"Romeo," her grin fell. She was beginning to look irritated. " _Now._ "

For a moment, he just glared, and this time she glared back. The shards in his arm throbbed dully.

Finally, he sighed, "Fine."

She smiled, a smug look on her face, and settled back, putting her weight on her hands. His fingers twitched. If only his powers would actually _work_.

When he didn't start, she raised an expectant eyebrow, "Well?"

Quietly, Romeo grunted, "I didn't figure it out. Jessi did. The girl."

"But she'd already gone a turn."

"I _know_ that," he snapped, "But… I dunno, she wasn't _dead_. She could still talk, if only barely."

"Hm. Alright. Keep going."

He was quiet for a moment, wondering how he was supposed to put this into words. A part of him- a rather large part of him, actually- wanted to simply say nothing and pretend none of it had happened. Pretend that the thing… it must have been a trick. It _had_ to have been. Right?

Impatient fingers snapped in front of his eyes.

"Come on, chop chop," said Xara, "We don't have all day."

"I'm _getting_ there."

"Get there faster."

He liked her better in a muzzle.

Sighing, Romeo scrubbed at his yellow eyes, a headache blooming in his forehead. He did his best to squash down the bubbling anger in his guts.

"There were broken hearts on the ceiling," he said, finally, "Jessi pointed them out. She kept saying 'him.'"

"Him?"

"Yeah," he muttered, "It's _him_ , Xara. But he doesn't have his heart."

There was a pause. He didn't look at her. He could practically hear the gears turning in her head.

"But…" Xara said, breaking the thin silence that had come upon them, "That's not… possible. You-"

"Exploded his heart?" he finished, a bitter taste on his tongue.

_(He hadn't meant to, he hadn't meant to, god he'd only wanted him to go away-)_

"Yeah," he murmured, "I'm aware."

She glared at him, but this time he didn't glare back. His eyes focused on his knees. The silence returned.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't really care," Romeo said. Xara scoffed.

"That's not funny, Romeo," her voice was hard and cold, "I swear to god-"

"I'm not lying," he cut her off, too tired to bring himself to muster any proper irritation, "Go ask Jessi."

Xara was quiet. Then she growled and stood, skirting around him and storming out of the room. The door slammed behind her. He listened to her fading, stomping footsteps until he couldn't anymore, before groaning quietly and slumping to the floor, closing aching eyes. His throat closed. The numbness of his legs slowly, slowly crept away. Leaving him alone.

Alone.

* * *

"You're certain?"

"Yes," Jesse sighed, "I'm fine."

Ivor shot him a look that clearly said he didn't believe him, carefully adjusting the boy's dead arm in the sling. Cassie trailed over and handed Lukas an ice pack, who shot her a grateful look and pressed it to his wired jaw. Soren rubbed his back.

Olivia was covered in bandages and stitches, her head resting against Ellegaard's shoulder. Axel's wrist was in a cast. Petra didn't say anything as Gabriel rubbed her back.

Jessi was seated next to him, spine shrivelled and curled in on herself. She kept her eyes downcast. On his other side was Radar, Reuben curled in his lap, glasses perched somewhat precariously on the edge of his nose; turned out it was difficult to wear them when half your face is bandaged. Harper knelt in front of the intern and helped adjust them.

Over on the other couch, Stacy and Sparklez were wrapped in blankets, somewhat out of it due to the amount of medication they were on. They had broken their backs, although Sparklez was worse off then Stacy, and were only recently out of surgery. Ivor had wanted to keep them in bed longer.

"Is everyone ready?" Otto asked, the remote in his hands. There were a few nods. Jesse swallowed. Ivor gave his good hand a comforting squeeze.

Otto nodded, breathed deeply, and pointed the remote at the screen. It lit up, but the screen remained gey-ish black for a long moment. Otto hesitated and pressed the button again. After a moment, the screen flickered.

Ocean blue water, the sea temple standing tall before them. Jesse's helmet gleamed dimly as he looked around, taking in his surroundings with narrowed eyes. In the distance, he saw one of the Guardians swimming along.

"Wait- what's happening?" Axel cut in, blinking a few times, "Didn't we leave off with Jesse getting his… you know?"

"His arm blasted off?" Cassie said, bluntly. Soren shot her a look. Jesse winced, gripping his numb arm.

"It must have… reset," Ellegaard murmured, brow furrowing thoughtfully, "I'm pretty certain we've seen this part before."

Horror crossed Radar's face- what they could see of it, anyway, "We have to watch that _again?_ "

Ellegaard winced and didn't answer.

Onscreen, Jesse's brow furrowed/ The Guardian lazily turned. It spotted him.

Its tail jerked back and forth rapidly, propelling it forward like a released arrow, its one eye sparking with light and glaring hard. Its body swelled and orange spikes jutted out. Jesse's eyes widened.

"Oh," Cam groaned weakly, "I can't… I can't watch this again."

Harper gripped Jesse's good hand. The boy abruptly realised that his fingers were shaking.

Just in the nick of time, Jesse leapt out of the way of the Guardian, everything painfully slow in the water. A colourful beam shot from its eye and narrowly missed him- and that's when they saw it. Jesse's left arm was glitching badly in sparks of black and colour.

"Holy crap!" Jack exclaimed, holding back a grimace, "What the hell?"

"What the heck is wrong with his arm?!" Petra yelled, automatically looking up at Gabriel. He shook his head apologetically.

"I'm… I'm unsure."

Onscreen, Jesse spun around and hastily began to make his way after Petra and the others. He hopped up onto the first step, just as Petra looked over and pointed.

_"Jesse! Behind you!"_

"Oh, please no," Harper murmured. Ivor sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. Jessi looked away. Her brother stared at the screen as though entranced.

The boy twisted around, painfully slowly in the water, his arm continuing to glitch. A beam, flashing orange and yellow and purple and blue, hit the step almost directly next to Jesse; it exploded in a spray of dust and rubble; he jolted back, startled, and spun around. In the dark of the depths, a single glowing eye glared. With his glitching arm, Jesse reached over his shoulder and pulled out his sword.

"That looks weird," Maya muttered.

Jesse leapt up, raising his blade in his glitching hand; the Guardian zipped closer, tail jerking side to side, spikes jutting out; his blade glinted against the glow of its eye as he prepared to bring it down through its bloated body.

Abruptly, Ivor jerked around and covered Jesse's eyes.

And he did. Sharp, enchanted diamond drove through scaly flesh and the Guardian burst into dust. Jesse hit the sandy ground, arm giving a particularly violent glitch, and staggered slightly. He froze.

"He did it," Lizzie gaped, "Holy crud, he did it."

"But… I don't… what the heck's going on?" asked Binta. No one had an answer.

Onscreen, Jesse twisted around and began to hastily make his way back to the others, _"We gotta move!"_

Behind him, a hoard of Guardians were steadily making their way towards them.

"Oh gravel," Harper breathed, a rather pasty tone to her cheeks, "Oh gravel, oh gravel, oh gravel."

The group of adventurers leapt up the rest of the temple's demolished stairs, the Guardians closing in ten times faster. Jack pointed to the wall before them.

 _"There!"_ he yelled, as the screen zoomed in, the hole roughly chest height right in the wall, _"That's where the Gauntlet goes!"_

Warden glanced at Romeo out the corner of his eye, trying to not be too obvious in it. He'd expected the Admin to be grinning or smirking or something- his Champion was, after all, progressing quite well, despite the… arm incident- but he wasn't. In fact, he didn't even seem to be paying that much attention to the screen at all.

Jack drew his sword, turning to the incoming horde of Guardians. Petra quickly did that same, Nurm stepping back so that he was closer to Jesse, his limbs trembling. The boy hastily made his way over to the wall.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Nell chanted, bouncing in her seat. Mevia shot her a small look that was supposed to show irritation, but for the first time, she failed spectacularly. Otto hastily turned his head back to the screen to hide his twitching lips.

Stumbling, not daring to look back, Jesse reached the wall; the Gauntlet-shaped hole was just below his chin. Taking a deep breath, he drew his arm- the one with the Gauntlet encased around his hand, the one that wasn't glitching (the one he still had)- back and thrust it inside.

It went almost all the way up to his shoulder. The ring around the hole glowed a bright turquoise.

"Whoo!" Nell shot to her feet, fist pumping the air. Mevia shook her head.

Almost immediately, some kind of sonic wave burst from the sea temple, almost sending the group flying backwards. It cut through the Guardian's like a sharpened knife, slicing scales; they all flashed red and soon were dust in water.

"They're all dead," Radar gasped, "They're all dead!"

Grinning widely behind her helmet, Petra turned to Jesse and sheathed Miss Butter. Jesse glanced back at her, released a small breath, and tugged his arm free. To his slight relief, it slid out without resistance, the ring around the hole continuing to glow.

As he stepped back, the tall prismarine wall shuddered and, inch by inch, jerked its way into the ground. Before them was a dark maw.

 _"Awesome,"_ Jesse breathed. His arm kept glitching. And behind them-

"Look out!" Aiden yelled.

Petra gave a small laugh, _"That's amai- ah!"_

More Guardians had appeared behind them, glowing eyes almost scowling at them. Flashing beams of purple, orange, blue, pink narrowly missed them, exploding prismarine instead of skulls. The group twisted around to look, eyes wide and faces pale behind the glass of their helmets and beneath the glow of the evil eyes. Jack was the first to move.

 _"Quick!"_ he yelled, swimming towards the doorway, _"Get inside!"_

Porkchop cackled, "Swim, fishies, swim!"

Slab leant away from them.

The wall began to jerk back upwards, much quicker than it had gone down. More flashing beams caused prismarine to crack and explode, narrowly missing Jesse multiple times. He pushed off, swimming even with his glitching arm, and only narrowly making it through the gap before the door slammed shut, cutting off the glowing eyes of the incoming Guardians.

With the wall, everything became darkness.

Ivor regarded the dark loading screen for a long moment, before releasing a shaky breath and wrapping his arms around Jesse. The boy blinked up at him in surprise, before leaning into him, ignoring the interested look Stella was shooting them.

"Well," he said, quietly, "You didn't lose your arm."

"What the hell happened, then?" Petra asked, her voice coming out perhaps a bit sharper than she intended it to, "Why did it do that? Why is his arm like that? Why is his _actual_ arm like _that?_ "

She jabbed a finger at his limp arm, only held up by the sling. Jesse winced and looked away.

No one answered her.

After a long pause, Petra huffed and scrubbed at her aching forehead. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just hope it goes away and he doesn't freaking die when this actually happens, yeah?"

"What do you want us to do, kid?" Magnus asked, not quite glaring, "Huh? We got no control here."

"I- I dunno, just- _something!_ "

Gabriel put a hand on Petra's shoulder, "We can't do anything right now. But we'll figure it out. Alright?"

She looked up at him, jaw clenched. Finally, she turned back to the screen with a scowl.

"Whatever."

Jesse sighed, leaning his full weight onto Ivor and closing his eyes. He was abruptly rather tired. Next to him, Jessi shifted awkwardly and kept her gaze to the floor.

The screen's loading square went round.

Round and round and round.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you escape the Guardians? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Yes, I am very much aware that the above question is very crap, but no choices were made, so.
> 
> I'm really sorry that this chapter is a lot shorter than the usual chapters, but my schedule was a bit tight (and I kept procrastinating). I hope it'll do, though.
> 
> Also! I've started a webcomic over on Tumblr called Withered (I realised too late that there was already a fic on here called that, but my friends insisted it was fine, so I hope no one minds- especially the person that wrote the fic. Great name choice, by the way). You can find it under witheredmcsm.
> 
> If you can't find it that way, I've also reblogged the cover on my main blog (toni4eyes) and the Movie Mode Ask Blog (moviemodeasktheaudience). This comic is my version of an MCSM Last of Us AU (you don't need to know anything about the Last of Us). Raintag is already writing a similar AU here on called All That Remains, I've got their permission to make the comic anyway and you should definitely check out their stuff, it's seriously good.
> 
> Uhhhh, I think that's everything. Sorry again that this is so short and just barely making it Wednesday. I hope you don't mind too much. I'll try and make the next chapter better. In the meantime, check out Withered!
> 
> See you guys soon! Hope you're all doing good.


	103. What Remains of Friends (And What Remains of You)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sucks in deep breath* HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPY BIIIIIIIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAY TO YOUUUUUUUUUU! HAAAAAAAAPPY BIIIIIIIIIIIIRTHDAAAAAAAY TO YOOOUUUUUUUUUUU! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPY BIIIIIIIRTHDAAAAAAY DEAR RAAAAAAAINNYYYY! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPY BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRTHDAY TOOOOOOOOOO YOUUUUUUUUUUU!

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part One Hundred and Three: What Remains of Friends (And What Remains of You)**

* * *

_So come along._

* * *

The black faded to the deep tint of the ocean blue, Jesse swimming into view. He was followed by Petra, Jack and Nurm, their enchanted helmets glowing dimly beneath the water. From below them, sponge blocks shot up and abruptly sucked the water from the room, leaving the group to tumble rather ungracefully to the prismarine floor.

"At least that means no more Sea Guardians," Harper mumbled. Jesse leaned into her slightly.

Petra, Jesse and Jack climbed to their feet and tugged off their helmets, gasping for breath. Nurm tugged off his own helmet from where he was still sprawled on the floor, mumbling something. Jack hurried over to help him up.

 _"Now,"_ Jesse sighed, shaking water from his armour- to the relief of many audience members, his arm had returned to normal, "If we're sure that we all have our limbs…"

Multiple audience members winced. Jesse's fingers trailed over the skin of his numb arm.

_"How 'bout we find that Structure Block?"_

He began to lead them deeper into the temple, the room steadily opening up into a massive cavern lined with towering colossus statues. The group were walking along a prismarine bridge roughly stomach height of them, their legs disappearing into the abyss below them. As they came closer, their enormous heads turned with a heavy metallic clunking. Their dark eyes began to glow an ocean green, staring down at the small group.

"Oh, holy crap," Maya said, eyes wide, "How is that- How are they- what?"

"That is so _creepy,_ " breathed Lizzie. Dan nodded in agreement.

Onscreen, Nurm made a few distressed humming sounds. Jack breathed shakily.

 _"I forgot they did that,"_ the adventurer murmured, voice rather strained.

 _"Okay,"_ Petra said, taking a small step closer to the others, _"That's not normal."_

"You're telling me," Magnus muttered. Gabriel wrapped an arm around Petra's shoulders, brow furrowing deeply.

Huddling a bit closer together, the group began to make their way across the bridge. Jack cleared his throat, although was only semi-able to keep the tremble out of his voice.

 _"Pretty- Pretty impressive, right, Petra?"_ he asked, the giant cavern causing his voice to echo loudly, _"If you look closely, the carvings on this prismarine aren't like anywhere else in the world."_

As they walked, the heads turned. A shiver wracked Jesse's spine.

_"Oh, man, those things are creepy."_

"Ugh, yeah," murmured Petra. Radar winced and shifted a tiny bit closer to Jesse.

 _"Really?"_ asked Petra. Jack nodded.

_"Yup. Completely unique. No one's quite sure why… but you'll never have an experience like this again."_

Nurm hummed something. Petra blinked.

_"What'd he say?"_

_"He said, uh, he agrees,"_ said Jack, _"And that you're super lucky to be here with me."_

Dan raised his eyebrows, lips twitching in faint amusement, "I mean… that's not _exactly_ what he said."

Stacy raised her eyebrows at him, "You speak Villager?"

"Of course- how else would I speak to Dr Trayaurus?"

 _"My brain can barely process them as statues, they're so big,"_ Petra declare. Jesse gave a small laugh.

_"Right? And what's up with their faces? They don't even look, y'know, like people."_

"Kinda the point," Romeo murmured, too low for anyone to catch. His fingers traced the messily done bandage around his arm.

 _"I know,"_ Jack gave a heavy sigh, _"I hate them."_

Nurm hummed something, raising his eyebrows. Jack hastily continued.

_"Uh, no, Nurm, there's nothing wrong with 'not people.' C'mon, geez."_

The real Nurm hummed something. Jack, who was a little pale in the cheeks, just shook his head and patted his shoulder.

"Very funny, Nurmie."

They continued walking, the heads continuing to follow with their glowing green eyes. Jack's gaze darted from one side to the next, his breathing beginning to quicken. The heads watched, the grinding of stone on stone as their necks steadily twisted, hard eyes brightly lit. Jack abruptly stopped, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. He seemed to have turned a bit pale.

 _"I… um… I- I'm gonna need a sec,"_ he gasped, resting his hands on his knees, _"Just to… check my enchantments. Yeah."_ he turned so that his back was to them, although the audience could see his drawn face and shaky hands. _"Gotta… make sure they're all there."_

"Is he okay?" Gill murmured. Aiden shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"You gotta cut the guy some slack, though," Maya butted in, "He lost his friends here, remember?"

Aiden winced, "Oh, yeah. Good point."

Nurm frowned, looking concerned. Petra raised an eyebrow. _"Okaaay… well, I'm gonna scout ahead."_

She continued on. Jesse watched her go, before turning to Jack, whose breathing had grown incredibly laboured. His hands were on his knees again, head bowed and hair dangling in his face. Nurm gave a concerned hum.

"Yikes," Aiden murmured, his eyes flickering briefly to Cassie. He still remembered when they'd been stuck in the closet together. That felt like a lifetime ago.

 _"What's wrong?"_ Jesse asked, brow creasing in worry. Jack gasped for breath and hastily jerked his head in a shake.

 _"Nuh- uh- nothing. Nothing. Must've hit a patch of- of soul sand or… or something,"_ he wiped the sweat from his brow, still gasping for breath, _"Ooh, whoa, it's, uh… s'got me, uh, frozen in place. Nnnug, I'll- I'll be alright!"_

"That doesn't sound alright," murmured Binta. Xara eyes flickered to Romeo. He was frowning at the screen, and didn't seem to notice. The real Jack groaned quietly and covered his eyes. Nurm squeezed his shoulder.

 _"I know it's pretty intense,"_ said Jesse, stepping closer but not touching him, _"But you don't have to be scared, Jack."_

Jack released a trembling breath, turning to look at him. His face was apologetic. _"But this was way harder than I thought it would be. Hooo boy."_

 _"You're going to be okay,"_ Jesse assured. Jack forced himself to take a few deep breaths and shot the young man a small, grateful smile.

_"You're right. Thanks, Jesse."_

Harper gave the real Jesse a small squeeze. He gave her a small smile and rested his cheek on her shoulder.

Jesse opened his mouth to say something- but Petra's yelling voice bounced off the walls before he could.

_"Guys, hey! I found something!"_

Gabriel released a small breath. Petra blinked up at him and frowned slightly.

"I can handle myself, you know," she whispered. The warrior glanced down at her and gave her a small squeeze.

"I know," he said, "I'm afraid I can't help but worry."

"Still."

Gabriel just gave her a small smile.

The screen cut to briefly show Petra at the bottom of a long line of birch stairs. It returned to Jesse and Jack, the former turning to make his way towards her.

 _"Uh, be right there!"_ Jack yelled back, reaching out and grabbing Jesse's arm. The young man shot him a confused look, and the one eyed adventurer lowered his voice. _"Hey, uh… let's, uh, just keep this between you and me, huh, amigo?"_

Magnus raised an eyebrow, "Uh… I mean, I guess that's understandable."

 _"She's a fan,"_ Jack admitted, lowering his voice further, _"It's… nice. Look, you've got no idea how it feels. To have everyone around you think you're some… has-been."_

Lukas said something, but it was muffled with his wired jaw. Cassie leant closer.

"What?"

He said it again, a bit slower. Cassie's brow furrowed for a moment, before it cleared.

"Ohhh, okay," she said, pulling away, "He says that Jack kinda treated Jesse and Petra as a 'has-been' back at his shop."

"Eh, he kinda did," Axel shrugged, "Although I think Jack's been dealing with it for a lot longer."

Lukas nodded in agreement, mumbling something else. Soren ruffled his hair.

 _"I don't think Petra needs to hear about it,"_ Jack continued, Jesse glancing over his shoulder to where Petra was waiting with a small frown, _"So… just hush on it."_

 _"Don't worry, Jack,"_ Jesse shot him a smile, _"We all get scared from time to time."_

 _"Yeah, yeah…"_ Jack let go of his arm, although he was frowning, _"I guess."_

He was quiet for a moment, before giving Jesse a small, somewhat awkward smile, _"Hey, uh… thanks."_

Jesse returned his smile. Petra climbed up the last of the stairs behind them.

 _"I found the next door down there,"_ she said, _"But it needs that glove thingy of yours."_

"Oh, joy," murmured Milo, "More magic gloves."

Reginald gave a grunt of agreement.

Jack, Nurm and Jesse glanced at each other. Petra placed her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow.

_"What's keeping you guys?"_

_"Uh… uh… nothing,"_ Jack said, a tad hastily, _"Absolutely nothing. Let's check it out."_

He passed her, beginning to make his way down the stairs, Nurm following. Petra blinked after them, then turned to Jesse and shrugged. She followed them. Taking one last glance over his shoulder at the towering colossus statues watching them in eerie silence, Jesse went after them.

"Least that's the last we see of them," said Slab. Clutch grunted.

"Hopefully."

Facemeat groaned, "Don't say that. Facemeat don't like that."

Em patted his shoulder.

Jesse paused at the top of the stairs, blinking at the massive symbol, glowing a cyan green-blue, way ahead. He made an appreciative sound.

_"Okay, that is cool."_

"Of course it is," Warden said, and glanced at Romeo. The redhead wasn't paying enough attention to really notice.

 _"Sure,"_ Jack grunted, turning to look up at the young man, _"Let's see how 'cool' you think it is when your life is on the line."_

"Comforting," Ivor said, tongue dripping with sarcasm, "That is incredibly comforting."

Jesse raised an eyebrow. Jack continued, his face darkening.

_"Inches from the abyss."_

Nurm hummed something. Jack planted his hands on his hips and shot him a look.

_"I know what I'm talking about, Nurm."_

Petra scratched the back of her neck, _"Pretty, uh… pretty intense, though."_

Jesse glanced away, pressing his lips together. He continued down the stairs, making his way past them. Jack raised an eyebrow.

 _"Can't tell if that's a stoic silence or a scared silence,"_ he and the others followed the young adventurer, _"But either works, I guess."_

"I mean, fair," Stampy shrugged. Harper gave Jesse another squeeze. Ivor reached out and squeezed the boy's knee. Jessi awkwardly glanced away.

They reached the bottom of the stares, and Jesse approached the glove-shaped hole in the wall that was identical to the one that had been outside. He drew his arm back and punched his trapped fist into it, the square around it lighting up.

He pulled his arm free, just before the wall began to stagger upwards. The group made their way into the room, glancing around. They'd only just stepped inside when the wall practically fell back down behind them, making them jumped away with startled noises.

Anthony winced, "No going back that way."

The group glanced at each other, silently making sure none of them were hurt. Jesse gave a small nod and they turned back to face the room.

It was incredibly big, long and tall but not particularly wide. Black cages hung side by side along the walls in two rows of four, their contents hidden from view, their bottoms glowing a deep, menacing red. They were on a heightened part, a set of stairs leading down, and on the other side of the room was a second set of stairs. The room may not have been as wide as it was long, but it was certainly wide enough to fit the two massive pedestals on either side, and on those pedestals were somethings that were quite impossible.

Two giant blocks of floating water. Hovering in thin air, nothing to keep it in place, and yet staying in place it was. Inside these blocks were two Guardians, one for each.

"What the _freak_ is that?!" Petra exclaimed. Aiden laughed nervously.

"Uh… so- so much for no more Guardians."

"Oh," Jesse whispered, a bit weakly. Harper held him tighter.

Onscreen, Jesse got approximately three steps down the stairs before he came to an abrupt halt. The Guardians turned to look at them. Jesse slowly began to back up the steps.

_"Guys?"_

A strange buzzing filled the air.

_"MOVE!"_

They leapt out of the way just before the phasing beam of colour shot from the Guardian's eyes, chipping off the top of the prismarine they'd been standing on. The group hid behind a wall next to the stairs, eyes wide. Jesse breathed shakily.

 _"Whoa, that was too close,"_ he said.

"You're telling me," Ivor groaned.

 _"Do you remember any of this, Jack?"_ Jesse asked. The oldest adventurer seemed to think for a moment, unsure.

_"Hnn… uh… it's all a blur."_

"Thankfully," the real Jack murmured to himself. Nurm hummed, and the adventurer shook his head.

"I'm fine, Nurm."

 _"It's a test, though,"_ he continued, _"To see whether 'the adventurer is worthy of the Structure Block.' Yeah."_

"How do you know that?" Olivia asked. Jack hesitated, then sighed.

"Uh… Vos figured it out," he explained, "Had this big book thing. It took us almost a year to find out what to do about the Gauntlet. Sammy had her hand stuck in it the whole time."

"Oh," Jesse winced, "Uh… I hope I get it off sooner than that."

"Let's hope it's under better circumstances as well."

Warden tutted and rolled his one visible eye, "None of you have any idea what you're talking about."

They shot him a few strange looks.

"Oh, and you do?" Jack asked, a bite in his voice. Warden looked at Romeo, as though to silently ask if he was allowed to continue, and almost squeaked when he realised the redhead's glowing yellowing eyes were narrowed into a hard glare. He hastily spun to face the screen again.

"Nuh- Nothing."

"Uh…" Harper raised an eyebrow, "Alright, then."

She glanced at Ivor. He shrugged at her.

Onscreen, Jesse peered around the wall to look at the floating water and the Guardian- which was still glaring in their direction- searching for anything they could use. The screen steadily began to turn red, time tick tocking as its beam quickly recharged; it zoomed in on the strange cages hanging on the ceiling.

 _"What are_ those _things for?"_ Jesse asked, although none of them had an answer, _"It looks like it's made of glowing obsidian."_

"Glowing obsidian," Soren murmured, eyes practically sparkling, "How interesting…"

Jesse quickly ducked behind the wall again, out of sight of the Guardian. After a moment, he peeked back out. The screen, beginning to turn red again, zoomed in on the prismarine patterned wall behind it.

_"Jack? Is that, uh, dark prismarine?"_

Jack grunted, _"Or something like it."_

"Dark prismarine?" Cassie echoed, raising her eyebrows. Soren clicked his tongue.

"Intriguing. If only I could get some…"

Again, Jesse ducked behind the wall. After a moment, he peered out and the screen began to go red again. It zoomed in on some sponges sitting next to the raised platforms.

_"Sponges, cool, it's like we saw at the entrance. Those are really good at soaking up water."_

"Perhaps you could use them?" suggested Otto.

The screen zoomed in on the floating water this time, the Guardian glaring at him.

 _"Alright,"_ said Jesse, _"Should be able to use those sponges to soak up the… floating water the Guardians are in."_ Shaking his head, Jesse pulled away to look at the others. _"Water… floating in mid-air? That should be impossible!"_

"Yes, thank you for noticing," Binta murmured.

Nurm hummed something that sounded rather ominous. Jack rolled his eyes.

 _"Well, if I know one thing,"_ he said, _"It is definitely_ not _the Admin."_

Anthony laughed nervously and hastily munched on a cookie Lizzie and Dan shot him curious looks.

Nurm hummed something else, sounding annoyed. Jack groaned.

_"He won't listen to me anymore."_

_"Guys,"_ said Petra. Nurm hummed again.

_"Why are you being so fight-y, Jack? C'mon."_

Aiden snorted quietly, "Fight-y."

"It's a word," Jesse protested. Harper shook her head, lips twitching.

"It's not, Poppy Seed."

"It is when I say it."

 _"Because I refuse to believe that there's some all-powerful dude running around, playing games with my life,"_ Jack growled.

Binta gave a small laugh that held no humour, shooting Romeo a glare, "Don't we all?"

He ignored her.

 _"Well, I don't know about an Admin,"_ said Petra, _"But I really, really don't like that floating water."_

"I mean, it's pretty awesome, though," Axel said. Magnus nodded in agreement. Olivia and Ellegaard shared a small, unimpressed look.

 _"Alright, enough with the Admin junk,"_ Jack cut back in, _"You said you saw sponges to soak up that stupid floating water, right?"_

Jesse nodded, glancing back at the pile of sponges at the base of the Guardian's raised platform, _"Yeah."_

Radar breathed deeply, "Oh, here we go."

 _"Right,"_ said Jesse, turning his gaze back to them, _"So we're going to use the sponges on the floating water, dry it up and that should take out the Guardians."_

"Seems like an alright plan…" Stacy murmured, wincing as she shifted. Stampy hummed uncertainly.

 _"Dibs on that job,"_ Jack said, _"I think those stupid fish owe me."_

Nurm nodded in agreement. Petra rubbed her chin.

_"Okay… but someone's going to need to run the other way and distract the Guardians, right? Buy you guys time?"_

"Oh, boy," Harper murmured. Ivor and Gabriel looked from their respective kid to each other.

 _"Wouldn't mind having some backup,"_ Jack hummed, _"Whoever isn't doing the running."_

Petra and Jesse looked at each other. The young man seemed to think for a moment, then jerked his head in a single nod.

_"Okay, I'll run and keep the Guardians off your back. You and Jack do the sponges."_

Ivor sighed, "Naturally."

Petra shrugged, "I mean, both jobs are equally dangerous, though, aren't they?"

"I th'nk th' _'ait_ is 'in'a 'ore 'an'erous," Lukas said. Petra blinked at him.

"What?"

The blond just sighed and shrugged at her, absently rubbing his aching jaw. Soren ran his fingers through his hair. Dewey the Ocelot purred and curled against the blond's leg.

The group made their way out of hiding and to the stairs, preparing to run. Jack and Nurm turned to each other, grinning, and swung their forearms together, hands clenched into fists. The Villager nodded to him and pulled back so that he was out of the way.

"Cool handshake," Maya said. Jack and Nurm beamed.

"Thank you."

 _"Okay, everyone,"_ said Jesse, he, Petra and Jack standing at the ready, _"Let's go nuts."_

Jack jerked his head in a single nod, _"Ready."_

Petra did as well, _"Ready."_

_"Then GO!"_

Jesse ran out from behind cover, jumping down the stairs, _"Hey, laser lips!"_

The Guardian's eyes immediately snapped to him, beginning to glow. Bright, glowing beams shot out and narrowly missed him.

_"Whoa, boy!"_

"I don't think I can look," Olivia groaned, burying her face into Ellegaard's shoulder. Radar winced and covered his own face.

"Me neither."

For a brief moment, the screen slowed down as Jesse became level with the two Guardians, their glaring eyes turning to look at him. Then it sped up again and he abruptly leapt into the air with an excited yell, narrowly missing the sizzling beam of colour that hit the spot he'd been standing not moments before.

"Oh gravel," Harper groaned, wincing and turning her head away, although she kept one eye cracked open to see what's happening. Jesse shrunk a little closer to her brother.

The second Guardian's eye glowed brighter. Jesse ducked down and rolled, a beam of flashing colour zapping where he'd been and cracking the prismarine. The screen cut to just behind the Guardian, glaring down at the still running Jesse, everything tinted blue from the water.

 _"What's it like being ugly_ and _bad at your job?!"_

"Hah, burn," Magnus grinned.

For a brief moment, the screen slowed down again, leaving the tint of blue. Then the first Guardian shot its flashing beam and the whole room seemed to shake from the force of it, right on Jesse's heels, following him for a terrifying moment as he swerved and got out of the way. The young man glanced over at the second Guardian, just in time for it to shoot its own beam at him; he ducked, almost fell over, and darted away and around, practically being chased at this point.

"Oh my god," Olivia moaned.

"Well, isn't this exceedingly dangerous?" Ivor murmured. Jack shrugged one shoulder.

"I did warn ya."

"I think our future selves chose the wrong time to go on vacation, Poppy," Harper said. Ivor nodded in agreement.

Jesse leapt up onto the stairs at the other end of the room, skidding behind the wall and out of fire. He panted, laughing slightly.

 _"Whoo! Made it,"_ he grinned, before leaning over to see what was happening. He was just in time to spot Petra leaping up at one of the blocks of floating water, sponge in hand, and with one hit it was all sucked away. The Guardian began to flash red and flopped to the floor.

 _"Booyah!"_ the redhead exclaimed.

Gabriel grinned proudly.

She drew her sword and shoved it through its hard scales, leaving it to puff into dust. Grinning, Jack ran over to the other Guardian, sponge in hand, preparing to leap up and finish it. But then he stopped, his grin fading. His arm drooped.

 _"Oh no,"_ he murmured, _"No, no."_

"What?" said Cam, "What is it?"

Jesse peered further around the wall. The Guardian turned away from him to look at Jack, its one eye beginning to glow brightly again. The screen zipped out to show that he wasn't looking at the monster, though; no, he was looking at the pile of inventory just below it, the corpse of a friend. Leather pants, iron chestplate, a bow and a glass bottle. The adventurer's voice shook as the eye glared brighter.

_"Sammy…"_

"Oh," Radar breathed, "Oh no."

The real Jack's breathing caught in his chest. Nurm hummed something, immediately looking worried. He didn't seem to notice. Olivia covered her mouth with a bandaged hand. Nell unconsciously reached out to grip Mevia's sleeve; the blue-haired woman let her.

 _"Jack? Jack!"_ Petra called, _"Jesse, we've got a Jack problem!"_

Jesse leapt down from the stairs, dashing to where Jack stood frozen. Petra grabbed her sponge block.

_"Jesse! Catch!"_

She threw it, and Jesse caught it. He skidded around to face the Guardian and its block of floating water, jumping up and hitting it with the sponge. Immediately, the water was soaked up, leaving the Guardian to flop helplessly to the floor. Jesse drew his blade and ran forward, leaping up on the platform. He slashed through the scaly hide of the monster; it flashed red, once, twice, and then poofed into dust and inventory.

Ellegaard released a breath, "Hopefully that's the last of them."

"Yeah, no kidding," Magnus murmured.

Jack stared at the remains of the Guardian, before he groaned quietly and fell to his knees; behind him, Nurm was running over.

 _"I'm… I'm so sorry,"_ Jack croaked, as Jesse jumped off the platform to stand next to him, looking worried. Nurm hummed something quietly, but Jack just groaned again. Petra trailed over hesitantly.

_"Jack… ?"_

_"Jack, are you okay?"_ Jesse asked lowly, his voice soft, _"I thought you had this."_

"Apparently not," Hadrian mumbled. Otto shot him a look.

 _"No… I'm- I'm not okay,"_ Jack admitted, shakily. He glanced back at Nurm. _"I didn't deserve our awesome, cool-guy handshake, before."_

Nurm hummed sadly. Breathing a shaky sigh, Jack pushed himself to his feet.

 _"I'm really sorry, everyone,"_ he said, his eyes oddly shiny; he gestured to the inventory with a trembling hand, _"That pile of inventory there? That was my friend… Sammy."_

"That… That must be horrible," Radar muttered. The real Jack closed his own shining eyes and reminded himself to breathe.

 _"Jack…"_ Petra whispered. The adventurer shook his head, taking a deep breath.

 _"No,"_ he said, _"I don't need your pity. I don't… I don't deserve it,"_ he stepped closer to the pile of Sammy's inventory, taking it in, his face pale, _"I need to be alone right now."_

Binta shook her head, eyes downcast. Just another victim to Romeo's game.

Jack reached out, beginning to carefully- delicately- gather up Sammy's remains, _"Whatever's left of Vos…"_ with the remains in hand, he began to trudge to a secluded corner, _"Must be somewhere down here too."_

"Maybe we shouldn't have pressured him into taking us," Petra muttered. Gabriel shook his head and rubbed her back.

"He was the only one able to take you."

"I know, but… still."

They watched him go. Jesse turned to Petra, face hard.

 _"I don't know about you,"_ he said, _"But I want out of this room,"_ he glanced around her, to the opposite stairwell, which Nurm was climbing, _"Structure Block's gotta be close."_

"Yeah," said Gill, twisting his fingers, "Shouldn't be too much further now, right?"

Jack only grunted in response.

Petra glanced over at the stairs as well, before turning back to Jesse and giving him a single nod. They spread out.

Jesse made his way around the room, eyes trailing up to the strange obsidian cages dangling from the ceiling. He hummed quietly to himself.

 _"Glowing obsidian…"_ he murmured, _"So strange…"_

"This whole _place_ is strange," Em murmured. Slab nodded.

 _"Heh- Hello?"_ a voice abruptly called from one of the cages, Jesse jumping back and almost falling over in his shock, _"Ih- Is someone there?"_

"There's someone _in_ there?!" Stampy exclaimed. Dan made a weak, horrified noise.

The real Jack looked up, "Wha… ?"

 _"Uh, what?"_ Jesse said, taking a small step back, _"Hello?"_

The prisoner laughed, a sound of pure and utter relief, _"I_ thought _I heard someone! Callou callay!"_

Jack's eyes widened, "No… that… it…"

_"I think if you get the door open, my cage should open too!"_

"How the _heck_ did that guy get up there?" Axel asked. Petra shook her head, eyes wide.

"Not a clue."

 _"You know, if you don't mind,"_ said the prisoner, _"It's so nice to hear another voice after all this time!"_

 _"How'd you get up_ there _though?"_ Jesse asked.

"Hey, I just asked that."

 _"Oh, I got trapped a long time ago,"_ the prisoner explained, _"It's very smelly in here now and I'll say nothing more on the subject."_

Radar pulled a small face, wincing slightly as he tugged at his bandages, "Ew."

"No, it's not," Jack murmured, "It… He can't be…"

Nurm hummed questionably. Jack didn't even seem to hear him.

 _"I'll leave you to it,"_ the prisoner said, _"I've got a good feeling about you and that door."_

Cassie grunted, "I don't trust this guy."

Lukas grumbled something. She rolled her eyes at him.

Onscreen, Jesse glanced over his shoulder at the wall on the opposite end of the room, almost identical to the one they can come in through- although something seemed off about it. He looked back up at the cage, but the prisoner had gone silent, so he made his way over to where Petra was making her way around one of the raised platforms the Guardian's had been on. His eyes found the monster's inventory and he raised his eyebrows.

_"Wow, that is like an unnatural amount of loot to pop out of one Guardian. Let's see what he dropped."_

"That _is_ a lot," murmured Soren, raising his eyebrows. Cassie scratched Winslow's head.

"Yeah, doesn't seem like a coincidence."

Jesse peered closer, leaning against the platform. He hummed to himself. _"Okay, prismarine shards and…"_ he almost jerked back, _"Whoa! Prismarine crystals!"_

"'Ere are 'isma'ine _c'ys'als?!_ " Lukas exclaimed. Cassie sympathetically patted his shoulder.

"We have no idea what you're saying."

Lukas blinked at her, then grumbled quietly. She patted him again, trying to hide a smile.

 _"Ha! Sweet drop!"_ Petra grinned, _"Those are mega rare."_

Nodding in agreement, Jesse scooped the immense amount of loot into his arms, _"Mine!"_

He glanced over his shoulder to see Petra making her way over to the other pedestal, scooping up the second Guardian's loot. He pocketed his own.

"Awesome," Soup murmured.

Jesse made his way over to Petra, who had returned to looking around.

 _"How are you doing over here?"_ he asked. The young woman came to a stop, brow creased slightly.

 _"Okay,"_ she said, after a moment, _"I can't stop thinking about what happened with Jack."_

She looked over to where the adventurer was stood in the corner, clutching Sammy's remains to his chest. Jesse looked as well, making a small, sad noise.

_"Yeah?"_

_"Just…"_ Petra shook her head, turning her gaze back to Jesse, _"If I saw_ your _inventory pile down here… I don't think I'd be handling it much better than he is."_

"Oh… yeah," the real Petra murmured, "I don't think I would."

"Same here," Axel admitted. Jesse, Olivia and Lukas nodded as well. Jack opened his mouth to say something, but then seemed to decide against it. He just looked away and tried to ignore the tightness in his throat.

Onscreen, Jesse nodded solemnly. Petra returned to her exploring, and the young man began to make his way over to Jack. The adventurer was standing in front of a small waterfall going into a pool at his feet, but he stared right through it. He clutched his friend's remains like a lifeline.

 _"Jack?"_ Jesse spoke softly, _"You okay?"_

 _"Don't really feel like being talked to right now, Jesse,"_ Jack said, successfully keeping the tremble out of his voice, _"I'm brooding."_

Respecting this, Jesse left the adventurer alone and mounted the stairs leading up to the strange door. He looked at it, made up of brightly glowing sea lanterns and dark prismarine, but missing a few blocks, and hummed thoughtfully.

Spotting Nurm admiring a sea lantern a little further down, Jesse went over to him. _"Hey, Nurm."_

The Villager turned to him with a small noise. He looked down, shoulders slumping, humming something the young man couldn't understand. But he seemed able to put two and two together fairly well, because he nodded.

 _"Oh, yeah, you must be worried about Jack, right?"_ he asked. Nurm nodded, and Jesse shot him a reassuring smile. _"He'll be okay."_

Nurm hummed again, still looking down. Jesse bit his lip, somewhat awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, and glanced at the incomplete door.

_"Yeah, I'll… get back to this."_

The real Jack shook his head, "You don't have to worry about me, Nurm."

Nurm hummed something that caused the adventurer to smile, despite himself. He leant into the Villager slightly.

Jesse left Nurm to return to admiring the single sea lantern, making his way over to a chest. He knelt down and threw it open, humming thoughtfully as he rummaged around. _"Dark prismarine? Not quite the Structure Block, but seems useful."_

"Ooh, do try and spare some for me," Soren said. Jesse blinked at him.

"Uh… sure."

Soren beamed. Cassie rolled her eyes.

Stepping away from the chest, Jesse made his way over to a crafting table, blowing out a small breath. _"Well,"_ he said, _"Least this temple was nice enough to provide a crafting table."_

"Yeah, I think you'd be kinda screwed if it hadn't," Axel shrugged. Petra shook her head.

"You _always_ bring a crafting table with you on something like this," she said, "Or at least enough wood to make one."

Axel considered this for a moment, "Well, it doesn't look like Jesse did."

Jack gave a small, somewhat weak chuckle, "I likely have one on me."

Jesse placed the prismarine crystals down in a plus sign, then the prismarine shards into the remaining corners. The ingredients merged together, trembled for a moment, and then popped up into a newly formed sea lantern.

 _"Sea lantern!"_ Jesse grinned, squinting slightly against its bright light. He scooped it up. _"Nice!"_

Turning back to the crafting table, he used the last of his prismarine shards and crystals to make a second sea lantern. Like last time, the ingredients trembled and merged, the second sea lantern popping into existence. He pocketed this one too.

"Okay, cool, cool," Magnus nodded, "Now, uh… the heck you gonna do with them?"

Jesse shrugged one shoulder.

Onscreen, the young hero returned to the odd door, standing in front of it for a moment. His brow furrowed. _"Looks like some sort of pattern."_

Olivia blinked, "Oh. Oh, yeah, it does."

The door seemed to be complete on the left side, but the right side was missing a few blocks. Jesse looked from side to side, before nodding to himself and gesturing to the sea lanterns on the left side- there seemed to be a bit less of them on the right. _"Sea lanterns, check."_

His eyes found the dark blocks, almost completely black next to the beaming glow of the lanterns. _"Okay, and that's dark prismarine…"_

"Both of which you have," Ellegaard nodded.

For a moment, Jesse looked between the two sides. Finally, he pulled out one of his sea lanterns and slid it into place on the right side, copying the pattern portrayed on the left. Bending down, he placed a block of dark prismarine. Then, taking a small step back to look at the empty space at the very top, he pulled out another block of dark prismarine. The young man leapt it up and successfully shoved the block into place.

Slab chuckled, "He's so short."

Jesse's cheeks tinted pink, "I'm not _that_ short."

"You kinda are," Cassie drawled. Jesse grumbled to himself and Harper, chuckling, patted his back.

Taking another moment to make sure he was doing the pattern right, Jesse nodded to himself and pulled out his second sea lantern. He leapt up again, although not as high as he'd had to do before, and shoved it into place.

Magnus coughed into his fist, "Tiny."

"You're not even _trying_ to be discreet, are you?" Jesse asked. The Boom King grinned.

"Nope."

Taking his last block of dark prismarine, Jesse slipped it into the final empty space. Immediately, the floors and wall rumbled and he hastily backed away, spreading his legs in an attempt to help keep his balance. The wall parted, slipping out of sight, to reveal the corridor beyond.

"He did it!" Radar cheered. Nell whooped.

Behind him, the glowing obsidian of the two closest cages abruptly disappeared. Then the next row of two, then the next, until finally the last two were opened- and VOS fell from one with a yell, hitting the floor hard. Jesse jumped and spun around.

The real Jack sucked in a sharp breath.

Vos coughed, pushing himself to his feet and stretching, almost laughing in his relief, _"Oh, thank the tides! I'm finally free!"_

"Who _is_ that?" Dan asked. No one answered.

The ex-prisoner coughed again, working out his cramped muscles, as the others hurried over, _"It has-"_ he grunted, _"It has been a very… very long time."_

"He's alive," Jack croaked, eyes wide, "He's… He's _alive._ "

"What?" Petra frowned, "You know him?"

Nurm hummed something. Jack was too busy staring at the screen to translate.

Onscreen, Jack had the exact same expression as his offscreen counterpart. He took careful steps forward, as though unable to believe who was standing in front of him. The adventurer sucked in a sharp breath and practically threw himself at the man, hugging him hard.

_"Vos!"_

"Oh, hey, isn't that, like, one of his friends?" Nell asked. Mevia raised her eyebrows.

"How is he alive?"

"No idea," Otto murmured, stroking his beard, "Rather miraculous, isn't it?"

Binta and Cam glanced at each other. Xara peered closely at the screen, brow furrowed deeply. Romeo absently brushed his fingers against his bandaged arm again, and was forced to grit his teeth against a flare of pain.

(Since when did he feel _pain?_ )

 _"Jack!"_ Vos exclaimed, a wide smile spreading across his face. Petra's eyebrows raised to her hairline.

 _"Wait,"_ she said, _"This is another one of your adventurer friends?"_

 _"Yes!"_ Jack beamed, wrapping an arm around Vos' shoulders, _"This is my friend Vos,"_ he looked at him, smiling broadly, _"I thought you were a goner, man!"_

 _"This is unbelievable,"_ Petra murmured. Nurm hummed something, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Anthony muttered. He carefully kept his gaze to the screen.

Don't look at him.

 _"Wait,"_ Jesse frowned, planting a hand on his hip, _"How did you survive down here for so long?"_

Vos chuckled, his voice a tad hoarse, _"If you sit absolutely still, you'd be amazed at how long a stack of porkchops will last."_

Jesse's eyes widened as though he'd been struck. He blanched and looked away, throat abruptly tight.

The real Jesse winced and hugged Reuben tightly. Ivor ran his fingers through the boy's hair, pulling him close. Harper rubbed his back. Jessi tentatively reached out and brushed her fingers against his knee.

"Damn," murmured Gill, "That's cold."

"Not like he could've known, though," Maya pointed out. Gill nodded.

"Yeah, I know, but… still."

 _"Anyway, ih- it's so good to meet you,"_ Vos continued, apparently unaware of the impact of his words, _"Now, what are your names?"_

 _"I'm Jesse,"_ said the young hero, swallowing the tightness in his throat and giving an only somewhat forced smile. He gestured to his red-haired friend. _"This is Petra."_

Nurm hummed, assumingly in greeting. Vos beamed.

 _"Excellent, excellent,"_ he said, _"Well, if I'm not mistaken, you've just made it further into this temple than anyone ever before."_

"Really?" Aiden asked, raising an eyebrow, "I mean… there was only one room."

Maya shrugged, "Maybe it changes?"

"I dunno…"

Vos chuckled, _"You are truly something special."_

Jesse blinked at him, surprised. Petra's lips twitched and she shrugged.

_"He has his moments."_

The real Jesse mumbled, going a bit pink. Harper chuckled and ruffled his hair. Petra shot him a grin.

Lukas made to say something, but then remembered his jaw was wired shut and decided he'd rather not bother. Jack chuckled to himself, blowing out a small breath. His smile was huge.

"He's _alive._ "

 _"So,"_ said Vos, rubbing his cramped arm, _"Escape time, yes? Time to get out of here and leave?"_

Olivia winced, "Eh…"

Jesse raised an eyebrow at him, hand going to his hip, _"What?"_

Petra, perhaps unconsciously, almost perfectly mirrored him, _"Yeah, what?"_

Clutch blinked slowly, "That… is sort of cute."

Slab and Facemeat nodded in silent agreement.

 _"Come now, Jesse,"_ Vos said, almost desperately, _"You've made it this far! And- And you're still alive! That's a victory enough."_

"I mean… yeah, but we kinda came here for a reason," the real Jesse quietly pointed out. Harper and Ivor glanced at each other.

"Well," Ivor muttered, "Let's hope this 'Structure Block' isn't much further."

 _"Oh,"_ Petra murmured.

 _"I'd really like to see the sunshine again,"_ Vos continued, sighing wistfully, _"I hope it's as nice as I remember."_

Xara's eyes narrowed. Nurm glanced at Jack, who was hastily wiping at his shiny eyes. The Villager put an arm around his shoulders.

 _"Sorry, Vos,"_ Jesse said, sounding genuinely apologetic, _"Not until we get the treasure that we came here for."_

Petra nodded, _"Yep."_

Vos glanced between. Jack gave a heavy sigh.

 _"Even I'll admit,"_ he said, patting his friend's shoulder, _"It would be nice to finally get some closure on this place."_

 _"Well, uh- fine,"_ Vos groaned. He and Jack began to follow the other three back to the stairs and the open doorway. _"But if you get me killed after all this time, I am going to be incredibly cross."_

"Naturally, old friend," the real Jack whispered around his tight throat. Nurm gave his shoulder a small squeeze.

The group of five made their way through the doorway and down the corridor, which was decorated with prismarine and obsidian columns. Petra pulled a face.

 _"Ugh,"_ she said, _"More of those weird statues."_

Indeed, the walls were lined with statues that were almost identical to the ones they had seen earlier. Except these ones were _much_ smaller, albeit still enormous compared to the adventurers. Their heads roughly reached their prismarine stomachs.

"Creepy," Maya muttered.

 _"At least these ones aren't doing that creepy head thing,"_ Jesse pointed out. The statue's eyes remained dead and dark.

They reached the end of the corridor to another wall, another hole for the Gauntlet waiting. Jesse looked at it, then the Gauntlet, before drawing his arm back and thrusting it inside. The square ring lit up, and Jesse pulled back, allowing the wall to shoot up into the ceiling and reveal the long staircase previously hidden behind it. Almost the moment the wall slid into the ceiling with a thud, there was a low, echoey groan from behind them.

"Uh… what was that?" asked Isa. Milo winced.

"Oh, dear."

 _"That's a bad sound,"_ Jack mumbled.

The screen cut to show a pair of prismarine legs shifting and stepping forward. A row of heads on the right side of the corridor, their dead eyes alight with a green glare, turned to look at the intruders. On the left side, another row stepped out of their stations and did the same.

"Holy _crap!_ " Axel exclaimed. Radar squeaked and ducked behind Harper.

 _"Yup, very bad!"_ Petra yelled. Nurm hummed something loudly.

 _"Come on, come on, come on!"_ Jesse chanted, spinning back around and darting towards the stairs. The others hastily staggered after him, and behind them, the statues raised their enormous axes and gave chase, groaning metallically like some kind of colossus zombies.

"Run!" yelled Olivia, "Run, run, run, run, run!"

The group crossed behind the wall, and just in time; it fell down from the ceiling with a few short bursts, slamming back into the ground hard enough that they felt the tremble up their legs. There was a deafening bang, echo and groans as the living statues hit the wall.

And the screen went black.

They gaped at it. Romeo raised his eyebrows. Petra released a somewhat shaky breath.

"That was intense," she murmured. Gabriel nodded, his mouth abruptly quite dry.

Radar, suddenly realising that he was clinging to Harper's arm, squeaked and practically jerked away, "Sorry!"

Harper blinked at him, surprised, then smiled, "I don't mind."

The intern shot her a crooked, embarrassed but grateful smile. He ducked his bandaged head.

Magnus scrubbed at his forehead, leaning back against the couch. He blew out a breath.

"Are we almost done yet?" he asked. Ellegaard considered for a moment, then winced.

"I doubt it."

The Boom King groaned. Jack glanced at them, then shot Nurm a smile and leaned into his friend.

"He's alive," he said, more to himself than the Villager. He still couldn't believe it. He still hardly dared to believe it. After all this time.

His friend was alive.

Romeo kept his eyes to the dark screen.

His arm throbbed dully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you distract the Guardians or take them out? Let me know in the reviews!


	104. Under the Eye of the Colossus

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part One Hundred and Four: Under the Eye of the Colossus**

* * *

_So come along._

* * *

The group faded back into sight, panting hard as they stared at the closed doorway. Jack gave a breathless laugh.

 _"Adventuring,"_ he chuckled, _"Whoo."_

Ivor grinned slightly, "Adventure."

Harper shook her head at him, trying to stop her lips from twitching into a smile. She failed.

 _"I don't get it,"_ Petra said, tentatively moving closer to the closed doorway, listening to the statues groans, _"What are they? They're kinda zombie shaped, they sort of sound like zombies, but those are_ definitely _not zombies!"_

"You're telling me," Cassie muttered, raising her eyebrows, "Those things looked big."

"Yeah, and angry," Radar winced. Lukas patted his shoulder, mumbling something incoherent. Despite having no idea what he'd said, Radar smiled awkwardly and nodded as though he had.

Jesse looked at the floor, blowing out a small breath. He glanced over his shoulder at the long, birch stairs leading upwards, lit eerily in a deep ocean green glow. Silently, he turned away from the muffled bangs on the closed door and began to make his way up the stairs, the others soon trailing after him.

"All the stairs are birch," Cam muttered. Binta pressed her lips together. Xara's fingers curled into tight fists, digging crescent marks into her palms.

The young hero reached the top of the stairs. His eyes widened and he drew in a breath, _"Oh, wow,"_ he murmured, before running into the room, _"Wow!"_

"What?" asked Olivia, "What is it?"

 _"Vos, Nurm,"_ said Jack, as the screen panned out to reveal the large room before them, decorated in gold and prismarine and quartz, a large staircase leading up to landing after landings in a long twist across the walls. Parts of the walls themselves, most at the same level as the landings, were covered in a strange sort of prismarine; the place was lit with sea lanterns. _"We did it. We're inside!"_

 _"Oh, yes,"_ Vos laughed, almost breathless, _"And it is incredible!"_

"Incredible indeed," Soren gaped, his eyes wide, "Look at that design!"

"I've… never seen anything like it," Harper muttered. Cassie shook her head, lips moving but nothing coming out. There were murmurs of amazement amongst the audience. Romeo's lips twitched into a small smirk.

The screen panned back down, revealing some kind of archway vaguely resembling a portal on a raised platform, surrounded by a small pool of water. Jutting from this water were four different pedestals, fires flickering inside them.

 _"Okay, guys,"_ Jesse said, as the group spread out a bit; Jack, Nurm and Vos immediately mounted the stairs, _"Structure Block's gotta be in here."_

"Unless someone else has already taken it," Cassie pointed out. Everyone turned to stare at her. She blinked. "What?"

"What are you talking about?" Aiden asked. Cassie considered him for a moment, before shrugging.

"Well, Jack and his friends had their own Gauntlet, right?" she said, "Then there's a chance that there are _loads_ of Gauntlets just like it scattered about. And there's no way that Jack is the _only_ person in the entire world that knows the location of the Sea Temple."

"Way to be comforting, Cassie," Jesse deadpanned. Cassie shot him a grin.

"No problem."

 _"How do you know?"_ Petra asked, glancing over from where she'd been observing the strange archway. Jesse paused, then shrugged.

_"Just a… feeling, I guess?"_

Magnus nodded, "Always trust your gut."

"Unless it's your gut," Ellegaard drawled. Magnus put a hand on his chest, mock offended.

"Ellie! You wound me!"

Axel and Olivia shared small grins.

A shudder wracked Jack's spine from where he was standing on the first landing, _"Ugh. Creepy."_

"Fascinating, but also that," Ivor hummed.

Jesse made his way over to the odd archway, pausing in front of its base with a little frown, _"I feel like this is important, but I don't really know why."_

Xara's eyebrows went to her hairline, "The Terminal?"

Petra turned to blink at her, "The what?"

The purple haired woman looked at the redhead, then glanced over at Romeo, whose lamp-like eyes were on her. He quickly looked away. After a moment, Xara did as well and grunted.

"Nothing."

Shrugging, Jesse left the Terminal and made his way up the first set of stairs. He came to the first small landing, its floor beautifully decorated, and spotted a prismarine block carved in elaborate designs. He peered at it, an amazing smiling lighting his lips.

 _"Bet people back home have never even_ seen _prismarine before!"_

Lukas made an agreeing sound. Soren clapped his hands together.

"You _must_ bring some back."

"You're not even _in_ Beacontown," Jesse pointed out. Soren shrugged.

 _"Yeah, much less this weird-o prismarine,"_ Petra said, coming up the stairs behind him, _"So cool!"_

Jesse grinned and nodded in agreement, before making his way up the next smaller set of stairs, onto a much longer landing. Jack, Nurm and Vos were there waiting for them. He made his way over to where Jack and Nurm were observing the odd markings on the walls.

 _"You guys doing okay?"_ he asked. Jack and Nurm turned to look at him.

 _"I don't like any of it, Jesse,"_ the one-eyed adventurer admitted, _"It's giving me a bad feeling. And my instincts are better than nine ocelots tied together."_

Lukas looked down at Dewey, purring against his leg. He frowned in confusion.

 _"Oh, that doesn't even make any sense,"_ Vos groaned good-naturedly, making his way over from where he'd been looking down at the expanse room below. Jack smiled.

_"Heh. Just like old times, buddy."_

The real Jack beamed. Nurm smiled at him.

Jesse left the group, spotting one of the deep green sea lanterns at eye level. He went over, squinting in its light, and grinned. _"Man, these are bright. Love it."_

"Don't blind yourself," Ivor murmured. Jesse rolled his eyes, although his lips twitched. His fingers brushed against his numb wrist.

Looking up, the young hero spotted the runes on the wall and, cocking his head, inched closer for a better look. He looked over his shoulder at Nurm.

_"Hey, Nurm, think you could give me a hand with these?"_

The Villager glanced at the runes and nodded, moving to stand next to the young man. He began to read the runes aloud in his distinct humming language. Jack sighed.

 _"Nurmie says they say,"_ he began, _"Once the world was flat; no mountains, no rivers, no trees. Until the Admin- ugh- built the mountains, sculpted the rivers, crafted the trees."_

Xara clenched her teeth hard enough to make her jaw pop and the bones squeak against each other. So _this_ is what he's been up to. Playing God.

More like Evil Overlord.

 _"Bunch of superstitious malarky,"_ Jack grumbled. The group left the landing and climbed the stairs to the next, where another set of runes decorated the wall. Jesse made his way over to them, before glancing back at Nurm again.

_"Nurm, sorry to bother you again, but…"_

The Villager nodded, shooting him a reassuring smile, before turning to face the rooms. Again, he read them aloud, and again, Jack translated.

 _"The Admin saw that there were no more heroes worthy of his challenges,"_ the one-eyed adventurer huffed, _"So he left this world until the next great heroes emerged."_

"Oh, for the love of- this has _got_ to be a joke," Binta didn't _quite_ growl, but it was pretty close. Porkchop was grinding their teeth together hard enough that Reginald, who was sitting closest to them, winced at the sound. Xara's hands clenched and unclenched, and she had to stop herself from reaching for her sword. The Warden glanced at her wearily, and leant closer to Anthony, lowering his voice.

"Keep an eye on Prisoner X, Associate," he said, "We don't want her doing anything… rash."

Anthony hesitated, before nodding, "Of course, Warden."

Jesse glanced down at the Gauntlet gripped around his hand, brow furrowed deeply. Jack grumbled and shot Nurm an unimpressed look.

 _"Can't believe you buy into this stuff. That's_ obviously _just the cop-out way of saying 'he never_ really _existed.'"_

Nurm made a noise that might've been his version of a huff.

Romeo didn't bother to hide his growing smirk. His arm twitched in slight pain, which went off like distant fireworks at the base of his skull, and he winced, smirk immediately falling. This hadn't been what he wanted. He'd wanted to _forget_ , to start again, to try over. To pretend none of it had happened.

Now he was here.

Jesse climbed the next set of stairs, and this time he came to more of a prismarine bridge than a proper landing. He walked across it, the glow of the fire that had been stationed by the stairs dying in favour of the tinted light of the sea lanterns. Before him was another set of stairs, and at the top were two strange structures.

Two separate blocks glowed eerily from where they turned in mid-air, bearing the same markings that the hole in front of the Heckmoth had. Behind the one to the left was a tall structure made mostly of quartz, a bit of obsidian, and two emerald blocks. An observer was in its middle, and it was surrounded by four open-mouthed dispensers.

Behind the one on the right was a more squat structure made mostly of obsidian, although it still had the same quartz and twin emerald blocks. The observer in the middle was surrounded by the strange glowing obsidian they'd seen at the base of the cages in the Guardian's room. These structures stood on prismarine pedestals, sea lanterns lighting the floor like glowing diamonds. The Structure Blocks floated above a cluster of these lanterns arranged in a plus.

"Whoa," Radar breathed, "Look at those things."

 _"This must be it,"_ Jack said lowly, coming up next to the young hero, _"It's gotta be."_

"I can't believe there's _two_ of them," Petra said. Gabriel hummed, brow furrowing deeply.

"It cannot be this easy," he murmured, "There must be a catch."

"Maybe one of them's a fake?" Magnus suggested. Olivia groaned.

"Oh, please don't. I want things to stay quiet."

Magnus chuckled and patted her head.

 _"Look, that symbol,"_ Jesse said, pointing to one of the Structure Blocks, _"It's just like the one we saw underground!"_

"This _has_ to be it, then," said Isa. Milo nodded.

"Yes, I would think so."

Almost as soon as the words had left the young hero's mouth, the glove- which was on the hand he was pointing with- began to glow the same deep sea green as the eyes of the statues, that echoing whisper calling out once more.

_"Jeeeeeeeeesssseeeeeeee…"_

Radar shuddered, "That's so creepy."

The glow died. Jesse took in a deep breath and turned his attention back to the two slowly spinning blocks.

_"The Structure Block."_

Nurm's eyes flickered to the side and he exclaimed something. Jack turned as well.

 _"Nurm says there's some writing here,"_ the adventurer translated, _"Old runes."_

"Some more of those?" asked Lizzie.

The Villager jumped up a bit to get a better look at the runes, beginning to read them aloud like he'd done the previous ones. Jack, again, translated.

 _"The Admin's Gifts… declaring your path,"_ he said, _"Choose wisely,"_ he looked back at the others and shrugged, _"That's all he's got."_

The group seemed to consider this for a moment. Petra scratched the back of her neck.

_"I guess you can only take one."_

"That, or taking the _wrong_ one will cause the whole place to, like, _explode!_ " Nell exclaimed, dramatically flinging out her arms. Radar made a weak noise. Jesse winced. Mevia sighed and tugged Nell back onto the couch properly.

"Not particularly helpful."

"M'just saying."

Jesse stepped forward, eyes flickering from Structure Block to Structure Block. Vos made an odd sound in the back of his throat.

_"What? Fascinating…"_

_"Yeah, but what does it all mean?"_ Petra asked. Jack grumbled to himself.

Jesse stepped towards the one on the left, squinting at the tall structure with its quartz walls and deadly dispensers. Nurm hummed something behind him.

 _"Nurm says that one's the 'Tower of the Warrior,'"_ said Jack.

 _"Oh, wow,"_ Petra grinned, _"Yeah, I bet that could shred a gang of mobs in no time flat!"_

"Go for that one!" Magnus said, jabbing a finger at the screen, "Offensive is the best defence!"

Ellegaard shot him an unimpressed look, "That doesn't make _any_ sense."

"I make it make sense."

Jesse looked at the Tower of the Warrior for a moment longer, before trailing over to the Structure Block on the right. Nurm hummed again.

 _"Says that's the 'Wall of the Builder,'"_ Jack translated. Petra's eyes widened.

 _"That's pure obsidian!"_ she exclaimed, _"Nothing's getting through that, that's for sure."_

"Take that one," said Ellegaard, "The only reason you're here is to close that pit. An impenetrable wall is what you need."

"But the other one's got _warrior_ in its name!" Magnus protested. Ellegaard sighed.

"It shouldn't be about the name, Magnus," she said, "I could be named _Dirt Block_ and would still be the better option."

"Why would anyone name something _Dirt Block?_ "

"That's not… nevermind."

For a moment, Jesse seemed to consider, chewing absently on his bottom lip with his brow furrowed. Finally, he gave a single nod and went over to the Structure Block on the right.

 _"The Builder Path,"_ he said, _"That sounds like what we need."_

Ellegaard grinned at Magnus, "Ha."

The Boom King grumbled.

Jesse hesitated, then shrugged, carefully reaching towards the floating block, _"Well, it's supposed to be a gift, right?"_

"I can't look," Radar squeaked and ducked his head, hands hovering just in front of his eyes. He didn't press them to his face due to the fact that half of said face was still bandaged and healing, but they mostly succeeded in blocking his view either way.

The young hero's hands carefully curled around the chosen Structure Block, plucking it out of the air. The Tower of the Warrior abruptly turned white and disappeared in a small flash, causing Jesse to jump back in surprise and almost trip over his own feet. He gaped at the newly empty space.

_"Whoa."_

"Whoa indeed," Gabriel said, eyes wide. Axel shook his head.

"This is some _wicked_ magic."

"Are we really using _magic_ here?" Ellegaard asked. Axel shrugged.

"What else could it be?"

"I could likely think of something."

"Yeah, like-" Olivia straightened abruptly, only to grimace, a bit of colour draining from her cheeks. She leant against Ellegaard's legs. "Ow."

Magnus' eyes darted over to her, "You okay?"

Olivia nodded, although her face was taunt, "Yeah. I'm good."

Ellegaard carefully squeezed her shoulder, "Be a bit more careful. You're still hurt."

The girl nodded, "Okay."

Jesse stared at the empty space for a moment longer, before his eyes trailed back over to the Wall of the Builder. He looked down at the Structure Block in his hands, before blowing out a small breath and slowly turning.

The others huddled around him, the Structure Block casting shadows across their faces. Silently, they glanced at each other, before beginning to make their way back down the stairs.

"This… seems _way_ too easy," Harper admitted, regarding the screen wearily. Ivor hummed, stroking his beard.

"Well… there are those… _zombie statues_ outside."

Harper's lips pressed into a thin line, "True…"

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Jesse murmured, running his fingers across Reuben's head. He seemed to be trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince them. As always, Jessi was quiet.

Onscreen, Nurm hummed something as they walked along. Jack nodded in agreement.

_"Yeah… I can't believe we got it."_

_"Now, if only our way out wasn't blocked by those freaky soldiers,"_ said Jesse, as they came level with the stairwell down to the door. They looked down at it from where they were still standing on the lowest landing. It was silent.

"Uh… that's kinda worse?" Gill winced. Aiden and Maya grimaced.

 _"Perhaps… they went away?"_ Vos suggested, a tad hopefully. Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, there was a loud, echoing _BOOM_ and the entire room trembled.

"Whoa!" shouted Dan, almost leaping out of his seat in his surprise, "The heck was _that?"_

 _"I'm guessing no,"_ Petra grunted, spreading her legs slightly to stop herself from falling over. Jack reached out and gripped Vos and Nurm to help keep them steady, and Jesse very nearly toppled over himself. They all turned to look towards the stairs, just in time to see the first of the horde of prismarine zombie statues marching up to them.

"Oh no," groaned Harper, "You've gotta be kidding me."

"What eve _are_ they?" stressed Axel. No one had much of an answer.

Reaching the top of the stairs, the statues groaned and drew their giant axes, which were bigger than Jesse's entire head- and then some. Their glowing, glaring green eyes zeroed in on the group up on the landing and they began to march straight towards them. Petra drew Miss Butter.

"This isn't good," mumbled Otto, "This isn't good at all."

"They're gonna kick those zombie statues' butts!" Nell exclaimed. None of them seemed to share much in her enthusiasm.

Jesse hastily pocketed the Structure Block, and just in time. The group shouted as giant, prismarine arrows flew towards them. Even more zombie statues climbed up from the stairs.

 _"There are so many of them!"_ Petra yelled. An arrow narrowly missed Nurm and he cried out; Jack practically leapt in front of the Villager, drawing his sword and standing protectively.

 _"Stay behind me, Nurm!"_ he said.

"Oh, boy," the real Jack muttered, grimacing; the colour had drained from his face. If he lost his friends after all this time… if they all died there…

No. Stop thinking like that. It would be fine. It would be.

It had to be.

More of the zombie statues drew their bows and fired their giant arrows. They flew towards the group like thrown spears, and they hastily scrambled out of the line of fire. Jesse tripped over his own feet and tumbled down the last of the stairs, hitting the ground hard with a muffled grunt.

A few audience members winced.

Spear-like arrows show into the air, arching near the high away ceiling, before spiralling back down rapidly, their prismarine tips glinting in the tinted green glow of the sea lanterns. They were heading straight for Jesse.

"Move, move, move!" Olivia shouted. Harper drew in a sharp breath.

Yelling, Jesse rolled to the side. Three arrows, _much_ taller than he was, embedded themselves into the floor where he'd been lying not even a split-second before, one by one. The young hero quickly climbed to his feet and drew his sword.

Ivor let out a shaky breath, "That was far too close."

"Those arrows are so _big_ ," Petra gaped, "They would've _impaled_ him."

"Thank you, Petra, for pointing that out," Harper sighed. She unconsciously gripped Jesse a little tighter. Reuben whined in the boys' arms.

Onscreen, Jesse ran into the fray, Petra leading the group. They skidded to a stop at the last set of stairs, raising their swords as the zombie statues closed in with metallic groans. Jesse gasped, almost toppling down the stairs anyway, but Petra's hand shot out and grabbed his arm before he could. She clenched her teeth.

_"Worst. Statues. Ever."_

"No kidding," Axel muttered.

The Gauntlet began to glow again. Jesse blinked, startled, and raised his hand to look at it. The thing was practically vibrating.

"What's happening _now?_ " Soup groaned. Val glanced at her, then at the screen, before wincing.

"Uh… nothing good."

"I mean, this _is_ pretty cool," Soup continued, "But I'd rather these guys not, like, _die_ , you know?"

Still frowning at the Gauntlet, Jesse opened his mouth to say something- but he never got the chance. Because a massive, colossal hand made entirely of prismarine punched through the wall.

 _"Oh, geez!"_ Jesse yelled, _"Big hand! Very big!"_

"Oh my god!" Stampy yelped, "What the heck? _What the heck?!_ "

"Those big ones are alive _too?!_ " exclaimed Petra. Radar groaned weakly.

"Dude," Axel breathed, " _Dude_."

"I think now's a good time to escape," Mevia muttered. There were multiple nods of agreement. Jack had covered his eyes.

"This is horrible," he said, "This is cool, but it is so _horrible_."

Nurm winced and hummed.

 _"Think now might be a good time for that Structure Block?"_ Petra suggested, tightening her grip on Miss Butter. Jesse looked from her to the giant hand to the incoming zombie statues, then back to her.

_"I don't know how it works!"_

"Then figure it out!" shouted Cassie.

 _"Try everything, then!"_ Jack yelled from where he was still standing in front of a panicking Nurm. Vos backed away from the incoming zombie statues, shaking hard.

_"Now? Please?!"_

The zombie statues were beginning to march up the stairs. Jesse sheathed his sword and fumbled with the Structure Block, eyes darting from his friends to it. He took in a deep breath and raised it above his head.

_"Please work, please work, please work!"_

He slammed it into the floor at his feet. Instantly, the Wall of the Builder flashed into being in front of it, knocking the zombie statues backwards and sending them sprawling on the floor. Jesse gave a startled, disbelieving laugh.

"It worked!" Soren laughed, "Oh, it worked!"

 _"Oh, man,"_ Jessed scooped up the Structure Block, sharing a somewhat shaky grin with Petra. He pocketed it. _"Cool."_

The zombie statues threw themselves at the wall, hitting it with their giant axes and swords. They began to practically pile up against it, but the Wall of the Builder remained standing, strong and intact. Petra and Jesse looked at each other again and shared another grin.

"Well, at least that's that problem… _somewhat_ dealt with," Ivor murmured to himself. Jessi twisted her fingers.

There was another trembling rumble, the entire place shaking again. The prismarine hand shot through the temple's wall, demolishing it entirely, and revealing the glowing green eyes of one of the Colossus.

"Crap!" the real Jesse exclaimed, "Holy crap!"

"Run!" shouted Axel. Stacy, pale, frantically shook her head.

"Run _where?!_ "

The Colossus turned its massive head to peer down at the tiny group. Its mouth crumpled and twisted into something like a smile.

 _"HELLO, JESSE,"_ it said, slow and lethargic, its voice a deep rumble. Jesse took a step back.

The audience winced, the voice booming through the speakers. A few covered their ears.

"Did that- Did that thing just- it can _talk?_ " Petra asked. Lukas made a somewhat weak sound and buried his face into Soren's shoulder. Ivor's mouth opened and closed.

"It knows his name," he said, " _How_ does it know his _name?_ "

Romeo couldn't have helped his grin even if he'd tried. He realised Xara was glaring at him, and glared back. Her fingers curled around the handle of her blade. He almost sneered.

Let her try.

 _"It talks?"_ Jesse said, eyes wide. Vos yelled and pointed to the edge of the stairwell.

_"Here they come!"_

The zombie statues were climbing up the side of the stairwell, clambering over the prismarine walls and onto the landing. They towered over the group, drawing their giant weapons, beginning to march towards them. The group slowly backed away.

 _"Come on!"_ Jack yelled, holding his blade up, _"I'll show you what we did to our enemies in Pur'gan-gah!"_

"Pur-gan- _what?_ " Petra said, furrowing her brow. The real Jack waved her away.

"It's a place."

Onscreen, Jack spared a quick glance over his shoulder, _"Still behind me, Nurm?"_

The Villager shook, nodding slightly and making a small noise. Petra and Jesse stood next to Jack, Vos just behind them; the redhead kept her sword held high.

 _"Get ready, you guys!"_ she exclaimed.

 _"Think you're all cool, 'cause of how tall you are, huh?"_ Jesse said somewhat nervously, drawing his own sword; he practically had to crane his head back to look up at the approaching zombie statues, _"Proud of how tall you are?"_

Axel chuckled, "Nah, Jess. You're just short."

Jesse pulled a face at him. Olivia snorted.

"Where's the lie?"

"You're all mean."

"The truth is cruel," Petra grinned slightly. Soren shook his head.

"You seem to be forgetting the fact that he's about to fight a giant statue."

Axel shrugged one shoulder, "Trying to release the tension?"

Harper shook her head, "It's not working."

Yelling, Nurm and Vos ran out of the way as the zombie statues loomed closer, dwarfing the young hero. Jesse's determined look slowly faded into a more suitable one for the situation. Particularly the kind that says 'well, crap.'

"I can't watch," Olivia groaned, burying her face into Ellegaard, "I just- I can't watch."

Ellegaard squeezed her hand.

A line of hearts had appeared in the corner of the screen. Jesse approached the zombie statue, his sword at the ready; it raised its large axe and swung down, but he rolled out of the way and avoided it. The young hero swung his blade, scratching the prismarine of the statue's legs, but it raised its foot and stomped down _hard._

Grunting, Jesse staggered back, briefly flashing red. One of the hearts in the corner of the screen went black.

Radar squeaked, "Oh no!"

Grinding his teeth, Jesse hurried back over. The statue swung again, but he ducked and rolled. His blade chipped away at its legs again- once, twice, three times- before it once more raised its foot to stomp down on his puny form.

"Get out the way!" yelled Anthony.

Hastily, Jesse scrambled back, but he wasn't quick enough. It stomped down and he almost fell from the force, once more flashing red; another heart disappeared.

"Come on, come on, come on," Petra chanted through clenched teeth. Gabriel squeezed her shoulder.

Again, the statue swung, but Jesse practically leapt to the side in a roll. He got all the way to its back- revealing a rather peculiar glowing green spot on the back of its head- and began to swing his blade. He got a good few hits in before it turned around, once more raising its axe, and again he rolled out the way.

"He's doing okay," Harper said, more to herself than anyone else, "He's- He's doing okay."

Ivor reached out and held her hand.

Once more, Jesse got to the back. He swung again and again and again, but the zombie statue must have had enough. It slowly lifted its giant foot once more and stomped down, sending Jesse flashing red and stumbling back. A third heart went black.

Again, it turned to face him and swung its axe; Jesse rolled out the way. In the background, they could see Petra taking on her own zombie statue, while Jack fought his own; Nurm and Vos stood off to the side at a safe distance, watching with wide eyes.

"You got this, Jesse dude!" exclaimed Nell.

Jesse hit a few more times, before the zombie statue once more turned towards him. He backed away a few paces, the thing raising its axe and advancing. It brought the axe down and he made to leapt out of the way, but was too slow- it graze his front, denting Ellegaard's armour and winding him, but the armour had taken the majority of the blow.

"It hit him!" Radar yelped.

Another heart had turned black.

Gritting his teeth, Jesse darted towards the zombie statue. It swung its axe and this time he dodged before he could get hit, rolling out of the way of its attacks- until, once more, it stomped down and sent him almost flying backwards.

Again, he got back up, and again, he charged. There was a rather nasty bruise forming just below his eye.

The young hero rolled out of the way again, getting in as many hits as he could. It swung, stomped and hit, blackening hearts along the way. Jesse was beginning to look rather battered.

"He's not doing too good," Axel admitted reluctantly, beginning to look worried. Magnus glanced at him and then Olivia, who was still buried into Ellegaard, and patted the boy's shoulder.

"Hey, it's fine," he said, "Tiny's got this under control."

Axel hesitated, before nodding and smiling, "Yeah. 'Course he does."

Breath coming out in shallow pants, his lip busted, Jesse stayed where he was for a moment, gripping his sword tighter. The zombie statue lumbered closer, raised its axe and swung, but the young man dodged narrowly. He did this a good few more times, ducking and rolling around its swings, jumping up just long enough to hit it. The zombie statue gave a deep, rumbling growl of a noise and stomped down hard.

Jesse gasped and flew back, hitting the floor. He quickly climbed back to his feet, but pain flashed across his face and he stumbled, putting weight carefully on one foot. He glanced down at his twisted ankle.

"Oh," Mevia said, eyebrows raising, "That's… bad."

Ivor groaned and wrapped an arm around Jesse, holding Harper's hand tighter, "This is… _quite_ bad."

Jesse leaned into him. He could see his sisters' scarred hands shaking.

Onscreen, Jesse looked up, just in time to see the looming zombie statue raising its axe above its head. With a yelp, he launched himself to the side, narrowly avoiding being chopped into two. He staggered back to his feet, grimacing as pain flared up his ankle, and blindly- _clumsily_ \- swung his sword. He hit the back of the statue's legs, chipping prismarine, and it fell to its knees.

Jesse seized his chance.

Jumping (painfully) around its wildly swinging axe, he leapt up onto its back and clung onto the side of its head. The glowing, fragile looking spot on the back of its hard skull lit up his face.

"Stab it!" Cassie grinned, "Stab it!"

Lukas made a noise that was rather hard to decipher. He could've either been relieved at Jesse being able to get out of hitting range or exasperated with Cassie's insistence of stabbing things. It might have been a bit of both.

The zombie statue straightened, staggering backwards slightly, trying to jerk him off. Jesse clung tighter, bracing his feet against its hard back (twisted ankle and all), and held out one hand, gripping his sword above his head. He stabbed his blade right through the glowing green weak point.

It cracked. The zombie statue gurgled. He stabbed it again. The light flickered. And again. The green light of its eyes died and the zombie statue slumped forward. Jesse leapt off moments before it burst into dust.

 _"Ha!"_ he cheered, although he winced upon landing and almost fell over, _"In your face! Meta- Metaphorically."_

Ivor blew out a relieved breath, "Oh, good. He's okay."

"'Course I am," Jesse mumbled, leaning into him, "It's just a dumb, giant statue with an axe three times the size of me."

Ivor poked him in the side, "Don't be sarcastic."

"That's kinda rich coming from you," Harper grinned. Ivor huffed, although his lips twitched into a small smile.

There was another deafening _crash_ and a rumble tore through the ground, almost sending them falling. Water rushed into the room, completely obscuring the lower half beneath its murky waves. With it came the talking Colossus, the liquid pooling around its knees; it peered down at Jesse with its green, intelligent eyes and smiled that stony smile of its.

_"WHY, HELLO."_

_"Uh… hi,"_ Jesse breathed, taking a few steps back. The Colossus slowly raised one of its enormous hands.

_"DIE NOW."_

Radar squeaked, "No, no, no, no! No, that's bad! That's a bad idea!"

"Ohhhh my god," said Soup, gripping her hair, "Oh my god, oh my god, ohhhhh my god-"

Its fist came down. With a scream, Jesse leapt out of the way, sprawling across the floor. The landing crumpled beneath the Colossus' fist, water rapidly pooling into the new gap. Petra dangled from the other ledge.

"Holy _crap!_ " exclaimed Axel. Lukas made a panicked sound, pointing at the screen. Cassie's eyes widened.

"Uh, Petra isn't looking too good."

"What?" Gabriel said, "Where is she?"

 _"Whoa!"_ Jesse shouted, scrambling back to his feet; Nurm, Vos and Jack were just behind him, _"Too close!"_

The Colossus turned back to him, slowly raising its hand again; its voice rumbled and boomed, a tint of irritation, _"STAAND STIIIILL"_

"Look out!" yelled Olivia.

Jesse jumped out of the way again with another scream, another part of the landing crumbling. He looked up, eyes wide, as the Colossus pulled its hand back and gave an almost appreciative hum.

_"HMM. WELL DODGED."_

Jessi abruptly twisted away from the screen, dragging her knees up to her chest and burying her face in them. She wrapped her arms around her head. Her brother almost immediately shot her a worried look.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Ivor tore his eyes from the screen as well, his brow creasing. He reached for the girl.

"Hey-"

Jessi flinched away, drawing in a sharp breath. She stared at him with wet, terrified eyes. Ivor instantly drew his hand back, holding it up to show he meant no harm.

"Okay," he said, softly, "It's okay."

Reuben made a soft noise. He clambered out of Jesse's lap and rubbed himself against the girl's legs; she stiffened, before slowly relaxing and letting him crawl into her arms. She buried her face into his back.

 _"My sword!"_ Petra yelled, the screen shooting around to reveal that she was dangling off the ledge on the other side by one hand, stretching her fingers towards the gleaming golden sword just out of reach, _"Ugh, I can almost reach it! It's so close!"_

The Colossus, hearing her shouts, slowly turned to look down on her.

"Petra!" Gabriel gasped. Stella was practically on the edge of her seat. The real Petra winced.

"Uh oh."

"Get her out of there!" shouted Jesse- perhaps to his own onscreen self. It was difficult to say.

Jesse made to run towards her, but then heard Jack grunting and the clang of blades. He twisted around.

 _"Don't worry!"_ Jack called from where he was fending off the incoming zombie statues, standing protectively in front of Nurm and Vos; he blocked its giant axe, _"I've got it! Mostly!"_

"Oh my god, there's more coming," Stacy groaned. Nurm gave a distressed hum; Jack gripped his shoulder, although was unable to look away from the screen.

The screen returned to Jesse, right smack in the middle, everything slowing down. He looked left, to where Petra was dangling from one hand, reaching for her sword, the Colossus looming over her with a nasty sort of grin. He looked right, to where Jack was now kneeling in front of Nurm and Vos, his blade held out, the zombie statues preparing to rip them to shreds.

"He has to choose," Harper said, with a dawning horror, "He has to _choose_."

"Help Petra," Jack said, immediately, "She's got that- that _thing_ going right for her!"

"What? No, you need more help than I do!" Petra protested, "You've got Nurm and Vos!"

"I'm sure I've got it handled," Jack insisted, "Those things are _tiny_ compared to that one!"

"But I-"

"Guys, _shush!_ " Olivia cut in, "He can't hear you anyway!"

Jesse, pale, shrunk into Harper's side. She held him tightly.

The screen shot back to Jesse. The young hero clenched his eyes shut.

Then he ran to Petra.

Leaping over the newly formed gap, he landed right above her and grabbed her hand. Miss Butter fell, but Petra's free hand snatched out and grabbed it before it could be lost into the murky depths below. Grunting, he pulled her back up.

Gabriel released a long, relieved breath. Petra slumped, closing her eyes, hating the part of her that was somewhat relieved. Jack needed help. But Jesse had chosen her anyway.

God.

The two friends looked up as the Colossus raised both of its massive arms. Eyes widening, Petra grabbed Jesse's wrist and they leapt off the ledge, moments before the arms came down and smashed the landing to pieces. They hit the water.

Ivor blew out a relieved breath, "They're okay. They almost died, but they're okay."

"So far," Magnus said. Ellegaard hit his shoulder.

"Not funny."

"I'm just saying!"

Some of the zombie statues that had fallen in withered near the ground, their bulky weight causing them to sink. Jesse twisted around a flaying axe. He and Petra surfaced and shared relieved grins; the redhead sheathed her newly reclaimed sword.

 _"Whoa!"_ Jesse laughed, _"Close call!"_

"Yes," said Ivor, shooting the real Jesse a look, "A _very_ close call."

Jesse grumbled to himself and buried his face into Harper's side. She shook her head and rubbed her back, relief on her face.

They heard Nurm yell, and their heads snapped towards where the group still was. The zombie statue's axe slammed into the ground, Jack only barely jumping out of the way; Nurm and Vos ran off and jumped into the water. Before Jack could follow them, the zombie statue- with an almost terrifying speed- pulled its axe from the ground and hit the one-eyed adventurer dead on.

Flashing red, he screamed and was sent flying into the water.

"Jack!" Jesse and Petra yelled in unison. Nurm said something as well, rapidly, almost panicked. Radar covered his mouth.

 _"Jack!"_ Vos exclaimed, as he and Nurm surfaced in the water. Jack's head broke the waves a moment later, face a grimace of pain; the water was darkening with his spilt blood, the space where his bad eye had been now an empty hole of pinkish-red tissue. The red was everywhere, spreading, bleeding, decorating more than half the adventurer's face. A tapestry of blood.

Maya screamed. Gill slammed back against the couch so hard, he almost made it topple over. Aiden flinched, his mouth dropping open. The blood drained from Radar's face- the parts you could see, anyway. Olivia and Axel looked close to vomiting. Soren hastily covered both Lukas' and Cassie's eyes. Harper turned Jesse's head away so he couldn't see; his sister buried her face deeper into Reuben's back. Petra's mouth opened and closed.

"Oh," she whispered. Nurm was making panicked sounds, flaying his hands, tears brimming in his eyes. Jack was gaping at the screen, his eyes- both good and bad- bugging in his head. Nell winced.

"Yikes," Porkchop hissed, wincing themselves, "Got 'em in the blind spot."

 _"I'm- ugh!"_ Jack grimaced, mopping some of the red from his face, _"I'm okay! Mostly!"_

Jesse gasped, some colour draining from his face, _"Oh no."_

 _"Jack, I'm… I'm so sorry,"_ said Petra, her eyes wide. Jack shook his head, trying- and failing- to keep the pain off his face.

 _"It's- ow- It's alright,"_ his fingers hovered uncertainly over the gaping hole in his face, _"Got my bad eye. Ack."_

"I'm going to vomit," Olivia gagged. Ellegaard tugged her closer and covered her eyes.

The Colossus turned its massive head to look down at them, once more raising its hand, _"NOWHERE TO RUN."_

"Oh, come _on_ ," Radar groaned, slumping against the pillows slightly. Jesse reached out and squeezed his shoulder, Harper still holding him close.

Its fist came shooting downwards, and Jesse ducked beneath the blood stained waves. The hand went under with him, and he grabbed onto a chunky piece of prismarine; the Colossus raised its hand back up and Jesse went with it.

Ivor stared for a moment. Then dropped his head in his hands and gave a long, low groan.

 _"YOU ARE RESILIENT,"_ said the Colossus, bringing its hand- and the tiny Jesse- up to its glowing green eyes, _"THOUGH SADLY…"_ it drew its fist back, _"STILL_ MORTAL! _"_

The Colossus' fist went flying straight towards the wall, just about to squash Jesse flat. The young hero flipped up onto the top of its hand moments before it slammed into the wall, cracking its prismarine surface in the process. Jesse gasped, clinging tighter, dripping wet.

_"Touched my hair that time!"_

Axel groaned, "This is cool, but so… so terrifying."

Magnus patted his broad shoulder.

The Colossus glowered at him, before thrusting its arm upwards, towards the ceiling. Jesse yelped and swung around again, moments before prismarine fist met prismarine ceiling; his fingers (which were definitely bruised by this point) were inches away from being crushed. Despite this, he let out a loud laugh.

_"Ha! Didn't work that time, either!"_

"Jesse," said Olivia, slowly, "Maybe stop antagonising it."

The real Jesse winced, "Uh… I say stupid stuff when I'm nervous?"

"We've noticed," drawled Aiden, a tad shakily. Isa was trying to comfort a rather freaked out Gill.

The Colossus brought it hands back down, peering down at the minuscule human. It began to laugh; a deep, rumbling sound that made the whole place seem to vibrate and their eardrums throb. Then, with a sudden, unrelenting force, its fist shot towards the ceiling, too fast to move out of the way.

Jesse let go.

He fell through the air, screaming, before he hit the water.

"Jesse!" Olivia gasped; Lukas jerked his jaw to shout without thinking, but pain flared and he squeaked, hands coming up to clamp around his mouth. Tears sprung to his eyes.

"What have you done?" Soren asked, gently, wrapping an arm around him and tugging his hands away from his aching mouth to take a look, "You haven't pulled the wire, have you?"

Cassie shook her head, "Nah, it would take a _lot_ of force to do that. He's just tried to open his mouth really fast and got it caught."

Lukas winced and buried his face into Soren's shoulder, his jaw still throbbing. Soren rubbed his back and murmured something about painkillers.

 _"OH, DEAR,"_ said the Colossus, its voice so loud that it was audible even to the underwater Jesse; he surfaced, gasping for breath. The Colossus drew its hand back down from the ceiling, laughing as a giant waterfall made its way down from the shattered roof. _"IS THERE A LEAK IN HERE?"_

It gave a particularly evil sounding laugh.

Xara had to resist rolling her eyes. Then she decided she didn't care and rolled them anyways.

Yeah. That was definitely him.

 _"I PLACE EVERY BLOCK YOU'VE EVER STOOD ON,"_ the Colossus continued, as Jesse's head frantically snapped around, _"AND I PROMISE, I WILL PLACE THE BLOCKS THAT COVER YOUR GRAVE!"_

"Morbid," Radar said, rather weakly. Sparkelz had flung an arm over his eyes, face pale. He was in far too much pain for this, he silently decided.

Onscreen, Jesse's eyes found his friends, clustered together not that far away. Jack, his face still bleeding badly, pointed up to the leaking hole in the ceiling. _"The waterfalls!"_

They looked up and Jesse grinned. An escape.

Ivor blew out a relieved breath, "Oh, good."

"Don't jinx it, Poppy," Harper murmured.

 _"Go! Go!"_ Jesse said, _"I'm right behind you guys!"_

Petra gave him a nod, and she, Jack, Vos and Nurm began to swim towards the waterfall. Jesse, who had fallen into the water further behind, began to swim after them.

 _"ARE YOU?"_ asked the Colossus, peering down at him. The water was up to his waist now. _"REALLY? WHAT A DANGEROUS WORLD, JESSE. YOU ARE SO TINY, AND THERE IS SO MUCH DISTANCE TO COVER."_

"You know, this is kinda reminding me of a cat playing with a mouse," Cassie hummed, running her fingers through Winslow's fur. Isa sighed from where she had her arm wrapped around Gill's shoulder.

"Of course you'd be reminded of _that,_ Cassie."

Cassie shrugged.

 _"AND, YOU KNOW… ME,"_ the Colossus laughed again, bending closer, raising its arm and bringing it down towards the young hero. Jesse didn't give himself a chance to yell; he drew in a breath and ducked beneath the water, the hand coming dangerously close to hitting him. He went up to resurface- and then kept going, climbing the waterfall instead; he tugged out his helmet, almost dropped it, and shoved it onto his head, gasping in a breath of enchanted air.

"Go, go, go, go, _go!_ " Nell chanted, on the edge of her seat. Blocco barked, and Binta shushed him without looking away from the screen.

Jesse kept swimming. He was roughly eye-level with the Colossus now. The thing punched through the waterfall, the young man only barely avoiding it, and then it punched again and again and again. Jesse gasped, his muscles burning, aching and his bruises throbbing, but he only swam faster.

The Colossus' swung its fist inches from the ceiling and the tips of Jesse's toes skimmed one of its prismarine knuckles; he disappeared through the hole, his friends grinning relieved grins upon seeing him, and they began to swim away from the temple (Vos was doing a rather remarkable job at holding his breath). Jesse laughed.

_"Ha! How's that feel, you dumb pile o' rocks?"_

"They're alive!" Magnus exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. Small whoops and cheers burst from a few audience members. Harper breathed shakily and kissed Jesse's forehead, holding him close. Ivor shifted and wrapped his arms around them both.

Jessi released a small breath and hugged Reuben, the little piggy squealing happily. She wiped at her wet eyes.

He was okay.

Below, the Colossus' blue-tinted face appeared in front of the hole, its glowing green eyes watching them swim away. It might have been grinning.

_"JESSEEEE!"_

And the screen went dark.

The audience stared at it for a moment, before the majority of them either groaned or sighed and slumped against their seats. The Warden and Anthony shared a small glance. Oxblood's eyes darted from Jesse to Romeo for a moment, before he grunted and rubbed Geoff's head; the Mooshroom leaned into him, mooing.

The favourite lives.

Let's see how long that lasts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you save Jack or help Petra? Let me know in the reviews!


	105. The Next Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot that I needed to post on AO3 and Wattpad as well, so... now you guys get two chapters in one day!

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Nine: Hero in Residence**

**Part One Hundred and Five: The Next Chapter**

* * *

_Barrel deep into the night._

* * *

Xara was watching Jessi.

The girl had hardly said a word- or even made a sound- throughout the entire day. Or even since they'd met her during that blasted game of Cluedo. She shied away from people as though so much as brushing against them would make them snap at her, kept her head ducked down and her hair in her face. The only one she seemed even _somewhat_ comfortable around was Jesse- her apparent twin brother. Although when pointed out, she could see the resemblance.

Spotting a particular redhead out the corner of her eye, Xara turned her gaze to Cassie, absently noting that the girl was watching Jessi too. Her brow was creased thoughtfully, as though she wasn't quite sure what she was looking at. She supposed Jessi's existence might warrant that kind of reaction.

Jesse was talking to Harper and Ivor- she was pretty sure it had something to do with his pretty much dead arm- near the other end of the table. His sister was seated next to him, although she hadn't touched the meagre plate of food that she'd picked out for lunch.

Unsurprisingly, Romeo wasn't at the table.

(He's going to end up starving himself.)

Like she cared.

Xara watched the small family for a moment longer, quietly reading their lips. The kitchen was too loud to hear them. After a moment, she grabbed her half-eaten sandwich and stood from the table, skirting around Lukas- who was sipping a bowl of soup, since he was stuck on a liquid diet until his jaw healed- before making her way to the door. She left the noise of the kitchen behind her.

The sun was low in the sky as though it were early morning, and she paused on the mansion's front porch to admire it, feeling its gentle heat on her pale skin. Something warm filled her chest at the sight and- for a quick, split second- she thought she was going to cry. God, did she miss the sun.

Down on the grass below, Cam was excitedly running about with Binta, admiring the grass, the trees, the flowers, the sky, the animals wandering about. Blocco and Waffles were rolling in the grass, chasing butterflies and playing together, enjoying themselves immensely. Soup was hugging a tree, while Val lay sprawled in the grass. She could even see Anthony, one of the Sunshine Institute's Associates, near a pond somewhere in the trees, running his fingers in the water. Distantly, she could hear Porkchop cackling excitedly about farm animals.

Warden was sitting on the steps, looking up at the sky. Xara regarded him for a moment, before silently stepping forward to stand at the top of the steps. She returned her eyes to the slowly, slowly brightening sky.

She wasn't sure if he even realised she was there, but he must have, because he spoke.

"I am completely loyal to the Admin," he said, and ignored her scoff, "But have I missed the sky."

Xara was quiet. She nodded slowly. "Yeah."

It was a strange sort of solidarity between them, almost but not quite an acknowledgement to how both 'Guests' and 'Associates' and, yes, even Wardens, never truly had much of a choice when it came to the Sunshine Institute. Whether or not any of them wanted to be there was irrelevant in the end. There was no getting out either way. No more grass, no more trees, and certainly no more skies.

She closed her eyes, breathing in the fresh air. Had it not been for the giant, white-washed wall surrounding the entire place, she might have felt free for the first time in so, _so_ many years.

There was a cluck. Xara opened her eyes and watched as Waffles waddled up the steps, flapping his wings. Warden watched as well, twisting slightly as the chicken passed him, until he was right at her feet. Waffles clucked up at her, bouncing on his scrawny legs. Something in her chest constricted.

It was silly to think that the chicken would recognise her after all this time- it's not like they'd even been together a lot, although she did remember pet-sitting a few times- but it didn't stop a tiny little part of her from hoping. Because Waffles' was Fred's chicken, had followed him everywhere, and was, in a small, metaphorical sort of way, a piece of him left behind.

Her throat was tight. She bent down and scooped the little chicken into her arms.

Fred's chicken.

(The small, black chicken statue that moved when no one was looking.)

There was a squeal, and Xara looked back down towards the garden. Cam was giggling, having been approached by a little bunny. Binta was helping her feed it carrots. She could see Anthony watching them from the pond, smiling widely. They all looked happy.

"You really think Romeo's all that great?" Xara asked, not looking away from the scene. Warden didn't either.

"Of course," he said, somewhat robotically, "He's the Admin."

"No," she murmured, running her fingers over Waffles' silky head; the chicken clucked happily, "We were Admins."

To that, Warden gave no answer.

* * *

"Hey."

Jessi jumped, tripped over her own feet, and hit the wall. She pushed herself up against it, heat rising to her cheeks, and twisted around. Xara blinked slowly at her.

"You okay?"

Throat tight, Jessi jerked her head in a nod, keeping her eyes downcast. Xara hummed.

"I wanted to ask you something. You know Cluedo?"

A cold washed over Jessi's skin and she stiffened. After a moment, she nodded.

"Romeo told me you helped him figure out what the answer was."

Jessi hesitated; her voice was a raspy whisper, "Romeo… ?"

"The weird redhead," Xara clarified, "With the yellow eyes and grey patches of skin?"

Blinking, the girl nodded. Xara shifted a bit closer.

"I need you to tell me what you told him."

Jessi stared at her, perhaps too startled to avoid eye contact. Then, apparently realising what she was doing, she turned red and jerked her head away.

"Um… I- I never actually- I never actually- um- told him- told him anything…"

Xara raised her eyebrows, "Oh?"

Jessi shuffled her feet, head bowed, and nodded. Xara regarded her for a moment, jaw tightening as a steady thump began above her eyebrow. She rubbed her forehead in an attempt to make it go away.

"Alright, be straight with me," she said, "What was the answer?"

"Whuh- What?"

"The _answer_ ," Xara repeated, perhaps a bit more harshly than she intended; either way, Jessi flinched. She forced the irritation out of her voice. "What did Romeo say to get us out of there?"

"He… He said the monster was…"

Xara leant forward, heart thumping in her throat, "Yes?"

Jessi looked at her. Tears abruptly filled her eyes and she tore her gaze back to the ground. "He was my friend."

She froze, "What?"

"The monster," the girl whispered, voice choked, "He was my friend. He took care of me. I thought he was dead."

Xara stared at her for a moment, "What was his name?"

Jessi frowned, quietly shuffling her feet. She wrung her hands. "Um… Freh… Fred."

She stared at her. After a moment, the girl continued.

"He, um," she chewed on her bottom lip, "He was super nice. He made us this little cabin and we lived together and it… it was really nice. I felt like I… I felt like I had a- a home for once, you- you know? And… And there were trees and animals and… and everything. But then he… he started getting sick, I- I think. He'd always had something wrong with his chest and it just… just kept getting worse after a while."

"He died?" Xara asked, mouth dry. Jessi frowned to herself.

"I never saw," she admitted, quietly, "I… I thought he had… moved on. I thought we were both dead and that this was the After Life or something."

Jessi dragged her eyes up from the down, looking at Xara nervously. She shuffled her weight, cheeks pink, and swallowed. "I dunno. It might be."

Xara swayed and leaned against the wall. She slid down to sit on the floor. Jessi awkwardly looked away, rubbing her arm.

"Um… I- I dunno how he's… like this- if it even _is_ him. The monster could be… I dunno… lying, I guess."

The insomniac didn't answer her. Xara rubbed her eyes and sighed.

"What made _you_ think it was Fred?"

"Oh," Jessi murmured, "Um… the hearts. The broken hearts painted everywhere."

Xara shot her a frown, "Why?"

Jessi shrugged one shoulder, "He… had a lot of chest pains. Although he tried to hide it. He'd always joke it off whenever I brought it up. Laugh about how he had a broken heart."

Xara's mouth was mysteriously dry. Her throat was tight.

(You can't kill an Admin.)

"I see," she croaked.

(An Admin can teleport someone else away, unless that person is another Admin.)

Jessi looked at her hesitantly, "Um… why- why are you asking? If… If you don't mind…"

(He tried to make him go away. Tried to teleport him away.)

(Really, really tried.)

(And he made)

"What did he look like?" Xara asked, abruptly. Jessi paused.

(his heart)

"He… was big," she said, slowly, "And he, um… he had blue skin. And red eyes."

(explode)

* * *

"You didn't eat any lunch," Jesse said, quietly. His sister twisted her fingers and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I… wasn't very hungry. How's your arm?"

"Fine," Jesse murmured, "You should really eat."

"I'm okay."

"But…"

"Everyone comfy?" Magnus asked, fiddling with the remote. Hadrian huffed.

"Just get on with it."

Magnus rolled his eyes at the Old Builder, but for once didn't retaliate. He pointed the remote at the screen, pressed the button and let it come to life.

The black faded to reveal an icon of the Sea Temple on the blank square of Jack's map. It zoomed out to slowly reveal the other pieces, and a red line marking the groups' travels popped up and began to make its way to the left and upwards a few times, before finally coming to the icon of the Order's Amulet, marking Beacontown. The screen zoomed in on it.

"I really hope this works," Isa murmured to herself, Benedict clucking quietly in her lap. Reginald made a small noise of agreement.

The screen cut to the inside of a cave, near the dirt was the sound of someone digging, a few bits of dirt falling down, before a hole appeared and Jesse's Gauntlet-encased arm shot through.

He peered down inside for a moment, before jumping down. Petra followed with the others close behind.

Below them, the Heckmouth swirled in a green, gas-like doom. Charged Creepers scuttled about on their strange legs, electricity shooting and sparking off their green, leathery skin. Jesse's eyes darted about for a moment, before he pointed.

_"There! That's where the Structure Block goes!"_

"That's a lot of Super Creepers," Olivia muttered, wide-eyed. Magnus looked at Ellegaard.

"I want one."

"Definitely not."

The screen shot down below to where the small, Structure Block shaped hole was just in front of the Heckmouth, Charged Creepers scuttling around it. Jesse jumped down from the safety of their ledge, Petra landing beside him.

 _"Slam it down, Jesse!"_ she said, as the others jumped down as well. She drew her sword. _"We'll keep the Creepers off your back."_

Jesse nodded and pulled out the Structure Block, his face setting in determination.

"Here we go, dudes!" Nell grinned, "They're gonna kick that Heckmouth in the… in the mouth!"

Mevia stared at her and shook her head, "That's- no. Never do that."

"Got it."

Onscreen, Jesse darted forward, leaping over a crevice in the ground. A Charged Creeper hissed, coming dangerously close, but Jack knocked it into some spewing lava. Jesse watched as he ran off, running his blade through another Charged Creeper before it could get too close, before hurrying on, jumping over a small trail of the spilt lava and skirting around it.

"Go, team!" Axel cheered.

Jack was frowning, "Where's Nurm?"

Nurm hummed something. Jack glanced at him.

"I suppose you probably are staying above ground… you're not exactly one for swords."

Vos appeared, shredding the skin of a Charged Creeper with his newly acquired sword and sending it flying into the lava. Jesse paused only for a moment, before he continued and slid over the top of some stone. He started running again, only to skid to an abrupt halt as a Creeper scuttled over. Petra came flying seemingly out of nowhere, hit the ground in a roll and smacked right into the creeper, running the deadly edge of Miss Butter through its face. Eyes zeroing in on the hole in the ground, Jesse darted over and skidded in front of it.

"Throw it down, throw it down!" shouted Lizzie.

The young hero looked at the Heckmouth, spitting out Charged Creeper after Charged Creeper like some kind of catapult. He swallowed.

_"Really hope this works."_

"Don't we all," murmured Harper.

Jesse stepped forwards, raised the Structure Block over his head and then slammed it right into the hole.

A green light shot upwards momentarily like a beacon, before disappearing and seemingly merging into the ground. Like a ripple in a rain puddle, the green spread outwards, towards his fighting friends.

Then a Wall of the Builder appeared at the top of the Heckmouth, facing down into its depths. Then another appeared, a little bit more downwards. And then another, and another, and another, going down and down and down in a spiral. The Charged Creepers shooting upwards hit these walls and promptly poofed into dust upon impact. They appeared until the entire top of the Heckmouth was sealed off.

"Whoa," breathed Gill, "That is so _cool._ "

"It worked," Jesse whispered, then smiled. Harper wrapped an arm around him and beamed.

"Looks like it did."

Onscreen, Jesse looked over his shoulder towards his friends. Jack kicked a Charged Creeper and sent it soaring into the lava; Vos swiped his sword to keep a few of them at bay and then, at the right moment, shot out and kicked another two into the lava. Petra ran and skidded across gravel, one strong swipe of her sword sending the last Creeper flying, hitting the wall and turning to dust.

The group glanced around, making sure that was the last of them. Petra sheathed her sword, and Jack turned his attention to everyone else, his one eye darting from person to person, particularly Nurm and Vos. His missing eye was hidden under a bandage.

_"Is everyone okay?"_

Radar breathed a shaky sigh, "It's over. Good."

"Yeah," Ivor frowned, " _Now_ what happens?"

Everyone slowly trailed over to where Jesse stood in front of the Heckmouth, sheathing their blades. Vos hummed.

_"Looks all clear."_

_"Yeah,"_ Petra sighed, _"I think so."_

Jesse glanced from Jack to Petra to Vos to the sealed Heckmouth, before grinning and running forwards. The young hero leapt into the air, hit the ground in a 'superhero landing,' before getting back to his feet and shuffling from side to side, clapping. Petra laughed.

_"Impressive moves."_

Ivor grinned and ruffled Jesse's hair. The boy stuck his tongue out at him.

Still grinning, the young man turned to look at the Heckmouth. Petra came up next to him.

 _"Well, whaddya know, Jesse,"_ she said, _"You really did it."_

The real Jesse went a little pink, "I mean… I had a lot of help…"

Onscreen, Jesse laughed, _"Whoo, yeah, I guess we did."_

 _"Think that's really the end of it?"_ Jack asked. Vos scratched his beard.

_"Huh. Certainly looks that way to me…"_

"I _seriously_ hope it is," Petra said, "I'm getting tired of this screen."

"Didn't we check?" Olivia asked, "We couldn't look at them, but… there's other episodes after this, isn't there?"

Magnus winced and shrugged, "At least one more, anyway."

Petra groaned, "Wonderful."

 _"Then come on!"_ Jesse grinned, stooping down and picking up the Structure Block, _"Let's go home, you guys."_

He turned away from the Heckmouth and the screen went black.

Cassie raised her eyebrows, "Well, that cut off quick."

"Yes…" Ellegaard considered for a moment, "Should we keep going?"

Ivor nodded, "It _must_ be nearly finished by now."

Magnus glanced between them, "Well, if you two insist."

After a moment, the screen faded back in to reveal the pale purple-blue sky above Beacontown's red gates, the sun rising in a new day on the horizon. It panned down to reveal Jesse, Jack, Petra, Nurm and Vos heading towards them; they began to pull open.

On the other side, a cluster of chickens clucked in slight alarm and scattered. Vos' eyes widened and he laughed, a bit nervously.

 _"This is more people than I've seen in a long time,"_ he said.

Beacontown was more or less as they had left it. The group Jesse had helped out with their Slime Diving were bouncing on their slime blocks again; Stacy and Stampy had spotted them and were making their way over, waving as Wink ran ahead, barking excitedly.

The real Stacy beamed (although it was tired) and hugged the real Wink. He licked her face.

Jesse smile and waved his Gauntlet-encased hand high above his head, _"Hey, everyone! Happy Founding Day!"_

Em blinked, "Oh. I forgot about that."

 _"Ah-ha! Welcome back!"_ Stampy greeted. Stacy beamed.

_"We were worried you'd miss it!"_

From between them, Radar squeezed through, a relieved grin of his face, _"You're baaack!"_ he blew out a breath, _"Thank goodness. This has… whoooo, this has been a lot of work!"_

"Yeah, running a whole town," Clutch hummed, "Pretty impressive of the little guy."

Radar beamed shyly, going a little red.

 _"People all need things approved,"_ the intern continued, flustered, _"Or help with building or wrangling animals…"_

Jesse smiled, _"It might've been a lot of work, but it was totally worth,"_ he glanced around at the town and his smile widened, _"The place looks great!"_

The real Radar shot the real Jesse a hopeful look, "You think so?"

Jesse blinked, then shrugged, "I mean… I can't really _see_ much of Beacontown with the screen, but yeah, it does."

The intern burst into a wide smile, wincing only slightly when he pulled at the wounds under his bandaged face. Harper chuckled and shot Ivor a smile. The potionologist returned it.

Onscreen, Radar's eyes widened, _"Yeah?"_

Jesse nodded, _"Yeah! You did a great job, Radar!"_

 _"Wow,"_ Radar breathed, then squealed excitedly, _"Thanks!"_

"He's a good kid, isn't he not?" Otto hummed quietly. Mevia made a small noise, but didn't disagree.

 _"So did you find what you were searching for?"_ asked Radar. Jesse's wide smile widened further.

It cut to the fading sky, now a bit of a pinkish colour; the different beams of light shot from the large beacon decorated in the Order's colours, straight into the sky. Cheers and chants bust from the crowd.

_"Jesse! Jesse! Jesse!"_

The Structure Block appeared in front of the scream, glowing dully from where it was clasped within Jesse's hand. It changed to show the young hero standing on the edge of the Order's Amulet beacon before the townspeople, holding the Structure Block high for all to see.

 _"Just like I'm always telling people,"_ he said over the cheers, _"Teamwork makes the dream work."_

Sparklez put a hand to his chest, deeply touched, "Aw."

Petra and Jack were amongst the crowd, the one-eyed adventurer now bearing a black eyepatch. They were whooping and cheering as well. Jesse shot them in particular a beaming smile.

 _"Thanks to all my friends, we brought this amazing new treasure back,"_ he said, _"There's nothing we can't do together! Happy Founding Day, everyone! You're welcome!"_

Axel grinned, "Whoa, the crowd's going _nuts_."

"And he's not completely red in the face," Olivia pointed out. Grin widening, Axel leant over and poked Jesse in the side.

"S'pose you get used to all the praise eventually, huh?"

Jesse, who was still a bit pink, went pinker. He swatted him away.

"Shaddup."

Gripping the Structure Block in both hands now, the young man held it behind his head in preparation to throw it down. The crowd parted to make room. Once they were out of the blast zone, threw the block down and smacked it onto the floor. It flared, and the Wall of the Builder appeared in front of it. The crowd went wild.

"That thing is _super_ cool," Nell declared. Mevia was regarding it curiously.

"Yes, it most certainly is… although this still doesn't explain how that… 'Heckmouth' came to be. It couldn't have _always_ been there, could it?"

Otto frowned, considering this for a second, "I… I'm not sure. We don't know anything about it."

Mevia pressed her lips together and hummed, "I see."

The screen panned through the crowd, revealing many familiar faces, from Stacy and Stampy to the Fan that Wanted a High Five to Nell.

The blonde gasped and pointed at the screen, "That's me!"

"Yes, it's you," said Mevia, forcing her twitching lips still.

Jesse grinned at them all, proud of himself. His eyes found Petra and Jack in the crowd. The two looked at each other and began to leave. Jesse's smile faltered, and he jumped down, hurrying after them.

"Where are _they_ going?" asked Soren, frowning.

 _"Not bad, right?"_ Jesse asked, causing the group to pause and twist around to face him, _"I think they really liked it!"_

Petra chuckled, _"Yeah, they did! Guess you've still really got it."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Jack said, a somewhat sour tone tinting his voice, _"Other than having half the number of eyes I had when we left, I'd call that a rousing success."_

A few audience members winced.

"Yes, that's… unfortunate," Milo murmured.

 _"Yeah, that part's not the best,"_ Petra winced.

 _"Nope, heh,"_ Jack tried for a smile, but it came out more like a grimace, _"No, it's not."_

 _"Jack, I'm so sorry,"_ Jesse said, face crumpling, _"I was really sure you had it back there."_

 _"I don't blame you,"_ the one-eyed adventurer reassured him, _"I thought so too,"_ he shook his head, _"Just as frustrated with myself."_

Nurm stepped forward and patted his shoulder.

The real Jack glanced away, frowning. Nurm squeezed his elbow, humming.

"Yeah, I know," he muttered, "Still."

 _"Oh, Jack!"_ a somewhat sing-song voice rang out. They turned to find Vos making his way over.

 _"I- oh,"_ he spotted Jesse, _"I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just coming to get Jack."_

Jack waved him off, smiling, _"No, no, you're fine, friend,"_ he said, before turning back to Jesse, _"Vos and I are heading to the shop to start planning our next expedition."_

The real Jack blinked, then huffed a small laugh, "Well. I'm looking forward to that."

Turning, Jack, Vos and Nurm began to make their way back to the shop. A few steps in, Jack paused and looked back at them, raising an eyebrow.

_"You coming, Petra?"_

In almost perfect unison, Gabriel and Petra blinked. The redhead grinned.

"Awesome," she whispered. The warrior glanced at her and smiled softly.

Petra looked at him for a moment, brow creasing. She looked at Jesse, then back to Jack.

 _"In a little bit,"_ she said, before shooting her old friend a smile, _"I'm still hanging with Jesse for now."_

Both the real Jesse and Petra smiled. Lukas gave a muffled 'awwwww.'

Onscreen, Jesse shot her a large, grateful smile.

Up high in the slowly darkening sky, fireworks shot into the air and exploded in brilliant flashes of popping colour around the Amulet Beacon, flanked by the giant cow balloon and the giant hamburger balloon. The screen panned slowly downwards to where Jesse and Petra stood watching the fireworks.

"This is nice," Olivia said, "This is _really_ nice. Much better than death-defying stunts."

Ivor huffed a small breath, "Certainly."

Jesse smiled up at the fireworks for a moment, before a frown crossed his face. He raised his Gauntlet-encased hand to look at it.

_"Still don't know what I'm going to do about you, though."_

"Oh," Reginald murmured, "Yes, I forgot about that… small detail."

"Welp," Magnus said, "Suppose he's stuck with that thing on his hand forever."

Ivor shot him a look, "Magnus. Don't'."

"I'm just _saying_."

Ellegaard shook her head.

Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, the Gauntlet lit up.

_"Jeeeeeessssseeeee…"_

The earth rocked with a sudden _thud._

The audience froze.

"Uh," Petra said, slowly, "What was that?"

Both Jesse and Petra twisted around to look towards the gates.

 _"What's that?"_ Jesse asked, dread clear on his face.

 _"Whoa,"_ Nell said, from where she was standing on her front porch, _"You dudes heard that too, right?"_

Another loud, rumbling _thud_ that sent vibrations up their legs. Stampy squeaked.

_"Yes, terrifying!"_

Another _thud._

 _"Yeah,"_ Stacy's head snapped around, _"What was it?"_

"Oh," Cassie's eyebrows raised to her hairline, " _Oh._ "

Lukas looked at her, making a questioning noise. She didn't say anything else.

Screams erupted across Beacontown. Jesse and Petra took off running, heading straight towards the closed red gates. Panicking parrots flew about, squawking loudly over the screams. Jesse twisted around, trying to find the source of the slow, constant booming _thuds_. His eyes once more fell on the gates and the colour drained from his face.

_"Oh no."_

The screen panned along the tops of Beantown's buildings. A low rumble joined the thuds, maddening laughter echoing, the deep booms sending unpleasant vibrations through their chests and up their legs. A familiar voice, one with a promise of a grave.

 _"Jeeeeeessssseeeeee,"_ the Colossus called, as its giant prismarine form appeared over the walls. It peered down at the town as though it were a large playset; the wall only went up to just below its waist. _"You thought you could just run away from the Admin?"_

"That idiot," Xara growled. Binta, Cam and Porkchop scowled. Warden and Anthony swallowed. Everyone else stared at the screen, eyes wide and jaws slack. Romeo was smiling.

Onscreen, Jesse and Petra began to slowly back away from the gates, tiny smudges on the ground. The Colossus gave a deep, rumbling laugh as it placed its massive, prismarine hands upon the top of the wall and a nearby building, leaning down to grin menacingly down at the terrified crowd.

 _"You've_ really _got my attention now."_

"Oh my god," Olivia gasped quietly, "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my _freaking_ god."

"But how did it- when did it- it was just- _what?_ " Dan said. Stampy was speaking far too rapidly for anyone to understand, slowly going purple from the lack of air. Dan grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Calm down, Stampy!"

"Okay," Harper said, softly, "Okay, this is bad."

Jesse groaned and buried his face in his one good hand, "I guess we've got some idea of what those other episodes are about."

Nurm hummed something loudly. Jack waved him off, not looking away from the screen.

"Yes, yes, I heard what it said!"

Jesse looked up at the Colossus, face pale and eyes wide with terror. Then the screen went black.

The words _Hero in Residence_ appeared. Then, after a moment, faded away.

The audience stared.

"Is that- Is that it?" Magnus asked, glancing around. Gabriel shrugged helplessly at him.

"Apparently?"

"Champion city is right next door!" Stella exclaimed, "That thing's going to end up destroying _my_ town as well! I may hate you, Jesse, but I'd never destroy Beacontown over our rivalry."

"I'm not your rival!" Jesse protested. Stella waved him off.

"You will be."

"Shh! Shut up!" Maya shushed them. She pointed at the screen. "Look!"

The black had faded again, this time to reveal a rather cosy looking home on the edge of the woods, the sun just on the horizon. It cut closer to reveal Lukas sitting on the steps, scribbling in his notebook. A horse stood just beside him, munching quietly on the grass, and DEWEY was curled against his leg.

"Hm!" said the real Lukas, pointing excitedly at the screen. He said something no one caught.

"Nice house, Lukas," Maya said, "It's definitely you."

"How does he have an ocelot?" Gill asked, frowning as he glanced around. None of them answered, partly because one of those echoing _thuds_ had just occurred onscreen.

It startled the blond enough that he jumped, fumbled with his notebook, and then dropped it. His horse neighed in fright, and Dewey leapt a good foot in the hair, meowing, his spotted hackles standing on end. Lukas' eyes darted around, wide and startled, before he clambered to his feet and ran to the edge of his balcony, peering out into the distance. His eyes went incredibly wide.

Not that far away, the Colossus almost casually walked across the field. Each step made the entire ground shake and tremble, and Lukas had to grip the banister for balance. His eyes darted over to where it was heading.

_"Beacontown."_

"Lukas to the rescue!" cheered Petra. A few of the other kids whooped. The real Lukas went pink.

Jaw setting, the blond turned and ran inside. He ruffled through a chest, hastily slinging on his gear. Finally, he drew out an enchanted iron sword, sheathed it, and tugged his goggles onto his head. _"Looks like it's time…"_

He turned to face the door, Dewey darting inside to hide under the bed, _"To write the next chapter."_

"Dramatic," Cassie grinned. Lukas just rolled his eyes.

Running outside, Lukas' eyes fell on his horse, which was still neighing loudly, rearing up onto its hind legs. He ran over, grabbing the reins, and it snorted as he climbed into the saddle. With one last neigh, they darted off after the Colossus.

And with that, the episode ended.

A silence crossed the audience. Then Ellegaard sighed and slumped against her seat.

"What time is it?" she asked. Magnus glanced around for a clock, realised that even if there _was_ one anyone it wouldn't really be telling them how much time had passed, and shrugged.

"Bedtime?"

"I'm down for that," Aiden mumbled. Axel yawned and stretched.

"I suppose we'll move onto episode… what was it, ten? Tomorrow," said Petra, climbing to her feet. Jack hummed, absently tracing a finger under his blind eye.

"Alright. That's a good idea."

Xara glanced around at them, then turned her attention to Romeo. He was regarding the dark screen almost thoughtfully, fingers unconsciously hovering over his messily bandaged arm. If he wasn't careful, the idiot would get it infected.

Not that it mattered.

No. Xara didn't care much for that at all.

After all, she had a monster to find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you say to the Becontowners? Teamwork makes the Dreamwork, I did it for Beacontown or Don't ever doubt me? Let me know in the reviews!


	106. Warm Above (Cold Below)

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Ten: Giant Consequences**

**Part One Hundred and Six: Warm Above (Cold Below)**

* * *

Jesse sighed, climbing into the basement cot, which was honestly more familiar than his own bed at this point (well, his bed in the mansion, anyway). His arm was still dead and numb, and no matter how much he pinched and scraped it, he didn't feel a thing.

He sensed rather than saw Harper and Ivor sharing a glance, before the potionologist clicked his tongue and turned to look at the boy's sister, who hovered awkwardly just off to the side with Reuben in her arms, as though unsure whether or not she should leave. She jumped when she noticed him looking.

"Jessica," Ivor said, with a careful gentleness, "Come over here. I want to look you over."

Surprised, Jesse peeked out from where he'd buried his face into the pillow. His sister looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Uh- Um- I- I don't- are you- I-" she trailed off into mumbles, ducking her head and flushing. Ivor raised his hands.

"It's alright," he assured her, "Nothing wrong. I'm not going to do anything bad. I promise."

Jessi looked at him warily, hugging Reuben closer. Her brother looked between them for a moment, before shifting and sitting up properly.

"It's okay," he said, quietly, "He won't… do anything."

She looked at him. Then swallowed, ducked her head again and, after a moment, forced herself to jerk her head in a nod. Ivor nodded back and made his way over to his table, gesturing for her to follow.

"Over here."

Shaking only slightly, Jessi followed. Reuben whined and licked her cheek.

Harper and Jesse watched quietly as Ivor helped Jesse sit up on the table, before ruffling through his bag. He spoke, carefully and gently, as he did so.

"I'm just going to double check a few things that I noticed earlier," he explained, "And I'm going to be asking you a few questions. Just little ones. I want you to answer as honestly as you can. Alright?"

Jessi swallowed, the trembling becoming a bit more obvious. She nodded anyway.

Her brother frowned, chewing on his bottom lip. Harper sat next to him.

"It's okay," she whispered, "She'll be alright. You know he won't do anything to upset her."

"Doesn't mean she won't get upset anyway," Jesse whispered back. To that, Harper could only squeeze his hand.

Ivor pulled out a blood pressure pump and looked to the girl, "You know what this is?"

She frowned at the pump for a moment, before jerkily nodding, "It… It takes your blood pressure, right?"

The potionologist smiled, "Yes, it does. Can I put it around your arm?"

Jessi was quiet for a moment. Then she looked away and nodded again, tentatively unwrapping one arm from around Reuben and offering it to him. Ivor took it gently and wrapped the velcro strap around it, just above the elbow. Her arm felt strangely fragile in his hands.

He took her blood pressure in silence, Jesse leaning into Harper over on the cot. The engineer glanced down at him and wrapped an arm over his shoulders.

"How's that arm?" she asked. He frowned and hummed.

"Numb."

"No change?"

He shook his head, "No change."

Ivor stared at the dial of the blood pressure pump for a moment, before frowning and tugging it out, quietly thanking her. He tucked it back into his bag, but Jessi didn't relax. Reuben snuffled.

After a moment of debate, Ivor pulled out a stethoscope and put it in his ears, turning his attention back to Jessi. He raised the cold metal head. "Know what this is?"

Jessi frowned slightly, "It's… that thing that listens to your heart."

"Right. I'm just going to do that. Okay?"

She hesitated, but in the end nodded. Ivor tugged down her shirt just enough to press the cold head against her skin, listening for a moment. His brow furrowed. Then furrowed deeper. After an almost awkwardly long moment, he pulled away.

"Can I put it to your back now?"

Jessi gave another wary nod and shifted so that she was sitting almost sideways. He tugged at her shirt just enough to slip in the stethoscope again, listening hard. After an even longer moment, he pulled away again.

"Jessica?"

The girl flinched slightly, "Ye- Yeah?"

"Is…" he trailed off, frowning deeply. Finally, he shook his head and stuffed the stethoscope back into his bag. "Can you jump down for me? I want to weigh you."

She stared at him, startled. Then, realising she was staring, turned red and did as she was told, scooping Reuben up properly. Ivor went and ruffled through one of the chests, before pulling out a small set of weighing scales.

He set them on the floor, fiddling with a few settings for a moment. Jessi stood awkwardly, shuffling her feet. Reuben rested his head on her shoulder, snorting quietly.

Finally, the potionologist straightened and shot her an apologetic look, "You'll have to put down Reuben for this."

Instantly, her grip on the piggy tightened. She stood stock-still for a good few minutes, before swallowing thickly and slowly- reluctantly- setting Reuben down. The little piggy whined.

Ivor shot her another one of his reassuring smiles and gestured to the scales. Head ducked down and shaking hands stiff curled at her sides, she stepped onto the scales and stood there. A moment, then another, passed. The scales beeped.

The girl got off and immediately scooped up Reuben again, the piggy licking her cheek. Ivor bent down to look at the scales and frowned.

"You're… _very_ light," he said, "You're… hmm. How much do you eat?"

Jessi shrugged stiffly and buried her face into Reuben's back. It was her brother who, after a pause, answered.

"She doesn't," he said quietly, "Closest she's gotten to eating is picking at something."

Harper's eyebrows raised to her hairline, "Wha- You can't just _not_ eat. You'd end up starving."

"Yeah, but… there's respawn," Jessi muttered. They all stared at her and she shrunk under their gazes.

"Are you telling me," Ivor said, slowly, "That you've been starving yourself to the point that… you poof?"

The girl hesitated, then nodded slightly, her voice so low they almost didn't hear it, "I mean… the respawn always brings me back…"

Harper's jaw slackened, "You've- You've starved yourself to the point of _dying?_ "

She didn't answer. Jesse was abruptly certain that he was going to throw up.

Ivor stared at Jessi for a long moment, before grunting quietly, "So that's why you weren't eating at dinner."

"When was the last time you ate something?" Harper asked. Jessi swallowed, beginning to tremble hard.

"Um… I… Jeh- Jesse gave me some… pasta a few days before…"

"You didn't eat that," Jesse pointed out in a weak croak. His sister went silent. Ivor looked between them and released a heavy sigh.

"Okay," he said, slowly, carefully, "I'm going… to get a glass of water. And I want you to drink it. Okay?"

Jessi turned her eyes to the floor, shifting her (small) weight. She gave a tiny, tiny nod.

Ivor nodded as well, "Alright. I'll be back in a moment."

He disappeared up the stairs. They watched him go until he disappeared. Harper turned her attention to Jessi.

"Why don't you eat?" she asked, quietly. The girl shrugged.

"I, um… there was never any food," she whispered, "Not… Not until… you guys arrived…"

"What about the animals?"

Jessi swallowed, "They… They weren't here either…"

"Oh," Harper breathed, "I see."

They fell into an awkward silence. Jesse almost sighed in relief when Ivor finally returned, a small bag in hand and a glass of water in the other. He handed it to Jessi.

"Drink it slowly," he instructed. Jessi nodded and sipped at it.

The potionologist opened the small bag and pulled out a few bits of food, ranging from bananas to avocados to dark chocolate to sweet potatoes to oranges. Jessi paused and watched uncertainly. Harper cocked her head slightly.

"Poppy?"

"These foods are high in nutrients," he explained, "I want you to eat at least one of them a day. _Slowly._ Got it?"

Jessi stared. Ivor turned and looked at her expectantly.

"Well?"

She went red and hastily nodded, looking down. Ivor hummed.

"Alright. Good. We'll start with three small meals a day, with lots of water in between, and once you get used to eating again, you can start having bigger meals and snacks in between."

Jessi didn't say anything. Ivor handed her a particularly small orange.

"Eat as much as you can of that. _Very_ slowly."

She stared at it, and Reuben snuffled curiously. After a long moment, she gave another tiny nod.

"Good," Ivor said quietly, before gesturing for her to sit down and making his way over to Jesse, "Drink your water."

Silently, Jessi plopped into a chair. Ivor knelt in front of her brother, untying the sling around his neck and numb arm.

"How's it feeling?" he asked. Jesse swallowed slightly.

"Um… nothing?"

"Still numb, then," Ivor murmured, pulling up the boys' sleeve and running his fingers over his forearm. Like usual, Jesse felt nothing. The potionologist pressed his lips together. "Hmm."

He gave Jesse a healing potion, mostly due to the fact that he had no idea what else he could try. Harper looked around the small, makeshift potions lab, making a thoughtful noise.

"Where would we put another cot?" she asked, "There really isn't anywhere…"

Ivor glanced around as well, before shrugging a shoulder, "There was this one time where the Order had split up on a mission," he began to gather up his supplies, returning them to his bag, "Soren and Ellegaard had gone one way, and Gabriel, Magnus and I went the other. It was an overnight thing, so we had to build a hovel of a house, which turned out to be even smaller than _I'd_ anticipated because Gabriel is useless with any tool that isn't a sword."

Despite himself, Jesse giggled, covering his mouth. Harper shook her head, smiling. Ivor shot them both a small smile and continued.

"We were travelling with a cot each because they were easier to carry then proper beds, but there still wasn't enough room for them. So Magnus found some sticks and some more wood, strung them together and was able to make a bunk bed."

Harper raised her eyebrows, "With cots?"

Ivor nodded, "It was… interesting, to say the least. Of course, because he was actually the one to figure out how to fix the problem, he got the top bunk. He seemed quite happy with himself about it."

Harper huffed a small laugh, "I bet. Do you remember how he did it?"

Ivor seemed to think for a moment, before nodding, "Vaguely, but I think I remember enough."

Jessi was looking from Harper to Ivor, brow furrowed in clear confusion. Her brother rubbed the back of his neck with his good hand, his numb arm flopping awkwardly at his side. Surprisingly, Jessi was able to find her voice enough to make a small whisper of a sound.

"Why… ?"

She cut off when they turned to look at her, mouth clamping shut. Ivor considered her for a moment.

"I suppose I should ask first," he admitted, before turning his full attention to the girl, "Do you want to stay down here with Jesse?"

She shot him a startled look, before her eyes darted over to Jesse. He gave her a small, reassuring smile. Jessi ducked her head, cheeks pink, and, after a brief hesitation, nodded. Ivor smiled.

"Wonderful."

He turned away and began to fiddle with a few things in one of the chests. Jessi awkwardly shuffled her feet and rubbed Reuben's head.

Harper looked down at Jesse and squeezed his knee, "Ready for bed?"

The boy hummed, the giant Colossus flashing in his minds eye. He wondered if he'd be able to get any sleep tonight with all that's happened. Both in the episodes and in the mansion.

"Sure."

* * *

Xara trudged through the dimly lit passageway, her torch burning. The place stank of sand and dust and cobwebs, and her hands felt gritty after dragging them along the walls in an attempt to have some idea of which direction to go in- or if there was anything hidden on them. She would occasionally pass a portrait, some of which had eye holes poked into them, and with them came small streams of light from the bright hallway beyond. It at least made her feel a little bit less claustrophobic.

But she hadn't seen much of the backs of portraits in the last few… however long she'd been here. Nor had she spotted any of their small streams of light. It was just her, the dusty hallways, the flickering light of her torch. She kept the claustrophobia at bay by sheer willpower, but it still tingled in the back of her brain like an itch she couldn't scratch. The air was stuffy and almost gave her the sensation of suffocating, despite each breath.

She still walked with a slight limp, but it was slightly better now- bandaged tightly, at least. Some of the blisters on her hands had popped. Those were bandaged too.

She gritted her teeth and ignored the shivers of pain. The tightness in her chest.

Whatever she would find in here… whatever she would stumble across…

It couldn't be him.

(But it could be.)

Does she want it to be him? Won't it be better, merciful, if he was actually dead? And not this _thing_?

(Maybe.)

He's dead.

(... Maybe.)

Her brain throbbed with a blooming headache, a pulse against her skull. She ignored this too.

Hours must have passed. She'd started smearing the walls with purple dye that glowed dimly in the darkness a little while back, like a bread crumb trail, but now she was beginning to run low. The narrow walls were mostly made of stone now; she must be underground. Beneath the mansion.

The air was chilled. Enough that goosebumps had popped up along her bare arms, enough that her breath came out in puffs of white clouds in front of her. When she came to a stop and raised her fingers to her face, squinting at them in the slowly dimming light of her torch, she realised the tips were blue.

Blue.

Frost crept slowly along the wall. When she peered upwards, she noticed icicles on the ceiling. Some were melting slightly from the glow of her torch; cold little droplets fell onto her forehead.

She pressed her lips together, mouth oddly dry. Her eyes darted up and down the passageway, straining against the shadows, but she saw nothing. Nothing but more shadows and frost and the puff of her own breath.

(Then again, he (it) was dark enough to blend in perfectly.)

She gripped her torch tighter and continued walking.

Dark hallways. The hard ground beneath her feet became dangerously slippery with ice. Her toes and fingers eventually became numb. The Sunshine Institute- particularly with her cell and all of its lava- was outrageously hot, but you grow used to such conditions. She hadn't been exposed to a cold anywhere near the intensity of this one for years and years and _years_. It certainly did its job at making everything horrendously worse.

Her foot hit a particularly slippery patch of ice and went flying out from under her. Xara gasped, falling backwards, her other leg twisting awkwardly. She hit the cold, damp ground hard and lost her torch. It's light flickered and died.

She was left in black. There was nothing but the sound of her quick breathing, the ice in her lungs, the cold seeping into her skin. Panic thudded in her chest and clogged her throat. She took a few deep, careful breaths, but only barely managed to push it down somewhat. It was fine. This was fine. She wasn't dead, at least.

(As though that was always a good thing.)

Swallowing, she gritted her teeth together and carefully pushed herself upright. With numb fingers, she searched blindly for her torch, but gave up with an irritated huff after a good five minutes. She fumbled through her pockets, clumsily stringing another one together almost out of muscle memory more than anything else, and released a trembling breath when the light returned. It came out in a puff of white; she almost absently realised she was shivering hard.

Shooting the ice a rather hateful glare, she climbed to her feet slowly. Once she'd straightened, her eyes darted around, once more squinting into the shadows, but she could see nothing there. Didn't mean there actually _was_ nothing there, though.

One hand brushing against the grimy wall and one eye on the ice at her feet, she began to walk again.

Xara wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed, just that she'd never been this cold in her entire life. Her brain was oddly fuzzy; she couldn't think. Everything was slow and sluggish and _cold._ She was just beginning to consider that she should really, _really_ turn back when the ground disappeared from beneath her feet and she fell.

She wasn't given the time to yell. Not before she hit the rushing, frigid water.

Cold.

_Cold._

It was everywhere; millions and millions of tiny needles stabbing into every single inch of her skin, ripping away every tiny semblance of warmth. She jerked, but it was sluggish. She tried to move her arms, tried to move her legs, tried to swim to the surface so she could _breathe,_ but her limbs might as well have been made of lead.

She sank, chest burning, frost and ice and _cold_ biting at her skin, and the water carried her.

* * *

Anthony shuffled his feet, heart thumping in his throat. Warden had his hands tucked behind his back, chest puffed out and chin stuck up professionally just in front of him, but he could see the way he was twisting his fingers. The Admin didn't look happy, and when the Admin wasn't happy, things were _bad._

Although- and Anthony would never, ever admit this to anyone, not even under torture- the Admin was… somewhat less intimidating like the way he was in that moment. It was still most definitely him, but he looked more… human. His normally completely grey skin was pale with only grey patches; his eyes glowed an eerie yellow but lacked the red that he usually had in place of whites; he was in a grey t-shirt and jeans and red shoes and seemed… younger, perhaps. Less like he could make you vanish to who knows where with a snap of his fingers.

Less dangerous.

Warden shifted slightly, and it was enough to snap the Admin out of whatever stupor he'd been drawn into. He blinked his yellow eyes and finally turned to look at them; Anthony automatically straightened, mouth dry. The thought that maybe the Admin could read minds crossed through his brain and he had to hastily squash down a sudden surge of panic.

(Lord, he hoped he couldn't read minds.)

"Warden," the Admin said, finally, almost conversationally; Warden straightened further.

"Yes, Admin sir?"

"I have a job for you and your Associate," the Admin gestured towards Anthony, "A rather important one."

"It would be an honour to be trusted with this," Warden said, ducking his head in a quick bow. His nails were digging into his hands. The Admin hummed absently.

"I want you and your Associate to keep an eye on a few certain people," he said, "To… keep them in line. Make sure they don't do anything… regrettable."

Warden nodded once, "Of course, Admin sir. Who would you like us to watch out for?"

"Prisoner X," said the Admin, not to Anthony's surprise, "And the other Guest from the Sunshine Institute."

"Oxblood, sir?"

The Admin waved him off, "The red one? Yes. And I want you to keep an eye on the one with the pig head. And... those other two from the Underneath."

The ones that had been outside. Anthony wasn't certain of their names, but only someone who had been trapped below the bedrock would look to the sky the way they had. His chest hurt. Once more, he prayed the Admin couldn't read minds.

"We'll get to it immediately, Admin sir," Warden promised. The Admin was silent, regarding him almost thoughtfully, before grunting and turning away.

"And Jesse."

Warden blinked. His brow creased. "The boy, sir?"

"Yes. The one onscreen," he glanced over his shoulder at them, raising his eyebrows, "Is that a problem?"

Warden's brow immediately cleared and he jerked his head in a shake, "No. Of course not, Admin sir."

"Good," the Admin tugged open the kitchen door, "You're to start immediately. Report back to me if you see anything… note-worthy."

He left. Once they were sure he was gone, both Anthony and Warden visibly relaxed. The Associate blew out a small breath.

"And here I was hoping we'd finally get a vacation," he whispered, jokingly. Warden glanced at him and shook his head, shooting him a stern look.

"We live to serve the Admin."

"Right," Anthony's tiny smile faltered into something that wasn't _quite_ a grimace, "Of course. We live to serve the Admin. Ignore me, Warden. I'm being stupid."

"Hm," Warden glanced away and was silent for a moment, "Why were you brought here, Associate?"

Anthony blinked, "Sorry, sir?"

"Why were you brought here?" Warden repeated, turning to look at him again, "You're just an Associate. What distinguishes you from all the others?"

"I… I don't know, sir," uncomfortable, Anthony glanced away and had to resist the urge to shuffle his feet again, "I suppose you could ask that question to Oxblood as well. Why distinguishes _him_ from the rest of the Guests?"

"Yes," Warden murmured quietly, "I suppose you could."

They fell into a silence. Anthony swallowed. Finally, Warden turned away.

"Well, you have your orders, Associate," he said, "If you see anything, report directly to the Admin. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Don't disappoint."

Warden straightened his uniform and then marched out of the kitchen, leaving Anthony standing alone. He watched him go, before blowing out a breath and slumping. He fell into a seat at the dining room table and closed his eyes.

Always trapped.

* * *

"Axel," Ellegaard huffed, exasperated, "Go to bed."

"One second," the burly boy said, not looking away from whatever Magnus was doing with a bit of gunpowder. Ellegaard rolled her eyes and glanced at Olivia, already curled into bed and dozing- probably thanks to the painkillers.

Magnus made a triumphant noise and held out his fistful of gunpowder, "There! Craft some TNT with this and it'll shoot right into-"

"Magnus," Ellegaard cut in, "It's late."

The self-proclaimed Boom King turned to look at her and shot her a grin, "Aw, come on, Ellie. He wants to see."

"Yeah!" Axel exclaimed, "It's cool!"

Ellegaard shook her head, trying- and failing- to suppress her twitching lips, "You don't see me showing Olivia redstone techniques at this time."

Magnus glanced at the sleeping girl, "Yeah, but… that's 'cause she's tired. If she was awake, she'd more than likely insist on it."

"And I'd insist she go to bed," Ellegaard said. Magnus waved her off.

"What even _is_ time in this place?"

"Can you show me it in action?" Axel asked, pointing to the altered gunpowder in the masked man's fist. Magnus grinned again and opened his mouth, but Ellegaard cut in again before he could say anything.

"No. Bed."

Magnus looked at her and his grin softened slightly, almost into something a bit sweeter. He shrugged and tucked the altered gunpowder away. "She's right, bud. It's, like, midnight. I think. Maybe. I've got no idea. Point is, you should sleep."

"Aw," Axel's shoulders slumped. Magnus nudged him.

"I'll show ya tomorrow."

"You will?"

"'Course! Since when do I pass the chance to blow stuff up?"

Axel's face lit up. He got up and headed to his own bed- one of the two they'd brought into the bedroom for the two kids, considering neither of them were all that keen on letting them out of their sights after whatever the heck had happened with Cluedo.

"G'Night."

"Goodnight, Axel," Ellegaard said. Magnus stretched.

"Night, bud."

Brushing the gunpowder off his hands, the masked man stood and shot the inventor a small grin. Ellegaard shook her head and smiled.

"Ya know," Magnus said as he made his way over to her, quietly enough that Axel wouldn't be able to hear, "They're good kids, aren't they?"

"Of course I know that," Ellegaard whispered. She glanced over at the burly boy as he settled down into his bed, then at the sleeping Olivia. "They're great kids."

Magnus hummed quietly and sat next to her, his arm snaking around her shoulders. She leaned into him absently, head resting on his shoulder, and felt him smile against her hair. It was warm, and she could hear both Axel and Olivia's soft breathing and Magnus' heartbeat through his armour. This was the closest she'd been to being relaxed in what felt like ages.

"Tired?" Magnus asked, quietly. Ellegaard hummed. He gave her a gentle squeeze. "Yeah. Me too."

Soft breathing. Soft heartbeats.

* * *

Xara sucked in a sudden breath and immediately delved into a coughing fit. She twisted around, shaking hard, and vomited water.

When she was done, she slumped against the floor, pressing her forehead to it and taking deep, even breaths. Frost clung to her clothes, her hair, and her lips and fingers were blue. She was shivering hard and dripping wet.

The urge to simply lie there and sleep was almost irresistibly strong, but she knew immediately that it was an _incredibly bad idea._ She gritted her teeth, taking deep breaths in and out her nose, and forced herself to push herself up.

Her numb limbs trembled. She got to her knees, swayed, and blinked through the daze of her brain. There was light. Lanterns. Wood stuck out from the wall. A door.

A cabin.

She half-crawled, half-dragged herself across the gravel, scraping her numb palms and tearing the leg of her prisoner uniform. It took forever, and yet no time at all, before she was in front of the door. She leant against it, gasping for breath, teeth chattering. Blindly, she reached up, fumbled with the doorknob and pushed the door open.

To her relief, it wasn't locked.

Xara fell into the cabin. She dragged herself the rest of the way inside and was able to somehow muster the strength to kick the door shut. It clicked quietly closed.

A fire crackled in the pit of a fireplace.

She stared at it, but was too tired to be startled. Xara dragged herself over to it, squeezing past two armchairs, and huddled as close as she could get without burning herself. The warmth spread through her painfully numb arms, touching her frostbitten nose, and she closed her eyes, taking deep breaths.

Xara lay there for a good few minutes, not wanting to move. But then she swallowed and reminded her sluggish brain that she was still in dripping wet clothes and probably half-dead, and that even _with_ a fire right in front of her, falling asleep wasn't exactly all that good an idea.

With great reluctance, she forced herself to move. She got to her trembling feet, fell, and then got up on them again. Her eyes took the room in slowly; it was homely, with pictures on the walls and blankets thrown over the chairs, and there was even a clotheshorse with drying clothes strung up on it, but the place was dusty and old and… forgotten, almost.

She staggered over to the clotheshorse and shifted through it with shaking fingers; the clothes were dry, and most seemed to either be too big or too small for her. Deciding that she really wasn't in the mood to be picky, she grabbed a random shirt and jogging bottoms and changed.

The shirt practically hung off her shoulders and down to her knees, and the jogging bottoms weren't much better, but she supposed she'd rather they be too big instead of too small. Her prison uniform was sopping wet, and maybe if she didn't feel like she was going to pass out at any moment, she would have appreciated finally wearing something else.

She left the prison uniform in a pile on the dusty floor and forced herself to pace in front of the fire, dragging her bare feet, still shivering like crazy. She rubbed her pale, goose-bump covered arms in an attempt to get circulation going again. The old floorboards creaked quietly beneath her.

After doing this for a good long while, Xara tugged the blanket off the back of one of the armchairs and wrapped it tightly around herself, before plopping in front of the fire again. It continued to blaze, and she noticed for the first time that it was light upon netherrack. No wonder it was still going.

Thankfully not shivering as badly as she had been, Xara finally allowed herself to flop down onto the floor, shifting a little closer to the fire. Her eyelids ached and seemed quite stubborn on closing, but she continued to fight them. She tugged the blanket closer around her, uncaring of the dust that was more than likely covering it.

She couldn't help but wonder where this place had come from. Why it was down so low in the passageways. Why it was covered in layers of dust when the entirety of the mansion didn't even have a speck of it. Who lit this fire? Who did these clothes, this blanket, belong to? Who builds a cabin underground, next to the coldest river to ever exist?

Remembering the pictures on the walls, she considered getting up again and looking at them to see who they were of. But exhaustion overtook her like a wave over sand, and her eyelids slipped closed.

The fire crackled quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Because it's Movie Mode's birthday on July 27th, which is this Saturday, I'll be updating then! There's also gonna be two other things for it, so I hope you guys like 'em!


	107. Battle of Beacontown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sucks in deep breath* HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPY BIIIIIIRTHDAY TOOOOOO MOOOOOOOOOOOVIE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODE! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPY BIIIIIIIIIIIRTHDAAAAAAAAY TOOOOO YOUUUUUUUU!
> 
> Movie Mode is now three years old!

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Ten: Giant Consequences**

**Part One Hundred and Seven: Battle of Beacontown**

* * *

_'Til you leave the centre of the show behind._

* * *

Cassie grumbled quietly to herself, trudging down the empty hallway. Winslow trailed behind her, ever loyal, his small feet padding quietly against the wooden floor. She glanced down at him, her lips twitching into a little smile.

This was the first time she'd been allowed to go off on her own since episode six; it felt like ages. Granted, it was mostly because Soren hadn't wanted to leave Lukas alone and she was the only one he could send to get him another painkiller.

But still.

Cassie sighed, shaking her head. She was just about to turn the corner when someone else did and almost ran right into her.

They both came to a sudden halt, almost hitting but thankfully not. Cassie took a few steps back, fingers automatically reaching for an axe that wasn't there. The purple-haired woman that had held a sword to Jesse's throat blinked at her.

"Hello," she said. Cassie stared, before her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Hi. What're you doing?"

"Walking," the woman deadpanned. She looked rather pale. And she was wearing some rather ridiculously large clothes in place of her orange prison uniform. "What're you doing?"

"Walking," Cassie echoed, harshly. The woman's blue-tinted lips twitched slightly.

"Naturally."

They looked at each other for a moment. Cassie shifted slightly, pressing her lips together.

"So, uh…you can probably find some clothes that fit better in the attic."

The woman regarded her for a moment, "Yeah? Could you point me in the direction?"

Cassie thought for a moment, before gesturing to the hallway behind her, "Take a right, then two lefts. You should see the ladder."

"Noted," she gave a small nod, "Thank you."

"No problem."

The purple-haired woman skirted around her and began to make her way down the hall. She came to a halt, as though silently debating something, before turning to face her again.

"Hey, uh… could I ask you something?"

Cassie raised an eyebrow, "Uh… sure."

The woman dug into the pocket of her overly large jogging bottoms and pulled out a small picture frame. She held it out to the red-haired girl.

"Do you recognise either of them?"

Brow furrowing, Cassie stared at the picture for a good few minutes. After a moment, her eyes widened. She took a step back.

"Where did you get that?" she whispered. The woman regarded her.

"One of the rooms," she said, rather vaguely. Cassie stared at her, then at the picture. She swallowed thickly.

"The girl," the redhead murmured, "She should be dead."

Xara turned the picture to look at it.

"That's his sister, isn't it? The one that's been in the walls?"

The colour had drained from Cassie's face. She nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"Hm."

The purple-haired woman looked at the picture for a long moment. Then she tucked it back into her pocket.

"They should both be dead, then."

She turned and walked down the hall. Cassie watched her until she disappeared around the corner, before releasing a shaky sigh and slumping against the wall. Her knees had become jelly. She closed her eyes.

All she could see was Jessica's smiling, twelve year old face and the blue man smiling with her.

* * *

Jesse slid into his spot on the floor, sighing quietly. He flexed his numb fingers the best he could, but it was wrong and sluggish, and frowned. Ivor sat down in the spot beside him and glanced at him out the corner of his eye.

"You doing okay?"

"Hm," Jesse hummed, nodding absently. Ivor raised an eyebrow.

"You sure? You don't look it."

"I'm fine, Dad," he murmured. Then, noticing the grin Axel shot him, he stiffened, eyes widening. "I- I mean-"

Ivor blinked, then chuckled and shook his head, "No. It's… It's fine. We've already talked about it, remember?"

Jesse looked at him hesitantly, fiddling with his sling again, "I mean… yeah…"

The potionologist squeezed his knee, "It's fine. Promise."

The boy looked at him hesitantly, before giving a little smile. Ivor smiled back. Harper plopped down next to him and Jessi quietly sat down on her brother's other side. Both the potionologist and the inventor had been certain that she'd eaten for breakfast, although she still hadn't been able to eat a lot. They'd also insisted she bring a water bottle into the watching room, which she sat in front of her and almost seemed to avoid looking at.

Lukas' had been giving a healing potion that morning as well, which would hopefully mean he'd have his wire out soon. He seemed capable of proper speech now (albeit somewhat muffled and incoherent), although was still stuck on a liquid diet.

Reginald was the one with the remote today, murmuring quietly to himself as he frowned at the buttons. After a few moments of figuring out which one did which, he pointed it at the screen and pressed one.

It came to life.

The image was dark and almost gloomy, the sky in the late stages of a sunrise. Stella was onscreen, pointing towards a tall, spiky tower that almost seemed to be made entirely out of ice. Lukas was just a little ahead of her, his eyes wide and face pale, and he seemed to be heading towards it as well. Lluna was next to him, crouched slightly, looking perhaps like she was in the middle of bleating.

The audience regarded the image for a moment. Cassie raised her eyebrows and glanced at Lukas, who was frowning. Petra blinked slowly at the onscreen Stella, before groaning and slumping into Gabriel; the real Stella looked rather intrigued, a somewhat smug smirk on her lips at having been included in something as important as the cover image. Lluna cocked her head slightly at the onscreen version of herself and bleated quietly.

"What _is_ that?" asked Ellegaard, squinting at the screen, "It looks… snowy? Beacontown isn't a snow biome."

Xara frowned and shook her head, huffing to herself. She glanced at Romeo, who seemed to be suppressing a smirk. Feeling her glare, he glanced at her, then away, his face falling into a scowl.

Jack scratched his beard thoughtfully, "Hm. This will be interesting."

Reginald pressed a button and the screen began to load. The image faded out and, a moment later, the words _MINECRAFT: STORY MODE_ with _SEASON TWO_ in the middle faded in. Jesse's voice came from the speakers.

_"Previously on Minecraft: Story Mode…"_

The New Order made their way down the Order Hall, chatting and smiling, Radar following with a beaming admiration. Lukas' voice took over.

_"Old friends come in and move out of life, while new friends,"_ it changed to Nell hugging Jesse outside of her house, his newly built clay structure sitting proudly on her lawn; it changed again to Jesse and Radar munching on cake and pumpkin pie, while Stampy and Stacy share proud smiles, _"Show up to fill in the spaces left behind."_

The real Jesse's heart sank to his stomach. He'd forgotten about that little detail.

Axel and Olivia shared a downtrodden look. Lukas' eyes went to the floor and Soren rubbed his arm comfortingly. Petra swallowed and pressed her lips together.

It showed Radar waving goodbye, a large beam on his face, and then faded out. It faded back in to show Jesse hesitantly reaching towards the floating Gauntlet. It whispered his name in that creepy, echoing tone, and gravel fell from the ceiling and blocked the entrance.

It shot out to show Petra staring at it in shock, Lluna next to her, and her head snapped back to Jesse. Lukas' voice continued.

_"We might not like it…"_

The glove turned and shoved itself onto Jesse's arm.

_"But eventually everyone learns that nothing can escape change forever."_

Romeo clenched his jaw.

Eyes wide, the giant mound trembling beneath him, Jesse twisted around and leapt. The mound fell beneath him as the Heckmouth opened its enormous maw, and he grabbed onto the ledge, dangling above the green, swirling pit.

It changed again to show Jesse standing in front of the two Structure Blocks, the Tower of the Warrior and the Wall of the Builder on either side. The others came up behind him.

_"No matter how fraught with danger it may seem, the lure of adventure cannot be denied."_

Cassie raised an eyebrow, "Fraught?"

"It's a word," Lukas mumbled.

Jesse reached out and took the Structure Block in hand, the others huddling around him to take a look. Its glow cast shadows across their faces.

_"Sometimes the danger itself is the pull."_

Ivor raised an eyebrow at Jesse. He shrunk slightly.

"He's… phrased it wrong."

"Sure, Jesse."

The whole temple shook, and their heads snapped around to see the zombie statues marching up the stairs. They drew their giant weapons.

It cut to Jesse raising the Structure Block above his head as they came marching up towards them. He slammed it down and the Wall of the Builder burst into life, knocking the closest zombie statues down and away.

_"Some heroes just want to be the one to discover the next ancient secret."_

The young hero picked up the Structure Block again and shared a grin with Petra.

_"To wield strange new powers."_

The zombie statues approached the Wall of the Builder and began to hack at it with their weapons. They hardly left a scratch.

"You're being very dramatic, Lukas," Petra said. Lukas shot her a sheepish smile.

It cut to Jesse leaping out onto one of their backs, raising his blade and thrusting it into the fragile glass spot on the back of its head.

_"This new threat was more personal than any that had come before."_

It puffed into dust.

"I mean… yeah, it's kinda personal, I guess," Olivia frowned, "More to Jack than anyone else, though."

The real Jack hummed quietly.

It cut to Jesse grabbing Petra's hand just before she fell from the ledge. She grabbed Miss Button just before it could be lost forever.

_"And the fight for their lives shook the foundation of everything they thought possible."_

Jesse pulled her upwards, and they looked up just in time to see the Colossus bringing its arms down upon them. Yelling, they leapt off the ledge and landed into the water below. It faded out again.

_"But in the end, the town was saved."_

The orange sky faded in to the cheers of the Beacontowners. With his Gauntlet-covered arm, Jesse held the Structure Block up into the air.

_"The heroes had won the day."_

Cassie coughed into her fist, "Loser."

Soren shot her a look, "Be nice."

"Just saying."

_"And everyone could believe, for just one moment,"_ Jesse stood on the edge of the Amulet Beacon, holding the Structure Block high and beaming at the cheering crowd, _"That maybe things really hadn't changed at all."_

_"And then…"_

It cut to Jesse and Petra spinning around, the cheers becoming screams of terror. The earth shook. It zoomed in on Jesse's face as he looked up towards the gates, eyes wide and skin pale.

_"That moment passed."_

The Colossus loomed over them with a large grin, laughing slowly. It places its massive hands upon the wall and a building, leaning forwards slightly, and they were minuscule within its shadow.

The screen went black.

"Well," Magnus murmured, after a moment, "Talk about intense."

Lukas mumbled quietly, a little pink in the face. Dewey meowed and purred, rubbing against his hand. Soren beamed and ruffled his hair.

"You're going to make a brilliant writer," he said. Lukas went even pinker.

Whispers, startled and scared, came from the crowd as the screen faded back in. They were looking up to the giant Colossus, which grinned down at them. When it spoke, its voice was booming and earth-shattering.

_"GREETINGS, TINY PEOPLE,"_ it said, and the crowd yelled, wincing away and covering their ears, Jesse and Petra among them, _"I AM THE ADMIN."_

"Admin," Olivia echoed, shaking her head, "That's not- the _Admin_?"

Porkchop cackled, "Aren't you lot in for a _treat!_ "

"What?" Maya said, taken aback, "What are you talking about?"

_"SORRY,"_ the Admin apologised, grin widening, _"THAT WAS PROBABLY REALLY LOUD TO YOUR PATHETIC, TINY EARS."_

Xara scowled, "Idiot. Complete and utter idiot."

_"What does that mean?"_ one of the panicked citizens whispered, Jesse looking over his shoulder at them, _"What does it want?"_

_"'Admin'?"_ another citizen echoed.

_"What is that thing?"_

Radar swallowed, turning to Jesse, hands tangled in his hair, _"I am beyond scared right now."_

_"Welp,"_ Petra winced, stepping forward, _"Guess Jack's eye wasn't enough for it."_

The real Jack grunted, "Apparently."

_"I WISH TO SPEAK WITH JESSE,"_ the Admin declared, causing the crowd to wince again, _"THE GAUNTLET-BEARER."_

Harper blinked a few times, "The… The 'Gauntlet-Bearer'?"

"Isn't this guy good with names?" Magnus mumbled. Romeo scowled.

_"What's going on?"_ one of the citizens whispered.

_"Whuh- Where did it come from?"_

"This is kinda bad," Jesse murmured. Jack scratched his beard and winced.

"Yeah, no kidding."

"I can't believe that thing followed you _home_ ," Radar squeaked, "How didn't you notice something that big?"

"Believe me," Petra said, "We have no idea."

_"Whatever your beef is with me,"_ Jesse shouted, stepping forward from the crowd and glaring up at the Colossus; its head turned to look down at him, _"Leave my town out of it!"_

Ivor groaned, "Oh, he's such an idiot."

Jesse frowned, "Hey!"

"You're _yelling_ at a _giant colossal god._ "

_"They didn't do anything wrong!"_

_"IT'S HARD TO HEAR YOUR TINY VOICE FROM DOWN THERE,"_ said the Admin. It pulled away from the wall and walked over to the other side, where the top of Stampy's house was level with its midsection. _"COME, SPEAK WITH ME FACE TO FACE."_

"Oh chicken king," Gill murmured.

Petra swallowed, _"Oh boy."_

_"'Admin'?"_ a particularly squeaky-voiced Beacontowner said, _"Have you ever heard of such a thing?"_

"Wow," Cam muttered, "They really don't know?"

_"Jesse?"_ said Radar, wringing his fingers nervously, _"What's going on here?"_

"I think we're all kinda wondering that, to be honest," Aiden admitted.

_"'Gantlet-Bearer'?"_ Stampy frowned, _"That's all rather suspicious, isn't it?"_

Stacy shot Jesse an uncertain look, _"No kidding…"_

_"I don't like it!"_ groaned one of the citizens, _"No, sir, I do not like it!"_

_"Uh, everyone!"_ Jesse hastily turned around to face the crowd, waving his arms slightly to get their attention. He plastered on a smile. _"Everyone! Hi. There's nothing to worry about. The… giant prismarine colossus and I are… gonna work this out and everything can get back to normal. I swear."_

"Something tells me this isn't going to go down all that well," Milo murmured. Isa pressed her lips together and made a small noise of agreement.

_"Okay…"_ a citizen swallowed, _"So… an 'Admin.' A huge colossus at our door."_

_"I'm alright with not freaking out,"_ the woman next to him swallowed, fiddling with the hem of her shirt, _"Yet."_

_"You're going to fix this, right, Jesse?"_ another citizen asked.

The young hero looked over his shoulder at the Admin, who was looking down at him impatiently, enormous prismarine arms crossed. Radar shrunk slightly and turned to Jesse again.

_"You won't let it… destroy Beacontown, will you?"_

_"Oh, I'm sure Jesse must have thought of something,"_ Stampy assured him, although he shot a nervous look towards the Colossus. Stacy made a weak noise.

_"I hope you're right…"_

"Their confidence in him is rather astounding," Reginald muttered. Slab gave a small nod of agreement, brow furrowing.

"Yes… and he's quite young as well, isn't he?"

_"Don't worry everyone!"_ Jesse said, _"I'm going to try talking to it."_

_"Okay,"_ Radar nodded, blowing out a shaky breath, _"Diplomacy. Nice. That sounds good."_

Abruptly, the Admin coughed impatiently, cutting right through the conversation. Many of them winced and shrunk away at the booming sound. Hesitantly, they turned to face it.

Face set in annoyance, the Admin slammed his hands down onto the wall, making all of Beacontown tremble, _"I WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED, GAUNTLET-BEARER. DO NOT TEST MY PATIENCE."_

"Ohhhhh lord," Soup winced, shrinking against her seat slightly, "This is- oh, they're gonna die."

Val shushed her.

Petra swallowed and patted Jesse's shoulder, _"Guess you should get up there…"_ she gave a weak huff of a laugh, _"Gauntlet-Bearer."_

_"Clay comin' your way!"_ Nell exclaimed, making her way over; Jesse turned to her and smiled thankfully as she handed him a big stack of coloured clay.

The real Nell beamed, "Brah, it's me!"

"I'm half-certain you've already said that," Mevia murmured, although her lips twitched into a tiny smile.

_"Thanks, Nell,"_ said Jesse, _"Perfect."_

He pocketed the clay and turned to look at Petra. She gave him a small nod, mouth pressed into a thin line, as though to silently say she'd cover him. Giving a small nod back, Jesse turned and began to make his way over to Stampy's house; the Colossus waited impatiently.

"Glad my house is coming in handy," Stampy said, smiling weakly. Stacy hummed, closing her eyes and breathing evenly through her nose; god, everything _hurt_. Even with the painkillers.

Stopping in front of Stampy's door, Jesse sat down a block of clay and jumped up on it. Then he jumped up and placed another one beneath him, then again and again, the screen speeding up, until he was level with the large platform above the house. He walked through the opening in the fences, and the Colossus smiled.

_"AH, THERE YOU ARE, JESSE."_

It knelt down, so that they were face to face. When it spoke again, its voice was less booming; still ridiculously loud, but thankfully not to the point that their eardrums were throbbing.

_"I LOVE WHAT YOU DID WITH THE WITHERSTORM. AWESOME STUFF,"_ it chuckled, grin spreading, _"OH, THIS IS GOING TO BE PERFECT."_

"Uh," Soren raised his eyebrows, "What is?"

Facemeat shuddered, "Facemeat doesn't like this."

"None of us do," Clutch murmured.

_"YOU'VE GOT THE KNACK."_

Jesse regarded the Admin uncertainly, absently fiddling with a loose buckle on Ellegaard's armour, _"Why, uh… yes, thanks for noticing."_

_"SERIOUSLY,"_ the Admin continued, _"YOU'RE A NATURAL."_

"What's happening?" Lukas asked, frowning. The real Jesse shrugged, looking just as lost as everyone else.

_"THAT'S WHY I LEFT YOU THE GAUNTLET."_

Jesse's eyes widened and he looked down at the Gauntlet stuck on his hand, _"You…_ left _it?"_

"Okay, this is weird," Cassie declared, "What is happening?"

"Yeah, I'm agreeing with her for once," Petra murmured, "This is really weird. What's it doing?"

_"TO TEMPT YOU DOWN TO THE SEA TEMPLE,"_ the Admin explained, simply. Jesse stared at it with wide eyes, jaw slacked.

"To tempt… ?" Jack's voice was somewhat weak. Anger was beginning to grow on his face. "To _tempt?_ "

Nurm said something quickly, grabbing Jack's elbow. The adventurer looked at him, jaw clenched, then barked a harsh laugh. He buried his face into his hands.

"To _tempt,_ " he whispered hoarsely, "To… To _tempt_."

The Villager wrapped an arm around him, humming worriedly. Jack didn't give him an answer to whatever he'd said.

Abruptly, the Colossus said, turning to look over at Beacontown, _"BUT NOW? YOUR TRUE TEST BEGINS."_

Jesse's eyes widened further and he watched as it made its way over to the closed gates; its voice had raised once more to that deep, booming sound.

_"IT IS TIME YOU FIGHT…"_

_"No!"_ Jesse yelled. The Admin raised its foot, panicked noise coming from the townsfolk once again, and then kicked it right through the gate, smashing it to pieces; screams burst forth and the crowd ran; they briefly saw Petra amongst them.

_"Look out!"_ a Beacontowner yelled. Radar took a few steps back, face pale and eyes wide, before he twisted around and ran. The Admin forced its way through the rest of the gate, stepping right into Beacontown. It turned its green glare towards the horrified young hero.

_"ME."_

"Oh no, oh no, oh no no no-" Radar chanted through wheezing breath, hands coming up to tangle in his hair. Jesse shifted, eyes wide, and reached over to touch his shoulder.

"Whoa, hey, calm- calm down-"

Groaning weakly, Radar slumped into him, burying his bandaged face into the other boys' shoulder. Jesse wrapped his good arm around him, looking a bit worried. Harper had grabbed Ivor's hand in a death grip, her other over her mouth; Ivor squeezed back.

_"FIGHT ME, CHAMPION,"_ the Colossus demanded, as Jesse ran to the edge of the platform to look up at it. It gestured to the demolished gate. _"UNLESS YOU'D LIKE TO SEE THAT HAPPEN TO YOUR ENTIRE TOWN."_

"Ohhhhh good lord," Olivia groaned. Ellegaard squeezed her arm.

Xara grinded her teeth together.

_"WHO KNOWS WHAT I'LL DO NEXT?"_ the Admin laughed again, that deep, malicious sound, the kind that you'd be able to feel through your chest. Their ears throbbed.

Binta breathed sharply through her nose, jaw clenching. She turned her eyes downwards. If Fred could see him now…

It would break his heart.

_"FLEE, TINY BEACONTOWNERS,"_ the Colossus exclaimed, grinning down at the panicked citizens, _"FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!"_

Romeo's lips twitched slightly. He was going to have a lot of fun with that, he was sure.

Teeth clenched, Jesse reached over his shoulder and drew out his sword. The Admin looked at him, grinned- and then reached for something behind him.

_"UGH, AH- HOLD ON-"_

It pulled out a giant, golden clock.

"What… ?" Lizzie frowned.

Jesse shot it a confused look. Grin widening, the Admin turned it.

_"AHA! FIGHTING IN BROAD DAYLIGHT IS BORING."_

As the clock turned, so did the sky. The orange-yellow of the rising sun shifted and fell below the horizon, the clouds scrolling backwards across the sky rapidly. It became blue-ish purple, then grey, then the moon was rising on the other side and the stars appeared. From sunrise to night sky.

_"LET'S ADD SOME… DRAMA."_

Below, the crowd gasped and screamed. Jesse gaped at the sky.

"What just happened?" Stampy asked, jaw slacking, "Did that just happen?"

"Oh, wow," murmured Isa. Magnus scrubbed at his eyes.

_"Oh,"_ Jesse said, rather weakly, _"He's… powerful."_

"Of course he is," Warden muttered. Anthony swallowed.

The groaning of zombies and the clank of skeleton bones filled the screen, as monsters began to stagger towards the demolished gate. The Admin looked down at them and his grin widened.

_"AH, SO MUCH FOR THEM,"_ he shrugged, chuckling. He turned his green glare down to Jesse, face twisting into a vicious grin. _"JUST YOU AND ME NOW, CHAMPION."_

"Bad, this is bad, this is very, very bad," Radar squeaked, clinging to Jesse tighter. The boy grunted quietly, but didn't pull away. The kid really _was_ like a squid.

Onscreen, Jesse backed away slightly, the colour draining from his face. He was shaking slightly.

_"DON'T LET THEM DOWN,"_ the Colossus sang, and he laughed again. The townsfolk screamed in terror as they ran, two smashing right into each other. They hit the ground hard.

Still laughing, the Admin raised one of his massive arms and swung down towards the young hero; Jesse's eyes widened and he darted to the side, leaping right off of the edge. He landed safely on the roof of Stacy's house, and the prismarine hand went smashing right through Stampy's.

"Noooooo," Stampy groaned despairingly. Dan patted his shoulder.

The Admin continued to laugh. Jesse scrambled across the top of Stacy's house and flopped onto his stomach on the ledge of the neighbouring tree house, the one with the bridge going across the top of the street. He hastily climbed back to his feet and darted into the house as the Admin turned to search for him, pressing his back against one of the pillars.

"I don't like where this is going," Harper mumbled. Ivor made a small noise of agreement.

Jesse peeked out on the other side of the pillar, where the Colossus was still looking for him. There was a grunt, and he turned to see Petra climbing up into the treehouse. She got to her feet and ran to him.

_"Not good, Jesse._ Really _not good,"_ she skidded to a stop on his other side, out of sight of the Colossus, _"Beacontown is gonna be, like, like-"_ she looked over the edge, to where Jack, Nurm and Vos were fending off the incoming monsters, _"One big smash fest for this guy!"_

"No kidding," muttered Aiden.

_"We need to help people,"_ Petra continued, as Jesse sheathed his sword, _"He's gonna break_ everything. _Swords aren't gonna cut it."_

Monsters groaned beneath them; Jack slashed through one's chest, knocked it to the ground and then stabbed through its brain. Petra groaned, tugging at her hair.

_"What can we do?"_

Jesse seemed to think for a moment, eyes darting around. Then his face lit up with a small grin. _"How about a bunch of obsidian walls?"_

He pulled out the Structure Block.

"Yes!" Ellegaard gasped, "Yes, use that!"

"You've got this, Jesse dude!" Nell cheered.

_"Structure Block time,"_ Jesse grinned, making his way to the edge of the treehouse. He glanced over his shoulder at Petra as she followed. _"If you can cause a distraction, I can plant some of these guys."_

People were screaming, running across the streets in utter panic. Monsters hissed and spat.

_"They'll help hold the city."_

Romeo raised his eyebrows. Hm. Smart.

Of course, obsidian was useless against an Admin, but… it wasn't like the Colossus could just smash through it all that easily.

Petra grinned and nodded, _"One major distraction, coming up! Go, Jesse!"_

With that, Petra ran right towards the Colossus and Jesse ran left towards the townsfolk.

Gabriel wrapped his fingers around Petra's hand, squeezing tightly. She shot him a somewhat surprised look, but squeezed back.

"Please stay safe," the warrior murmured. Petra blinked, before her lips twitched.

"I always stay safe."

_"Hey, Stone Face!"_ Petra yelled, climbing up onto Stacy's roof, _"Over here!"_

The Admin turned to look down at her, raising his prismarine eyebrows. Petra grinned mockingly.

_"Yeah, that's right!"_

It cut to Jesse leaping down from the treehouse, landing in the street with the Colossus not too far ahead of him. He looked up as it turned around to face Petra properly.

_"YOUR COURAGE IS SO MUCH LARGER THAN YOUR PUNY SIZE."_

Lukas swallowed, "Oh boy."

Jesse began to run towards where a group of townsfolk were huddled. Petra laughed.

_"Oooooh! Let's see how you deal with the enchanted deliciousness of Miss Butter!"_ the screen cut back to her just as she drew her golden sword. The Admin sneered.

_"I COULD PICK MY TEETH WITH THAT BLADE."_

"Hurry up, Jesse," Olivia muttered, nervously twisting her fingers. Axel shot her a reassuring look.

"He's got this."

_"Ahhhhh!"_ a townsfolk screamed from where they were huddled with a small group against some buildings, then spotted Jesse as he skidded to a stop in front of them, raising the Structure Block above his head, _"Ah?"_

_"I'll take you down one block at a time!"_

"She's got a bit of a mouth, doesn't she?" murmured Warden, scowling, "To threaten the Admin, as well."

Jesse slammed the Structure Block down and the Wall of the Builder burst into life, successfully protecting the group of townsfolk from view. Jesse ran off again, the citizen that had been screaming peeking out to watch him, hand on his chest as he fought to catch his breath.

_"Oh- Oh, thank you."_

The young hero ran over to where another cluster of townsfolk were huddling together in a hole in the floor, ducking down to avoid flying arrows from the skeletons. Jesse skidded to a stop in front of them, raised the Structure Block, and then slammed it down.

The Wall of the Builder appeared above them, floating in the air. Relief crossed the townsfolk faces as Jesse ran off.

_"You. Are. The. Best."_

"That'll work, right?" asked Gill, uncertainly, "Right?"

"I'm sure it will," Milo reassured him.

Jesse darted across the street to where another cluster of townsfolk were hiding being a stall. He glanced up at the Colossus, who seemed to be becoming increasingly annoyed with Petra, before pulling out the Structure Block and slamming it down. The Wall of the Builder appeared and one of the townsfolk stuck their head out, waving and grinning thankfully.

_"That's the way, Jesse! Thanks. Mean it."_

_"HA! CLEVER."_

Jesse jumped and twisted around to look up at the Admin, who was peering down at him again with a grin.

Radar went pale, shrinking against Jesse, "Oh no."

_"USING MY OWN STRUCTURE BLOCK AGAINST ME,"_ he lifted his giant foot, _"LOOK OUT BELO-OW!"_

Eyes widening, Jesse twisted away and ran; the force of the foot coming down caused the ground to shake beneath him, hard enough to make him stumble and trip. He flopped onto his front and bashed his chin against the concrete.

"Oh, that was so close," Harper groaned, covering her eyes with the hand that wasn't holding Ivor's, "That was _far_ too close."

Groaning, Jesse pushed himself up onto his ears, chin bruised. His eyes widened and darted around. _"The- The- Where's the Structure Block?!"_

He scrambled to his feet, eyes still darting around. The Admin rumbled a deep, mocking laugh behind him.

_"FINDERS, KEEPERS."_

Jesse twisted around. His jaw slackened when he realised the Colossus was holding the Structure Block between his prismarine thumb and forefinger.

"What?" gaped Lukas, " _What?_ "

"But it was right there," Aiden said weakly, "It was… the thing didn't even bend down!"

Stacy hugged Wink closer, "I don't like this…"

_"THIS TINY THING WON'T SAVE YOU, JESSE,"_ the Admin declared, _"NOT FROM_ ME _."_

And he shoved it into his mouth and swallowed it.

"He just ate the Structure Block," whispered Maya. Then, louder, "He just _ate_ the _Structure Block._ "

"I went back to that Sea Temple," Jack said slowly, "Finally got some kind of closure. Finally got the Structure Block. And he _ate_ it."

He looked about at the audience. The majority of them looked just as flabbergasted as he did. Xara in particular looked rather annoyed.

"He _ate_ it."

"At least… At least you were able to close the Heckmouth?" Radar suggested, weakly. Jack scrubbed at his face and groaned.

"He _ate_ it."

Onscreen, Jesse gaped. Then the Admin lifted his foot again and he leapt to the side, landing in a roll and swinging back to his feet; the giant, prismarine foot smashed into the ground where he'd been standing not seconds before.

Radar squeaked and gripped Jesse tighter, causing the boy to make a small, surprised noise. Ivor winced at the screen and shifted, tugging both boys closer to him and Harper, so that Jesse was against his chest. Neither of them protested, although Radar went a little red and seemed to debate whether or not he should pull away. After a moment, he apparently decided that he'd rather stick with Jesse.

The young hero looked up at the Colossus, before twisting around and running down into an alley. He skidded and leapt behind a builder, blowing out a breath.

_"Okay, this is a little intense,"_ he muttered, and glanced at the two terrified townsfolk hiding there with him; they gave tiny, petrified waves, _"But I guess a giant colossus did follow me home."_

"That… That is true," Otto hummed. Nell was practically on the edge of her seat between him and Mevia.

_"OH…"_ came the Admin's rumbling voice, the screen panning out to show him searching through the buildings for the young hero, _"HIDE AND SEEK IS BENEATH YOU, JESSE."_

He raised his massive foot and stomped right through the Slime Diving platform Jesse had helped build at the start of episode one.

_"THE CHAMPION SHOULD BE BETTER THAN THIS."_

"Champion," Xara murmured. She shook her head. "The hell he going on about _champions_ for?"

Binta looked at her, chewing on the inside of her cheek, "We don't know."

Xara frowned, "Mmm."

The two townsfolk hiding with Jesse screamed and scattered. Jesse pressed his back against the building, watching them go; the screen slowly began to turn red. He peeked over the side of the building, up to where the Colossus was still looking for him; he pulled back hastily before he could be spotted, glanced over to the other side, in the vague direction of where the townsfolk had run, and bolted. Right out into the open.

_"IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE A COWARD, JESSE,"_ said the Colossus, immediately spotting him on the other street and beginning to almost casually follow along, _"JUST GIVE YOURSELF UP."_

A panicked group of Beacontowners ran past him. Jesse skidded behind another building, crouching next to a bush. The screen began to slowly turn red again.

"Oh, I hate that," Olivia groaned, "Why does it have to turn red? It really doesn't have to turn red."

Ellegaard squeezed her hand.

Jesse's eyes turned upwards, to the ladder going up the side of the building and to a balcony. He climbed over the bush and ran to it.

_"SO ANNOYING,"_ the Colossus growled, searching between a few houses. Behind him, Jesse opened the door into the house and went inside.

It cut to Jesse pressing against a pillar, peering over at the Colossus. The ground rumbled as he walked. The young hero's eyes narrowed.

_"The design on the back of his head…"_ he pulled away, pressing his back to the pillar, brow creased, _"I've seen it before."_

"The zombie statues," Petra gasped, "It's the same as the zombie statues!"

Xara's eyes narrowed. Radar made an unsure noise.

"But how's he- how's he gonna get up there?"

Jesse looked down at the Gauntlet, glowing a dim green in the dark, casting shadows across his face, _"The prismarine soldiers back at the Sea Temple had the same symbol…"_

Romeo's lips twitched into a small grin.

The screen began to grow red again. Jesse peered back over the pillar at the Colossus, which had turned to somewhat face his direction. He pulled away and began to tip-toe to the other side, reaching the stone wall. He peaked out and gave a startled yell.

_"AH,"_ the Colossus glared, but grinned, _"THERE WE ARE."_

"Oh dear lord," Harper groaned.

_"Alright, Admin,"_ Jesse said, glaring back, _"You want a fight? You got one,"_ he drew his sword, _"Here I am!"_

The Admin laughed. Then he reached inside and grabbed Jesse in his fist, the young hero screaming as he was pulled out and held up to the colossal face.

"Jesse!" Lukas gasped. Olivia squeaked and buried her face into Ellegaard's arm. Axel covered his face, but peaked through his fingers.

The young hero swung his sword, hitting it against the prismarine fingers. The Admin continued to laugh.

_"LOOKING A LITTLE HELPLESS, 'CHAMPION.'"_

"Oh, he's dead," declared Soup, fingers over her mouth, "He's gonna get eaten just like the Structure Block."

"That would be bad for business," Stella mumbled, somewhat weakly. Ivor shot Soup a look.

"Could you please _not?_ "

"Sorry, dude."

_"I'M USING 'CHAMPION' THERE SARCASTICALLY,"_ said the Admin, as Jesse continued to uselessly hit at the prismarine.

Xara rolled her eyes, "We realised."

Laughing, the Admin opened his mouth wide, bringing a still struggling Jesse closer.

"No!" yelled Radar. Petra's hand shot up and clung to Gabriel's arm. Lukas shrunk against Soren. Jessi's hand came up to cover her mouth. Axel and Olivia both looked away. Reuben squealed loudly.

_"Hey, Rock Face!"_ called a familiar voice, _"Eat this!"_

An arrow came flying and lodged itself right into one of its glowing green eyes. The Admin made an irritated noise, raising his free hand to his eye; he looked as though he'd just had an eyelash fall it in or something.

"Right in the _eye_ , dudes!" Nell exclaimed.

Maya's eyes widened, "Is that… ?"

The screen shot to the side to reveal Lukas riding forth, his horse galloping at full speed through the streets of Beacontown. His bow was held tightly in one hand, his other gripping the reins and steering. His face was set.

"Lukas?" Jesse blinked, before he grinned, "Lukas!"

"Prince Charming to the rescue," Cassie murmured, lips twitching. Lukas shot her a look, but couldn't help his own smile.

The Admin must have loosened his grip in his surprise, for Jesse was scrambling out of his fist and balancing precariously on the side of his hand. That was, of course, before the hand dropped to the Admin's side and Jesse was left hanging on by one hand, his other still gripping his sword, swinging down alongside it with a scream. He looked down, dangling, as Lukas drew level with him on his horse.

Jesse let go.

"Whoa!" Lizzie gasped.

The young hero landed on the back of the horse, his free hand grabbing Lukas' shoulder before he could topple off the back.

_"Ha!"_ he gave a disbelieving laugh, sheathing his sword and pulling himself closer, automatically wrapping his arms around the blond as they rode away from the enraged Colossus, _"Lukas!"_

_"Good to see you too!"_ Lukas smiled faintly, but it quickly fell; his face was of pure relief.

Ivor blew out a breath, "Good."

Soup glanced away, then gave him a sheepish smile, "Uh… sorry for almost predicting the future?"

"Please be quiet."

_"JESSE!"_ the Admin roared. Lukas glanced over his shoulder at it, urging his horse on faster.

_"What_ is _that?!"_

Jesse glanced back as well and swallowed; they rounded the corner and went down an alleyway, out of sight, _"Quick version? The Admin. He, like built the world or something."_

Binta shook her head, scowling, "Right. Naturally."

Warden shot her a glare.

Lukas tugged on the reins and the horse skidded to a stop. His brow was creased in clear confusion. _"Oh… kay… Are you alright?"_

"Yes, that's a very important question," Harper declared, "Are you?"

Jesse raised an eyebrow, "I… can't hear you."

Harper sighed and ruffled his hair, "My point still stands."

_"I mean, he really had you up there,"_ Lukas said, as another group of panicked townsfolk ran passed them, _"Everything still in one piece?"_

Jesse blew out a breath and nodded, squeezing his friend in a small hug, _"Lukas, you just saved my life. Thank you."_

_"Of course,"_ Lukas smiled, then chuckled, _"I always wanted to ride into battle."_

Cassie rolled her eyes, "Of course you did."

"Why wouldn't I?" Lukas asked, "It's _awesome._ "

Soren shook his head, smiling fondly at the two, "Naturally."

There was an enraged yell, and they looked up to see the Admin searching around, face twisted in rage. Lukas winced and looked back at Jesse.

_"I sure hope you've got an idea here."_

"Don't we all," muttered Reginald.

Jesse glanced down at the Gauntlet, before pointing to the Admin, _"I saw a spot on the back of his head that I'm hoping might be the key to defeating him."_

The screen changed to show the glowing green symbol on the back of the Colossus' head, identical to the ones on the zombie statues. It cut back to Jesse and Lukas. The blond considered something for a moment, before he climbed down from his horse. The Admin's voice rumbled.

_"YOU CAN'T OUTRUN ME, JESSE."_

Lukas shot Jesse a smile as the young hero shifted to the front of the saddle. He pulled out his bow. _"Sounds like I better keep him distracted, then."_

"Oh, wonderful," Soren murmured, pressing his lips together. Cassie was strangely quiet. Gabriel frowned and squeezed Petra's wrist.

"Speaking of which…" he muttered, frown deepening, "Where is Petra?"

A few audience members glanced at each other. No one had spotted her. Or Jack, Nurm, Vos and Radar for that matter. Or Stacy and Stampy.

The majority of them didn't like that.

_"Thanks, Lukas,"_ Jesse smiled, gripping the reins, _"Be careful."_

Lukas gave him a nod, before he began to run back down the alleyway. Jesse watched him go, before his jaw set. He turned the horse to face the left and it reared onto its hind legs, before darting off.

"Here we go again," Clutch said. Facemeat grumbled anxiously to himself.

_"COME NOW, JESSE,"_ said the Admin, still searching through the buildings, _"ALL THIS STALLING IS JUST MAKING ME ANGRIER."_

"Like that's hard," Xara muttered.

_"Hey, blockhead!"_ the screen zoomed in on Lukas, his bow drawn and arrow at the ready, standing on the roof of the Octopus building that had caused Jesse and Radar to crave for some seafood, _"You want Jesse, you need to go through me first!"_ his eyes narrowed into a challenging glare, _"And I don't think you stand a chance!"_

"Whoa, go Lukas!" Gill grinned. Dewey meowed and rubbed against the blond's chest. Cassie's lips twitched slightly.

"He's going to get himself killed," Soren murmured. Lukas ran his fingers through Dewey's spotted fur and rolled his eyes slightly.

"You have such confidence in me."

"Hm."

The blond glanced at him and shot him a reassuring look, "I'm sure it'll be fine, Soren."

Soren pressed his lips together, before sighing, "It better be."

Onscreen, the blond released his arrow. It went soaring and embedded itself into prismarine, just below the Colossus' mouth. The Admin glanced down at it, then glowered.

"YOU'RE _PROTECTING JESSE?"_ he scoffed, _"OH PLEASE. ALL THESE INTERRUPTIONS ARE BECOMING ANNOYING."_

Behind the Colossus, Jesse came skidding out of a side alley on Lukas' horse, only a few feet from his prismarine heels. Up on the roof, Lukas took a small step back.

_"THAT,"_ the Admin growled, _"ENDS. NOW."_

"Okay, time to get out of there," Cassie said, eyes widening.

Apparently thinking the same thing, onscreen Lukas turned and jumped down. Down on the street, Jesse guided the horse to face the Colossus' back from where he was near the demolished gate.

_"Alright, girl,"_ he said, _"Let's see what you've got. Hee-yeah!"_

The snapped the reins and the horse shot forward. They ran past screaming townsfolk and groaning monsters, the Admin still searching for Lukas with increasing irritation; he knelt down in an attempt to get a better look inside buildings. They heard Lukas' laugh mockingly.

_"Not in there!"_

"Of course he says that," Soren muttered. Cassie licked dry lips and shrugged.

"I mean… at least he makes a good distraction?"

"Hmm."

_"Try again, ugly!"_

"Nope, never mind, he's trying to die," Cassie declared. Lukas gestured to the screen.

"I'm distracting it!"

"And also trying to die."

Nearing the Colossus' upturned foot, Jesse climbed up onto the horse's back so that he was standing on the saddle, holding his arms out for balance. Coming level with it, he leapt and scrambled up it, finding cracks and ledges in the prismarine. He jumped up onto the heel.

"Well," said Slab, slowly, "This… probably won't go well."

"Probably," Em muttered.

_"I KNEW YOU'D COME,"_ said the Admin, twisting to look under his arm at the tiny hero, _"EVENTUALLY."_

Jesse's eyes narrowed, _"You don't know anything about me!"_

Romeo's lips twitched.

Sure.

The Colossus' swung its giant hand, ploughing right through the air above his heel. He pulled back and the audience saw Jesse climbing up his back.

_"AUGH,"_ the Admin stood, twisting to look at the floor, _"WHERE ARE YOU?"_

His foot came dangerously close to stomping on Reuben's memorial. Jesse's eyes widened.

_"Hey!"_

Magnus' eyes widened, "Oh no."

_"OH, I'M SORRY…"_ said the Admin, looking down at the memorial, _"SURE WOULD BE A PITY IF-"_ he lifted his foot and smashed it right through Reuben's memorial, _"OOPS."_

_"No!"_ Jesse yelled.

Harper gasped, "It _didn't._ "

Axel shot to his feet, face twisted, "I am going to blow that _stupid things_ head in!"

"For once, I wouldn't try to stop you," Ellegaard muttered, mouth dry. Lukas covered his duly aching mouth, eyes wide. Petra's jaw was slack. Maya, Gill and Aiden shared a horrified look. Radar sucked in a sharp breath.

"Oh no…"

Jesse was staring. Reuben whined, rubbing his head against the boys' arm. Swallowing thickly, he wrapped his arms tightly around the little piggy and held him close, shrinking against Ivor's chest slightly. The potionologist wrapped his own arm around him, holding him close.

He looked at Harper and she met his eyes. Ivor clenched his jaw.

Whoever this 'Admin' was, he was going to regret that.

The young hero stared at his piggy's demolished memorial, before his gaze hardened and his jaw clenched, _"You're going to wish you hadn't done that, Admin."_

"You've really made him mad now," Mevia muttered. Romeo smiled.

_Finally._

A prismarine hand appeared around the side and swiped blindly, narrowly avoiding Jesse. The young hero looked at the arm and leapt up, latching on just before it swung back around. He huffed a breath and climbed onto the Admin's forearm.

_"Hoo boy."_

"That's a really long drop, ain't it?" Porkchop chuckled, although their red eyes were particularly dark. Anthony glanced uneasily at them.

_"DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME, JESSE?"_ the Admin sneered, as Jesse balanced carefully on the forearm. He raised his other giant, prismarine hand and Jesse ran up along his arm, narrowly avoiding being squashed like a fly.

_"I don't think!"_ Jesse exclaimed, coming up to his shoulder; his eyes narrowed, _"I know."_

"Whooooooo, Jesse dude!" Nell exclaimed, jumping to her feet. Mevia rolled her eyes, although she had to fight a small smile, and tugged the girl back into her seat.

"Sit still, Nell."

Jesse leapt off of the Admin's shoulder and clung onto the side of his head. He slid and skidded, narrowly latching onto a knick in the prismarine. For a terrifying moment, he dangled by one hand below a deadly drop. He looked down.

Down, to Reuben's demolished memorial.

The hero clenched his teeth and swung his other hand back up onto the head.

"Come on, Jesse!" cheered Aiden. And despite them all knowing that he couldn't hear them, a few of the other kids began to cheer as well. Lluna bleated loudly. Stella bit into the little part under her lip.

_Come on, Jesse._

The young man began to shuffle across the side of the head as the Admin laughed, bringing up another giant hand to swat him away. He smacked the spot where Jesse had been only a moment before.

_"CONFIDENCE,"_ he said, almost appreciatively, _"THE MARK OF A TRUE HERO."_

"What is _with_ this guy?" Dan frowned. Lizzie could only shrug.

The Admin hit the side of his head again, only to roar in frustration when he still found nothing. Jesse clung to the edge of his head, the glowing green symbol right _there_ , before he leapt around and grabbed onto it.

"He made it," Lukas gasped, "He made it!"

Instead of drawing his sword, Jesse drew back his Gauntlet-encased hand and balled his clunky fingers into a fist. He smashed it right into the green glow.

The Colossus flashed red.

"He did it!" exclaimed Petra, "He got it!"

With a quiet groan, the Colossus fell to its knees, swaying wildly. Its green eyes flickered. _"WELL… FOUGHT…"_ it slumped forward, breathing in slow, sharp breaths; its voice was a loud, ear-piercing whisper, _"MY… CHAMPION…"_

Jesse leapt down from its head; on the ground, Petra kicked a zombie away, landing in a crouch, and Jack slashed through one's stomach, Lukas firing arrows from the ledge of a buildings low roof. They both glanced up at the Colossus.

Gabriel released a relieved breath, "They're okay."

Slowly, the green glow of the Colossus' eyes died to black. And it poofed, leaving behind giant clouds of dust and the giant clock.

It fell, hitting the ground hard right in the centre of the street on its side. Slowly, it toppled onto its back, clock face to the wrong sky, and cracked the stone beneath it.

The screen went black.

The audience stared.

"Well," Magnus said, after a long moment, "That was really freakin' intense."

"No kidding," Harper muttered, a tad pale.

Ellegaard leant forward to check on Olivia, who was still semi-hiding her face, "You alright, 'Liv?"

The girl swallowed and nodded, breathing shakily, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

Ivor gave Jesse a small squeeze, "What about you?"

The boy licked dry lips, running his fingers over Reubens' head. He gave a tiny nod. "Yeah…"

Harper glanced at Jessi; the girl was staring at her lap.

"You okay too, Jessica?" she asked, quietly. The girl jumped anyway, as though she'd been electrocuted. She stared at Harper for a moment, eyes wide, before he cheeks tinted pink and she looked away. She gave a tiny nod.

Cassie looked at her for a long moment. Then over at Xara. The prisoner raised her eyebrows, but did nothing more. The girl looked away and glared at her lap.

Romeo leant back in his seat, grinning widely. Finally. _Finally._

A worthy champion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you give yourself up and try to leave Beacontown out of it or did you pretend you weren't there? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Happy Birthday, Movie Mode! We're officially three years old! 'Cause we're doing an early update for this, there won't be an update next Wednesday, however there's also two other stuff that I've got for today! The first one is a DEMO of the NEW Movie Mode Mansion that I've been building in Minecraft! You can now download it yourself and explore to your heart's content! You can find the link on Movie Mode's Ask Blog or you can search for NEW Movie Mode Mansion (DEMO) on Planet Minecraft!
> 
> The second gift I've got was kind of just me messing around and experimenting, but I had fun with it and I hope you guys like it, I guess XXD You can watch me try to get every animal there is in MCSM in Survival Mode in Minecraft on YouTube if you search for 'Tis a Beautiful World #1 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOVIE MODE! by Aroniveous. And if you guys like it, I might continue it, so XXD Hope you do!
> 
> That said, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I hope those of you that have Minecraft enjoy the Mansion and I hope you enjoy me running around like a headless chicken in the blocky world. I'll see you guys next time!


	108. Where Snow Shouldn't Fall

_**Movie Mode** _

**Episode Ten: Giant Consequences**

**Part One Hundred and Eight: Where Snow Shouldn't Fall**

* * *

_And the great white peaks of new islands rise._

* * *

The black of the screen faded just as Jesse hit the ground hard amongst shards of prismarine, briefly flashing red. He groaned and rubbed his head, wincing, before slowly climbing to his feet.

"Whoa, is he okay?" Lizzie asked, eyes wide, "That's a long drop."

"I think he was beginning to climb down when it poofed," Sparklez hummed, "He looks okay."

"Wasn't exactly a spectacular landing," said Dan.

Lukas hurried over, blowing out a breath, _"That was really something."_

"No kidding," Magnus muttered.

Jesse turned to the blond, opening his mouth. A familiar yell cut through before he could say anything.

_"Stay behind me, Stampy!"_

Stacy's eyes widened, "Hey, that's me!"

The two friends twisted to look towards the gates, where Stacy was fending off the incoming horde with a pickaxe. Stampy screamed, running and flaying his arms.

_"Don't let the googlies take me!"_

Petra swung Miss Butter, hitting a zombie. It staggered and she swung again, cutting through its throat and sending it toppling to the ground to burst into dust. Just up ahead, Jack was fending off his own zombie.

"It's not over yet," Cassie mumbled. Radar's eyes widened.

"The clock!" he exclaimed, "Get the clock!"

 _"Oh, man,"_ Jesse said, _"Those are gonna keep coming in until we get the sun back up!"_

He twisted on his feet and began to run to where the clock had landed, Lukas hot on his heels.

The moon beamed dimly in the sky, the creeper statue standing tall beneath it. The screen panned down to the clock, Radar already standing in front of it, tugging at his hair. Jesse and Lukas skidded to a stop in front of it, and the intern made his way over to them, looking up at Jesse.

_"Any idea how to- how to use it?"_

Now that it was quiet, they could all hear the slow _tick… tock… tick… tock_.

"Well… Colossus Guy just… turned it, didn't he?" Jack said. Archie chirped in his ear, causing the adventurer to jump and blow out a breath. He rubbed the parrot's head.

Jesse looked the clock over for a moment, before stepping up onto one of its ledges and reaching over the top, practically lying on his stomach. He turned the dial until it was at daytime.

Above them, the clouds began to scroll backwards and the moon began to go down. The sky turned from black to deep blue to purple to pinkish-orange as the sun shot back up into view. Everything became blue again, and beneath the beaming rays of light came the title _MINECRAFT: STORY MODE_ with _SEASON TWO_ in the middle.

Olivia released a small breath, "Good. Everything's good."

The screen panned down to the streets below, just in front of the demolished gates. Monsters were lit on fire and prismarine shards were scattered across the paths; Stacy and Stampy stepped back a bit as a burning zombie toppled onto its front with a groan, before poofing. Relief crossed their faces and Stacy tucked her pickaxe away.

 _"Whoo,"_ Stampy blew out a breath, _"Thank goodness."_

Petra and Jack sheathed their swords, shooting Jesse unsure looks. The townsfolk slowly came out from their hiding places, relief clear in the quiet chatter. Jesse gave Petra and Jack a wide smile and waved; the two looked at each other and grinned.

"I'm kinda surprised no one's hurt," Maya admitted. Aiden shook his head.

"Let's just count ourselves lucky."

Up on the remains fences of Stampy's semi-destroyed house, two parrots squawked and leapt off, taking flight. They flew above the town as things sped up, showing people appearing and disappearing in different places as they made their way around.

It cut to show people scooping up the prismarine shards littering the floor, then panned up to a construction tower as they used blocks of regular and dark prismarine to rebuild. It cut to people on the half-destroyed bridge between the treehouses, placing down blocks of prismarine, before it panned down to show Jesse, Lukas and Radar still standing next to the clock, watching people rebuild.

"You're going to have random splashes of prismarine everywhere?" Stella asked, raising her eyebrows, "That won't look right at all."

Jesse frowned at her, before shrugging one shoulder, "What else we gonna do with that amount of prismarine? I think it'll look cool."

Stelle scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Sure shows your poor taste in design."

Harper shook her head, deciding not to point out that people were allowed to build whatever they wanted in Beacontown and that Jesse had little to do with it. Let the woman be stuck in her own head.

 _"I can't believe it still works!"_ Radar exclaimed, turning to look down at the massive clock again. Lukas turned to it as well and pressed his lips together.

 _"Man,"_ he said, _"This thing could be super dangerous."_

"That's a fair point," Gabriel hummed, rubbing his chin, "But what are you going to do with it? I'm not certain it's movable."

"We'll… think of something," Jesse mumbled.

The blond glanced at Jesse uncertainly, _"How sure are you that this Admin guy is gone?"_

Magnus frowned, "But it poofed."

"It also changed the time of day," Ellegaard pointed out. Magnus' frown deepened.

"That… That's a good point…"

Jesse's small smile fell and he looked at the Gauntlet- still stuck on his hand. His brow creased. _"I don't know,"_ he admitted, _"If- If we destroyed that huge thing and he's still alive?"_ he looked back at Lukas, brow creasing further, _"That's kinda scary."_

"No kidding," Petra muttered. The real Radar shrunk against Jesse, making a small noise.

Radar made an odd sound somewhere between a terrified squeak and a high-pitched whine, shrinking in on himself slightly. Lukas glanced back at him, then at Jesse.

 _"I don't know how much more Beacontown can take,"_ the blond said. Jesse nodded and glanced at the clock.

_"Someone should keep an eye on this thing."_

"That's a start," Cassie muttered.

Lukas nodded in agreement, _"Yeah, I can take first wa-"_

 _"Actually,"_ Radar cut in hesitantly, shuffling his feet, _"Actually, I- I'll volunteer."_

Facemeat chuckled slightly, "Funny."

Slab hummed, lips twitching, "Sorta. I find it kinda cute."

Lukas frowned at the intern, while Jesse raised his eyebrows and planted his hands on his hips. Radar squared his shoulders slightly, although his voice was still a bit quiet.

_"I wanna help."_

_"Jesse,"_ said Lukas, turning to his friend, _"I'd say we both do it, but one of us should really get started on the repairs."_

The real Radar frowned slightly.

 _"It's a nice gesture,"_ the blond continued, glancing back at Radar, _"But maybe you should just let me handle it."_

 _"Look, I promise,"_ Radar said, perhaps a tad desperately, _"The minute I see anything out of the ordinary, I'm coming to get you as fast as my hustlesticks will carry me."_

"Hustlesticks?" echoed Soup, shooting Val a confused look. The girl could only shrug at her.

 _"My, uh…"_ Radar went a little pink, _"My legs."_

"Ohhhhhhh," Soup nodded slightly, "Okay, that makes _much_ more sense."

_"Come on, Jesse, I can do this!"_

"Not sure this is a good idea," Ellegaard said, carefully, "I mean… that thing could be dangerous."

_"Jesse's left me in charge before."_

Lukas shook his head, _"This is a whole new level, though."_

"Blondie's got a point," Magnus said. Radar ducked his head, something heavy in his chest. Harper and Ivor glanced at each other.

 _"Alright, Radar,"_ Jesse said, after a moment, _"I officially bequeath on you the title of 'Clockmaster.'"_

Binta raised her eyebrows slightly, "Really?"

Radar beamed, bouncing on his heels, _"Thank you, Jesse!"_ he saluted, _"I solemnly promise to uphold the duties and only use my powers for good."_

"They're dead," Em declared. Clutch shrugged.

"Eh, give noodle-arms a chance. S'not like he's actually messed up anything so far."

"Yeah, they're still dead."

 _"Wha- ? Yeah,"_ Jesse raised an eyebrow, lips twitching in faint amusement, _"Good. That's good."_

Radar went around to a good spot by the clock, planting his hands on his knees and staring at it intently. Lukas looked at the intern uncertainly for a moment, before turning to Jesse.

_"So what are you going to do now?"_

Jesse looked down, his face crumpling into something that was almost dejected. He turned to look at his piggy's destroyed memorial and made his way over to it.

 _"I figured I'd start with Reuben's memorial,"_ he said, quietly, _"It got pretty trashed."_

The real Jesse swallowed, his chest tightening. Reuben whined softly and licked his cheek; the boys' lips twitched and he hugged him closer, scratching the little piggy behind the ear. Radar glanced at them and gave a tiny smile.

 _"Aw, man,"_ Lukas muttered, as the two friends stopped in front of it, _"Well, that's terrible,"_ he reached out and squeezed Jesse's shoulder, the young hero's eyes trailing to his feet, _"I'm so sorry."_

Ivor reached out and squeezed Jesse's shoulder, tugging him a little closer. Harper shifted and leant against the potionologist's side, running her fingers through Jesse's hair. He breathed deeply, chest aching, and rubbed Reuben's chin with shaky fingers.

_"That Admin, just- no respect."_

Romeo rolled his eyes.

 _"It'll be alright,"_ Jesse said, although he sounded like he might've been trying to convince himself of that as well as Lukas, _"Damage isn't_ too _terrible."_

Lukas shot him a small smile, _"That's a really good outlook."_

"It's _demolished._ "

"Cassie."

"It is!"

 _"And, um,"_ Lukas scratched the back of his neck, _"When I asked you what you're gonna do, I was actually talking about that glove of yours."_

Jesse blinked and looked down at the Gauntlet. He tugged at it, hopefully, but it remained stuck.

 _"'Cause I gotta tell ya, Jesse,"_ Lukas continued, _"This whole… 'Admin' thing? It's… well, it's very_ you _, I guess is what I'm saying."_

Otto cocked his head slightly, "Oh?"

 _"Well, I know you say you're trying to settle down and run Beacontown, but..."_ the blond turned, looking out to the street as the townsfolk went on with the repairs, _"It just seems that you can't quit that life, you know?"_

"I mean… it's not really _his_ fault that he's got a cursed glove stuck to him," Maya pointed out. Lukas considered this thoughtfully, before shrugging one shoulder, absently rubbing his aching jaw.

Jesse peered over Lukas' shoulder to look as well, his brow creasing slightly. Lukas shifted his weight.

_"I mean, you don't exactly see Axel and Olivia getting mixed up in stuff like this."_

_"I thought I could run Beacontown_ and _go off on adventures,"_ Jesse said quietly, shoulders slumping, _"But… a lot of people almost got hurt. Because of me."_

The real Lukas winced, "That's… um…. I think that came out a little wrong."

 _"Aw, I mean…"_ Lukas gestured weakly, then sighed, _"Don't be…_ too _hard on yourself, alright? Everyone's fine. And they clearly love you."_

Jesse looked away and didn't answer. Lukas opened his mouth, paused, and then sighed again.

 _"I, uh… I didn't say any of that stuff to be mean. We've had a ton of adventures and…"_ he stepped closer, wrapping his arm around his friends' shoulder in a sort of half-hug, _"I just want you to be happy."_

"Awww," Stampy murmured.

 _"I mean,"_ he turned slightly to look at the banner of Reuben's beaming face just behind them, Jesse looking as well, _"That's what that little pig wanted for all of us."_

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwww," Stampy and Stacy both murmured. Stampy put a hand over his chest.

"My heaaaaart."

The real Reuben nuzzled into Jesse's chest, oinking quietly. As though to agree.

Jesse ducked his head slightly to hide the tears burning in his eyes.

After a small moment, Lukas gave Jesse a squeeze, _"Now go rebuild his monument. I promised Stampy and Stacy I'd help them get their houses fixed up."_

The young hero gave a little nod, _"Sounds good. I'll see you later, Lukas."_

The blond gave him one last squeeze, before pulling away and making his way down the street. Jesse watched him go for a moment, before returning his attention to his piggy's monument. He approached it, looked down at the little plaque with Reuben's name on it, and swallowed thickly.

 _"Okay,"_ he said, bending down to pick up the plaque, _"Let's see what we can do for you, buddy."_

"This is making Facemeat sad," Facemeat moaned, burying his face in his hands. Clutch patted his shoulder.

The young hero stood, and the screen sped up. He mined down the rest of the original monument and built the base out of polished diorite, then used chiselled quartz to build the pillars, four across each length of the square. He placed a block of white stained glass in the square he'd built at the front, and connected the pillars at the top with polished diorite. With dark and regular prismarine, he made a checkered floor on the inside, and then a striped roof on top.

He knocked out the corners of the front square he'd put the glass in and replaced them with pirsmarine, regular on the top right and bottom left, dark on the top left and bottom right. He mined down the middle of the two front pillars and replaced it with some more white stained glass.

Jesse took a step back and smiled, _"There. Now_ that _is a monument fit for Reuben."_

The real Jesse gave a small, tiny smile and looked down at his piggy; his voice was choked, "You like it, buddy?"

Reuben cocked his head at the screen, then gave a happy squeal and licked Jesse's chin. The boy gave a small laugh and hugged him. Radar smiled at them.

"Oh, he's cuter than I ever could've imagined."

The young hero looked at the monument for a long moment, and his smile became sad. He stepped forward again and picked up the plaque with his piggy's name on it, before hanging it up on the front of the memorial. He stepped back again, and Nell trailed up next to him.

_"I know I never met Robin-"_

_"Reuben,"_ Jesse corrected. She blinked.

_"Oh. Right. Righteous."_

The real Nell grinned, "Righteous little dude!"

Reuben gave a little squeal.

 _"Oh, by the way, Petra was looking for you before,"_ Nell declared, and pointed over towards the gates, _"Over thataway."_

Jesse shook his head at her, giving a small smile, _"Thanks, Nell."_

He turned and began to make his way down the street, leaving her by Reuben's memorial. He made his way passed the construction sites, a few people waving as he passed, eyes looking around for Petra. Off to the side, Jack sat a block of prismarine on his crafting table and chuckled.

 _"Oh, come on,"_ he said, _"You remember Twisting Death Cavern. You couldn't even look at a bat for months. Right?"_

Beside him, standing at his own crafting table, Vos laughed, _"Oh, oh, yes,"_ he sat a block of prismarine on the crafting table, _"They all just start to blur together after a while."_

"Sure," Binta scowled.

 _"Hey, guys,"_ Jesse cut in, making his way over, _"Petra around? Heard she was looking for me."_

 _"Oh,"_ Jack said, his one eye darting away, as though to avoid looking at him, _"Uh, yeah, um… helping Nurm, um…"_ he put some dark prismarine on the table and cleared his throat awkwardly, _"Get some… stuff, I think. She should be back in a second."_

The real Nurm quirked an eyebrow, glancing at Jack. The adventurer shrugged at him.

He wasn't sure _what_ he was trying to lie about, but he was a lot worse at it than he'd originally thought he was.

 _"Amazing word fighting that 'Admin' fellow, by the way,"_ Vos cut in, shooting a slightly frowning Jesse a beam, _"Just stunning."_

 _"Yeah,"_ Jack's lips twitched, _"I would've thought you'd been doing it your whole life."_

Axel raised an eyebrow, "What, fighting giant statues?"

Jack chuckled, "Yup."

_"It was… artful."_

"More like terrifying," Harper mumbled. Jesse's lips twitched.

 _"What can I say?"_ the young hero shrugged, brow creasing, _"Just lucky, I guess."_

 _"Hm. If there's one thing I've learned about 'lucky' people,"_ Jack put another bit of prismarine on his crafting table, _"There's always more to it than just 'luck.'"_

"He's not wrong," Gill declared. Maya and Aiden nodded in quiet agreement.

_"Got that on a sign back at the shop."_

Ellegaard huffed a small laugh, "Of course he does."

 _"It's a little sad,"_ said Vos, _"That the legendary Jack, the- the 'Iron Sword of Mooji Lake,' has been reduced to some… tour guide."_

The real Jack blinked slowly. Nurm frowned, humming.

Jack shot him a look and sighed, shaking his head, _"Vos…"_

 _"That's why I think this adventure to Twisting Death Cavern,"_ Vos continued, as Jack went back to placing prismarine down on his crafting table, _"Is just what you need to-"_

Jack shot him a glare and coughed, _"Shaddup."_

Vos paused, before his eyes widened. He hastily went on. _"What you should continue to keep juh- juh- just talking about,"_ he put some more prismarine down, _"For someday far off."_

"What's happening?" asked Milo, frowning. Reginald scratched his jaw.

"I… believe they're being terrible at lying."

"Why're they lying, though?" Petra frowned, "They're just going adventuring, right?"

Gabriel pressed his lips together and hummed, "Perhaps."

 _"Uh, yeah,"_ said Jack, still avoiding looking at Jesse, who was now glancing between them with a rather suspicious frown, _"Yeah, agreed. Looove theoretical conversations."_

_"Oh, yes, yes, quite."_

"They're… incredibly bad at this," said Lizzie. There were a few nods of agreement.

 _"Wow, I thought Jack was a bad liar,"_ Jesse said, planting a hand on his hip and raising his eyebrows, _"But you're pretty terrible at it too, Vos."_

Vos opened his mouth to protest, before sighing and ignoring the way Jack was frantically shaking his head, _"Yes, okay, fine. We have a new adventure planned."_

"Okay… and _why_ is that a big deal?" Axel asked. Olivia hummed.

"I think we're missing something."

 _"Hang on, hang on,"_ Petra's voice suddenly cut through, and Jesse turned to see her and Nurm making their way towards them with some supplies, _"I missed that last part. If we take that road, it goes through a swamp_ and _a mesa biome?"_

Nurm grinned at her and nodded, humming something. Petra laughed.

 _"Okay, okay, then it's settled. The earlier we leave, the…"_ she trailed to a stop, spotting Jesse, and her smile fell, _"Better…"_

"Oh," said Lukas, with a dawning realisation, " _Oh_."

"Whoa, wait, Petra's, like, leaving?" Nell asked, "For how long?"

"Well, if we're talking about the Twisting Death Caverns…" Jack thought for a moment, then winced, "Uh… a long while."

Jesse's heart sank to his stomach, "Oh…"

 _"Wait,"_ Jesse said, brow creasing, _"You're leaving with these guys?"_

 _"Er…"_ Petra glanced away, _"Yeah."_

 _"And that's, uh…"_ Jack winced, _"Yeah, that's why we were, um… being weird before and, uh, y'know… talking about, uh… y'know, possible- possible stuff…"_

The real Petra frowned, unsure, "I mean… it's not like I'd be gone _that_ long, right?"

"Uh… no," Jack scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "No, you'd be gone a _really_ long time."

The girls' shoulders slumped slightly, "Oh…"

 _"Were you even going to tell me?"_ Jesse asked, voice breaking slightly, _"Or were you just going to sneak off?"_

 _"Of course I was going to tell you!"_ Petra hastily assured, _"I was just… working up to it. Slowly."_

Jesse's chest had become heavy. First Axel and Olivia going to Boom Town and Redstonia, and Lukas living out in the country, and now Petra? They were all… leaving? Gone?

Just like that?

His throat was painfully tight.

All of them?

 _"Jesse, I promise I can explain,"_ Petra said, Jesse looking away and crossing his arms, his eyes shiny, _"I just-"_

Something small and white floated down between them, cutting Petra off. Jesse spotted it and jerked back in surprise, his eyes widening. Petra actually took a tiny step back.

 _"Whoa,"_ she said, as the snowflake floated to the ground, _"Wait, what?"_

"The heck?" Magnus blinked, "Is that a snowflake?"

Milo frowned, "A what?"

"Cold stuff," Isa said simply, still staring at the screen. Milo and Reginald shared a confused look.

"That can't be right," Aiden said, brow creasing deeply, "That… What? That's not…"

He looked at Maya and Gill, both of who could only shrug at him, just as bewildered.

Petra looked up to the sky, frowning. Jesse turned, looking up as well, and spun in a slow circle. All around them, drifting from a cloudy sky, snowflakes fell upon Beacontown.

"Oh no," Olivia murmured, something sinking to her stomach, "Oh no, no, no."

 _"It's… impossible,"_ Petra breathed, backing away slightly, _"This isn't a snow biome."_

Radar was back to clinging to Jesse again, making a small noise, "This- This isn't good- This _really_ isn't good."

Jessi stared with wide eyes.

Onscreen, a snowflake drifted downwards and Jesse reached out, letting it soak into his hand- except this was the hand encased in the Gauntlet, and it burst into green light for a split second before dying back down again. Jesse's eyes widened.

_"The Admin."_

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me," Harper grumbled, scowling, "That thing's _still_ alive?"

"Should have realised it wasn't going to be that easy," Ivor muttered. Jesse shrunk against his chest slightly, pressing his lips together.

At least they weren't talking about Petra leaving anymore.

_"The one and only!"_

The audience jumped in surprise.

Onscreen, the group of jumped as well and twisted around to look at the destroyed gates. Just in front of them, frost crept along the ground and, with the crackle of crunching ice and snow, an ice block materialised. From this ice block came a snowy torso with black buttons and a blue vest and bowtie, and from this snowy torso came a head with a tophat and a face made up of black buttons. Stick arms grew from the torso and the Snowman grinned.

"What," said Magnus, staring. He looked at Ellegaard, back at the screen, and then back at Ellegaard. " _What._ "

 _"I had so much during our last little battle,"_ its voice was high-pitched and jolly, the complete opposite of the Colossus', _"Super epic! Just couldn't say away."_

Xara groaned, "Oh, not that thing. I _hate_ that thing."

Romeo grinned at her, then caught himself and hastily looked away. Oliva shot Xara a startled look.

"What?"

 _"Wait,"_ Jesse said, stepping forward, _"_ You're _the Admin?"_

The Snowman shuffled towards them on his ice block, _"What, that giant-"_ his voice deepened dramatically to more closely resemble that of the Colossus, _"PRISMARINE COLOSSUS?"_ he laughed, back to the almost irritatingly high-pitched tone, _"Just a construct! Rolled it up for the occasion. Pretty fun, right?"_

"Fun?" Olivia echoed, "What part of that was _fun?!_ "

"This guy's gotta pretty messed up sense of, like, fun," Nell declared. Mevia and Otto glanced at each other over her head.

"Yes," Mevia murmured, "I suppose he does."

_"I just thought it'd be a little easier to talk like this. It's kinda… cuddly, right?"_

_"Hold up,"_ Jesse said, coming level with the Snowman, the others coming up behind him, _"That was your idea of_ fun? _"_

 _"Uhhh,_ yeah? _"_ the Admin grinned, _"I mean, with the smashing and the punching and the crazy do-or-die plans to protect the little people?"_ he scoffed slightly, _"Unbelievable."_

Binta scowled and shook her head. Cassie raised an eyebrow and Soren frowned. Lukas and Petra shared a startled look.

Jesse blinked, as though taken aback. Then his face hardened into a glare and he crossed his arms, the Gauntlet glowing a bright green and cast shadows across his face. The Snowadmin gestured to the small group gathered in front of him.

 _"See, you four? Went into my temple, back out alive. Heroes! You're_ perfect _for my creations,"_ he turned around, grinning widely, _"Perfect!"_

"Creations?" Ivor echoed, raising his eyebrows. Harper grunted quietly.

"Oh, I don't like the sound of that."

 _"Where are you going with this?"_ Jesse asked. The Snowadmin chuckled and turned to face them again, taking on a sing-song tone.

 _"Got a new challenge for yaa,"_ his grin only widened at the suspicious look Jesse shot him, _"Trust me, you're gonna love it."_

"That's not incredibly comforting," Isa muttered.

Jesse opened his mouth to say something, but the Snowadmin was already raising his stick arms. He clapped and the sky immediately darkened. Monsters began to groan.

"What? _What?_ " Magnus threw his hands in the direction of the screen, " _What?!_ "

Hadrian raised his eyebrows. This Admin guy was… powerful.

 _Very_ powerful.

Over by the clock, Radar was gaping at the sky. Then the clock disappeared right in front of him and he yelled, jumping back in shock.

The real Radar winced, "But… But I was watching it."

Jesse squeezed his shoulder, although he didn't look away from the screen, "Not much you could've done, squid."

Startled yells came from the Beacontowners. Jesse's eyes widened and he groaned.

_"Not again!"_

_"You hear that?"_ asked the Snowadmin, as the sound of monsters grew increasingly louder; off to the side, Stacy and Stampy peered around the edge of a few crafting tables, watching with wide eyes, _"That's a diamond-class wave of doom and destruction headed right for town!"_

"He said that _way_ too cheerfully," Aiden muttered.

The Snowadmin chuckled and placed his stick hands on his hips, _"Pretty good, right? Been working on that one."_

Xara gritted her teeth hard, fuming, and had to resist the urge to leap up from her seat and gut him right then and there. Who cares if there was respawn, she'd do it anyway just to have the satisfaction of _doing_ it. Of giving him what he deserves.

 _"You're insane!"_ Vos exclaimed. Nurm hummed something, glaring hard. Jack ground his teeth together.

_"You'll never get away with this."_

_"I know you have your plans or whatever,"_ Jesse said, his glare hardening, _"But leave my people out of it! They're innocent!"_

The Snowadmin laughed, _"Innocent? Or… incentive?"_

"I don't know what that means," Axel mumbled.

"Something that motivates or encourages someone to do something," Olivia whispered. Understanding crossed Axel's face and he nodded.

"Got it, got it. Thanks."

 _"I dunno!"_ he took on that sing-song voice again, _"Seems like they've got you pretty motivated!"_

"That's just sick," Stacy declared, "They've got nothing to do with anything."

A few of the other YouTubers nodded in agreement. Anthony glanced at Warden, who was watching him out the corner of his eye; the Associate looked away.

The Snowadmin turned away from them and cleared his throat, _"Your town will be trapped in eternal, snowy night, forever plagued by deadly waves of mobs… until you recapture that clock."_

Jack's good eye narrowed, _"Which is where?"_

 _"I'm glad you asked,"_ said the Snowadmin, turning to him, _"It's at the tippy top of my awesome, fantastic, super-deadly icy palace of despair."_

The sounds of mobs were getting louder.

"Ah," Cassie considered this for a moment, "What?"

"Where are Ivor and I again?" Harper asked, "Why aren't we here?"

"I think they mentioned that we were on vacation," Ivor muttered. Harper frowned.

"Hmm. We're not allowed to ever go on vacation."

"Agreed."

 _"It's simple,"_ the Snowadmin continued, turning to gesture out the gates, _"Just follow the path. You can't miss it."_

Indeed, there was a path of snow leading out into the night. And despite the snowflakes falling everywhere, they all seemed to melt within contact of a surface, never enough to properly form a snowy patch. Petra raised an eyebrow.

_"Well, that sounds needlessly dangerous."_

_"Oh, it is,"_ said the Snowadmin, _"I mean, I don't want to brag, but it is, like,_ really _hard,"_ he chuckled, _"You'll see."_

"Alright, nope," Ivor said, rather suddenly, "We're not doing this."

"I don't think we have much choice…" Jesse said, reluctantly. Ivor scowled and shook his head, glaring at the screen.

"If I see anything that so much as resembles a snowman or prismarine, I'm _breaking_ it."

Romeo raised his eyebrows.

Huh. That would be kind of funny, actually.

 _"Are you insane?"_ Jesse asked, his voice hard, _"Are you just an actual crazy person?"_

 _"Is it because I look like this?"_ the Snowadmin asked, gesturing to himself and raising an amused eyebrow (buttonbrow? snowbrow?), _"Yeah, I can see why you'd think that."_

"Oh my god, I hate him," Magnus said, "I actually hate him. What even _is_ this guy?"

Ellegaard shook her head, lips pressing into a thin line, "Is it bad that I'm a bit glad that Axel and Olivia aren't there?"

Magnus shook his head as well, "No, I'm glad they're not there either. It's bad enough that these guys are dealing with this bull. Wouldn't know what I'd do if our kids were mixed up in it."

"Yeah… although if they're getting the snow and the eternal night as well… does Boom Town have a wall?"

"Of course Boom Town has a wall," Magnus said, "Although sometimes people have the tendency to blow it- what?"

He blinked, noticing the others staring at them. Ellegaard blinked as well and glanced around. Soren, Gabriel and Ivor were grinning.

"What was that you said, Magnus?" Gabriel asked, innocently, "Something about _your_ kids?"

Axel and Olivia blinked slowly, before looking up at Magnus and Ellegaard. The self-proclaimed Boom King stared at Gabriel for a long moment, before something clicked in his brain and his eyes widened.

"I never- what are you- I never said _that_ , I just- what?"

Ellegaard opened her mouth, then closed it, going red. Magnus himself was looking a bit flustered.

"I said kids as in, you know, _kids_ , not in- no, wait- I meant as in, y'know, _intern things_ or- or _explosion buddy_ and _redstone buddy_ , that kind of- you know- and they're both kids, so- what?"

Gabriel, Soren and Ivor's grins widened further. Soren chuckled.

"Of course, Magnus. Don't worry, we understand."

"Oh, yes," Ivor nodded, "We understand _completely_."

Magnus glanced between them for a moment, "Are… Are you sure? 'Cause I don't really think you do. I think you're getting at something _way_ different."

Gabriel cocked his head; some of the kids were trying to stifle their giggles, while Axel and Olivia looked torn between gaping and beaming, "Oh? What do you think we're getting at."

"That- That we're- That I meant-" Magnus turned to look at the redstone engineer beside him, "Ellie, _help._ "

Ellegaard just mumbled something incoherent, burning face buried in her hands. Magnus was rather red-faced himself. Soren, Gabriel and Ivor shared wide grins.

 _"But no,"_ said the Snowadmin, _"No, no, no, I'm just fine. I promise ya."_

Xara rolled her eyes. _Sure._ Like _he_ was sane.

(A part of her hoped that maybe he actually wasn't; that the version of him she'd once known had been sane, but something had happened and his mind had spiralled and now he just wasn't. That he hadn't always been like this.)

(Ha.)

(Hahaha.)

(Hilarious.)

 _"Why are you doing this?"_ Jesse asked, _"What do you want from us?"_

 _"Why?"_ the Snowadmin shifted forwards, looming over him with a twisted sort of grin, _"Why?! Well, because it's_ fun _, obviously! Why, this is going to be epic!"_

The words had barely left his mouth before Jesse was drawing his sword and leaping at him with an enraged yell; he smashed right through his snowy skull and shattered it.

"Whoa!" Radar yelled, flinching back. Jesse tightened his grip around him slightly.

The others watched with hard faces. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a new head burst up from the torso and spun back into place. Jesse jumped back a bit in surprise, raising his sword.

The Snowadmin looked at him and chuckled, _"You think you've got it aaaall figured out, don't you?"_

"Oh god," Olivia groaned, shrinking against Ellegaard slightly; the engineer securely wrapped an arm around her.

The Snowadmin glanced between the group for a moment, before raising his stick arms again and clapping. Immediately, strays appeared behind them in a spray of sparks, bows at the ready.

"What is that?" Milo asked, eyes widening. He looked from the screen to Isa to the screen again, and pointed at it. "What is _that?_ "

 _"Ahhh, strays,"_ the Snowadmin chuckled, _"Pesky little consequence of eternal night. And…"_ he gave a jolly laugh, _"Beacontown's new neighbours until you take care of that clock."_

Jesse's face hardened further. The Snowadmin clicked his blue tongue.

 _"Remember,"_ he said, _"Find the clock, save the town. Buh-bye now!"_

With that, he folded in on himself and shrank back into his bottom ice block, before disappearing into the ground.

Gill groaned and scrubbed at his face, "This is surreal."

 _"Augh!"_ Jesse groaned, drawing his sword, _"We need to protect the people!"_

Vos and Nurm turned on their heels and ran further into Beacontown, right past the strays.

 _"Run!"_ Vos yelled, _"Hide, everyone!"_

"Oh no," Jack mumbled.

The strays fired at them. Nurm yelled something and the arrows embedded themselves into the ground; a townsperson screamed and ran away. By the demolished gates, Jack and Petra stood on either side of Jesse and drew their own swords. Zombies stumbled into view on the screen.

Jesse took a few steps back and turned to face the strays, back to back with Petra and Jack. The strays turned their bows upon him.

"Bad," Jessi whispered. Her brother glanced at her and bit his lip.

"It'll be okay," he assured her. She said nothing.

Onscreen, Jesse began to make his way towards the strays to get in striking distance. One fired an arrow and he rolled to the left, quickly getting to his feet again; the other fired and he rolled to the right, before shooting towards the closest stray; it fired and got him right in the shoulder.

 _"Ow!"_ Jesse grimaced, hastily breaking the shaft of the arrow so that only the head was embedded into his armour (and hopefully only his armour).

"Jesse!" Lukas gasped.

The other stray fired again and he rolled, being sure to do so only on his other shoulder, before he leapt back up and swung his blade at the closest stray. It staggered back and flashed red; he hit it a good three times before the other stray fired and he was forced to dodge- once, twice- before he charged and slashed his sword through the stray's bony skull.

It flashed red and fell to the ground in a puff of dust.

"Whoo, Jesse dude!" Nell cheered. Soup and Val shared a grin.

"This guy is _cool_ ," Soup whispered. Val nodded in agreement.

Jesse dodged another arrow and charged towards the second stray, but it fired again and got him in the side. The young hero grunted and fumbled with the shaft, quickly breaking it off like he had the first one; just in time, because a split-second later he was dodging another arrow.

Harper winced, "That's gonna leave a mark."

The young hero dodged another before leaping forward and swinging his sword in quick, rapid succession, hitting the stray dead on. It fell, leg snapping, and then poofed.

Jesse turned and was met with two groaning zombies, staggering towards him.

Gabriel sighed, "Naturally."

Jesse charged at them and swung his sword, knocking the closest back, hitting it once, twice, three, four times, before it poofed. He ducked beneath the second's reaching arm, and shoved his blade through its gut. He tore it out and kicked the monster to the ground, and it poofed seconds after.

Nell leapt to her feet and cheered again, louder this time. Mevia and Otto winced.

"Nell," Mevia huffed, tugging her back down, " _Inside voice_ , please."

The girl just grinned at her.

Jesse blew out a small breath, hand hovering momentarily over his side. But there were already three strays aiming their bows at him; one fired and he was forced to hastily roll out of the way, before he jumped back to his feet and began to make his way over, rolling and dodging and jumping and ducking to avoid their deadly arrows.

He reached the closest one and swung his sword, cutting through its bones; it fumbled with its bow and released another arrow, hitting him dead on. Jesse yelled and staggered back, flashing red, an arrow sticking out of his chest. He didn't have time to break the shaft so that it wasn't as in his way; he dodged another two that were fired at the same time, then another and another, before he reached the closest stray again and slashed; it poofed and the stray behind it shot an arrow into his leg.

"He keeps getting hit!" Stampy squeaked, covering his face, "The googlies keep hitting him!"

The real Jesse winced. Hopefully Ellegaard's armour would hold up.

Jesse doged more arrows, blindly fumbling with the one stuck in his chest with his free hand until he was able to break the shaft, and then darted forward, rolled to the side and then tore through the second stray. It staggered and he slashed again and again, until it was knocked down and nothing but dust. He didn't give the third one time to react; he leapt at it and swung hard and fast, too many times to count, before it was knocked into a part of the demolished gate and was dust.

"Someone please get him medical attention," said Ivor, "He's full of arrow holes."

"I'm sure the armour got them all," Jesse said. Ivor shook his head.

"Get medical attention anyway. You're grounded if you don't."

"But I'm not making the decisions! Future me is!"

"My point remains."

The screen cut to Jack slashing through a zombies throat, knocking it to the ground and then stabbing it in the back. It poofed and, after a quick glance around to make sure that was the last of them, sheathed his sword.

 _"I've got a bad feeling more will be on the way soon,"_ he said, making his way over to Jesse and almost automatically taking a look at the arrowheads stuck in his armour. He poked the one in his shoulder carefully, glancing at Jesse's face to make sure it didn't hurt, before slowly pulling it out. Jesse let him get the other ones too; aside from the one in his side having a bit of blood on the tip, he remained unharmed.

Ivor released a small breath, " _Thank_ you."

Jack's lips twitched, "Uh… no- no problem."

He shot Nurm an excited grin. The Villager shook his head, amused.

_"Guys!"_

They turned to see Lukas, Radar, Vos and Nurm running towards them. Radar's breathing came out in short gasps.

 _"Jesse!"_ he exclaimed, _"I am_ so _sorry. I was standing guard, watching it_ so _close, but it just disappeared!"_

 _"I know,"_ Jesse reassured him, _"And now the situation is just going to get worse until we get it back."_

Petra groaned, "No kidding."

 _"Yeah,"_ Petra scowled, _"From his icy palace of despair or whatever."_

"Yeah, uh…" Magnus scratched his cheek, "That sounds _awesome_ , but the circumstances aren't that brilliant."

"This sounds like the 'Games' all over again," Maya said, pulling a face, "Something that has the potential of being fun under different circumstances."

Romeo shook his head. Wait until they saw it.

This was going to be _so_ fun.

 _"Wherever you're going, I'm coming too,"_ Radar declared; Jesse's eyes widened, _"I was given the title, and the power, of Clockmaster."_

"Oh, no," Harper groaned, "Not another one."

"But I was!" Radar protested. Jesse winced and glanced at his sister, who raised her eyebrows at him.

"Uh… I dunno, Radar."

_"If it's to keep Beacontown safe… I'll do anything."_

Lukas raised his eyebrows, _"Really."_

Jesse regarded the intern uncertainly for a moment, before glancing at Petra, who shrugged, and then at Lukas, who frowned. He absently tapped his fingers against the Gauntlet, before giving a small nod.

 _"Aw, man,"_ he said, finally, and shot the intern a small smile, _"Proud of you, Radar."_

Radar's eyes widened and his hands went to his mouth, _"Really?"_

Jesse's smile became a bit brighter, _"Of course!"_

The real Radar beamed. Harper groaned again. Jesse's lips twitched and he gave the intern a squeeze.

 _"Well, I… I won't let you down!"_ Radar beamed. Jesse's smile took on a hint of something else, although it was hard to tell what exactly- maybe sadness, maybe uncertainty- but then he brightened, jaw setting in determination, and planted his hands on his hips.

 _"Alright, everyone,"_ he said, _"We've got a clock to find."_

He turned and began to lead Petra, Lukas, Radar and Vos towards the demolished gates. Jack trailed over to Nurm.

 _"Can't let you come along on this one, old friend,"_ he said. Nurm hummed something, brow furrowing; Jesse paused and looked back at them.

 _"I promise,"_ Jack said, and gripped the Villager's shoulder; Jesse made his way over to them, _"I will come back."_

Nurm said something, brow creasing further, not looking incredibly happy, but he gave a small nod.

 _"You stay safe, Nurm,"_ said Jesse, _"Okay?"_

The Villager hummed something and gave a small nod, pulling the young hero into a hug. Jesse hugged back, before Nurm pulled away and hugged Jack as well.

Over by the prismarine wall they'd been hiding behind, Stacy and Stampy peaked out, before rushing over. They were both quite pale.

 _"Is that…_ thing _gone?"_ Stacy asked.

 _"Yeah, for now,"_ Jesse said, before gesturing to the demolished gate, the others waiting just outside it, _"Block this up after we leave, would you?"_

Slab nodded, "That's a good idea."

 _"On it,"_ said Stacy. Stampy nodded.

_"Yes! We will defend Beacontown with our very lives!"_

The YouTubers shared grins.

 _"Thanks, guys,"_ Jesse smiled, before glancing over at the Villager, _"Bye, Nurm."_

Nurm said something, presumably returning the goodbye, before Jesse turned. He led the others out into the snowy night, following the path the Snowadmin had pointed out. From the gates, Stacy and Stampy waved from either side of Nurm.

 _"We're all counting on you!"_ Stampy called.

_"I wish I knew more about whatever their quest is…"_

Jesse pulled out a torch, lighting the way and discouraging any nearby monsters. They walked on and it faded to black.

The audience was quiet for a moment. Then Stacy chuckled quietly.

"Well," she said, "I do now."

Lizzie's lips twitched, "Heh, yeah, true. How's your back, by the way?"

"Flaming agony."

"Ah. Sparklez?"

"Also flaming agony," said Sparklez, smiling around a grimace, "And my legs feel weird."

"Oh," Dan blinked, "That's… That's not good."

"No. No, I didn't think it was."

Ivor pressed his lips together and hummed, "Do you want me to look you over now or do you think you'll be able to go another scene okay?"

Sparklez waved him off slightly, "Uh… I- I think I can last. Stacy?"

"Yeah…" she winced, "What's another scene?"

"Well," said Anthony, thoughtfully, "Depending on how long the scene is, 'cause they seem to vary a lot, it could-"

"Please don't, Anthony," Stacy cut him off, "Really. Please."

The Associate blinked, then winced, "Oh, right. Sorry."

"Does this count as me going on an adventure with you?" Radar asked in a whisper. Jesse considered this for a moment, before shrugging on shoulder and nodding.

"Yeah, I suppose it does."

Radar squealed excitedly. Ivor and Harper shared amused looks. Jessi's lips twitched upwards.

"Let's hope this goes well," Binta murmured. Xara glanced at Romeo.

He was grinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you attack the Snow Admin? Let me know in the reviews!

**Author's Note:**

> What did you guys choose to build? A creeper, enderman or a zombie? Let me know in the reviews!
> 
> Wow, 5,000 words without AN's. This took me, what, three days to write? I think I did okay. Did I do okay? Yeah, I did okay.
> 
> Just so you know, there will be no pairings in this. None at all. The closest thing this story will get to a pairing is between Magnus and Ellegaard, and that's probably only after that scene, if you know what I mean.
> 
> Seriously though, do not read this if you haven't finished the first episode, 'cause I will more than likely spoil some of it in the Authors Notes, even if you don't read about it in the actual story. Also, I must ask you please not to spoil anything for me past episode 5 because, as I have already said in the top Authors Note, I have not yet bought episode 6 and beyond.
> 
> THIS WAS EDITED ON 29TH JULY 2016. ONLY MINOR CHOICES WERE CHANGED.
> 
> THIS WAS EDITED ONCE AGAIN ON 7TH AUGUST 2016. GRAMMAR MISTAKES WERE CORRECTED.
> 
> THIS WAS EDITED AGAIN ON 22 SEPTEMBER 2016. GRAMMAR ERRORS WERE CORRECTED.


End file.
